Astonishing GLBT X-Men In Action

Astonishing X-Men #50 courtesy Marvel.com

  Marjorie Liu and Mike Perkins are the new team on Astonishing X-Men. The lineup includes Wolverine, Iceman, Gambit, Warbird, Karma and Northstar. With the cancellation of Alpha Flight I had hoped Marvel would bring Jean Paul back to the X-Men. Northstar is at the Jean Grey School and he’s continuing his relationship with boyfriend Kyle.

  I call Astonishing X-Men the title to watch for next year’s GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Comic Book. In the solicit for May’s issue Liu is keeping Karma and Northstar pivotal to the first arc.

  The mutant with mind possession power is losing control over her own. How will the X-Men stop Karma from taking control over her teammates. Northstar’s boyfriend Kyle is in danger. Will Jean Paul be forced to choose between him or his team. Plus Marvel promises that his issue’s ending will “be the most talked about moment of the year!”

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