“WE’RE HERE, WE’RE QUEER, GET… OH, WE’RE GOING”

[DakenLeBeau]

Really interesting article from ComicsAlliance: “WE’RE HERE, WE’RE QUEER, GET… OH, WE’RE GOING” [OPINION] - http://bit.ly/1dLNa1y.

I hadn't noticed quite how, with X-Treme gone, X-Factor and Astonishing going this month and next, and Arena wrapping up shortly, that the LGBT Marvel titles and characters are slowly being sidelined.

Where are the Avengers Academy LGBT now? Will Valkyrie and Anabelle's relationship last if there book, which sells below X-Factor, is cancelled? I know that this isn't exactly important for everyone, but as an LGBT it is important for me that I feel represented in the books I read.

What are your thoughts? Is Marvel quietly de-diversifying?

[Robot_Chicken_Hulk]

Northstar is going right over Amazing X-Men. Avengers Arena is getting relaunched (though there is no idea on if it's the same cast or what). And Fearless Defenders is selling WAY below X-Factor at 17k (barley beating Gambit).

It wasn't long ago Marvel canceled all the ongoings of Women and Black character. (which they also once again canceled all the Women titles again; Red She Hulk, JiM, and Captain Marvel).

I get the point of the article but I feel it's a little too soon to call foul before Marvel NOW! wave 2 titles are announced. Like I pointed out one character is moving titles and another is getting relaunched.

[Phillies64]

This is an interesting article, but I think it has less to do LGBT characters, and more to do with non-A list characters. We're not in a market where "B-listers" can maintain titles.

[Robot_Chicken_Hulk]

[Phillies64]

[CIBAWAG]

Like everything else, gay characters need to appeal to the open-minded majority. Similarly, Alpha Flight and Captain Britain need to appeal to the American majority if they want to stay afloat, and Black Panther needs to appeal to the white majority. It's comic economics. You can't just target one corner of the market, and expect it to last long.

They only gay couple I actually care about right now is Ric and Shatterstar, and there are good reasons for that. First and foremost, they're interesting. They have a fun dynamic. They blend in well with the rest of X-factor. Their relationship doesn't get in the way of the rest of the story. I can't think of a single way that they get treated differently from any other straight couple. The tone of X-factor doesn't suddenly shift in order to be dramatic and feely whenever they get panel time. This is the kind of thing that has allowed X-factor to stay relevant, 5 years after those two came out.

Compare that to Northstar and Kyle, or Wiccan and Hulkling, who spend the vast amount of their time talking about their relationship drama. They don't do a lot of what readers expect superheroes to do. You can't expect me, as a straight man, who likes shooting and stabbing and general badassery in his comics, to drop money on that. It's fine once and a while, but sooner or later, Northstar needs to get out of the house do something interesting, and Wiccan and Hulkling need to put each other down and mingle.

Oh and then there was that X-treme X-men nonsense, which I shouldn't even have to explain. It was the worst interpretation of X-men since Chuck Austen, and all Greg Pak had left was a brazen, desperate attempt at a GLAAD award. He even put in a caption box "That's right. They're gay. Get used to it." Like what the hell? Does he not know of the dozen other gay characters who live in the 616, and aren't a direct clone relationship of Beast and Wonder Man from the last Exiles series? We're all used to it. I'd like to think the GLAAD awards care a little more about substance, and achievement, rather than gross misrepresentation, which is why Peter David won his GLAAD award, and Greg Pak was not even considered a nominee.

I don't know if this article is right with it's claims. It's too early to say. Northstar is coming back for sure, and I have faith that Jason Aaron will give him something worth reading about. I hope Peter David will bring back Ric and Star. It may very well be that the push for gay content has lost it's momentum. I think its a fair question to ask Axel Alonso the next time he's available to the public, but it's too early for me to be concerned.

All I know is that making gay characters interesting enough to make everybody happy is the key to long lasting books with long lasting gay characters. Peter David made the best example of this so far. I think Jason Aaron can do even better. I think there are enough established gay characters floating around in limbo now, that need developing beyond their sexuality. If the momentum to create more LGBT content is truly gone, than hopefully its because its nothing to be surprised about, and not because they're trying to win back homophobic readers. Hopefully they don't need to resort to last page coming-out reveals to shock readers, and writers can start to write gay characters like their sexuality is not the sum total of who they are.

[Phillies64]

Not to go too far off topic, but I recently heard an interview with artist/writer Brandon Graham. I'm paraphrasing, but he pretty much joked about how Marvel and DC's idea of diversity is to put out a press release announcing a minor character was gay. Meanwhile this minor character was still being written by a middle aged, straight, white dude.

I think it's nice to get some well developed LGBT characters in the big two, but I kind of agree with Brandon's point: I'd be far more interested if the big two were diversifying their creators.

[CIBAWAG]

[Robot_Chicken_Hulk]

[seb_pinter]

[Phillies64]

[PSB]

Personally, I think the more successful (creatively, not monetarily) LGBT characters fall into the criteria of interesting characters that happen to be gay (Rictor, Shatterstar, Batwoman), rather than the characters where their relationships seem to be the main focus (Wiccan, Hulkling) - Northstar can fall into both categories at times. Not that I mind following the trials and tribulations of young lovers, but if that's the only story being churned out on a character, it gets boring - gay or straight.

Rictor and Shatterstar got their screen kiss, occasionally talked about their relationship, but spent most of the being awesome mutant heroes going on X-Factor cases. Plus, they had non-sexual dynamics with other characters, increasing their realization. Still, they had the advantage of Peter David writing them, who is great at fleshing out his casts.

Wiccan and Hulkling have really, really interesting back-stories, but most of the focus on them in the current Young Avengers book seems to be about their relationship. (Heck, the Kate/Marvel Boy stuff is cute, too, but I'd like to see more about them as individuals, not just the flirting.) Hopefully, recent events will allow Billy and Teddy to grow as individuals and not simply as a packaged item.

[DarkKnightJared]

[DarkKnightJared]

[Robot_Chicken_Hulk]

[DarkKnightJared]

Never heard of them. Hmm. Any good?

Oh, and while we're talking--you mentioned Birds of Prey as a book with GLBT leads, they don't anymore. Their bisexual character Starling, left the team because she was a double agent for...Mister Freeze. ...Yeah, it happened when Christy Marx came on. It's possible something else may have happened after that, but between taking away their coolest character and dropping in the lamest love story I have read in a long time, I dropped BOP like a hot potato soon afterward.

[DakenLeBeau]

Batgirl also has a trans character that got a bit of attention at the time.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

[seb_pinter]

Perhaps I spoke too soon http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/09/05/us ... rohibited/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[DarkKnightJared]

I'm a little conflicted on that. On one hand, it is a little worrying that DC wouldn't let that marriage happen (though I think it's probably more to do with not wanting to "age up" the characters than any homophobic reasons--I mean hell, the only regular married couple in DC right now is probably in Animal Man, and they're separated right now).

On the other...I found that Kate and Maggie relationship to be so half-assed and false that I'm glad they didn't go through with it. That marriage proposal and Maggie's accepting for ALL the wrong reasons was the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of dropping that horrible book.

[CIBAWAG]