"Gay" Comic Book Characters

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by article

Last Sunday, a lesbian joked about her sexual orientation as she hosted TV's highest awards. The next night, a transgendered man cha-chaed on “Dancing with the Stars.” Hours later, a Navy lieutenant and his domestic partner got married the minute the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” went into effect.

And that’s just what happened in the real world. Meanwhile, in Gotham City, a lesbian crimefighter patrols rooftops with her young female sidekick. And in Riverdale, all-American home of perpetual teenager Archie Andrews and his pals, a gay classmate is graduating to his own comic book.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/445776...ooks?gt1=43001



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Cool. There are homosexual characters (who have nonstereotypical roles) in television and movies. Comics are a logical progression.

I enjoy seeing changes in media and popular culture over my lifetime. One of the more recent changes that I have seen on television is the KY Yours+Mine commercial with two women (only place I could find it referenced http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/foru...hp/t-3772.html). I have only seen that commercial once so it must be rarely aired in certain areas. Perhaps some people in some areas were so shocked and protested it (which happens for commercials).

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/445776...ooks?gt1=43001



******
Cool. There are homosexual characters (who have nonstereotypical roles) in television and movies. Comics are a logical progression.

I enjoy seeing changes in media and popular culture over my lifetime. One of the more recent changes that I have seen on television is the KY Yours+Mine commercial with two women (only place I could find it referenced http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/foru...hp/t-3772.html). I have only seen that commercial once so it must be rarely aired in certain areas. Perhaps some people in some areas were so shocked and protested it (which happens for commercials).

I think I've seen that commercial over 20 times while watching streaming video on www.logotv.com since I'm catching up on shows & too cheap to pay for cable

I'm right there with you on changes in popular culture and media happening in my lifetime. I came from a different spectrum of growing up in a time and place where I could see and experience a lot of Gay culture so going out in the world and not seeing that was hard for me. People will always get upset and protest something, but often that garners more attention and in some cases that gets the word out even more

[Psi U MC Vito]

Actually Marvel comics has had two separate LGBT couples for a few years. Both teenage though which might make a difference.

[BluPhire]

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

Actually Marvel comics has had two separate LGBT couples for a few years. Both teenage though which might make a difference.

20 years next year. Starting with Northstar who was the first openly gay superhero, when he came out after contracting HIV.

[Psi U MC Vito]

I actually wasn't counting Northstar. I always considered him to be a bit tokenish. Was referring to the Runaways and the YA which both have a gay couple.

[DrPhil]

"Openly gay" is the subjective part because Northstar was not "open" until 1992.

I hate citing wikipedia but this is the only immediate reference that I can find. Scroll to the bottom for the long section on Sexuality:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northstar

I do not know who the second character you all are talking about is.

[SOM]

If I recall correctly DC comics had Cat-woman fall under Poison Ivy's influence/powers. And control was beyond just committing crimes.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by article

Your favorite DC Comics character might be gay. In an interview at the Kapow Comics Convention, DC Comics Co-Publisher Dan DiDio said that a "prominent" DC Comics character will soon come out of the closet, reversing an earlier statement where he had said DC was more likely to insert a new LGBT character than "out" an existing one. Twitter users have cited Aquaman and Wonder Woman as the most likely candidates. They won't be the first gay characters in comics, though. "It's sad when DC is playing catch-up to Archie. And the entire comics industries of Japan and Europe," tweeted @Joe_Hunter. Once they start catching up, though, it could happen in a Flash.

http://now.msn.com/entertainment/052...character.aspx

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When creating this thread, I should have offered the "United States of America" disclaimer since our few openly gay characters over the past 10 years are still playing catch up to global characters.

As for the Archie reference, I read that the marriage comic sold out months ago despite protests from those who said dumb stuff like "I can't take my children to a toy store that sells this Archie comic. It forces us to talk about sexual orientation too early." Yet another illustration of majority power dynamics which make people think that heterosexuality is normal and neutral such that it does not constitute sexual orientation. Surely kids who grow up around heterosexuality will not need to be taught about sexual orientation, right? Heterosexuals do not have a sexual orientation. LOL.

[DaemonSeid]

The comic world did a collective shrug and kept on going.

and BTW Katherine Kaine has been openly gay for years thus no big whup on this issue.

[DrPhil]

Yes, Kane has openly been a lesbian since 2006. The response to that was mixed both inside and outside of the comic world. There are people in the comic world who care and have different opinions on this stuff.

People will make less of a whup for female characters because of the history and present day significance of most female characters. Male characters, on the other hand, are more abundant and their roles in comic books and video games match the fact that the comic and video game worlds are male dominated. I was almost always the only girl/woman in comic book stores and video game stores and sometimes the men in the stores tried to direct me to the "female comic books" and "female video games." No thanks. Therefore, male characters being openly gay gets a different response and people particularly respond if the industry is trying to make the more popular characters openly gay. People are fine with a couple of "tokens" here and there as long as there aren't more than a couple of openly gay characters and their favorite supermasculine male characters are not openly gay.

That's why this is a topic that has people talking both inside and outside the comic world. Afterall, the comic book companies and consumers are the ones who made most of these announcements and continued most of these discussions. Nonconsumers and the general public are not initiating most of this attention.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

1 That's why this is a topic that has people talking both inside and outside the comic world. 2. Afterall, the comic book companies and consumers are the ones who made most of these announcements and continued most of these discussions. 3. Nonconsumers and the general public are not initiating most of this attention.

1. Not really.

2. DC is simply trying to find a new way to get the dollars. The whole continuity reboot last September was a start so flipping a character is no surprise. If DC wanted to do it properly with care going towards the actual character and not sales figures in mind then they wouldn't hype it up like they are and just roll it out in the comics naturally in the story without making it 'news'.

3. Meh. Non consumers could care less one way or another. The crowd this is aimed to might care for it for one or 2 issues and then what...?

If DC wants to get the most out of this, they would have to do something ballsy and make it a headlining character on the level of Batman or Superman. (which for either one of those two, more than likely it's not going to happen...my bet is Aquaman, Wally West or a major villain...HA!)

It has be more ballsy than Marvel making Ultimates Spider-man a young black kid after killing that version of Peter Parker last year. What really amazed me was how many non informed consumers wrongly thought that the ORIGINAL Earth 616 Spider-man was the one being replaced. But it's not their fault.

But the bottom line is whoever the character is, the writer of that book has to be strong in their writing skills for that character or else it's not going to really matter. Comics have a hard enough writing minority characters so for those that are really vested in this are going to want to see how writers write this.

If it fails, it can always be ret-conned.

I have read far more interesting stuff in Dark Horse, Image and IDW and regardless of the characters' backgrounds, if the story was strong, that's all that mattered. What DC is doing, that ground has been covered by other companies so...from me, no big whup. You want to surprise me, kill Superman and leave him dead.

[Mevara]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

You want to surprise me, kill Superman and leave him dead.

LOL

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

1. Not really.

You may be missing the discussions on and off the Internet. Cool.

The rest of your post does not disagree with what I said and actually refutes your initial post: The comic book world is not doing a collective shrug and there is a whup (perhaps not from DaemonSeid but from those who have been discussing this) about this issue which is why the comic book companies wanted this to get attention--whether for money, social action, or any other reason. Nonconsumers are not the ones who are bringing attention to this and making this news.

Wooooo...

[DaemonSeid]

Whatever helps you sleep better at night, chica.

Again, all that matters is how its written.

[DrPhil]

Sure thing, Dredlock Rasta.