Headlines I Hate: When Mainstream News Covers Comics

From the Dallas Voice (which bills itself as a LGBT news source, but it still looks awful):

"Zowie! She's Gay!"


Sub-sub headline for the same article:


"OUT, OUT! AND A GAY!"


Wait, I have one more coming on...

The First Gay Superhero?

Den of Geek decries the shoddy reportage on the Stan Lee's first gay superhero story in the British tabloids. But c'mon, look at the accompanying photo for the story in The Sun:


How much hard-hitting journalism did we expect? Nice handlebar mustache.

Obviously, Stan Lee's adaptation of Perry Moore's "Hero" is not the first treatment of a gay superhero ever done. But, if the project gets off the ground and has a big budget, it might be the first treatment to get a major audience (both comic book readers and "newbies").

And I think there is a world of difference between having gay supporting characters/team members, and having a big-budget comic book starring a gay hero. Sure, you had that Midnighter series, but it's not quite the same thing as having a key character from the DC or Marvel universe proper "come out" and star in their own series or movie.

Lesbian Webcomic Sites Target Of Harassment

I've just received this disturbing report regarding a number of webcomic sites with lesbian-themed content being targeted for harassment.

Megan Rose Gedris, creator of the Yu+Me and I Was Kidnapped By Lesbian Pirates From Outer Space webcomic, reports in her LiveJournal about a particular poster with a scary message of hate. The poster wrote:

"I'm glad all of those girls are dykes, them some ugly bitches!
Anways while those two clam-smackers were fingering each other, I busted in their room with a shotgun. No death-ray guns for me, I prefer the old fashion way since more blood splatters that way. I first shot Susan at her head because that's the only way to cure those people than I shot Janet in the head as well.
Two dead dykes and one big smile on the face.
Now it's time for me to wipe out the rest of the Sapphire Sisters."

Was this another "dumb troll" who was probably just some kid in his mom's basement, nothing to worry about?

No, actually:

"Well, turns out he actually WAS a threat. One of my readers is a police guy, who has been watching this guy's internet activities. He was a 45-year old guy living in Toronto, not too far from me and my family. And he was escalating. His "stories" (he posted such things as this all the time) were getting more and more violent and sadistic, all of them featuring violence towards gay people. Scary, right?"

and what sort of stuff did he have on his computer?

"Thousands of images of illegal, sadistic pornography..."

But the story has a happy resolution, as he was taken into custody:

"He can't actually be convicted for threats against fictional people, but he CAN be for illegal porn! Yay justice!"

So you have a grown man writing stuff like:

"...I prefer the old fashion way since more blood splatters that way. I first shot Susan at her head because that's the only way to cure those people than I shot Janet in the head as well."

Does his writing constitute a hate crime? One person on the LiveJournal thread thinks "yes" --

"First off, he just violated his TOS. Get his account shut down.

Second, you can contact the Hate Crime National Hotline at 206-350-HATE (4283). (http://www.lambda.org/hatecr2.htm)

They might be able to give you guidance on any additional rights that you have."

I firmly believe that the person who wrote those hateful things WAS dangerous, IS dangerous, obviously has a lot of hatred against women and lesbian women in particular.

Don't take these things lightly, don't just assume "it's a troll" and that's it. This wasn't some ordinary trolling, this was a guy who calls himself "Da Solution" who writes about shooting lesbians in the head so their blood spatters. Murder: that was HIS solution.

I think the thing to do here is spread the word that this sort of thing happens, share stories, and, most importantly, point out resources to take legal action.

This story makes me sick.

On a lighter note, I read a big chunk of Yu+Me a while ago, and thought it was great. :-)

Some X-Men To "Come Out Of Closet?"

In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Marvel editor Axel Alonso hints that with series relocation to SF, some X-Men characters might be coming out of the closet...

Q: Is there a chance we might see one of the X-Men come out?

A: Yes. Yes. The city being what it is, certain characters whose sexuality might have been ambiguous are going to feel free to be who they are. I will qualify and say that I never go into the situation with a mandate or an agenda. It has to come along naturally. We're not going to rush into it. But I see it happening.

I fully support this. With such a large extended cast as in the X-Books, it would be only natural that some team members and supporting characters would be gay. It's like with The Avengers. Or the Justice League Of America.

The question is, what X-Men (X-Women) are we talking about here?

Me, I always liked the storyline where Northstar had a crush on Iceman and there was the possibility (and maybe I'm wrong and read too much into it) that maybe Bobby Drake had some sort of conflicted feelings back for the Canadian superhero.

Did Northstar just call some woman "a skank?"

But what would be really awesome is to have a gay character just have an open, non-emo relationship with someone. I mean, it's THE X-MEN, so a certain amount of emo is going to be there. But...you know what I mean. What Cyclops has with Emma Frost. When you read Cyke/Emma stories, you get the feeling they are boinking each other all the time. Or have it be more sweet, like Spidey/MJ.

Why can't you have homosexual characters have that freedom, without it being this self-hating frustrated longing thing where they are afraid to be who they are? They used to have those plotlines in old movies all the time, ending with the self-loathing gay (or "gay coded") character dying horribly or killing other people or more likely killing his- or herself.

Northstar is too hot to be pining over some guy he can't have. He's way smarter and savvy than that.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the new storyline.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #13: Willow Don't Talk Like That

In a scene in Buffy The Vampire Slayer #13, Willow asks Satsu (the young woman who Buffy slept with last issue):

"What's she like in the sack?"

I'm sorry, Willow don't talk like that.

Willow is like Buffy's sister. Willow is Buffy's second-in-command. Willow would not refer to Buffy that way, in "locker room talk."

Has Xander ever asked this question of Angel or Spike? Has he ever asked, as Willow does, "Did she make that high-pitched squeal?"

I think it's just a question of the level of respect that Buffy & Willow have for each other.

Further, it's made explicit that when it's business for the Slayers, it's business. In the scene in question, they are flying to a battle in an airplane, army-style. Buffy is the commander. Willow is second-in-command. Satsu is a soldier. I would think it'd be bad form (not to mention distracting) to ask sexual questions about the commander on the way to a fight.

The "voice" of Willow in this scene just doesn't ring true. Now, that could be because she is really a Skrull. In which case -- brilliant!

Then there is the whole question of how Dracula has apparently become Stewie from Family Guy. I have no problem with Drac being (I'm assuming from the issue) bisexual. I have no problem with there being some sort of implied relationship (sexual or otherwise) with Xander. But, it's just played in a very broad, cartoonish way. It's almost played in that way where the very fact of Dracula being "gay" is the punchline.

It would have been far more interesting to see Xander in an actual, conflicted relationship with Dracula. To give equal time and show a male in a serious sexual relationship with another man in this TV/comic book series. But, it's like to water the idea down, the whole situation is played mostly for laughs.

I know there is a certain level of irreverence to Buffy The Vampire Slayer. But, I think in the TV show there was a better balance between the humor and the dramatic moments. Too much of this issue seemed like one big joke. I've read some Buffy "slash" fan-fiction that has played it a lot more true.

Occasional Thoughts: Deja Vu All Over Again

X-Force is #1 on the sales charts, Larry Stroman is on X-Factor, we have another Invasion!, and Valiant's restarted.

Deja vu, anyone?

Then again, I always felt that everything in comics eventually comes around again. It's just part of that "it's a small world after all" thing.

I loved the art on the new "X-Force," but spiritually I find it the sibling of the Liefeld orginal. It's all about fight!fight!fight!fight!cool!cool!cool!cool!

We can criticize certain comics, but look at the numbers.

The best-selling DC comic is All-Star Batman and Robin. We can laugh at it all we want, but the fact is that many many comic book fans are buying this comic, and most probably a lot of people who do not classify themselves as fans. The top selling comics, I have to believe, attract readers outside of the fandom.


Why All-Star Batman and Robin is a top-selling book:
a) It's a Batman book not tied up in continuity
b) Jim Lee has name cachet
c) Frank Miller has name cachet beyond comics

Again, we can criticize books like ASBAR and JLA, but they are bringing in the cash for DC.

Which brings me to DC's newly-announced 2nd JLA book, Justice League.

Two Justice Leagues sort of apes Marvel's new Avengers -- but then again, DC did this successfully (at least for a while) in the late 80s.


There was also the attempt to extend the JLA franchise with Justice League Elite, which I think failed because its desire to be so very "different" from the regular book, with a lack of iconic characters outside of Green Arrow and Flash. The issues that became another JLA spin-off book, JLA Classified, were originally assigned as arcs for the regular title.

I think having James Robinson pen this new JLA book is interesting, given his work on Starman, but it is hardly a slam-dunk. Starman was an awesome book but came out some time ago. The question becomes: can he bring that magic to Justice League, and will the mass market who have propelled ASBAR and JLA to such heights cotton to his direction on the title?

As for the inciting incident that helps form this new team:

"That event? A murder. Unsurprisingly, neither DiDio not Robinson are saying who will be taking the upcoming dirt nap, only that it’s tied to Final Crisis, and that the League’s response causes a schism."

Which brings us to another deja vu moment:


Meanwhile, the Marvel/Stephen King cash cow continues with an adaptation of The Stand. Remember how Marvel used to adapt all that Clive Barker stuff and it really didn't seem to make much of a splash What happened? With books like Dark Tower, Anita Blake, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and World of Warcraft, licensed material seems to have made a strong comeback.

So will DC's new Chuck book suck or not?
I know there has been some snark about how some retailers are selling the Buffy issue where she has lesbian sex as "come and get your Buffy lesbian sex comic right here, yeah!"


Back when Northstar "came out" in the early 90s, retailers, at least in Brooklyn, did the same thing. "Teh gay book, it might be worth money some day, come buy it!" You know, except Northstar didn't have any gay sex in that book, because gay male characters aren't allowed to have that in comics (only hot women).

Finally, I love the way some male comic readers freak out at the faintest suspicion of penis on their covers:
I say: more penis on DC's covers! More penis!


See, this all leads back to why we don't have more comics where male characters wake up in bed with each other after having sex.

And that's all I got.

Wither Goest Batwoman?

It's been confirmed again by DC that there is no Batwoman series or mini-series in the near future.

Just what is so damned difficult in getting this series off the ground, other than the fact it stars a gay member of the Batman franchise?

If her sexuality wasn't an issue, and DC really wanted to make a series starring her, they would have done it already. I mean, they're doing a new Ambush Bug series -- and Ambush Bug was rumored to be a character they would NEVER use again, due to Keith Giffen's constant pokes at Time Warner's expense during the original run.

Of course, there might be other (sometimes related) complicating factors:

* The Dark Knight movie coming out this year, and fears of "confusing the brand."

* The new push DC is making with the Batgirl character (finally wising up to the fact that the classic Batgirl is a licensing goldmine and it might do well to reintegrate her into the DCU).

* Greg Rucka's departure.

In all of this, I have to ponder what became of the Batwoman mini-series Devin Grayson was supposed to do, and how long-time DC writer Grayson was allegedly treated:

“I won't pretend not to be resentful of how badly DC treated me in that exchange, but the majority of my concern and sympathy goes out to the character, who was basically thrown away by a company which had a lot of support to make her successful and unique. My experiences up to that point had been much more positive, although admittedly less ambitious, and it was really sad and discouraging to see the ball so badly dropped.”

I find the fact that there is still no Batwoman series in the works incredibly disappointing, though hardly surprising.

I guess maybe there is just no place in the heart of the mass-market for entertainment starring a self-confident out lesbian:

Occasional Links: The Surprising Spider-Man Edition

Your friendly Neighborhood Occasional Links


Wonder Woman Vs. Namor In A Swordfight


Who would win?

Highlights:

"She can decapitate with her tiara."

"I meant for this to only be a swordfight. No other weapons (like tiaras and lassos and such.)"

Got that? Stop screwing around. This is a serious debate!



Fortuna: Another Caped Do-Gooder Roaming The Streets, Making Multimedia Art Installations

"Masked, caped and packing a staple gun, a do-gooder known by the moniker Fortuna stalks the Wicker Park streets, tagging barren walls with posters announcing her dominance over evil. She's literally your friendly neighborhood superhero."

I heard Top Cow might be getting the rights to this, but they're going to have to add some cybernetic demon-hand pasties.


Gwen Stacy: Mexican Pinup Queen


Again With The Comics explores the Mexican 60's/70's reprint series "The Surprising Spider-Man":

I also have to wonder, are these stories considered canon to Mexican collectors? Is "Misterio del vampiro de la playa del bikiní" held in the same esteem as, say, the Master Planner arc or the Stone Tablet Saga? Inquiring, idiotic minds want to know!

As you can see, there was some effort made by the editors of "The Surprising Spider-Man" to capitalize on Gwen Stacy's... (don't say "assets," don't say "assets"...)


I like the idea that somebody on their staff actually had to draw a big ass onto Gwen. Like, that was an actual instruction that person received. "More ass! We've got to sell these damn comics!"


Gay and Bisexual Characters In Comics


Clip n' save this handy list, take it with you to your local comic book store, courtesy of The Gay League.

Some reflections on the list:

1) The "Bi" list seems to be made up of a lot of hot women and Mephisto. Draw your own conclusions.

2) "Doctor Stingaree" is gay. In case you were wondering.

3) Anybody remember back in Morrison's "Doom Patrol" when "Danny The Street" turned out to be gay? He was a friggin' street. He was a street with a distinct sexual orientation. Welcome to highbrow comix.

4) "Tlaango" is gay. Just in case you were debating it.

5) Is it a rule of comics that all gay characters have to have wacky names? Like you'll have a lesbian couple in some Vertigo book with the names "Pussywillow and Hotbox." Oh, that's clever. Welcome to highbrow comix.

6) Skyppi The Skrull has an "uncertain sexual orientation." Just in case you were wondering. Actually, I heard they are going to retcon that; he was really Black Bolt in disguise.


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Spider-Man: Gay Metaphor?

Blog @ Newsarama points out a thread on Brian Michael Bendis board where Gail Simone gives her two cents on Peter Parker's sexuality:

"He's awesomely gay."

Thus begins a thread where the sexualities of various superheroes are discussed.

Never did pick up a gay metaphor about Spidey...I always thought he was more the "Charlie Brown" of the Marvel Universe. Couldn't do anything right. Killed his Christmas tree. Thought his 80-year-old aunt was more worth saving than his entire marriage and future family life. You know.


Though as an aside, in these sorts of humorous debates about "who's gay?" -- is there not some offensive stuff in them? I mean, not from Gail -- but from other posters on the thread, saying that you can "tell" a character is gay because of his "limp web shooting wrists" or his association with rainbows. Limp wrists, ejaculating "web fluid" in men's faces, etc. Is that offensive at all? If the corresponding cliches were thrown about to refer to some other group, wouldn't it be considered offensive?

I dunno, I'm just asking. I mean, geez: I posted that cartoon from Scans Daily the other day with that supposed "Jughead is gay" cartoon. But still...it seems like using cliches about homosexuals is the last "acceptable" thing in the media...that, and stereotypes about Middle Easterners and Asians. Oh, and of course it is totally okay to bash Christians in popular culture, because, well, the Crusades and Pat Robertson.

Remember when Jack Tripper used to do that "gay" routine in Three's Company?

I suppose that was very funny when I was six and the world was thirty years younger.

Follow-Up: "Oh No, They're Sneaking Teh Gay Into My Comic Book!"

The blogger who inspired my post "Oh No, They're Sneaking Teh Gay Into My Comic Book!" reflects on the controversy:

"In case you missed it, the Pink Crowd found my post last week about Frenchie's orientation."

The Pink Crowd.

The Pink Crowd?

Teh Pink Crowd:

"Oh No, They're Sneaking Teh Gay Into My Comic!"

I think the post at this blog sums up every way you can say "I do not like teh gay" without actually admitting that you do not like gays.

What was the impetus of the post?

"The Young Avengers trade. What did it do, you ask? Well, I finally got around to reading it, and it was wonderful. It was full of Avengers, Avenger wanna be's, time travel and Kang acting particularly nasty. It was great. UNTIL the last two pages when the writer slips in the fact that two of the characters are dating each other! "

Which characters? Hulking & Wiccan, of course.

The poster immediately follows this up with:

"Why do I care?"

So there shouldn't have been a reference to Wiccan & Hulking's relationship because it's not something this reader cared about? Aren't there a lot of stuff in the comics we read that we don't care about? I skim through whole scads of cosmic mumbo-jumbo in "Death of the New Gods" because I don't care about it. Can't say it ruins the whole series for me.

"Let's add this to rumors of Nightwing being gay, a gay Batwoman, the new Question being gay… I'M SICK OF IT!"

Why is he sick of it? Because he does not like teh gays? Apparently not, because a paragraph later he says:

"If you want to add a gay character, fine!"

Well that's just awesome. But there is a proviso:

"Add a gay character, but start with him as gay."

This line refers to "retcons" of older characters as gay. But I think Heinberg pretty much conceived Hulkling & Wiccan as gay from the start. So what is the problem?

"...why is it so important to let us know the sexuality of a character right away? Straight characters are not immediately introduced as straight, but gay characters are almost immediate "outed" as gay."

Well, when a character like Spider-Man is showed having a romantic relationship with MJ, that's sort of tipping us off as to his probable sexual preference. Unless, of course, Peter Parker is teh bisexual.

"Since I'm ranting anyway, when did it become a requirement that every superhero team have a gay character?"

Here we go....

"Why is it in my face??????"

Oh, because there's sooooo many gay characters in mainstream comics. It's overwhelming.

"...I really think it's all Warren Ellis's fault."

(grabs popcorn, sits back in couch)

"If Stormwatch/Authority hadn't been such a success then I don't think this would have happened."

Heavens!

"I don't care what you do in the privacy of your own home."

Of course not.

"I don't care if you like men or women or sheep or even horses."

Ah, the old "conflating-homosexuality-with-bestiality" gambit. Clever.

"Live whatever alternative lifestyle you like but don't force it upon me."

How does a lesbian Batwoman = putting a gun to this reader's head?

"Seriously, I feel that the whole gay culture has been thrust upon me in the last five years. And, thanks to all of this, not only do I get to have the birds and bees talk I get to incorporate the sometimes bees like bees instead of birds talk."

So now we are at teh "gay bees" stage of the conversation.

"You want to know why I don't read Winnick?"

Because he didn't remember that Black Canary could have harmlessly disabled not-Ollie with a sonic scream?

"Seriously, every series he has touched turns up another gay or aids related character."

Wait, Winick gives AIDS to comic books he touches? What?

"I got it JW. It was a big deal and I am really sorry that you lost a friend, that sucks, but leave me out of your grieving process."

Sensitive.

"Same goes for Devin Greyson."

Well, who here didn't see that coming?

"You want to talk diversity? WHO CARES?"

Well, some people care, actually.

"All I'm saying is enough is enough and let's get back to superheroes beating up supervillians and leave all the other stuff at home."

Okay, so let's take all the romantic aspects -- girlfriends and boyfriends, dating, etc. -- out of mainstream comics. Let's just have Thor bashing in Hulk's head with his Mjolnir hammer over and over again.

Added bonus: some gems from the comments section:

"Writers like Greg Rucka not only want greater diversity in comics, but do so at the expense of white, hetero males. Rucka had single-handedly eliminated nearly every white male in Gotham during his tenure on the bat-books."

(after explaining he's against gay marriage):
"Ironically, I really like a lot of music performed by gay artists: The Village People, Queen, Elton John, the Indigo Girls, the Smiths and Morrisey. I tend to steer clear from overt “gay” only themed songs (sometimes you can’t listen too closely)..."
So they're good enough to make the music you like but not good enough to get married to the people they love? Why do I get a picture in my head of Archie Bunker telling Sammy Davis Jr. that he's a good performer?

And the best:
"I for one am so friggin' sick of heterosexual characters being shoved into my comics that I could scream. I mean, why does it MATTER that Spider-man and Mary Jane are a couple? I don't want to know that! Why do people who choose to live the heterosexual alternative lifestyle feel the need to force that on me?!

I blame Superman and Lois Lane for all of this."

Occasional Links: The "Spidey Loves Oranges" Edition

Okay, Who Here Wouldn't Do Angelina Jolie? Let's Try It That Way.


Breaking News: The latest Hollywood starlet to enticingly drop hints that she'd like to shag Angelina Jolie is...Hayden Panettiere! She apparently told GQ:

"Well, if you want to make me a lesbian, that's totally fine with me. That would be a pretty funny rumour. I'd love to have a love affair with Angelina. And there are other beautiful girls I like too - Charlize Theron, oh my God! Kate Beckinsale is gorgeous too, and Jessica Alba."

I don't want to get started on a rant over here, but why can't male celebrities have the same freedom in describing their own same-sex dream romps? Can you imagine Orlando Bloom or somebody saying in an interview, "Oh, I'd totally do Elijah Wood! OMG!"

And where's the creativity in Panettiere's choices? Jolie, Alba, etc. -- how banal. Now, if she had said "I'd totally do Marsha Cross" -- see, that takes some ingenuity.

In other entertainment rumors, Tom Cruise might be guest-starring in an episode of Doctor Who. As well as possibly Angelina Jolie. Because she's not over-exposed.

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Lesbians are..."Special." Yes, that's it. Complete with the little bus.

See, I totally could have linked the above two news items and made a Tom Cruise gay joke...but that would have made me better than the throwaway "nancy-boy" lines in "Countdown" how?

I think there is an inherent homophobia in Tom Cruise gay jokes.

Homophobe Batman, what do you think of that statement?


I kid. Batman's not homophobic. By using the word "special" Bats simply meant "awesome."

And as writer Chuck Dixon points out:

"He's Goddamn Batman, right?"

Yes. Exactly.

*********************************************************************************
"Dr. Light With Rapey Grip Action"

Meanwhile, Evan Dorkin, wondering why they don't make great super-villains like The Scorpion anymore, observes of today's comics:

"Gripping powers, out. Raping abilities, in."

I'm getting a vision of one of those old-school Super Powers action figures with the little karate-chop lever in the back.

(via Journalista)

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As If Yu Care...


Lenil Yu assures us that Tigra will have her revenge --


And meanwhile Yu & Bendis have apparently redeemed themselves for the Tigra beatdown with their unexploitative Spiderwoman shower scene:

"There are so many ways that this could have gone wrong, so many. But instead they made it work for me. I think because a) it's Wolverine. Wolverine's not one of my favorite characters, but even I, at my most irritated with him, would never suggest the man is a rapist. He might stab her in the head, sure, but he wouldn't rape her."

I agree: I soooo would rather Jessica Drew be stabbed in the head by Wolverine than raped by him.

***********************************************************************************
"Save The Males"

Journalista's Dirk Deppey comes to the defense of Wonder Woman scribe Gail Simone after she came under a nasty ad hominem attack by blogger Rational Madman:

"This is the point where intelligent men and women, even those who might otherwise agree with what Mr. Rational has to say, will invariably tell him to go fuck himself with a rusty knife. And they’ll be quite right to do so."

Which leads me to reproduce this classic quote from the Rational Madman post in question:

"One of the reason I read comics in the first place is that its one of the last bastions of male competence in entertainment. "

The scary thing is, I've heard variations of this argument from within the comic book industry before, the most prominent being the mantra of one long-time editor:

"Comic books are adolescent male fantasies. As such, they need strong men and sexy women in peril."

They also need ads for "Grit." And the 1969 ABC Saturday Morning line-up.

*********************************************************************************
Teddy Scares
So a teacher in Sudan lets her class of 7-year-olds name their teddy bear "Mohammed."

Guess what happens next?

*********************************************************************************

Video: Why Spider-Man Will Never Get Scurvy:
(via NeedCoffee)

More on Rucka, Montoya, and Gay Characters in Comics

Eric Newsom's excellent Question site is hosting a multi-part in-depth interview with writer Greg Rucka. In the latest installment, Eric took the time to as Greg about statements I made regarding the lack of open gay male romance/sexual scenes in mainstream comics on the level of what he was doing with Renee Montoya.

My original quote:

"You know, aside from the question of whether this level of nudity and sex is appropriate for a non-’mature readers’ book, I wouldn’t mind it — if gay male characters in mainstream comics were afforded the same level of frankness and depiction of sensuality."

Rucka's response:

"No, I think it’s a very fair, and very valid point. The fact is, lesbianism is considered more commercially palatable. Having gay male couples seen “coupling” is a much harder sell. I’m not sure it’s something I would argue with, frankly."

Then he elaborates:

"Look, I think comics need to be more representative across the board. I think we need to see more ethnicity, more diversity, more cultural differences. The way we do that is by forging ahead, and taking the small victories where we can. There are people who think this “agenda” is a bad thing. I don’t. Literature is supposed to reflect our world, even if it’s literature that deals with men from Krypton or small furry blue creatures from Alpha Centauri."

Then Eric asks:

"Do you remember what the initial reaction was, both from editorial and the readership, on Montoya’s forced coming out?"

Rucka responds:

"Yeah. [In editorial] there was almost none. They only cared that the story was done well. There was no resistance at all to revealing that Montoya was a lesbian. Or to showing Montoya kissing Daria. I’m sure, in large part, it was because we were doing it in a book that was selling, charitably, 25K an issue, and we were outing a character that was barely on Burbank’s radar, if at all. But there was no difficulty in getting any of those issues approved."

Actually, when Burbank found out, things did get a little tense for a while in the offices. At issue was that Renee was technically considered a "WB cartoons" character -- much like Harley Quinn was. There was the issue of a character from the cartoon being gay. And there was the issue of the WB not initially being in on the "loop" regarding this character's development.

So you had this couple of days in the office where that old familar dread of "ohhhhh, there was a f**k-up, I wonder if somebody's gettin' fired" in relation to that "Gotham Central" issue where she comes out. But in the end, DC upper management stood by editorial. If they had not, somebody probably would have gotten fired. They've gotten fired for less.

Anyway, the interview in its entirety makes for excellent reading, and was a pretty excellent achievement on Eric's part.

The Uncensored Renee Montoya Pages

From the "Who Is The Question?" blog, part of a long interview with Mr. Gregory Rucka.

There is one completely censored page of Renee doing the schnookies (<----serious journalist), and then another page that was seriously edited to, among other things, perhaps erase the dildo the artist drew in:

"This one went to press, they added more clothes to both Renee and the woman she was with. Which led to people wondering why there was a second set of undies on the floor. I think the penciller actually snuck a dildo into one of the panels, I’m not sure."

You know, aside from the question of whether this level of nudity and sex is appropriate for a non-"mature readers" book, I wouldn't mind it -- if gay male characters in mainstream comics were afforded the same level of frankness and depiction of sensuality.

But, as we have witnessed from male reader "outrage" at the Citizen Steel "boner" controversy, I doubt that's going to happen any time soon.

"Converting People To The Religion Of Crime Through The Lesson Of Lust"

You know, God bless this new "Crime Bible: The Five Lessons Of Blood" miniseries starring Question & Batwoman, but read this blurb:

"The Dark Faith spreads throughout the DCU as the Daughters of Lilith take the forefront in a recruitment drive to convert people to the Religion of Crime through the Lesson of Lust."

and look at this cover:
This is extremely steamy stuff.

Which is absolutely fine, unless this ends up reading like a pulp fiction throwback "lipstick lesbian" adventure with more to titilate the boys in the audience than anything else. I have faith in Greg Rucka that this probably will not be the case. But...

I think it's the combo of the cover -- which is tastefully done but with a heavy sexual vibe -- and the unfortunate blurb which sounds overtly sexual & sleazy.

See, combine the image with the words:


Symbolically, who are the "Daughters of Lilith?"

Lilith is a demonic figure from Babylonian times who was considered evil because she couldn't bear children, couldn't "copulate normally," and brought disease, infertility, and unhappiness wherever she went. (there is debate whether she was originally considered a positive goddess-figure before the "patriarchy" got their hands on her, but that's a debate for another day).

In folk-tradition she is the first wife of Adam who had the audacity to claim they were equal; when he balks, she dumps him and goes away to live on her own. Which of course makes her an evil baby-killing demon, which is largely how she was perceived.

In modern times, feminists have attempted to "take back" Lilith by naming magazines & music fairs after her.

Lilith, with her shunning of Adam, her unwillingness to accept her dictated societal role as babymaker and passive helpmeet, and her association with radical feminism, has been associated with, among other things, lesbianism.

Now, does the "Dark Faith" & "Religion of Crime" of the "Daughters Of Lilith" put them symbolically at odds with organized religion? Why would they be at odds?

What is the symbolism of "recruitment drive" and "convert people" in relation to stereotypes and slander against homosexuals?

So the "Daughters of Lilith" are of the "Religion of Crime" and are actively trying to "convert people" and get "recruits" to their "Dark Faith" through the "Lessons of Lust."

Again, this is not to say that this is what "Crime Bible" is all about. But as I said, this ad copy does a disservice to the book. And associating the figure of Lilith with evil has a little bit of societal baggage attached to it.

It's Funny Because He's Teh Gay -- GET IT???

It's funny because Piper is TEH GAY! Get it?

He's a homosexual and he wears prom dresses!

Because that's what gay men do!

Just in case you forgot that Piper was teh gay --

That's so funny!

Milton Berle from 1955 sez:

"That's Comedy!"
Can you imagine that if instead of a gay man this was with a woman or an African-American?

"Oh, I get it -- he's black! I forgot! It's an offensive joke, but it's just Trickster being a dick, so it's okay!"

Feh.