Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #9 courtesy Marvel
This week’s Friday Flashback is inspired by superstar artist Jim Cheung. As I packed for my first Wizard World Comic Con I was trying to decide which comics by the acclaimed artist I would bring to get autographed.
This one is definitely making the road trip to Portland, Oregon: Avengers: The Children’s Crusade was the final act of Cheung and writer Allan Heinberg’s gorgeous and powerful run with the Young Avengers.
I hope Avengers: The Children’s Crusade wins the GLADD Best Comic Awards. Hulkling and Wiccan fell in love in Young Avengers. As the heroes try to save the Scarlet Witch (Wiccan’s mother) they are in the center of a huge storyline featuring Doctor Doom, Avengers and X-Men. The book is filled with action but the heart of story is the strong relationships between the boys and their devoted teammates. This is one of the most beautifully written and drawn stories Marvel is publishing.
Northstar to the rescue. Courtesy Marvel.com
I’m hoping that Marjorie Liu’s upcoming Astonishing X-Men (featuring the return of Northstar and his partner Kyle) will be nominated next year. Northstar (when he was in Alpha Flight) was the first superhero to come out. The Canadian mutant has been a teacher and mentor to younger gay mutants, Anole and Graymalkin.
If you want to learn more about Northstar you can read my post about why he should rejoin the X-Men – which he will later this year.
Teen Titans (part of the DC New 52) welcomed Bunker, an openly gay Mexican teen hero. Scott Lobdell co-created Bunker with the plan to make him flamboyantly out. It will be interesting to see Bunker’s story develop in Teen Titans and if the book will be nominated next year.
Teen Titans #3 from DC Comics. Art by Brett Booth.
You may want to read my post about gay heroes in comics.
Thanks to Comics Alliance for the story about this year’s GLAAD nominees.
