Comics have always had a homoerotic edge. What's surprising is how many
superhero characters are actually gay, lesbian, transgender, or ...
something else.
The 1993 coming-out of Northstar, of the Canadian X-Men group
Alpha Flight, caused a sensation. Starting out as a lithe, elfin
creature, by the time of his coming-out he'd morphed into a hulking
muscle freak drawn by a straight artist. This irked many gay comics fans
already well-versed in the subtler nuances of queer comic code.
Other gay characters of various sizes and superhero skill sets have
continued the tradition. X-Men characters Mystique and
Destiny had an implied lesbian relationship, but without all the
ruckus. Apollo and Midnighter, two members of the
Authority, from DC Comics' Vertigo imprint, have been known to engage in a
bit of affectionate smooching aboard their high-powered spacecraft. And
the Green Lantern features lesbian duo Lee & Li, as supporting characters.
For better or worse, many comic queers have been villains, including
Batman's Riddler and the Joker, Dare-Devil's nemesis
Machinesmith, and the Flash's foe Pied
Piper (who ends up a good guy fighting for gay rights).
In the mainstream comics world, DC and Marvel have very gay-friendly
company and editorial policies. Adult but not erotic, DC's
Sandman series includes many GLBT characters. But few lead
characters have been out -- readers have often had to read between the
tights.
In 1997 several gay comics fans, finding other online sites to be
unfriendly, formed the Gay League
to help clarify who's who, and who's dating whom. Small presses like Andy Mangel's
Gay Comics have filled in another gap, pumping out over 25 issues of openly
queer-themed comics.
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