The casts and crews of Arrow and The Flash including Grant Gustin are saying it’s time for a gay superhero on television in a new story on The Advocate.
The Flash recently introduced openly gay villain Pied Piper and Sara Lance/Black Canary was bisexual (in love with Nyssa Al Ghul) on Arrow. Sara died this season but the actress who played her will appear in an Arrow/Flash spinoff featuring a team of heroes. Detective Renee Montoya (who became the Question in comics) is part of Gotham.
An X-Man got married to a Man. A gay Green Lantern was born. A Riverdale teen met his geek (and gay) icon. A twist on who was a Slayer in Buffyverse. Those were just some of the GLBT characters and storylines that made mainstream headlines, boosted comics and possibly helped change our culture.
GLAAD revealed their nominees for Outstanding Comic Book. Congratulations to the writers/artists/editors and publishers for the recognition. The nominations reflect on the big year for gay characters in comic books and the impact they have on society.
Astonishing X-Men, Earth 2, Kevin Keller, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Batwoman are great books by talented creators but which book should win and why?
Op/Ed:
Do I have a favorite? I admit I have a X-Men bias but it was my first comic book.
I have go to with Astonishing X-Men. Northstar’s wedding to Kyle Jinadu was not just a one issue stunt. Jean-Paul has been out since 1992. Jean-Paul an Kyle’s romance developed in earlier volumes of Uncanny X-Men and the most recent Alpha Flight series.
Astonishing X-Men #51 variant courtesy Marvel
In Astonishing X-Men #51 Jean-Paul and Kyle got married in New York’s Central Park surrounded by teammates. Marvel even gave the book 2 variants: one with Jean-Paul and Kyle kissing and one with the happy couple on the cover with some of Marvel’s most famous couple’s on their big day. You may call that smart marketing. It is. By looking at this special cover it sent a message that Jean-Paul and Kyle’s ceremony and relationship was the same as Reed and Susan Richards and other Marvel super couples. (Let’s hope they turn out better than Scott & Jean, Storm & T’Challa or Quicksilver & Crystal!)
The wedding was not the end of Kyle’s screen time in the book. After the honeymoon Marjorie Liu continues to explore the complicated life of being married to a superhero in every issue. Who would have thought Wolverine would be giving a guy relationship advice about his husband? Remember when Jean-Paul couldn’t come out?
Astonishing X-Men #54 courtesy Marvel
Northstar wasn’t the only GLBT character featured in this book. Former New Mutant Karma was central to the storyline of Liu’s thrilling arc. Liu didn’t touch on Karma being a lesbian just a conflicted character who showed why she’s a great hero and mother figure to her younger siblings. It didn’t matter than Karma was a lesbian but perhaps Shan may find love now that she’s survived the villain of Liu’s first arc.
Spandex Fast and Hard by Martin Eden courtesy TitanBooks.com
This week X-Men (and Alpha Flight) fans celebrate Northstar’s wedding to his boyfriend in Astonishing X-Men #51. Northstar and the newly outed Alan Scott/Green Lantern of Earth 2 aren’t the only gay heroes on comic book pages. Direct from England – Spandex is an all-gay team that might give you a new reason to wave those rainbow flags at Pride festivals this weekend.
With a title like Spandex: Fast and Hard I thought this book might be campy fun but I was surprised how much I would care about these over the top heroes and heroines.
Liberty, Prowler, Glitter, Indigo, Butch, Mr. Muscles and Diva are an all-gay superhero team based in Brighton, England that fight giant lesbians, pink ninjas, and a psychic alien while struggling with complicated love lives.
Take Peter David’s clever mix of adventure, inter team romance and satiric humor in X-Factor then shower it with glitter, more sex, turn up the camp and you have Spandex. These scantily clad heroes are great fun but the more I read the more I felt for them.
from Spandex by Martin Eden courtesy Titan Books.
Chapter One Attack of the 50 Foot Lesbian introduces the team as they race into action taking on an angry giant stomping through Brighton. The titanic lesbian is a big threat but there’s an even bigger conspiracy behind her rampage. The Justice League has the Injustice League. Spandex has their own team of enemies. Martin Eden plants a particular sinister yet sexy seed that could lead to a heartbreak and betrayal in the future for one member of the team.
Chapter Two Pink Ninjas takes the team around the world to Japan after a ninja thief’s brazen robbery of the Queen. The adventure leads to a battle with an army of pink ninjas. the addition of a new member and forces to team to face a painful past.
Chapter Three…If You Were The Last Person On Earth was my favorite. The heroes awake to a conquered world. A psychic vampire is turning everyone into zombies (not the mindless eating kind) and sucking the color…all the colors of rainbow seems an appropriate choice of words…out of the world. This final chapter is a parable of coping with how everyday life can take an emotional toll and drain the life out of you.
Spandex! created by Martin Eden courtesy Titan Books
Creator Martin Eden made me laugh, think and relate. I enjoyed these sexy and fun adventures with the campy but complicated heroes of Spandex. Straight or gay doesn’t matter – this is an entertaining superhero comic.
Warning: This book has nudity, sex, foul language and really revealing costumes. This book is not for the easily offended.
Note: I was approached by the publisher to see if I would take a read and offer my thoughts if sent a preview copy. I was not paid to review this book.
Northstar’s upcoming wedding in Astonishing X-Men next month and the reintroduction of a gay Alan Scott Green Lantern inspired my story X Marks Diversity – which looked back at how the X-Men have always been groundbreaking when it comes to characters of different races, cultures, religions and sexual orientation.
X-Statix Volume 1 courtesy Marvel.com
I made a glaring omission. As I was reading today’s Axel-In-Charge column on Comic Book Resources CBR’s Kiel Phegley reminded us that current Marvel Editor in Chief Axel Alonso was editor of the Rawhide Kid: Slap Leather. This Marvel MAX series relaunched the Wild West hero as open and flamboyantly gay drew criticism from anti and pro gay groups more than a decade ago. This led Alonso to remind us of two other gay heroes.
“There are plenty of gay characters in Marvel Comics that fly under the radar. Take Phat and Vivisector, for instance: teammates on the [Peter] Milligan/[Mike] Allred X-Force/X-Statix series that were also lovers. I don’t remember them provoking any controversy and I don’t think Rawhide Kid paved the road for them or any other gay characters; the opportunity was always there. Whenever you create a new character, the details of their interior or private life – stuff like their sexuality – will at some time become relevant.”
Northstar’s proposal is Marvel history now. Alonso revealed how recent events affected the storyline.
“Our best stories reflect stuff that happens in the world outside your window. When the Twin Towers fell, we did the Spidey black cover issue [“Amazing Spider-Man #36”]. when New York State legalized gay marriage, we wondered how Northstar – an openly gay super hero who’s in a long-term monogamous relationship – would respond to that development.
The world outside New Yorkers’ windows is one where gay marriage is recognized. But remember: For Northstar and Kyle, getting married is just the beginning of the story – the easy part. Marriage isn’t about the week’s vacation in Tahiti – it’s about the weekend trip to the K-Mart. A year from now, who knows – we could be looking at the historic divorce issue!” [Laughter]
For more of today’s column – a Friday must for me and I recommend for Marvel fans- here’s the link.
I complete forget this mutant couple and this X-Force reboot from two gifted creators! The title was so different at the time – I always thought of it as an X-Men book by Vertigo.
Marvel told fans to “save the date” for a wedding in Astonishing X-Men #51 this June. Fans speculated that Marvel’s first openly gay hero Northstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier) would marry his boyfriend Kyle. Today it’s official – the ladies of ABC’s The View made the announcement. Astonishing X-Men #50 by Marjorie Liu and Mike Perkins is out this week – in which Jean-Paul proposes to Kyle Jinadu.
courtesy Marvel
Jean-Paul is a native of Quebec and introduced in the 1980’s in Alpha Flight. Creator John Byrne said he always planned to have Northstar come out but Marvel’s editorial policy at the time wouldn’t allow it. Northstar came out in Alpha Flight by Scott Lobdell in 1992. Professor X recruited Northstar to be an X-Man and teach at the school. After joining, quitting (he was killed by a brainwashed Wolverine but resurrected) the X-Men and rejoining Alpha Flight Northstar started his own sports events company. He fell in love with his company manager, Kyle.
Astonishing X-Men #49 preview art courtesy Marvel.com
After Alpha Flight disbanded Northstar accepted Wolverine’s offer to be part of the Jean Grey School for mutants. Jean-Paul and Kyle will live in New York City and Northstar would commute (he’s a super speedster) to the school update.
Northstar to the rescue. Courtesy Marvel.com
I’m a big fan of Northstar’s twin sister Jeanne-Marie (Aurora.) Hope she’s able to come to the ceremony. Here’s a previous post with background on the GLBT mutants. We’ve come a long way in this country. I never knew when I wrote this post asking for Marvel to bring Northstar back into the X-Men family back in November of 2011 that I would be posting about his upcoming nuptials.
Bunker debuts in Teen Titans #3 this week. Creators say the Mexican teen is openly gay and flamboyant. The online teaser sparked debate, praise and some scorn. Robot 6 has a good post about the early reaction.
Comic book universes are still dominated by white males in the pages of comics and behind the scenes. Bunker is the a new creation as part of an effort to make the DC universe more diverse. Bunker’s arrival made me think of the GLBT heroes that I’ve followed over the years.
Northstar to the rescue. Courtesy Marvel.com
I would have to say that Marvel has taking the lead when it comes to creating gay heroes. Northstar of the Canadian team Alpha Flight was created in 1979 but finally came out in 1992. With news of Alpha Flight being cancelled I’m hoping Northstar will return to the X-Men. In last week’s post I made my case for Jean-Paul joining Wolverine’s new school and team.
The X-Men family of books have always has a theme of diversity and anti-discrimination with several GLBT characters. Rictor and Shatterstar are boyfriends in X-Factor. Karma is a lesbian member of New Mutants. Anole and Graymalkin are young mutants still in training to be be potential X-Men.
One of my favorite titles is the Young Avengers. Hulkling and Wiccan are boyfriends but being gay is the least of their family troubles. Hulking is an alien wanted by two enemy races. Wiccan may be the long lost son of the Scarlet Witch. Avengers: The Children’s Crusade may reveal the truth about Wiccan’s parentage.
DC’s most famous gay characters are Apollo and Midnighter. The duo was created in Stormwatch which morphed into The Authority under the Wildstorm banner. Imagine Superman and a Batman/Wolverine hybrid as a gay couple and you have Apollo and Midnighter. I would say The Authority is for mature readers for the graphic violence. The two heroes were married. Apollo and Midnighter are members of the new Stormwatch.
Batwoman #1 from DC Comics
DC is the only publisher to feature a lesbian as the star of her own series. When Batwoman was revamped a few years ago, Kate Kane came out and has been kicking butt in Gotham City. Batman’s home turf is the home to another lesbian character. Detective Renee Montoya was introduced on Batman the Animated Series but when she joined the book Gotham Central she was made a lesbian and made more butch.
Teen Titans #3 could be a book to buy for historical reasons. As far as I know, Bunker will be the most flamboyant openly gay character in a mainstream title. As for how out there, we’ll have to read and see. If you know of other gay heroes and heroines I may have left out – I want to hear from you.
