The All-New Marvel Now is on the way. World War II heroes The Invaderswill reunite against a modern-day enemy in a new series by James Robinson and Steve Pugh. Inhuman by Matt Fraction and Joe Maduriera will star classic and new Inhumans in a world vastly changed after a major event involving the Kree-created race. All-New Avengers #24.NOW by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic starts a new arc, Rogue Planet, in the wake of Infinity.
Who’s next? Which characters and concepts should get a chance to shine in the All-New Marvel Now? Black Widow and Silver Surfer have been named as possible heroes getting a new series in the upcoming recharge.
Happy One Year Anniversary to Northstar and Kyle Jinadu! It was one year ago the X-Man married Kyle Jinadu in Astonishing X-Men #51. The marriage was heavily promoted, protested and celebrated. Openly gay X-Man Northstar married Kyle Jinadu with the X-Men and Alpha Flight watching in New York’s Central Park. The big event inspired some gay X-men fans to tie the knot…in a comic book store on the day of the wedding issue’s arrival! The wedding of Jean-Paul and Kyle was huge for mainsteam comics but continued the tradition of diversity in the X-Men history.
Jean-Paul and Kyle are still together, still trying to cope with the pressures and dangers of being a super couple targeted by villains. Northstar’s wedding was a major milestone in comic books. Back in the 1980’s John Byrne (Jean-Paul’s creator along with the rest of the Canadian supergroup Alpha Flight) wasn’t allowed Continue reading X-Men Gay Wedding Anniversary
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.
2012 was a big year for GLBT comic book characters. X-Man Northstar got married. New Mutant Karma became the star of a major storyline. The Buffyverse welcomed Billy the Vampire Slayer. Batwoman kept kicking butt and teamed up with Wonder Woman. Green Lantern Alan Scott is gay on a reborn Earth 2. Archie Comics star Kevin Keller met George Takei.
The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their portrayal of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
Marjorie Liu and Mike Perkins deliver a big revelation, big fights and set the stage for a huge showdown in this week’s Astonishing X-Men #54.
Susan Hatchi appears to be a greedy corporate type that’s oozing evil. She could have easily fit right in with the old school Hellfire Club. Hatchi has forced New Mutant Karma to attack her teammates, blew up Wolverine at Northstar’s wedding and left the rest of the team in a hellhole.
Hatchi reveals her connection to Karma and gives the team an impossible mission with deadly consequences if they fail – all to prove a point.
I give Liu huge kudos for using Wolverine in just the right dose and giving other characters equal time. Cecilia Reyes never wanted to be an X-Man but she’s caught up in an adventure with them again. With the team in a deathtrap, Reyes pushes her power to new levels while pondering if her past choices have been wrong.
While Logan is recovering Liu shows that Remy has just as many underworld connections. Hatchi’s orders take the team to Madripoor and Gambit makes a move on Logan’s ex Tyger Tiger in a move to accomplish their mission.
Tension has been building between Iceman and Northstar. Liu continues to explore what it’s like for a hero to have a loved one always in the line of fire. Jean-Paul’s husband and all of New York City is in jeopardy. Bobby and Jean-Paul’s conflict leads to a huge fight and shocking cliffhanger – has an X-Man accidently killed an X-Man?
If you want a thrilling adventure not tied to AvX and a chance to see other mutants in action then this is a great X-Men book. I’m enjoying Liu and Perkins run and I’m excited for the showdown in Madripoor next issue.
Northstar made Marvel history, generated a ton of media attention and sold a lot of comic books. Jean-Paul’s wedding to Kyle Jinadu in Astonishing X-Men #51 was a huge success story. But will Northstar and Kyle’s story continue in the Marvel NOW? What about other GLBT characters in the relaunch?
Faithful followers of this blog have been sharing their concern over the fate of GLBT characters in the upcoming relaunch. So based on their suggestions and a Marvel NOW tally of announcements so far here are some great characters that will hopefully survive and thrive in the relaunch.
Striker: Several members of the soon to be departed Avengers Academy will graduate and appear in the recently announced Avengers Arena but Striker is missing from those kids.
Wiccan and Hulkling’s romance was a fan favorite element of Avengers: The Children’s Crusade. Wiccan does appear on the cover of the an upcoming Marvel Now Point One issue. Anole is a background character as a student of the Jean Grey School in Wolverine and the X-Men. The romance of Rictor and Shatterstar has been a fan favorite storyline in Peter David’s X-Factor which sure seems like it’s ending with the current Breaking Points arc.
X-Factor’s Shatterstar and Rictor courtesy Marvel.com
One fan’s idea is a team of all GLBT characters. A storyline in which GLBT heroes use their powers to patrol and prevent bullying could have strong potential. I think it’s important to have more than just an all-gay cast. I remember how much I enjoyed Anole and Rockslide’s team up in the X-Men: Manifest Destiny series. Wiccan and Hulkling have always had the support of their straight friends in the Young Avengers.
Hopefully there will be more Marvel NOW announcements about books with GLBT characters. (I really hope Marjorie Liu’s Astonishing X-Men run continues and Peter David on X-Factor.) The publisher has shown a commitment to showing diversity in the Marvel Universe. It is the comics business. Publishers are willing to invest in GLBT characters and stories if readers invest in the books. You have the power.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #14 courtesy Dark Horse Comics
In Buffy, The Vampire Slayer Season Nine #14 Jane Espenson and Drew Greenberg will introduce a new slayer. Billy is a new character who trains himself to fight like a slayer. As revealed in OUT Billy is openly gay.
Editor Scott Allie tells Comic Book Resources part of Billy’s introduction is tied to the wedding of Northstar in Astonishing X-Men and revelation of Alan Scott in Earth 2.
“It’s funny. When we started seeing what Marvel and DC was doing, we thought, ‘Damn. They’re racing to get these stories out one after the other, so it’ll look like we’re chasing them. But we’d had this story planned for quite a while,” Allie said. “But I think you can see this as a natural extension of stuff Joss has done all along. Getting a gay male character doesn’t seem unusual for ‘Buffy.’ And it wasn’t so much that we wanted to get a gay character out in the mainstream for whatever reason. It was more that this is a story that Jane Espenson and Drew Greenberg wanted to tell. When you read the story, you’ll see that it’s responding to things in the culture beyond just representing gay male characters. There’s a bit of a response to the whole ‘It Gets Better’ campaign in a way that’s more than subtext. For Jane and Drew in particular, with the kinds of stories they’re used to telling and what they care about, the Buffy mythos was an extremely appropriate place to empower this young guy who needed to find a way to stand up for himself.”
Wolverine goes boom. The new villain proves she’s one stone cold —–. Beast references Frank Herbert’s Dune. I love you Marjorie Liu!
Mystery woman Susan Hatchi forced Karma to attack her own teammates and Northstar’s partner Kyle and blew up Wolverine. Controlling someone who controls minds is a pretty impressive feat then Susan made Logan explode from the inside out. Now Hatchi is just showing off!
In this week’s Astonishing X-Men #53 the honeymoon is over as this X-team tries to find Hatchi and Karma and uncover a deadly new tech that inspires Hank’s Dune reference.
Liu does the unexpected when the X-Men confront Hatchi at a corporate presentation. Hatchi admits her guilt, gloats and teases the X-Men over what she did to them. Hatchi belittles them and basically calls them guineau pigs. Hatchi reveals she’s much more than just a ruthless businesswoman. I’m curious to see how Liu will tie Hatchi’s actions and revelation to a huge moment in mutant history.
Northstar and Kyle’s wedding was not just a one issue stunt. Liu takes us into the newlyweds’ bedroom. Liu continues to give us a unique perspective on what it would really be like to be a superhero’s spouse. This isn’t the only couple Liu has masterfully written. The hilarious flirtation between Warbird and Iceman continues in this chapter. Beast and Cecilia Reyes have a scientific John Steed and Emma Peel tension. In the lab or in the field Hank and Cecilia share an easy rapport, clever banter and mutual dedication to medical science.
The search for Karma moves to a Russian complex where we see just how cruel and massive Hatchi’s experiments are evolving. Liu and Mike Perkins take a dark turn from Northstar’s wedding day and make this mutant soap opera great fun with realistic touches. I hope this creative team and title continue in the Marvel NOW.
Just remember X-Men:
“Fear is the mind-killer. You must not fear.” The Bene Gesserit Litany in Dune.
