LGBT themes in American mainstream comics
Encyclopedia
LGBT themes in American mainstream comics is a relatively new concept, as lesbian
, gay
, bisexual
, and transgender
(LGBT
) themes and characters
were historically omitted intentionally from the content of comic book
s, due to either formal censorship
or the perception that comics were for children and thus LGBT themes were somehow inappropriate. With any mention of homosexuality
in mainstream United States comics forbidden by the Comics Code Authority
(CCA) until 1989, earlier attempts at exploring these issues in the US took the form of subtle hints or subtext
regarding a character's sexual orientation. LGBT themes were tackled earlier in underground comix
from the early 1970s onward. Independently published one-off comic books and series, often produced by gay creators and featuring autobiographical storylines, tackled political issues of interest to LGBT readers.
Mainstream comics
—the genre of superhero
comics published in the United States
since the late 1930s—have historically excluded gay characters, and the superhero genre and its two largest publishing houses, Marvel Comics
and DC Comics
, have been criticised for their lack of inclusivity. Transgender characters have likewise been under-represented, although the common storyline of a superhero having their sex changed by magical or technological means has been regarded as an oblique reference to transgender and transsexual issues. Queer theory
analyses have noted that LGBT characters in mainstream comic books are often shown as assimilated into heterosexual society, whereas in alternative comics the diversity and uniqueness of LGBT culture is at the forefront. Mainstream comics have also been labelled as "heteronormative", in comparison to "integrationist" alternative comics. Since the 1990s LGBT themes have become more common in mainstream US comics, including in a number of titles in which a gay character is the star.
censorship
on comics sold through newsstands in the United States, forbade any suggestion of homosexuality, and LGBT characters were excluded from comics bearing the CCA seal. The CCA itself came into being in response to Fredric Wertham
's Seduction of the Innocent
, in which comic book creators were accused of attempting to negatively influence children with images of violence and sexuality, including subliminal homosexuality. Wertham claimed that Wonder Woman
's strength and independence made her a lesbian, and stated that "The Batman
type of story may stimulate children to homosexual fantasies." Storytellers subsequently had to drop subtle hints while not stating directly a character's orientation. Overt gay and lesbian themes were first found later in underground
and alternative
titles which did not carry the CCA's seal of approval.
In recent years the number of LGBT characters in mainstream
superhero comics has increased greatly. At first gay characters appeared in supporting roles, but their roles have become increasingly prominent. The trend has prompted both praise from the LGBT community and organizations like the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), and criticism from conservative
groups. Critics make regular accusations that comics are attempting to subvert readers into a "gay lifestyle
", trying to "lure young American boys into the kinky web of homosexuality and AIDS".
According to writer Devin Grayson, the amount of creative freedom allowed by editors in the portrayal of LGBT characters depends upon how popular and established a character already is. Long-standing characters that would require a retcon
to change their sexuality are less likely to be shown as LGBT than newer characters. When such changes to a character's continuity are made, fans are often disgruntled, particularly when sexuality is involved, and Alan Moore suggests that creating a new character is preferable.
Scott Lobdell
claims that it is more often the fans, rather than editors, that have stronger negative reaction to LGBT issues. Moore notes however, that "it's probably quite fashionable... to have the odd gay character," and that the inclusion of LGBT people continues to improve in mainstream comics, but that the characters continue to be limited by stereotypes and do not represent a varied cross-section of LGBT people. Greg Rucka
says that some scenes of same-sex interactions are rejected by editors due to unease with sexual content in general rather than the LGBT content.
publications as early as the Golden Age of Comic Books
, with readers inferring homosexuality between superheroes and their same-sex sidekick
s and on the women-only Paradise Island
. Batman
's relationship with Robin
has famously come under scrutiny, in spite of the majority of creators associated with the character denying that the character is gay. Psychologist Fredric Wertham, who in Seduction of the Innocent asserted that "Batman stories are psychologically homosexual," claimed to find a "subtle atmosphere of homoeroticism which pervades the adventures of the mature 'Batman' and his young friend 'Robin.'" It has also been claimed that Batman is interesting to gay audiences because "he was one of the first fictional characters to be attacked on the grounds of his presumed homosexuality," and "the 1960s TV series
remains a touchstone of camp
." Frank Miller
has described the Joker
as a "homophobic nightmare," and views the character as sublimating his sexual urges into crime fighting. Burt Ward
has also remarked upon this interpretation in his autobiography, noting that the relationship between the two could be interpreted as a sexual one. When creating the character of Jericho in Teen Titans, Marv Wolfman and George Perez considered making him gay, which would have marked one of the first appearances of a gay character in a major super hero book. However, they ultimately passed on the idea after concluding that it would be too stereotypical to make the sensitive, artistic, effeminate featured Jericho a homosexual.
The first obviously gay character was Extraño
, an effeminate Hispanic man whose name means "Strange" in Spanish, who was created by Steve Englehart
and Joe Staton
and appeared in Millennium
and New Guardians
in 1987.First appearance in Millennium #2 (1987) New Guardians was not successful, but during its short run it also featured a character dying of AIDS. An official aftermath to Millennium, The Spectre (vol. 2) #11, depicted a "mostly male and mostly gay" AIDS rally. Several characters, including the Enchantress
(describing them as "filthy disgusting men") and a police helicopter pilot named Ed (screaming about "fags") are influenced into attempting to crush the rally by a seven-headed spirit. Thanks to the actions of the Spectre, Doctor Fate
, Deadman
, Madame Xanadu
, and Ben Turner
, the men are saved. Previous to this, the hugely influential Watchmen
(1986) series had strongly implied that minor characters the Hooded Justice and Captain Metropolis were gay, and that Silhouette was kicked of the Minutemen superhero team when she was publicly outed as a lesbian. In Watchmen and Philosophy, Mark White and William Irwin write that the gay relationships in Watchmen remain ambiguous as "lots of heteros are icked out by homos", and also that Watchmen is particularly surprising and challenges preconceptions of homosexuality, as "if it's true that Hooded Justice and Captain Metropolis are gay, they sure as heck don't act or look like they are gay". Alan Moore was described by AfterElton.com writer Lyle Masaki as "very gay friendly", due to his inclusion of complex LGBT characters and realistic treatment of LGBT issues in Watchmen and V for Vendetta
.
, in which Element Lad
finds out that Shvaughn Erin, the woman he is in love with, is actually a man who has taken a sex-change drug to be with him; Element Lad subsequently reveals that he prefers Shvaughn as a male.In The Legion of Super-Heroes #31 (1992) A lesbian relationship was also implied between the Legion of Super-Heroes' Shrinking Violet and Lightning Lass, but all these non-heterosexual characters were retconned during the Zero Hour
"reboot" to be straight. Camelot 3000
also explored transsexual themes by having Sir Tristan
reincarnated into the body of a woman, to his initial dismay.Camelot 300O #1–12 (1997) Notable storylines featuring LGBT themes include the coming out of Kyle Rayner
's assistant and an arc about his "gay bashing
" in Green Lantern
, both written by Judd Winick
.In Green Lantern #137 (June 2001) and #154 (November 2001) These stories earned the writer title two GLAAD awards and a Gaylactic Spectrum Awards (and a further nomination). Green Lantern also has a lesbian couple, Lee and Li, as supporting characters.
The 1990s title Doom Patrol
introduced a number of LGBT characters and explored transsexual themes. Doom Patrol's base of operations in later stories is the sentient transvestite street Danny the Street
. Danny is named after British female impersonator Danny La Rue
, and "dresses in drag" by hosting typically masculine shops (such as gun shops), but decorating them in bright frilly patterns and pastel curtains." His inclusion is described by Timothy Callahan as part of the "increasingly absurd" tone of the book from the twentieth issue.Created by Grant Morrison
and Brendan McCarthy and first appeared in Doom Patrol
vol. 2, #35 (August 1990). One member of the team is the transsexual, bisexual Coagula
, who can coagulate liquids and dissolve
solids, created by transsexual fantasy writer Rachel Pollack
. Coagula gains her powers while working as a prostitute: One of her customers is Rebis
, a radioactive hermaphrodite
and Coagula gains her powers after having sex
with him/her.
DC Comics has a number of imprints, including Wildstorm
and Vertigo
. Wildstorm was originally a studio producing work for Image Comics, which is noted to have a greater proportion of LGBT characters. Vertigo is an imprint that produces comics for more mature audiences, allowing more sexual themes. George Haggerty notes in Gay histories and cultures: an encyclopedia that "substantive mainstream presentation of gay themes in the future seems most likely in DC's adult-orientated Vertigo titles." Vertigo titles that have tackled LGBT themes include the Sandman, Shade, The Changing Man
and Enigma. The Sandman: A Game of You
(1991) had a transsexual character, and its creator Neil Gaiman
said that he included transgender characters in his works in response to the lack of realistic representation of such people in comics. The title character of Shade, the Changing Man
was an alien who could change his surface form: This resulted in people sometimes perceiving him as female, and although he remained essentially male, it was implied that he had relationships with both genders. Enigma (1992) deconstructed the superhero genre, with the title characters homosexuality playing a large part.
An example of a gay character in a starring role is the violent vigilante superhero Midnighter
, who appears in comic books first published by Wildstorm
.First appearance Stormwatch (vol. 2) #4 (1998) The Batman
-like Midnighter was revealed to be in a relationship with the Superman
-like Apollo
during their time as members of the superhero team The Authority. The portrayal of the relationship was initially subtle, with writer Warren Ellis
not informing the artist of his intentions. However, the DC editorial board still censored a kiss between the two characters in 2000. Described as the "first openly gay couple in comics," Midnighter and Apollo married in a later issue and have an adopted daughter. Midnighter starred in his own solo title from 2006; the Midnighter comic was criticised by François Peneaud for ignoring the protagonist's relationship with his husband, and also for the continual use of homophobic insults by villains. Criticism has also been leveled at a storyline in which Apollo is raped, with critics saying that straight superheroes are never subjected to such treatment. Alan Moore pointed to the characters as an example of comics' "strange attitude" towards LGBT themes, describing them as "vicious muscle queens."
, created by Mark Andreyko in 2004, caused reaction in the fan community when it was revealed that the boyfriend of the title character's gay co-counsel was long-time Infinity, Inc. member Obsidian
. Obsidian had a number of failed heterosexual romances in Infinity, Inc. and while a member of the Justice League
, and later struggled to come to terms with his sexuality, but it wasn't until his appearances Manhunter that the character was revealed to be gay and to have accepted his homosexuality. Andreyko said that making the character openly gay could be seen as a retcon, but that this seemed a logical step in character's growth.
Homosexual interpretations of Batman have continued into the 21st century. One notable example occurred in 2000, when DC Comics refused permission for the reprinting of four panels (from Batman #79, 92, 105, and 139) to illustrate Christopher York's paper All in the Family: Homophobia and Batman Comics in the 1950s. In summer 2005, painter Mark Chamberlain displayed a number of watercolours depicting both Batman and Robin in suggestive and sexually explicit poses. DC threatened both the artist and the Kathleen Cullen Fine Arts gallery with legal action if they did not cease selling the works and demanded the surrender of all remaining art, as well as any profits derived from them.
In 2006 DC drew widespread media attention by announcing a new, lesbian incarnation of the well-known character Batwoman
even while openly lesbian characters such as Gotham City
police officer Renee Montoya
already existed in DC Comics. It was revealed at the 2009 New York Comic Con that she would be DC Comics' newest gay superhero, appearing in a new Justice League comic book written by James Robinson and taking over as the lead character in Detective Comics
with issue #854. Greg Rucka said that DC's editors had no problem with his writing Montoya or Batwoman as lesbian, but the media controversy over Batwoman's sexuality "nullified any positive effect Batwoman might have had on the industry" and forced the character into minor roles during major crossover storylines. In 2011 Batwoman gained her own title as part of the "New 52" DC comics relaunch. This makes her the first LGBT character to headline a monthly series in the DC Universe. In Flash the reformed villain Pied Piper was revealed as gay and became an important supporting character in the book. He later went on to play a prominent role in the crossover 52.
The number of minor DC characters being identified as LGBT continues to increase, and includes the bisexual superheroes Sarah Rainmaker
and Icemaiden
,.
' incorporation of LGBT themes has been unfavorably compared with that of DC; its use of gay characters has been described as "less prolific but more deliberate". Marvel reportedly had a "No Gays in the Marvel Universe" policy during Jim Shooter
's 1980s tenure, and Marvel's policy from the 1990s had stated that all series emphasizing solo gay characters must carry an "Adults Only" label, in response to conservative protests. Yet in 2006 publisher Joe Quesada
claimed that this policy is no longer in force. Although same-sex couples are depicted occasionally kissing, intimate or sexual scenes have not been shown, even in Marvel's "Adult only" imprint. The use of mutants and the discrimination they face in the X-Men
comics has been seen as a metaphor for the real-world discrimination directed at minority groups including LGBT people.
Alpha Flight
’s Northstar
, a member of the original Alpha Flight superhero team, was the first major gay character created by Marvel Comics. Creator John Byrne said that Northstar was planned to be gay from his inception in 1979, but although hints about Northstar's sexual identity appeared during 1983 in issues 7 and 8 of Alpha Flight, his apparent lack of interest in women was attributed to his obsessive drive to win as a ski champion. The character was finally revealed to be gay in 1992's Alpha Flight issue 106, the only comic book issue to have been inducted into the Gaylactic Hall of Fame. Storylines involving Northstar have included an illness seen by some readers as a metaphor for AIDS, which was cured when it revealed that the character is actually a part "fairy", a race of non-human beings. Northstar also adopts an abandoned baby, which soon dies of AIDS. Criticism has been levelled at the fact that in 30 years Northstar has never been shown kissing another man, although many interactions with other gay characters are shown, as in the Marvel Swimsuit Special, in which he is shown socializing with the gay Pantheon
member Hector
.
After the cancellation of Alpha Flight Northstar appeared in his own miniseries, which mostly ignored his sexuality, and eventually became a member of the X-Men. During his time in this team he became a mentor to gay teenage mutant Anole
, who later became a Young X-Men
member along with another gay teen, Graymalkin. Notable also in Northstar's tenure in the X-Men was his death in three separate continuities in the same month. Other LGBT members of Marvel's mutant
teams were X-Statix
s Phat
, Vivisector
, and Bloke
(until their deaths) and the villain Mystique
, the latter having been in a relationship with the character Destiny
, although this was not explicitly revealed until years after the relationship had ended with Destiny's murder.
was a character depicted as gay from his debut by his creator Robert Kirkman
. Joe Quesada touted him as Marvel Comics' leading gay hero, with stories dedicated to his adventures in Marvel Team-Up. Despite this, the character was killed one month later. His death and general treatment was met with some negative reactions, including accusations of homophobia, particularly with respect to the phallic imagery of the death, with the character being killed by being impaled with spikes. Kirkman commented on the controversy, stating "Freedom Ring was always planned as an inexperienced hero who would get beaten up constantly and probably die. I wanted to comment on the fact that most superheroes get their powers and are okay at it... and that's not how life works. During working on the book, I was also noticing that most gay characters... are all about being gay. Straight characters are well-rounded characters who like chicks. So I wanted to do a well-rounded character who just happened to like dudes. Then I decided to combine the two ideas. In hindsight, yeah, killing a gay character is no good when there are so few of them... but I really had only the best of intentions in mind." Kirkman later stated, "Frankly, with the SMALL amount of gay characters in comics in general, and how unfortunate the portrayals have been thus far, whether intentional or not—I completely understand the backlash on the death of Freedom Ring, regardless of my intentions. If I had it to do all over again... I wouldn't kill him. I regret it more and more as time goes on. I got rid of what? 20% of the gay characters at Marvel by killing off this ONE character. I just never took that stuff into consideration while I was writing."
In 2002, Marvel revived Rawhide Kid
in their Marvel MAX
imprint, introducing the first openly gay comic book character to star in his own magazine. The first edition of the Rawhide Kid’s gay saga was called Slap Leather. According to a CNN.com article, “The new series pairs the original artist, John Severin
, now 86, with Ron Zimmerman, a television writer. Making the Rawhide Kid gay
was Zimmerman’s idea. The character’s sexuality is conveyed indirectly, through euphemisms and puns, and the comic’s style is campy. Conservative groups protested the gay take on the character, which they claimed would corrupt children, and the covers carried an "Adults only" label.
The Young Avengers
series, which debuted in 2005, featured two gay teenager major characters, Hulkling
and Wiccan
, from its inception. The characters' sexuality was criticised by some readers and defended by the writers in an extended series of letters on the title's letters page. The Young Avengers earned Marvel its first (and to date only) GLAAD Award Best Comic Book Award in 2005. Hulkling was originally planned to be a female character: According to Tom Brevoort
, "Originally, Allan pitched Hulkling as a female character using her shape-changing abilities to pose as a man. I suspect this was as close as Allan felt he could get to depicting an openly gay relationship in a Marvel comic. But as we got underway... he started to have second thoughts and approached me about maintaining Hulkling and Wiccan as two involved male characters."
In the latest incarnation of X-Factor
, written by Peter David
, depowered mutant Rictor
and his longtime friend Shatterstar
(with whom he'd had an ambiguous relationship)See, for example: Cable #22, X-Force #56, X-Force #59–60, X-Force #60, X-Force ’99 Annual were shown in an on-panel kiss.X-Factor v.3 #45 After the issue was published, Peter David confirmed Rictor and Shatterstar's bisexuality in his blog and expressed his desire to develop the relationship between them further. Shortly after, one of Shatterstar's creators, Rob Liefeld
, expressed his disapproval of Peter David's decision. Despite his complaints, however, both Peter David and Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada
have defended the development, and the story will most likely go on as planned.
, Image Comics
and later, Dark Horse Comics
. These companies gave greater artistic freedom to their writers and artists and chose not to ascribe to the Comics Code, allowing exploration of more mature themes. As a result, comics from these companies included a greater relative number of LGBT characters and storylines than their more traditional competitors. LGBT superhero characters include Spectral and Turbo Charge (from Malibu comics), and Promethea
and Gen13's Sarah Rainmaker (both created by Wildstorm for Image Comics before being taken over by DC). Image comic's A Distant Soil
, written by Colleen Doran
, depicts an alien culture with exotic gender and sexual mores and gay romances that gained the series a Gaylactic Spectrum Award nomination.
Dark Horse's Buffy the Vampire Slayer-related comics feature the lesbian characters of Willow, Tara and Kennedy and the closeted character Andrew from the television series. The Buffy Season Eight comics attracted media attention when the title character has a one night stand
with another girl who had fallen in love with her.Buffy Season Eight #12 (March 2008) and #15 (June 2008) The encounter was repeated, but both the character and the creators denied that this made Buffy
gay, with Joss Whedon
saying: "We're not going to make her gay, nor are we going to take the next 50 issues explaining that she's not. She's young and experimenting, and did I mention open-minded?".
, and conventions also feature stands dedicated to LGBT comics. Ted Abenheim, event chair of Prism Comics said in 2008, “We’re in our sixth year of exhibiting at Comic-Con, presenting a larger booth and more panels and events than ever before.” A number of websites dedicated to LGBT comic book fandom and featuring content from staff writers exist, such as Prismcomics.org, Pinkkrytonite.com and Gayleague.com.
are given to works of science fiction, fantasy or horror published in the United States, and their "other works" category allows nomination of comic book series or individual issues. Comic book winners include issues of DC's Green Lantern, The Authority and Gotham Central
, and nominations have been given to titles from Marvel (X-Force, X-Statix), Dark Horse (Buffy Season Eight) and Image Comics (A Distant Soil).
LGBT characters in comics
LGBT-related comics
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
, and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
(LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
) themes and characters
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
were historically omitted intentionally from the content of comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s, due to either formal censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
or the perception that comics were for children and thus LGBT themes were somehow inappropriate. With any mention of homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
in mainstream United States comics forbidden by the Comics Code Authority
Comics Code Authority
The Comics Code Authority was a body created as part of the Comics Magazine Association of America, as a tool for the comics-publishing industry to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. Member publishers submitted comic books to the CCA, which screened them for adherence to...
(CCA) until 1989, earlier attempts at exploring these issues in the US took the form of subtle hints or subtext
Subtext
Subtext or undertone is content of a book, play, musical work, film, video game, or television series which is not announced explicitly by the characters but is implicit or becomes something understood by the observer of the work as the production unfolds. Subtext can also refer to the thoughts...
regarding a character's sexual orientation. LGBT themes were tackled earlier in underground comix
Underground comix
Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books which are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, including explicit drug use, sexuality and violence...
from the early 1970s onward. Independently published one-off comic books and series, often produced by gay creators and featuring autobiographical storylines, tackled political issues of interest to LGBT readers.
Mainstream comics
American comic book
An American comic book is a small magazine originating in the United States and containing a narrative in the form of comics. Since 1975 the dimensions have standardized at 6 5/8" x 10 ¼" , down from 6 ¾" x 10 ¼" in the Silver Age, although larger formats appeared in the past...
—the genre of superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
comics published in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since the late 1930s—have historically excluded gay characters, and the superhero genre and its two largest publishing houses, Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
and DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, have been criticised for their lack of inclusivity. Transgender characters have likewise been under-represented, although the common storyline of a superhero having their sex changed by magical or technological means has been regarded as an oblique reference to transgender and transsexual issues. Queer theory
Queer theory
Queer theory is a field of critical theory that emerged in the early 1990s out of the fields of LGBT studies and feminist studies. Queer theory includes both queer readings of texts and the theorisation of 'queerness' itself...
analyses have noted that LGBT characters in mainstream comic books are often shown as assimilated into heterosexual society, whereas in alternative comics the diversity and uniqueness of LGBT culture is at the forefront. Mainstream comics have also been labelled as "heteronormative", in comparison to "integrationist" alternative comics. Since the 1990s LGBT themes have become more common in mainstream US comics, including in a number of titles in which a gay character is the star.
Censorship, criticism and inclusivity
For much of the 20th century, creators were strongly discouraged from depicting gay relationships in comic books, which were regarded as a medium for children. Until 1989 the Comics Code Authority (CCA), which imposed de factoDe facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
on comics sold through newsstands in the United States, forbade any suggestion of homosexuality, and LGBT characters were excluded from comics bearing the CCA seal. The CCA itself came into being in response to Fredric Wertham
Fredric Wertham
Fredric Wertham was a Jewish German-American psychiatrist and crusading author who protested the purportedly harmful effects of violent imagery in mass media and comic books on the development of children. His best-known book was Seduction of the Innocent , which purported that comic books are...
's Seduction of the Innocent
Seduction of the Innocent
Seduction of the Innocent is a book by German-American psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, published in 1954, that warned that comic books were a negative form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency. The book was a minor bestseller that created alarm in parents and galvanized...
, in which comic book creators were accused of attempting to negatively influence children with images of violence and sexuality, including subliminal homosexuality. Wertham claimed that Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
's strength and independence made her a lesbian, and stated that "The Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
type of story may stimulate children to homosexual fantasies." Storytellers subsequently had to drop subtle hints while not stating directly a character's orientation. Overt gay and lesbian themes were first found later in underground
Underground comix
Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books which are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, including explicit drug use, sexuality and violence...
and alternative
Alternative comics
Alternative comics defines a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to "mainstream" superhero comics which in the past have dominated the US comic book industry...
titles which did not carry the CCA's seal of approval.
In recent years the number of LGBT characters in mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
superhero comics has increased greatly. At first gay characters appeared in supporting roles, but their roles have become increasingly prominent. The trend has prompted both praise from the LGBT community and organizations like the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), and criticism from conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
groups. Critics make regular accusations that comics are attempting to subvert readers into a "gay lifestyle
LGBT culture
LGBT culture, is the common culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. It is sometimes also referred to as Queer culture. The term gay culture, though not synonymous, is sometimes also used though this may also apply specifically to the culture of homosexual men.LGBT...
", trying to "lure young American boys into the kinky web of homosexuality and AIDS".
According to writer Devin Grayson, the amount of creative freedom allowed by editors in the portrayal of LGBT characters depends upon how popular and established a character already is. Long-standing characters that would require a retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
to change their sexuality are less likely to be shown as LGBT than newer characters. When such changes to a character's continuity are made, fans are often disgruntled, particularly when sexuality is involved, and Alan Moore suggests that creating a new character is preferable.
Scott Lobdell
Scott Lobdell
Scott Lobdell is an American comic book writer.-Early Career:Scott didn't begin to read comics until he was 17 years old, while lying in bed after lung surgery....
claims that it is more often the fans, rather than editors, that have stronger negative reaction to LGBT issues. Moore notes however, that "it's probably quite fashionable... to have the odd gay character," and that the inclusion of LGBT people continues to improve in mainstream comics, but that the characters continue to be limited by stereotypes and do not represent a varied cross-section of LGBT people. Greg Rucka
Greg Rucka
Gregory "Greg" Rucka is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.-Career:Rucka's writing career...
says that some scenes of same-sex interactions are rejected by editors due to unease with sexual content in general rather than the LGBT content.
Pre-1990s
The Encyclopedia of Gay Histories and Cultures (2000) notes that gay subtext can be found in DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
publications as early as the Golden Age of Comic Books
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
, with readers inferring homosexuality between superheroes and their same-sex sidekick
Sidekick
A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
s and on the women-only Paradise Island
Themyscira
Themyscira is a fictional island nation in the DC Comics universe that is the place of origin of Wonder Woman and her sister Amazons. Known as Paradise Island since Wonder Woman and the island's first appearance in All Star Comics #8 , it was renamed "Themyscira" with the character's February...
. Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
's relationship with Robin
Robin (comics)
Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
has famously come under scrutiny, in spite of the majority of creators associated with the character denying that the character is gay. Psychologist Fredric Wertham, who in Seduction of the Innocent asserted that "Batman stories are psychologically homosexual," claimed to find a "subtle atmosphere of homoeroticism which pervades the adventures of the mature 'Batman' and his young friend 'Robin.'" It has also been claimed that Batman is interesting to gay audiences because "he was one of the first fictional characters to be attacked on the grounds of his presumed homosexuality," and "the 1960s TV series
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
remains a touchstone of camp
Camp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
." Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
has described the Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
as a "homophobic nightmare," and views the character as sublimating his sexual urges into crime fighting. Burt Ward
Burt Ward
Burt Ward is an American television actor and activist. He is best known for his portrayal of Robin in the television series Batman and its theatrical film spin-off.-Early life:...
has also remarked upon this interpretation in his autobiography, noting that the relationship between the two could be interpreted as a sexual one. When creating the character of Jericho in Teen Titans, Marv Wolfman and George Perez considered making him gay, which would have marked one of the first appearances of a gay character in a major super hero book. However, they ultimately passed on the idea after concluding that it would be too stereotypical to make the sensitive, artistic, effeminate featured Jericho a homosexual.
The first obviously gay character was Extraño
Extraño
Extraño is a fictional gay Hispanic magician published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Millennium #2 , and was created by Steve Englehart and Joe Staton.-Fictional character biography:...
, an effeminate Hispanic man whose name means "Strange" in Spanish, who was created by Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart is an American novelist. In his earlier career he was a comic book writer best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics, particularly in the 1970s...
and Joe Staton
Joe Staton
Joe Staton is an American illustrator and writer of comic books.-Career:Staton started his work with Charlton Comics in 1971 and gained notability as the artist of the super-hero book E-Man...
and appeared in Millennium
Millennium (comics)
"Millennium" was a comic book crossover story line that ran through an eight-issue, self-titled, limited series and various other titles cover dated January and February 1988 by DC Comics. The limited series was published weekly, which was a departure for an American series...
and New Guardians
New Guardians
New Guardians is a short-lived series published by DC Comics. It was a spin-off from the Millennium event,and ran for twelve issue, from 1988 through 1989, before being canceled. It is also the name of the group of characters who appeared in the series. The characters first appeared in Millennium...
in 1987.First appearance in Millennium #2 (1987) New Guardians was not successful, but during its short run it also featured a character dying of AIDS. An official aftermath to Millennium, The Spectre (vol. 2) #11, depicted a "mostly male and mostly gay" AIDS rally. Several characters, including the Enchantress
Enchantress (DC Comics)
The Enchantress is a DC Comics character who has been both a superheroine and supervillainess. She first appeared in National Comics flagship science fiction anthology title Strange Adventures #187 , and was created by writer Bob Haney and artist Howard Purcell.More recently she is usually called...
(describing them as "filthy disgusting men") and a police helicopter pilot named Ed (screaming about "fags") are influenced into attempting to crush the rally by a seven-headed spirit. Thanks to the actions of the Spectre, Doctor Fate
Doctor Fate
Doctor Fate is the name of a succession of fictional sorcerers who appear in books published by DC Comics. The original version was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, and first appeared in More Fun Comics #55...
, Deadman
Deadman
Deadman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Strange Adventures #205 , and was created by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino.-Publication history:...
, Madame Xanadu
Madame Xanadu
Madame Xanadu is a fictional character, a comic book mystic published by DC Comics. The character is identified with Nimue, the sorceress from Arthurian mythology made popular by Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur.-Publication history:...
, and Ben Turner
Bronze Tiger
Bronze Tiger is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Universe. He is a martial artist who first appeared in Dragon's Fists, a novel by Dennis O'Neil and Jim Berry, starring Richard Dragon. His first DC Comics appearance was in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter.-Early years:Ben Turner comes...
, the men are saved. Previous to this, the hugely influential Watchmen
Watchmen
Watchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colourist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted in collected form...
(1986) series had strongly implied that minor characters the Hooded Justice and Captain Metropolis were gay, and that Silhouette was kicked of the Minutemen superhero team when she was publicly outed as a lesbian. In Watchmen and Philosophy, Mark White and William Irwin write that the gay relationships in Watchmen remain ambiguous as "lots of heteros are icked out by homos", and also that Watchmen is particularly surprising and challenges preconceptions of homosexuality, as "if it's true that Hooded Justice and Captain Metropolis are gay, they sure as heck don't act or look like they are gay". Alan Moore was described by AfterElton.com writer Lyle Masaki as "very gay friendly", due to his inclusion of complex LGBT characters and realistic treatment of LGBT issues in Watchmen and V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta (film)
V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the V for Vendetta comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd...
.
1990s
The early 1990s saw a few more LGBT minor characters portrayed in DC titles. Transsexual themes were explored in a 1992 storyline in Legion of Super-HeroesLegion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
, in which Element Lad
Element Lad
Element Lad is a fictional character in the 30th and 31st centuries of the , a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. A native of the planet Trom, he has the power to transmute chemical elements.-Pre-Zero Hour:...
finds out that Shvaughn Erin, the woman he is in love with, is actually a man who has taken a sex-change drug to be with him; Element Lad subsequently reveals that he prefers Shvaughn as a male.In The Legion of Super-Heroes #31 (1992) A lesbian relationship was also implied between the Legion of Super-Heroes' Shrinking Violet and Lightning Lass, but all these non-heterosexual characters were retconned during the Zero Hour
Zero Hour (comics)
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time is a five-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994. In it, the former hero Hal Jordan, who had until then been a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps, mad with grief after the destruction of...
"reboot" to be straight. Camelot 3000
Camelot 3000
Camelot 3000 is an American twelve-issue comic book limited series written by Mike W. Barr and penciled by Brian Bolland. It was published by DC Comics from 1982 to 1985 as one of its first direct market projects, and as its first maxi-series.-Plot:...
also explored transsexual themes by having Sir Tristan
Tristan
Tristan is one of the main characters of the Tristan and Iseult story, a Cornish hero and one of the Knights of the Round Table featuring in the Matter of Britain...
reincarnated into the body of a woman, to his initial dismay.Camelot 300O #1–12 (1997) Notable storylines featuring LGBT themes include the coming out of Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually in those starring the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of which Rayner is a member. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks, Rayner first appeared in Green Lantern vol...
's assistant and an arc about his "gay bashing
Gay bashing
Gay bashing and gay bullying is verbal or physical abuse against a person who is perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender . Such abuse is used also to bully heterosexual persons and persons of non-specific or unknown sexual orientation.A "bashing" may be a specific incident, and one...
" in Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
, both written by Judd Winick
Judd Winick
Judd Winick is an American comic book, comic strip and television writer/artist and former reality television personality...
.In Green Lantern #137 (June 2001) and #154 (November 2001) These stories earned the writer title two GLAAD awards and a Gaylactic Spectrum Awards (and a further nomination). Green Lantern also has a lesbian couple, Lee and Li, as supporting characters.
The 1990s title Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
introduced a number of LGBT characters and explored transsexual themes. Doom Patrol's base of operations in later stories is the sentient transvestite street Danny the Street
Danny the Street
Danny the Street is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He was created by Grant Morrison and Brendan McCarthy and first appeared in Doom Patrol. His name is a pun on female impersonator Danny La Rue, as "La Rue" is French for "The Street"...
. Danny is named after British female impersonator Danny La Rue
Danny La Rue
Danny La Rue, OBE was an Irish-born British entertainer known for his singing and drag impersonations.-Early life:...
, and "dresses in drag" by hosting typically masculine shops (such as gun shops), but decorating them in bright frilly patterns and pastel curtains." His inclusion is described by Timothy Callahan as part of the "increasingly absurd" tone of the book from the twentieth issue.Created by Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
and Brendan McCarthy and first appeared in Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
vol. 2, #35 (August 1990). One member of the team is the transsexual, bisexual Coagula
Coagula
This article is about the fictional comic book character. For the art magazine, see Coagula Art Journal Coagula is a fictional character and former member of DC Comic's Doom Patrol. Kate is a male-to-female transsexual, one of the first transsexual characters in comics, and remains one of the...
, who can coagulate liquids and dissolve
Solvation
Solvation, also sometimes called dissolution, is the process of attraction and association of molecules of a solvent with molecules or ions of a solute...
solids, created by transsexual fantasy writer Rachel Pollack
Rachel Pollack
Rachel Pollack is an American science fiction author, comic book writer, and expert on divinatory tarot...
. Coagula gains her powers while working as a prostitute: One of her customers is Rebis
Negative Man
Negative Man is a fictional superhero from DC Comics. He first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80.-Larry Trainor:The original Negative Man, Larry Trainor, is a founding member of the Doom Patrol, along with Elasti-Girl, Robotman, and The Chief...
, a radioactive hermaphrodite
Hermaphrodite
In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
and Coagula gains her powers after having sex
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with him/her.
DC Comics has a number of imprints, including Wildstorm
Wildstorm
WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
and Vertigo
Vertigo (comics)
Vertigo is an imprint of the American comic-book publisher DC Comics. Its books are marketed to a sophisticated audience, and may contain graphic violence, substance abuse, frank depictions of sexuality, profanity, and controversial subjects...
. Wildstorm was originally a studio producing work for Image Comics, which is noted to have a greater proportion of LGBT characters. Vertigo is an imprint that produces comics for more mature audiences, allowing more sexual themes. George Haggerty notes in Gay histories and cultures: an encyclopedia that "substantive mainstream presentation of gay themes in the future seems most likely in DC's adult-orientated Vertigo titles." Vertigo titles that have tackled LGBT themes include the Sandman, Shade, The Changing Man
Shade, the Changing Man
Shade, the Changing Man is a fictional comic book character created by Steve Ditko for DC Comics in 1977. The character was later adapted by Peter Milligan and became one of the first Vertigo titles....
and Enigma. The Sandman: A Game of You
The Sandman: A Game of You
A Game of You is the fifth collection of issues in the DC Comics series, The Sandman. Written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Shawn McManus, Colleen Doran, Bryan Talbot, George Pratt, Stan Woch and Dick Giordano, and lettered by Todd Klein....
(1991) had a transsexual character, and its creator Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
said that he included transgender characters in his works in response to the lack of realistic representation of such people in comics. The title character of Shade, the Changing Man
Shade, the Changing Man
Shade, the Changing Man is a fictional comic book character created by Steve Ditko for DC Comics in 1977. The character was later adapted by Peter Milligan and became one of the first Vertigo titles....
was an alien who could change his surface form: This resulted in people sometimes perceiving him as female, and although he remained essentially male, it was implied that he had relationships with both genders. Enigma (1992) deconstructed the superhero genre, with the title characters homosexuality playing a large part.
An example of a gay character in a starring role is the violent vigilante superhero Midnighter
Midnighter
Midnighter is a fictional comic book superhero, best known as a member of the rogue superhero team The Authority. Created by writer Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch, he first appeared in Stormwatch #4, before appearing in various Authority books and series and his own eponymous ongoing series...
, who appears in comic books first published by Wildstorm
Wildstorm
WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
.First appearance Stormwatch (vol. 2) #4 (1998) The Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
-like Midnighter was revealed to be in a relationship with the Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
-like Apollo
Apollo (comics)
Apollo is a fictional character, a comic book superhero who first appeared in the Stormwatch series, but is best known for his role in The Authority. While visually distinct, Apollo is cast in the mold of the Superman archetype....
during their time as members of the superhero team The Authority. The portrayal of the relationship was initially subtle, with writer Warren Ellis
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
not informing the artist of his intentions. However, the DC editorial board still censored a kiss between the two characters in 2000. Described as the "first openly gay couple in comics," Midnighter and Apollo married in a later issue and have an adopted daughter. Midnighter starred in his own solo title from 2006; the Midnighter comic was criticised by François Peneaud for ignoring the protagonist's relationship with his husband, and also for the continual use of homophobic insults by villains. Criticism has also been leveled at a storyline in which Apollo is raped, with critics saying that straight superheroes are never subjected to such treatment. Alan Moore pointed to the characters as an example of comics' "strange attitude" towards LGBT themes, describing them as "vicious muscle queens."
2000s
ManhunterManhunter (Kate Spencer)
Manhunter is a fictional character, a superheroine in publications from DC Comics. Kate Spencer is the eighth DC Comics character depicted using the name Manhunter, and the first female to do so. The character first appears in Manhunter Manhunter is a fictional character, a superheroine in...
, created by Mark Andreyko in 2004, caused reaction in the fan community when it was revealed that the boyfriend of the title character's gay co-counsel was long-time Infinity, Inc. member Obsidian
Obsidian (comics)
Obsidian is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in All-Star Squadron #25 , and was created by Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway. According to an Infinity, Inc...
. Obsidian had a number of failed heterosexual romances in Infinity, Inc. and while a member of the Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
, and later struggled to come to terms with his sexuality, but it wasn't until his appearances Manhunter that the character was revealed to be gay and to have accepted his homosexuality. Andreyko said that making the character openly gay could be seen as a retcon, but that this seemed a logical step in character's growth.
Homosexual interpretations of Batman have continued into the 21st century. One notable example occurred in 2000, when DC Comics refused permission for the reprinting of four panels (from Batman #79, 92, 105, and 139) to illustrate Christopher York's paper All in the Family: Homophobia and Batman Comics in the 1950s. In summer 2005, painter Mark Chamberlain displayed a number of watercolours depicting both Batman and Robin in suggestive and sexually explicit poses. DC threatened both the artist and the Kathleen Cullen Fine Arts gallery with legal action if they did not cease selling the works and demanded the surrender of all remaining art, as well as any profits derived from them.
In 2006 DC drew widespread media attention by announcing a new, lesbian incarnation of the well-known character Batwoman
Batwoman
Batwoman is the name of several fictional characters, female counterparts to the superhero Batman. The original version was created by Bob Kane and Sheldon Moldoff. Her alter ego is Kathy Kane. This character appears in publications produced by DC Comics and related media beginning in Detective...
even while openly lesbian characters such as Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
police officer Renee Montoya
Renee Montoya
Renee Montoya is a fictional comic book character published by DC Comics. The character was initially created for Batman: The Animated Series, and was preemptively introduced into mainstream comics before the airing of her animated debut in 1992....
already existed in DC Comics. It was revealed at the 2009 New York Comic Con that she would be DC Comics' newest gay superhero, appearing in a new Justice League comic book written by James Robinson and taking over as the lead character in Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
with issue #854. Greg Rucka said that DC's editors had no problem with his writing Montoya or Batwoman as lesbian, but the media controversy over Batwoman's sexuality "nullified any positive effect Batwoman might have had on the industry" and forced the character into minor roles during major crossover storylines. In 2011 Batwoman gained her own title as part of the "New 52" DC comics relaunch. This makes her the first LGBT character to headline a monthly series in the DC Universe. In Flash the reformed villain Pied Piper was revealed as gay and became an important supporting character in the book. He later went on to play a prominent role in the crossover 52.
The number of minor DC characters being identified as LGBT continues to increase, and includes the bisexual superheroes Sarah Rainmaker
Sarah Rainmaker
Sarah Rainmaker is a fictional superhero from the comic book series Gen¹³ created by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi and illustrated by J. Scott Campbell.-Character biography:...
and Icemaiden
Icemaiden
Icemaiden is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine in the DC Comics universe. She was the first heroine to use the name, and for a time was replaced by Ice. She is also one of the few bisexual superheroines in the DC Universe.-Global Guardians:Sigrid Nansen received her powers as the...
,.
1990s
Marvel ComicsMarvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' incorporation of LGBT themes has been unfavorably compared with that of DC; its use of gay characters has been described as "less prolific but more deliberate". Marvel reportedly had a "No Gays in the Marvel Universe" policy during Jim Shooter
Jim Shooter
James Shooter is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. Although he started professionally in the medium at the extraordinarily young age of 14, he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' ninth...
's 1980s tenure, and Marvel's policy from the 1990s had stated that all series emphasizing solo gay characters must carry an "Adults Only" label, in response to conservative protests. Yet in 2006 publisher Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
claimed that this policy is no longer in force. Although same-sex couples are depicted occasionally kissing, intimate or sexual scenes have not been shown, even in Marvel's "Adult only" imprint. The use of mutants and the discrimination they face in the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
comics has been seen as a metaphor for the real-world discrimination directed at minority groups including LGBT people.
Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics, noteworthy for being one of the few Canadian superhero teams. Created by John Byrne, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 ....
’s Northstar
Northstar
Northstar is a fictional character, a superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the twin brother of Aurora. Through his mutation, Northstar gains superhuman powers, which he uses for the betterment of society...
, a member of the original Alpha Flight superhero team, was the first major gay character created by Marvel Comics. Creator John Byrne said that Northstar was planned to be gay from his inception in 1979, but although hints about Northstar's sexual identity appeared during 1983 in issues 7 and 8 of Alpha Flight, his apparent lack of interest in women was attributed to his obsessive drive to win as a ski champion. The character was finally revealed to be gay in 1992's Alpha Flight issue 106, the only comic book issue to have been inducted into the Gaylactic Hall of Fame. Storylines involving Northstar have included an illness seen by some readers as a metaphor for AIDS, which was cured when it revealed that the character is actually a part "fairy", a race of non-human beings. Northstar also adopts an abandoned baby, which soon dies of AIDS. Criticism has been levelled at the fact that in 30 years Northstar has never been shown kissing another man, although many interactions with other gay characters are shown, as in the Marvel Swimsuit Special, in which he is shown socializing with the gay Pantheon
Pantheon (Marvel Comics)
The Pantheon is a fictional organization appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Peter David, the Pantheon first appeared in The Incredible Hulk The Pantheon is a fictional organization appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer...
member Hector
Hector (Pantheon)
Hector is a fictional character, a member of the Marvel Comics superhero family the Pantheon. Hector uses an energy flail as a weapon. Hector appears to be something of a master strategist.-Fictional character biography:...
.
After the cancellation of Alpha Flight Northstar appeared in his own miniseries, which mostly ignored his sexuality, and eventually became a member of the X-Men. During his time in this team he became a mentor to gay teenage mutant Anole
Anole (comics)
Anole is a fictional mutant superhero in the Marvel Universe. He was created by Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis and first appeared in issue #2 of New Mutants vol. 2 . A student at the Xavier Institute and junior member of the X-Men, Anole is one of the few openly gay characters in the Marvel...
, who later became a Young X-Men
Young X-Men
Young X-Men was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It lasted for 12 issues, from April 2008 through March 2009. The series was written by Marc Guggenheim.-Final Genesis :...
member along with another gay teen, Graymalkin. Notable also in Northstar's tenure in the X-Men was his death in three separate continuities in the same month. Other LGBT members of Marvel's mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
teams were X-Statix
X-Statix
X-Statix was a fictional team of mutant superheroes in Marvel Comics, specifically designed to be media superstars. The team, created by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred, first appears in X-Force #116 and originally assumed the moniker X-Force, taking the name of the more traditional superhero team,...
s Phat
Phat (comics)
Phat is an openly gay fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Universe. He was created by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred in X-Force vol. 1 #117...
, Vivisector
Vivisector
Vivisector is a fictional character, an openly gay intellectual mutant featured as a member of X-Statix by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in X-Force #116 and was created by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred.-Fictional character history:...
, and Bloke
Bloke (comics)
Bloke , also known as Rainbow, is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Universe. He was created by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred in X-Force #117 .-Fictional character biography:...
(until their deaths) and the villain Mystique
Mystique (comics)
Mystique is a fictional character associated with the Marvel Comics' franchise X-Men. Originally created by artist David Cockrum and writer Chris Claremont, she first appeared in Ms...
, the latter having been in a relationship with the character Destiny
Destiny (Irene Adler)
Destiny is a Marvel Comics fictional character, known as an adversary of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #141...
, although this was not explicitly revealed until years after the relationship had ended with Destiny's murder.
2000s
Freedom RingFreedom Ring
Freedom Ring is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, created by writer Robert Kirkman. Curtis first appeared in Marvel Team-Up vol. 3 #20, becoming Freedom Ring in the next issue. He appeared across the series' storyline "Freedom Ring" for five issues...
was a character depicted as gay from his debut by his creator Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead and Invincible for Image Comics, and Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt...
. Joe Quesada touted him as Marvel Comics' leading gay hero, with stories dedicated to his adventures in Marvel Team-Up. Despite this, the character was killed one month later. His death and general treatment was met with some negative reactions, including accusations of homophobia, particularly with respect to the phallic imagery of the death, with the character being killed by being impaled with spikes. Kirkman commented on the controversy, stating "Freedom Ring was always planned as an inexperienced hero who would get beaten up constantly and probably die. I wanted to comment on the fact that most superheroes get their powers and are okay at it... and that's not how life works. During working on the book, I was also noticing that most gay characters... are all about being gay. Straight characters are well-rounded characters who like chicks. So I wanted to do a well-rounded character who just happened to like dudes. Then I decided to combine the two ideas. In hindsight, yeah, killing a gay character is no good when there are so few of them... but I really had only the best of intentions in mind." Kirkman later stated, "Frankly, with the SMALL amount of gay characters in comics in general, and how unfortunate the portrayals have been thus far, whether intentional or not—I completely understand the backlash on the death of Freedom Ring, regardless of my intentions. If I had it to do all over again... I wouldn't kill him. I regret it more and more as time goes on. I got rid of what? 20% of the gay characters at Marvel by killing off this ONE character. I just never took that stuff into consideration while I was writing."
In 2002, Marvel revived Rawhide Kid
Rawhide Kid
The Rawhide Kid is a fictional Old West cowboy in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A heroic gunfighter of the 19th-century American West who was unjustly wanted as an outlaw, he is one of Marvel's most prolific Western characters...
in their Marvel MAX
MAX (comics)
MAX is an imprint of Marvel Comics aimed at a niche 'adults only' audience, launched in 2001 after Marvel broke with the Comics Code Authority and established its own rating system...
imprint, introducing the first openly gay comic book character to star in his own magazine. The first edition of the Rawhide Kid’s gay saga was called Slap Leather. According to a CNN.com article, “The new series pairs the original artist, John Severin
John Severin
John Powers Severin is an American comic book artist noted for his distinctive work with EC Comics, primarily on the war comics Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat; for Marvel Comics, primarily on its war and Western comics; and for the satiric magazine Cracked...
, now 86, with Ron Zimmerman, a television writer. Making the Rawhide Kid gay
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
was Zimmerman’s idea. The character’s sexuality is conveyed indirectly, through euphemisms and puns, and the comic’s style is campy. Conservative groups protested the gay take on the character, which they claimed would corrupt children, and the covers carried an "Adults only" label.
The Young Avengers
Young Avengers
Young Avengers is an American comic book series written by Allan Heinberg and published by Marvel Comics. It follows a group of young superheroes, each of whom patterns themselves after a member of the long-established Marvel superhero team the Avengers....
series, which debuted in 2005, featured two gay teenager major characters, Hulkling
Hulkling
Hulkling is a fictional comic book superhero and a member of the Young Avengers, a team of superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. Hulkling's character is patterned on the Hulk...
and Wiccan
Wiccan (comics)
Wiccan is a comic book character, a member of the Young Avengers, a team of superheroes in the Marvel Universe. His appearance is patterned on that of Thor and Scarlet Witch....
, from its inception. The characters' sexuality was criticised by some readers and defended by the writers in an extended series of letters on the title's letters page. The Young Avengers earned Marvel its first (and to date only) GLAAD Award Best Comic Book Award in 2005. Hulkling was originally planned to be a female character: According to Tom Brevoort
Tom Brevoort
Tom Brevoort is an American comic book editor, known for his work for Marvel Comics, where he has overseen titles such as New Avengers, Civil War, and Fantastic Four. He became Executive Editor in 2007, and in January 2011 was promoted to Senior Vice President of Publishing...
, "Originally, Allan pitched Hulkling as a female character using her shape-changing abilities to pose as a man. I suspect this was as close as Allan felt he could get to depicting an openly gay relationship in a Marvel comic. But as we got underway... he started to have second thoughts and approached me about maintaining Hulkling and Wiccan as two involved male characters."
In the latest incarnation of X-Factor
X-Factor Investigations
X-Factor Investigations is a fictional detective agency created by writer Peter David for the Marvel Comics comic book series X-Factor . The agency first appears under the name XXX Investigations in the first issue of the Marvel Comics limited series Madrox #1...
, written by Peter David
Peter David
Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
, depowered mutant Rictor
Rictor
Rictor is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe, who appears in the X-Men family of books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Walt Simonson and first appeared in X-Factor vol.1 #17...
and his longtime friend Shatterstar
Shatterstar
Shatterstar is a fictional character, a mutant superhero in the .-Publication history:Shatterstar first appeared in The New Mutants vol. 1 #99 , and was created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld. Since his debut Shatterstar has mainly appeared in the original X-Force title, with some issues...
(with whom he'd had an ambiguous relationship)See, for example: Cable #22, X-Force #56, X-Force #59–60, X-Force #60, X-Force ’99 Annual were shown in an on-panel kiss.X-Factor v.3 #45 After the issue was published, Peter David confirmed Rictor and Shatterstar's bisexuality in his blog and expressed his desire to develop the relationship between them further. Shortly after, one of Shatterstar's creators, Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld is an American comic book writer, illustrator, and publisher. A prominent artist in the 1990s, he has since become a controversial figure in the medium....
, expressed his disapproval of Peter David's decision. Despite his complaints, however, both Peter David and Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
have defended the development, and the story will most likely go on as planned.
Other publishers: Malibu, Image, Dark Horse
The 1990s saw the creation of a number of independent publishing houses with output that competed with the giants of mainstream comics publishing, Marvel and DC. The companies included Malibu ComicsMalibu Comics
Malibu Comics was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. The company's headquarters was in Calabasas, California. Malibu imprints included Aircel Comics and Eternity Comics...
, Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
and later, Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
. These companies gave greater artistic freedom to their writers and artists and chose not to ascribe to the Comics Code, allowing exploration of more mature themes. As a result, comics from these companies included a greater relative number of LGBT characters and storylines than their more traditional competitors. LGBT superhero characters include Spectral and Turbo Charge (from Malibu comics), and Promethea
Promethea
Promethea is a comic book series created by Alan Moore, J. H. Williams III and Mick Gray, published by America's Best Comics/WildStorm....
and Gen13's Sarah Rainmaker (both created by Wildstorm for Image Comics before being taken over by DC). Image comic's A Distant Soil
A Distant Soil
A Distant Soil is a science fiction/fantasy comic book series written and illustrated by Colleen Doran, and is the work for which she is best known....
, written by Colleen Doran
Colleen Doran
Colleen Doran is an American writer/artist, film conceptual artist, and cartoonist. She has illustrated hundreds of comics, graphic novels, books and magazines, and dozens of stories and articles, including works written by Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Anne Rice, J...
, depicts an alien culture with exotic gender and sexual mores and gay romances that gained the series a Gaylactic Spectrum Award nomination.
Dark Horse's Buffy the Vampire Slayer-related comics feature the lesbian characters of Willow, Tara and Kennedy and the closeted character Andrew from the television series. The Buffy Season Eight comics attracted media attention when the title character has a one night stand
One Night Stand
One Night Stand is an HBO stand-up series that first aired on February 15, 1989. The half-hour series aired weekly and featured stand-up comedy specials from some of the top performing comedians. The series originally comprised 55 specials over the course of its four years on HBO...
with another girl who had fallen in love with her.Buffy Season Eight #12 (March 2008) and #15 (June 2008) The encounter was repeated, but both the character and the creators denied that this made Buffy
Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
gay, with Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
saying: "We're not going to make her gay, nor are we going to take the next 50 issues explaining that she's not. She's young and experimenting, and did I mention open-minded?".
Fandom and Awards
As the visibility of LGBT comic book creators and characters has increased, comic book fandom has taken notice. Panels discussing LGBT topics occur regularly at comic book and LGBT conventions such as Comicon and GaylaxiconGaylaxicon
Gaylaxicon is an annual science fiction, fantasy and horror convention that focuses on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender topics. It takes place in various locations in the United States and occasionally Canada, often on the east coast....
, and conventions also feature stands dedicated to LGBT comics. Ted Abenheim, event chair of Prism Comics said in 2008, “We’re in our sixth year of exhibiting at Comic-Con, presenting a larger booth and more panels and events than ever before.” A number of websites dedicated to LGBT comic book fandom and featuring content from staff writers exist, such as Prismcomics.org, Pinkkrytonite.com and Gayleague.com.
GLAAD awards
The first GLAAD Award for "outstanding comic book" was awarded in 1992 (to DC's The Flash). Since then, a number of GLAAD awards have been awarded to mainstream titles, including for DC's Green Lantern and The Authority titles, and Marvel's Young Avengers. According to Paul Lopez, LGBT fans and creators have "debated whether the awards for mainstream comics were more about media hype than the actual content of the comic's stories."Gaylactic Spectrum Awards
The Gaylactic Spectrum AwardsGaylactic Spectrum Awards
The Gaylactic Spectrum Awards are given to works of science fiction, fantasy and horror that explore LGBT topics in a positive way. Established in 1998, the awards were initially presented by the Gaylactic Network, with awards first awarded in 1999. In 2002 the awards were given their own...
are given to works of science fiction, fantasy or horror published in the United States, and their "other works" category allows nomination of comic book series or individual issues. Comic book winners include issues of DC's Green Lantern, The Authority and Gotham Central
Gotham Central
Gotham Central is a police procedural comic book series that was published by DC Comics. It was written by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka, with pencils initially by Michael Lark....
, and nominations have been given to titles from Marvel (X-Force, X-Statix), Dark Horse (Buffy Season Eight) and Image Comics (A Distant Soil).
See also
- LGBT themes in comicsLGBT themes in comicsLGBT themes in comics are a relatively new concept, as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender themes and characters were historically omitted intentionally from the content of comic books and their comic strip predecessors, due to either censorship or the perception that comics were for children...
- LGBT themes in speculative fiction
LGBT characters in comics
LGBT-related comics
General
- Furey, Emmett. Homosexuality in Comics – Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV, Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
, July 16–19, 2007
External links
- Homosexuals in Comics, Lonely Gods
- Gay League
- Pink Kryptonite
- Prism comics