Northstar is married. Marjorie Liu’s Astonishing X-Men #51 made history and headlines with the wedding of an openly gay X-Men to his human partner. Romance and social significance are just part of the story. Liu is equally spinning action and mystery on her X-Men run. It looks like a short honeymoon for the team as the manipulator was revealed.
Karma is the other openly gay mutant character Liu is using in a surprising way. Last issue’s shock ending and the cover of this week’s issue has me intrigued. The former New Mutant is the traitor playing deadly mind games with her fellow X-Men?
There are times when a fan may exclaim there are “too many X-books!” When you have a writer like Liu on her game and giving underused characters the spotlight I’m thrilled to add another to the pull list.
GLAAD, The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, reveals the nominees for Outstanding Comic Book for 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards:
Avengers: The Children’s Crusade, by Allan Heinberg (Marvel) Batwoman, by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman (DC Comics) Secret Six, by Gail Simone (DC Comics) Veronica Presents: Kevin Keller, by Dan Parent (Archie Comics) X-Factor, by Peter David (Marvel Comics)
All of these nominated books feature a gay or lesbian lead character or a gay character in the ensemble.
X-Factor's Shatterstar and Rictor courtesy Marvel.com
X-Factor won last year. Rictor and Shatterstar are boyfriends and co-workers at X-Factor Investigations. Rictor is a Mexican mutant who lost his powers but recently was repowered in Avengers: The Children’s Crusade. Shatterstar is a mutant warrior from another dimension – and wants an open relationship. Rictor wants them to stay monogamous.
Batwoman #1 from DC Comics
Batwoman is Kate Kane, lipstick lesbian socialite of Gotham City and caped crusader by night. The fan favorite crime fighter is the star of her own DC Comics New 52 series.
Kevin Keller is the front-runner. Archie Comics showcased an openly gay character in an all-ages book. Kevin is serving openly in the military with an African-American boyfriend. The partners were featured on gay wedding ceremony cover. Archie Comics didn’t just publish the story but gave Kevin’s story a big marketing push and it made huge mainstream headlines.
