Thursday, June 14, 2012

Superhero Gone Gay

I'm a proud gay comic fan boy.

Not as common a phenomena as you might think actually. Though presumably pimpled adolescent boys are the main targeted demographics for comic books, very few actually continue reading straight into immature adulthood. Even amongst my own peers and colleagues, they tend to cluster in either extreme of the reading spectrum; either they are seeming illiterates who can hardly be bothered to glance at the written page - even with the aid of the pretty pictures - or disdainful bibliophiles who would sneer at the lowering thought of reading a mere comic book.

Seriously they don't know what they are missing.

Come on, who didn't drool over these two Avengers? 

Especially with the plethora of gay super heroes these days. Yes, these days the superhero looks great in tights, saves the world and gets the boy too.

Well somewhat.

With controversial GLBT issues such as equal rights and gay marriage being regularly highlighted in the media these days, it didn't take very long for the wily comic book publishers to jump onto that bandwagon. Eager to show their unswerving support for their gay brethren - and possibly their barely concealed lust for the pink dollar, there are at least two prominent wedding proposals coming out in print this month.

Man to man.

Marvel Comics features their prominent out superhero Jean-Claude Beaubier aka Northstar from the pages of the X-Men who finally commits to his boyfriend Kyle Jinadu while DC Comics unveils the newly gay Alan Scott - the soon-to-be Green Lantern - who pops the question to his presumably longtime lover Sam.


While I would certainly raise an ecstatic toast to such wonderfully groundbreaking developments in comic history, there are some reservations.

A sad lack of organic development in their relationships for one thing. Seems almost rushed to meet a deadline. Though highly publicized, the relationship between Northstar and Kyle certainly doesn't deserve all that much fanfare. Unlike many other significant others, poor Kyle hardly makes an impression. In fictional comic time, they probably speed dated for a couple of weeks - in shockingly abbreviated panels - before taking that hasty supersprint down the aisle. Which essentially places their quickie marriage in the unfortunate ranks of the Kardashian nuptials. Compared to the likes of Clark Kent who took literal decades just to start dating his precious Lois Lane. Even Reed Richards and Susan Storm weathered troubling times before tying the knot.

And these kids just leap into it?


Following the hapless path laid before by previous gay tragedies, DC Comics gives us a heartbreaking calamity in the making. Even before we can rejoice over Sam, that deliciously hot gay asian hunk, we see the train they are both on plunging off the tracks into a fiery crash. Since every hero needs a harrowing beginning, that really doesn't bode well for that relationship.

Now if only Marvel would bring Rictor and Shatterstar together instead. Now that would be an event to celebrate.

3 comments:

Robinn T said...

mm mm~ how delicious this can get?

but i think they are doing a great job, like explaining to people that, even superheroes can fall in love, no matter what sex the target is.

K said...

This shotgun wedding thing is so insincere! Ugh

But o well.... kudos to them for trying.

savante said...

Yeah, both the two men called Chris look delicious, tempus :) Makes me wonder what else Thor can do with his hammer.

Hope they bring Rictor and Shatterstar together, kayson.

P