Gay rep'ns in comics and games in XMen comic

Since blogging the article below, another article caught my eye: is Judge Dredd to be outed?!

Here's another I've just read, which explicitly references (and discusses) the male gaze theory. It included a link to the Wiki on this, which I also re-read: pretty good, and will certainly boost your understanding of the concept. This one centres on a Star Wars game which added a romantic element, but caused controversy by programming 10 hetero Ms + Fs; their response was to create a standalone world, available only for premium subscribers, in which gay couplings functioned, attracting further criticism. Its fair to say that the very fact this has attracted criticism points to the success of the campaign groups who've sought to attack the hegemonic status of hetero-normativity. See http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2013/jan/25/star-wars-old-republic-gay-planet.

See the article below:

A Marvel X-Man has comics' first gay wedding as DC plans to out a hero

Northstar proposes in the latest issue of Astonishing X-Men, and fans are wondering if Batman or Robin is about to come out

Marvel's Northstar – AKA Jean-Paul Beaubier – has proposed to his longtime partner Kyle Jinadu. Photograph: Handout/Reuters

Wednesday is new arrivals day in comic book stores, and in the batch of storylines that arrived this morning was the news that Marvel's openly gay superhero Northstar has proposed to his longtime partner, Kyle Jinadu.

In the issue number 50 of Astonishing X-Men, Northstar gets down on one knee in his civilian identity, Jean-Paul Beaubier, to hold up a ring to his surprised beau.

"I'm asking you to marry me," he says.

At Midtown Comics in New York's Times Square, Thor Parker (his real name), said the issue has all the hallmarks of a hit.

"You're seeing people come in ask for an issue by name and number, which usually only happens when something like this is going on," said Parker, the store's events director and social marketer.

Northstar and Jinadu will be married in a ceremony in New York's Central Park in issue number 51, which will arrive in stores next month. And to celebrate, Parker said, Midtown Comics is actively looking for same-sex couples eager to have their own wedding in the store on the same day.

Gay characters are not new in comic book storylines –
Northstar revealed he was gay in 1992 – but they are becoming increasingly common. In 2010 the long-running Archie Comics series debuted its first gay character. And DC Comics, which has a gay character in Batwoman, announced days ago that one of its other marquee super heroes would soon come out of the closet as part of the series reboot which launched last year.

But which one of DC's heroes – a roster that includes Batman, Superman and Wonderwoman – will reveal his or her secret identity?

Parker demurred from venturing a guess, but pointed out that many household names have already been reintroduced since the reboot – none of them are gay.

"Most of the characters who would be of interest to a mainstream audience have already been introduced," he said. "I mean, it could be some random guy from Final Crisis no one has heard of."

Several blocks downtown, at Forbidden Planet, a freshly minted stack of Astonishing X-Men number 50 issues sat by the cashier alongside a hand printed sign that read: "limit one per customer".

The woman behind the desk, who declined to give her name, expected a lunchtime rush of collectors, investors and people curious from Wednesday morning's media reports.

"People will buy it because they know on the market it will go up," she said. It's an instant collector's item.

And so, no doubt, will be the DC issue with its own forthcoming reveal. As to which super hero might be the one most likely to come out, the Forbidden Planet employee had her theories.

"They can't do Batman, because he's known to be a player," she said. "Superman loves Lois Lane. Aquaman is married to Mera. Green Lantern? He's been around girls."

Nightwing, who is basically just Robin all grown up, had a relationship with Batgirl (not to be confused with Batwoman, who is gay) so that ruled him out in her eyes.

Her bet for the likeliest DC hero to be outted: Booster Gold, who debuted in 1986.

"He's got all the characteristics, if you look back; it makes sense," she says. "He's a showoff, he always wants to be in the spotlight. But he's never really been around women. I guess it could also be Flash."

Forbidden Planet's customers tended to cluster more around the graphic novel section than the comics. But a few had an opinion on the gay superhero trend.

"With more of them becoming movies, comics have become more mainstream, so it makes sense that there would be more gay characters," said Todd Corbin, a restaurant manager who worked in a comic book shop while in high school.

Because more of them have been made into movies, he said, he's recently gotten back into the superhero comics.

But as for which DC character might be the one to come out, Corbin was flummoxed. "They wouldn't do that to Batman," he said. "There's always Robin. Wait, is the Green Lantern gay?"

An older patron, Ronald Bush, was perusing the aisles listening to a vintage Walkman. He has been reading comics, he said, his whole life. But he was largely indifferent to the new Marvel storyline.

"It's their business, they can do whatever they want to do," he said. "I'm not going to judge, I've been judged my whole life."