Tag: GLAAD

GLAAD DC Character to Watch

  DC Comics earned GLAAD Media Awards Best Comic Book Nominations for Secret Six and Batwoman. Kate Kane is the most high profile lesbian character that defies labels and stars in her own critically acclaimed Batwoman series. Scandal Savage and her girlfriend Knockout are the anti-heroines of Secret Six by superstar writer Gail Simone.

Teen Titans #3 from DC Comics. Art by Brett Booth.

  There’s a new out kid in town to watch out for who wears his signature purple and attitude proudly. Miguel Jose Barragan code name Bunker is a Mexican teen wielding purple force field bricks. He debuted in the New 52 Teen Titans.

  “If the comic book industry doesn’t create another white, straight male superhero, that will be ok,” Titans writer Scott Lobdell says in the latest Out magazine.

  Bunker joins established young heroes Red Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, a revamped Solstice and Skitter, a new creation. The Titans are currently fighting Superboy.

  “It never entered my head that people would object to the color scheme of his outfit based on whether or not he was homosexual,” says Lobdell of Bunker’s signature color and criticism of his flamboyance. Miguel does refer to his own ‘cute butt’ when he first appeared.

  When asked about Bunker’s possible love interests? “He has love in his past and in his future,” Lobdell says, “and will have a healthy relationship life as all the other characters in the book.”

 

Bunker versus Superboy in Teen Titans by Brett Booth courtesy DC Comics The Source

If you’re reading this great title you know that there’s no time for romance as the kids are trying to survive a twisted version of Superboy and the mysterious organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E. that’s hunting down metahuman teens across the DC Universe.

  Scott Lobdell has a history of creating compelling adventures with diverse young characters and groundbreaking stories. He had an epic Uncanny X-Men run in the 90’s and created Generation X – including Monet St. Croix who now stars in GLAAD nominated title X-Factor. M is not a lesbian. M is a diva.

  Lobdell wrote the breakthrough  Alpha Flight issue in 1992 when Northstar came out after years of being in the comic book closet due to editorial policy. The Canadian mutant is rejoining the X-Men later this year.

 For more of the Out interview click here.

 For my take on the latest issue of Teen Titans click here.

GLAAD LGBT Marvel Characters to Watch in 2012

  Because of the overwhelming response by my posts on the recent GLAAD Media Awards: Best Comic Book Nominees I wanted to share some LGBT characters to watch for in 2012.

  Writer Marjorie Liu and Artist Mike Perkins are the new creative team on Astonishing X-Men starting in March. Northstar and Karma are in their lineup.   I’ve posted before about why Northstar should rejoin the X-Men now that Alpha Flight is ending. Jean-Paul Baubier and boyfriend Kyle’s relationship was tested in Alpha Flight and the tension isn’t over as the couple move to Westchester. I’m hoping Jean-Paul will be a teacher at the Jean Grey School. You can read about Liu and Perkins take on Northstar in this post.

Karma preview art by Mike Perkins courtesy Marvel and Comics Newsarama

  Karma was a founding member of the New Mutants. She has the mutant power to possess the minds of other people or animals. Xi’an (pronounced Shan) Coy Mahn was born in Vietnam. During the Mekanix series Karma and Kitty Pryde reunited at the University of Chicago. This is when Xian came out as a lesbian, confessed her for Kitty but Kitty’s heart belongs to Colossus. (OK I know they broke up but they’re soul mates.)

  Karma eventually returned to the Xavier Institute as their librarian and became a mentor to Anole, a young gay mutant boy. When the X-Men were based in San Francisco Xi’an’s leg was injured in battle, had to be amputated and replaced with a prosthetic. It will be exciting to see Karma on the Astonishing team and perhaps have a love interest.

  Anole (Victor Borkowski) is a young mutant with an appearance like the reptile he’s named after. Vic’s powers include wall crawling and adaptive camouflage. Vic was a student at Xavier’s then regrouped with the X-Men in San Francisco and decided to attend Wolverine’s new Jean Grey School. Anole is among the student cast of Wolverine and the X-Men. Anole and Rockslide’s (Santo is straight with a mutant body made of rocks) friendship continues to be hilarious and inspiring. You can follow Victor on Twitter @_Anole_.

 These are some great X collections featuring Anole with a quick link: New X-Men: Academy X, Young X-Men, Nation X

GLAAD Honors Marvel

  Today Marvel recognized the creative teams of Avengers: The Children’s Crusade and X-Factor for their GLAAD Media Awards. Both are nominated in Best Comic Book category.

  “We try very hard at Marvel to be inclusive of people of all backgrounds, all races, all religions and all orientations,” said Tom Brevoort, Marvel’s Senior Vice-President of Publishing and editor of Avengers: The Children’s Crusade. “And to make sure that a reader of any stripe can find a character that reflects their experiences within our stories.”

“Usually when you say, ‘It’s an honor just to be nominated,’ that’s code for prepping yourself for disappointment,” says X-Factor writer Peter David. “But in this instance, it genuinely is an honor considering that X-Factor was nominated and won last year. Not a convention goes by where a fan or fans comes up to me to tell me how much Rictor and Shatterstar’s relationship means to them, and that always fills me with a sense of pride; and also a feeling of—to borrow a page from Spidey—great responsibility. I’m just glad that Marvel has consistently allowed me the latitude to explore these kinds of topics.”

X-Factor's Shatterstar and Rictor courtesy Marvel.com

  Allan Heinberg is the writer of Avengers: The Children’s Crusade featuring gay teens Wiccan and Hulkling. X-Factor made an appearance in this series.

For today’s complete press release click here. For my previous posts about all the nominated books (and who I want to win and who I think will win) click here and here.

GLAAD Best Comic Nominees Part 2

    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.