Friday Fun-day! Holy Spoilers, Batman!

STOP!!  STOP RIGHT NOW!!

IF YOU CONTINUE TO READ THIS, YOU'RE ACCEPTING THE FACT THAT YOU MAY BE READING SPOILERS FOR THE UPCOMING BATMAN MOVIE, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES!!


If you're okay with that, carry on, otherwise, get out now while you still can!

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[Note that contrary to your belief I'm not a big-time Hollywood producer.  Some of what is written below has been given information, some of it is comic book fact, and some of it is pure speculation.]

Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy comes to an end this summer.  After giving us the mechanics of what makes Bruce Wayne tick in Batman Begins, and introducing more loss into his life in The Dark Knight, Nolan left Batman on the run from the fuzz at the conclusion of the last movie, his reputation in shambles.

So what's going to happen in the The Dark Knight Rises?


First, watch the latest trailer for the movie here, and then we can make some inferences.


Well, non-spoiler information, we know that Bane will show up and terrorize Gotham City.  We also know that Catwoman will enter the scene.

Movie details seem to indicate that eight years have elapsed between Harvey Dent's/Two-Face's funeral and where The Dark Knight begins.  Batman, while he's trying to stop criminals and save lives, has to do it while staying out of the police's line of fire, who are trying to take him in for the murder of Dent.  During that time, it wouldn't be surprising that Selina Kyle has been taking advantage of a Gotham City that hates Batman.

Bruce has never been in this for the praise.  Surely, something about his quest to prevent crime in his city makes him hope his parents would approve.  But he's never been at the job so he can one day receive the key to the city and have a parade.

Although his friend, Commissioner Jim Gordon, knows that Batman is not a murderer, the whole police force and the mind of the public all despise him for murdering a "hero."  It's likely that some plot device will appear where Batman goes to save a person who heavily resists his help out of fear, and the consequence may result in injury or death.

The police have no faith in him.  The public has no faith in him.  The death of a civilian may shake the faith of his friend, the commissioner, and after that, even Bruce may lose faith in himself.

And, with a weakened soul, enter Bane.

The Man Who Broke the Bat


A brief comic book history of Bane:

• Born on the fictional island of Santa Prisca, his father was a revolutionary who escaped capture, so Bane was sent to prison as a child to live out his father's sentence.
• In prison, he trained his body and mind, strengthening himself in the prison gym, educating himself by reading whatever he could, receiving formal "classroom" education by a Jesuit priest.  His fighting ability was sharpened by a hard life within the walls of prison.
• Eventually, Bane declares himself "king" within the walls of the penitentiary, which comes to the attention of the jailers.  Bane is then selected as a test subject in a new experiment where his is given the Venom drug, and, along with some shielding enhancements over his internal organs, becomes a super-steroid monstrosity (think Captain America's origin, but in prison, and becoming more closer to Hulk-sized than Captain America-sized).
• In order to continually fuel his drug-induced strength, he has a controller on his arm that injects Venom directly into the back of his skull.  He can toggle this to give him a super boost, which then causes him to rapidly increase his size and muscle mass (again, he can Hulk-out on command, if that helps).

Bane had the same fear of bats Bruce Wayne did as a child.  However, while Bruce decided to become that fear to conquer it, Bane decided he would conquer the fear by defeating the Batman.

Once in Gotham City, Bane decided he would first break down Batman mentally in a battle of attrition.  Literally blowing open the gates of Arkham Asylum, Batman spends the next three months rounding up Joker, Riddler, Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze and most of his rogues gallery and incarcerating them all over again, a feat which pushes Bruce to his physical limit.  During a fight with the Scarecrow, Batman is doused with his Fear Toxin, which makes Batman relive his greatest failure - the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin - mentally and emotionally exhausting him.  Meanwhile, Bane is observing Batman, his tactics, and even deduces that Batman and Bruce Wayne are one-in-the-same.

Having completed another day on the job, Batman returns to Wayne Manor, exhausted, only to find Bane waiting for him.  Bane pummels him, and, in the Batcave, Bane does the unimaginable:  He breaks Batman's back, leaving him a paraplegic.

Ow, my pride.

At this point, Bruce Wayne tours around the globe on detective missions in a wheelchair, and a new hero, Jean-Paul Valley, dons the mantle of the Batman.

Neat.  For comic book fans of the 1990s, this isn't new to you.  So where are the spoilers already?

Firstly, fans will likely go crazy if the iconic image above doesn't somehow play into the movie.  Any muscle-bound villain can be selected for the antagonist of the film, but by selecting Bane, the only villain to break Batman, you should be making a statement.  I must state now, however, that Bane DID appear as a henchman to Poison Ivy in Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin, and he was grossly unused in the storyline.  However, as he's the front runner here, audiences will be expecting something epic this go around.

So if Batman/Bruce Wayne is injured, what now?  Villainy for the win?  Well, there has been a lot of speculation as to who the character John Blake is in The Dark Knight Rises, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  So far, all that has been mentioned is that he's a beat cop.  Many people aren't buying this though, as it seems curious to put in a high-profile actor for such a minor role.

This week there's been a buzz regarding who John Blake may be, and a lot of it stems from the release of The Dark Knight Rises action figure line.

On the right of Batman - JPV Batman?

Rumours quickly appeared that the action figure on the right of Batman may be the debut of John Blake's Batman suit.  Statements have already been issued that the figure is something along the lines of a "Stealth-Suit Batman," which, in the world of action figures, it's not uncommon for manufacturers to distribute a zillion gimmicky figures (underwater suit Batman, spacesuit Batman, plumber Batman etc).  However, the paranoid, or those who want to believe, aren't buying it.

In the comic book, Jean-Paul Valley was a college student who discovered he had been brainwashed as a child by a wacky cult into becoming a master assassin, becoming the cult's angel of death and "enforcing god's will" as Azrael.

JPV as Azrael

As disturbing as that may be, that's useful if you're going to put on Batman's cape and cowl.  JPV dons the cape and cowl at first, but eventually begins to make his own alterations and modifications of Bruce's iconic suit.

"Yeah, I'm still Batman, I've just got a flamethrower attach to my arm.
Big whup. Wanna fight about it?"

So is John Blake the new Batman?

The latest trailer shows Bane in the Batcave, walking away with a shattered mask.  He also has dialogue with Bruce Wayne himself, with Bruce asking, "Why didn't you kill me?"  It then appears that Bruce is thrown near-lifeless down a ramp, Bane standing over top of him.  I think it's safe to say we'll see the Bane-breaking-Batman-over-his-knee scene.  But will it truly cripple him?

More importantly, will Blake replace him?  Well, the comic book representation of Azrael-Batman and the picture of the above action figure don't look too far off, with the blue and gold highlights and full-cowl mask.  How a beat cop will replace Batman will hopefully be covered too - I know police officers go through some rigorous training, but I don't know any that trained for 18 years to become a crime fighter, and can use extremely advanced gadgetry and use throwing shurikens.  Outside of that detail, I think it's extremely plausible that John Blake may, in fact, be Bruce Wayne's replacement.

What else is possible is that instead of Blake completely replacing Bruce, it may be more of a Batman Beyond element, where Blake does the legwork (poor phrasing considering the paraplegic aspect) while Bruce monitors him from the Batcave computer through camera and audio built within the cowl.

The Bat insignia on the chest isn't too far off, and we've got an otherwise plain looking costume with a fully-masked cowl.  Could this be the case?

And the best part about this:  My wife was the one to look at the action figure and point out that it looks like Batman Beyond!  How awesome is she, right?  Right??  I'm proud of you, darling!  That means you've really been paying attention!  Have a chocolate.

The Batman Beyond storyline actually takes place in the future, with an elderly 80-year-old Wayne mentoring a young man, Terry McGuinness, as he takes the mantle of Batman for himself.  While surely Bale won't age historically in this film, the main fundamentals here are all still valid.  Curiously, though, the image below shows Bruce Wayne with a spot of grey in his hair, as he converses with John Blake.

"Seriously, my "Just for Bat-Men" product
will outsell the competition in no time."

One thing can be determined from this is that Bruce Wayne will not die.  Christian Bale previously made statements saying this will be his last venture as Batman, and that he's done with the character.  However, also this week, Bale stated in an article from Empire Magazine that if Christopher Nolan were to approach him and say that they have a story for a fourth Batman movie, he would be willing to do it.  While zombies are in right now, I don't think he'll be reprising the role as zombie-Batman (though it may be cool to think about...)

Ra's al Ghul

Another one of the action figures above has people talking.

Speaking of zombies....

Is that Bruce Wayne in his League of Shadows gear (from Batman Begins, hinting a flashback), a young Ra's al Ghul (Liam Neeson's character from Batman Begins, also hinting a flashback), or John Blake, undergoing some training?

Recall that Ra's al Ghul apparently died at the end of Batman Begins.  Despite this, it has been confirmed that Liam Neeson, as Ra's al Ghul, will be appearing in The Dark Knight Rises, but whether it is a return to the character or a flashback sequence is not yet known.

To me, the figure looks like Christian Bale.  Is this another flashback sequence for Bruce, or will Bruce go to the League of Shadows to retrain after being broken?

Talia al Ghul

Besides John Blake, the other most talked about character is Miranda Tate, played by Marion Cotillard.  As in the case of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, it seems unlikely Christopher Nolan hired this Academy Award winning actress to play a Wayne Enterprises board member, as the character profile states.

So who is she?  Many speculate she is Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra's al Ghul.  

Talia al Ghul

Has she infiltrated Wayne Enterprises as a spy in a possible revenge scheme for the death of her father?  Or is she aiding him in his current quest (if Liam Neeson's Ra's al Ghul is actually still alive)?

Cotillard has denied any claims that she is anyone else but Miranda Tate.  One thing that raises eyebrows, however, is that imdb shows that a young actress plays Talia al Ghul in a flashback scene in the film.

The Scarecrow


Nothing new is here, we've already seen the Scarecrow in the first two movies.  In fact, so far actor Cillian Murphy isn't on the cast list on imdb.com or elsewhere indicating he's in this movie.

One website, however, indicates that he was on set for part of the filming.  Was he a major part of shooting, or just a brief appearance as in The Dark Knight?


Perhaps he plays a brief but important role - let's speculate.  As in the comics, he douses Batman and makes him relieve his greatest failure: in this movie universe it may be either the death of Harvey Dent, or more likely, the death of Bruce Wayne's love interest, Rachel Dawes.  While neither Maggie Gyllenhaal or Katie Holmes have been seen on set for the movie, there's no reason why flashback sequences from the previous movies can't be used.  In fact, if it's just a sequence to relive her death, then no new footage is really required.

Final Thoughts


Running through the possible outcomes, there certainly seems to be a lot of variables and a lot of ways this movie can go.  With over 70 years of Batman mythology, I guess that's not really all that surprising.

Having Batman coupled with a sidekick could be fun and interesting.  The idea of Robin, a tween/teenager, was dismissed by Nolan before writing any scripts as being implausible.  Catwoman, however, appears to fill this void.

Will Bruce Wayne have John Blake fight by his side as well?  Or will Bane break his back, and Blake has to step in to fill the gap himself while Bruce recovers?

Is Bane working for Ra's al Ghul?  Is Talia there to keep an eye on Wayne?  Will she steal the company from under Bruce's nose while he's got his hands full with Bane, leaving him hated by society, crippled, and penniless?

Of all the variables, I think only one thing can be confirmed:

This is going to be a wild movie.

Arm rockets too?  Beats shark repellent any day!

Friday Fun-day!

I've been slowly compiling another historical piece to branch off from my initial piece, The Golden Age of Comics, but because it won't be finished today, I decided to let a little bit of the Joker out and go for inappropriate laughs!  Be sure to click on the images to enlarge them to read the text - usually key points, though sometimes the images themselves tell it all.

Mom & Dad, probably want to shut it down now.  If you read on, remember, I didn't draw these up.

ALL of these pictures have been lifted from superdickery.com - so a special thanks to them for brightening up our day.  The website started showcasing examples of Superman being, well, a dick, and evolved into a variety of humourous material, from scenes with unintentional homosexual undertones to scenes taken wildly out of context.  Nothing is off-limits.  With that, I bring you a few highlights - go to superdickery.com for more.

If you think I'm taking other people's work and putting my own comments on it, you'd be exactly right.  But this is a one time thing, I don't plan on making a career out of it.

Like I'd just take stuff from the Internet and jack it as my own material.

Who do you think I am, Daniel Tosh or something?

Green Lantern

I bet Ryan Reynolds asks to have this line put in "Green Lantern 2"

Superman

Nothing sketchy here!

Best leave this one alone.

...

Such confidence...

"Why won't Bruce return my calls...?"

Marvel Comics

The title says it all!

"Hulk... confused...?"

Wow.  Just wow.

Easy, Spider-Man!  That statement is exactly what got Sean Avery in trouble!

Hey!  What did I just say!

"Now, now, Thor's got enough mighty Mjolnir for everyone."

Looks like the Hulk's anger isn't the only thing raging!

Subtle Scenes...

I got your key to mystery, RIGHT HERE!

I don't know what comic this is from, but "Toni Gay?"  "Butch  Dykeman?"

Archie Comics

Read Betty's "offer" at the top right...

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Interesting tactic to get the girl...

Batman

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"Of the Year??"

This caption was placed here by design, not by accident.
I mean, somebody had to judge "Of the Year."

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In the words of Archer, "Phrasing!"

Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent

Really?  Everybody thinks of their wife, you mention Robin??

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If Batman and/or Robin are outed this June,
let's call this "precedence."

Hope you enjoyed a laugh!  Again, thanks to superdickery.com!  See you back here next week!

A New Gay Hero in DC Comics - Who is it?

Before you read, let me put this disclaimer in now:  I am a straight, married man, so I may not be able to properly represent the GLBT community.
However, I have gay family members, gay friends, and I love them all dearly.  So going forward and reading the following comments/arguments, if I have offended you, please let me know.  All comments are welcome, and I encourage you to comment on facebook.com/asvengersassemble with your perspective, or to privately message me with any concerns or comments.  I am doing my best to be respectful of everyone in this article.  Other times, unfortunately, I feel I may be realistic, which may contradict some views.  This may oppose your view, but my intent isn't to offend anyone.  That said [deep breath], here we go....

In September 2011, DC Comics made a bold move: to "soft-boot" the DC Universe, and start from scratch under the moniker The New 52, reflecting the new 52 titles published.

The idea of retroactive continuity, or "retcon," isn't new.  Both Marvel and DC have done this move many times, with many characters, usually updating an origin story or changing some aspect of a character's life (ie did Batman catch Joe Chill, the criminal that killed his parents, or did he even solve who the murderer was?).  While these aspects changed, the core elements (Bruce Wayne's parents are murdered) remains the same, yet new plot points can be derived from either scenario.

But last September, DC decided to start from scratch, and take away years and years of continuity.

This move was considered both good and bad.  For lifelong fans (and fanboys) of the characters, it became a little more critical.  Elements and past storylines no longer existed, so what you read six months back may no longer carry any bearing in the character you enjoy reading.  Imagine reading the last Harry Potter book, and by then the first five books of Harry's time at Hogwarts were completely irrelevant and didn't happen.

For many fans, including those that are casual readers or those that are completely new, it was an opportunity to buy comics and get on board.  Who are these guys?  Why do they hate each other?  Without having to know about some epic battle that took place in 1987 between Superman and Lex Luthor, things were fresh.  And for the fanboy that was strict on continuity, if a new story contradicted said epic battle from 1987, fanboys would go to the Internet and freak out.

With new beginnings and still in the early stages, DC made a new announcement this week:  One of their prominent heroes will be gay.

Initially, DC announced that it was going to feature a gay character in comics.  This idea isn't new.  There have been numerous gay & lesbian characters in comics.  Obsidian (Todd Rice), son of the original Green Lantern (Alan Scott), came out in the early-2000s.  In 2006, DC introduced the new Batwoman, Kate Kane, as a lesbian, and her and the new Question, Renee Montoya, were described as having a past relationship.  Maggie Sawyer of the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) is currently dating Kate Kane, unaware of her secret identity.  And currently in the DC Universe, heroes Apollo and Midnighter, themselves obvious parallels of Superman and Batman (Apollo derives his power from the sun, Midnighter a street-fighter of sorts), are openly gay heroes and eventually got married (though I believe the marriage was retconned in The New 52).

To see a more detailed list of gay & lesbian characters published by DC Comics, follow this link.

Follow the link and you will see, well, not many characters you recognize.  In fact, even I, your window into the comic book world, have a tough time recognizing many characters after the first page.

Perhaps that is the point of this move - to take an already well-established character and have him/her represent gay people, as opposed to introducing a new character and hoping the character gains popularity.

Can This Work?


Gay & lesbian characters in comics haven't really yet ascended into the "A-List" characters, in either DC or Marvel comics.  I'm not saying they can't, or shouldn't, they just haven't yet.  But discussing why a gay character can't become an A-list hero is like discussing why Blue Beetle or Tempest aren't A-List heroes; it is a manner of public opinion, personal likability, and comic book sales that will ultimately determine a book's introduction or cancellation, or whether or not they make a movie about the character.

So maybe it is just easier to take an already established character and make them gay instead of, as mentioned, begin with a new character and hope the character takes off, in order to have a high-profile gay hero in your franchise.

Also, is there a distinct list?  Here are some of the major names a non- to mild-comic book reader may recognize:

• Batman
• Robin
• Superman
• Wonder Woman
• Aquaman
• Flash
• Green Lantern
• Catwoman

But how much bigger can the list be?  There are other major characters in comics, but outside of the average reader, do many people know Nightwing?  Martian Manhunter?  Cyborg?  Speedy?  Even Green Arrow?

Will This Work?


It's a bold move, to say the least.  I read an argument already (this news was just announced Monday) that said that making someone like Wonder Woman a lesbian will be less of a point in the right direction, but more readily establish fanboy male fantasies.  I may have to agree on that one.  That being said, maybe a lesbian woman would see the most prominent female superheroine of them all, and be proud to have Diana, princess of Themyscira, represent lesbian women everywhere.

Also, but believe it or not, there are homophobic people out there.  Will making Superman gay empower the gay community, or will it cause a fallout?  God forbid somebody does something stupid if this is the case, but I'm willing to bet there's some sort of online protest or even picketing.  At the very least, a drop in sales may not be surprising depending on the readers' level of acceptance.


Is This Necessary?


I understand that gay people and the gay community are underrepresented in comic books.  In 2010, Archie Comics introduced gay character Kevin Keller to Riverdale, to much praise.  He got married in an "adult" version of the comic in 2012 (not adult as in R-rating, but adult as in future version).

However, as I stated above, I can't readily think of any A-List superheroes in comic books.

Unfortunately, some see this as a publicity stunt - and more unfortunate, they're likely right.  DC Comics Co-Publisher Dan Didio stated his opinion has evolved, much like Barack Obama's on gay marriage.

More so, Marvel Comics character Northstar of Alpha Flight (the Canadian super-team Wolverine is sometimes associated with), who came out as a gay superhero back in 1992, will be getting married in Astonishing X-Men #51 this June - coincidentally, the same month DC will "out" their hero.

Who Will It Be?



Whether or not you agree with the notion of DC Comics changing one of their hero's sexual orientation, it's going to happen.  So who will it be?

• Wonder Woman?  An icon, arguably the biggest superheroine of them all, coming from an island populated only by women.... But no, it's not her.  In fact, not any woman.  In an interview with ABC News, Courtney Simmons, DC Entertainment's senior vice president of publicity, said, "One of the major iconic DC characters will reveal that he is gay in a storyline in June."  Emphasis on "he."  At this point, no further reason to speculate any of the other female leads in the DC Universe.
  
• Superman?  The New 52 rebooted Superman as well, and dissolved his relationship with Lois Lane (they aren't divorced - they haven't started dating yet).  Will Clark be interested in Jimmy Olsen instead?  This is possible, but with Apollo (mentioned above) also in the DC Universe, it may be redundant.
  
• Flash (Barry Allen) married Iris West Allen.  DC just brought Barry back from the dead, so did he come back gay?  It seems unlikely here, as Barry is the grandfather of Bart Allen, aka Impulse/Kid Flash II/Flash IV, and unless they did some clever maneuvering, making Barry gay would eliminate Bart from continuity altogether.  Bart is Kid Flash in the new continuity.
  
  Flash III/Kid Flash I (Wally West) was shown to get married and have twin children - both with superpowers - before the retcon.  Wally's current status?  He's been benched for now, and not part of The New 52.  Will he reappear gay?
  
• Green Lantern (Hal Jordan - Ryan Reynold's character from the Green Lantern movie) has a longtime relationship with Carol Ferris (Blake Lively's character).  When not with Carol, Hal Jordan has been shown many times over finding girlfriends and alien girlfriends - think of him like DC's Captain James Tiberius Kirk.  There's no particular reason why he couldn't be gay, but I doubt Warner Bros will allow it considering there's already an established movie, and having a gay Green Lantern in comics and a straight one in the movies will, in their likely opinion, cause fan's minds to explode.  To read my rant on Warner Bros and their media divisions and why I dislike them, read my earlier article.
  However, besides Hal Jordan, Earth has three other Green Lanterns protecting the space sector, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, and Guy Gardner, and any of these three could be depicted as gay in the comics and featured in the upcoming movie(s).
  
• Aquaman was reintroduced in The New 52 with his wife, Mera, so it seems unlikely here.  He did, however, give up his throne to be a superhero, only to find the world finds him irrelevant and thinks his powers are useless.  But they're not, and you can read about how awesome Aquaman is here.
  
• Batman?  Well, this one actually has a lot of possibility.  Despite his previous girlfriends and flirtations like Catwoman or Vicki Vale, Batman never settles down with a woman.  His reasoning for this, however, has always been believable and sound: If a criminal were to discover his secret identity, than the love of his life will be the first target.  Sure, Superman worried of the same thing and married Lois Lane, but he's invulnerable and faster than a speeding bullet, so she doesn't have much to worry about.  Also, like I mentioned regarding Superman/Apollo, having Batman/Midnighter as gay superheroes with similar abilities may be redundant.
  The only real problem I have with a gay Batman is it will affirm Fredric Wertham's ideas in Seduction of the Innocent, that Batman & Robin are gay.
  Wertham being right about this aspect isn't problematic on its own, but Seduction of the Innocent really put comic books on the decline, and the Comics Code Authority was created to restrict what was printed, limiting creative expression.
  Wertham also suggested  comic books also made kids aggressive and violent (much like how TV and video games are the culprits of today), Wonder Woman was a lesbian because of her strength and independence, and that Superman was un-American and a fascist.  There are plenty of things I disagree with that Wertham posited, so if he ends up being right about this, it's personally a loss for me.
  
• Robin - which one?  Dick Grayson (yes, Dick, grow-up) was the original Robin, who has grown up to be a hero on his own, Nightwing.  Jason Todd was Robin II, who died at the hands of the Joker.  He has returned from the grave (of course, it's comics), but is now an anti-hero.  Robin III, Tim Drake, now acts independently as Batman's ally, Red Robin.  Robin V, the current Robin, is Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne's biological son with Talia al Ghul.
  
  Nightwing/Dick Grayson - Possible, but making Dick gay.... Well, how can I finish that without snickering myself?  But seriously, making Dick Grayson gay puts another win in the Wertham column in my opinion, as he was the Robin in question during Wertham's publication of Seduction of the Innocent.
  
  Red Hood/Jason Todd - This one seems unlikely, as in The New 52 it has been established that Jason has had relations with Starfire, one of DC's primary eye-candy characters (Starfire was also at one point almost the wife of Dick Grayson).  Making Jason Todd gay at this point makes him either one who experiments, or bisexual.
  
  Red Robin/Tim Drake - Again, possible.  Tim had a few girlfriends, notably Stephanie Brown, aka Robin IV/Spoiler/Batgirl, but a list can be seen here.  In Tim's case, however, I don't think it has yet been established if he's gay or straight in this new universe.
  
  Robin IV/Damian Wayne - The current Robin, this one is also possible.  Damian, however, is only 10 years old, so perhaps it's too early to designate his orientation.  For that reason, Damian has not really been designated any sexual orientation in previous stories (at least none I'm aware of at this moment).
  
• It has to be said, but what if it's not a superhero?  Well, this will make this whole article and most of its points moot, but it's possible.  Even the statement above Courtney Simmons said, "...major iconic DC character....", so this could include Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner James "Jim" Gordon, or other supportive cast.

Final Thoughts


I will agree that GLBT people are under-represented in comic books.


However, what makes these characters superheroes isn't their sexual orientation.  In fact, I read a comment somewhere that a particular reader always viewed heroes as asexual; the superhero fights evil, and isn't on patrol for men/women.

Eliminating factors like this will make storytelling one-dimensional, I'll concede that, and a romantic interest here and there helps to keep storytelling interesting.  But you shouldn't be picking up the newest issue of Action Comics and be looking for a comic primarily focused on the character's love life, straight or gay.


For this reason, I do not believe that taking a long-established character and making them suddenly gay is necessarily the best tactic to insert gay people into the comic book community.  In fact, taking somebody popular and making them now gay seems like a gimmick, in my opinion.  If they weren't going for gimmick, let me ask you this:  If DC Comics is so interested in inserting minority characters, why would they take Barbara Gordon, one of the few disabled superheroes as Oracle, and retcon her to be able to walk again as Batgirl in The New 52?

If you design a character and make them interesting enough on their own accord, and they happen to be gay, I would read the comic book.  But by taking an established character and now having them come out runs the risk of what happened to the Ellen TV show - not just indicating the lead character is gay, but beating you over the head with it every week thereafter (the view that Chastity Bono, GLAAD media director, carried).  Eventually what elements that made the comic (or show) enjoyable begin to disappear altogether, and the focus is completely shifted.

Would it be any more relevant to make James Bond gay in the next few movies, just to bring a prominent gay character to the big screen (James Bond in... Cock of the Walk)?  Or what about a gay Tarzan movie?  Gay Sherlock Holmes?  I don't see how sexual orientation necessarily improves on any of these story aspects, it just changes them.  If I were gay, I think I'd be more inherently proud of a gay character, like Marvel's Northstar (mentioned above), instead of DC's new version of a character, which for all we know will be retconned again next year as straight.

Whatever hero decides to come out, just know this: I'm here for you, buddy, and I love you all the same.

The History of Comics Pt I: The Golden Age of Comics, where it all began....

In the beginning...


Comic strips ran in weekly newspapers, with characters like Little Orphan Annie (1924), Popeye (1929), and other characters.  Comic strips eventually evolved into comic books, bringing along these characters, and ushering in new creations.  Whether or not comic strips and these early comic books are included in The Golden Age is best left argued by historians.

So let it be written...

Although comic books didn't start with super heroes, many tend to agree that The Golden Age began (or, at the very least, began its popularity) with the introduction of the first super hero of them all: Superman in Action Comics #1.

I want one... Somebody lend me $1.5 million?

"Super" heroes all began with "Super"-man... While you may not have considered this, yes, it seems fairly obvious when you think about it.  Regardless if you knew this before, I bet you won't forget it now!

After the introduction of Superman, the idea of the superhero fighting crime and evildoers boomed, and superheroes soon dominated the comic book industry.  DC characters like Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman (see my write-up of Aquaman here), Green Lantern (Alan Scott), the Flash (Jay Garrick), The Atom (Al Pratt), Dr. Fate, the Spectre, Black Canary (Dinah Drake), Hourman, and Hawkman all made their first appearances, while Timely Comics (which would later evolve into today's Marvel Comics) introduced characters like Captain America and Bucky, the Sub-Mariner, and the android Human Torch (not Johnny Storm, the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four).  Other publications of the era introduced characters such as Quality Comics' Plastic Man, Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel, (both characters now belong to DC), and the Spirit.  The Golden Age also saw the first team-up, the Justice Society of America, as various DC heroes banded together to stop villainy on epic scales.

The 1930s, historically, saw gangsters taking to the streets, so in comics heroes were there to stop these menaces and show them the error of their ways.  But by the late-30's and early-40's, the world was changing: the world was going to war, for the second time.  This battle was not about land or money, despite the initial arguments made.  This war was about evil and atrocities on a scale the world had never seen before.

Grow a real moustache, wimp.

Heroes fight villains, and good conquers over evil.  No grey areas.  Superheroes went to war.

The comic book, at this point, sold millions.  Cheap and portable, comic books often found their way overseas, comforting soldiers as they read about the superheroes, too, taking the fight to the Axis.

Can I help you, ladies?

Furthermore, comic books helped to spread war propaganda, as seen on this cover:

"Hey Kid, put the down the comic and grab your gun!"

With the dropping of the atomic bomb, the word "atomic" became the buzzword of the time, and many characters and storylines began to deal with radiation and its effects.  Even Superman felt the effects of radiation in the form of kryptonite. 

...So let it be done.

As the war came to an end and real-life heroes came home, the fascination with superheroes began to fade.  Comic books of war, westerns, crime, horror, science fiction, and romance hit the market and overshadowed the superhero comics.  Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman remained profitable, and thus continued printing.  Many other titles, however, were cancelled, and other titles changed their primary focus altogether.  All-Star Comics #57, the comic book home of the Justice Society, changed to All-Star Western #58 the next issue.

The Golden Age of Comics saw the best of times, and the blurst worst of times.  Heroes began to vanish altogether....

And then, with the flash of lightning, the Silver Age began....

[Stay Tuned for my entry on The Silver Age of Comics!]