Comic writers discuss gay characters and themes

Comic news site Comic Book Resources, is attempting an overview of LGBT characters and themes in comics, including comments from queer writers and writers who've handled gay characters. Overall, it's a pretty thorough overview of the topics LGBT comic fans have discussed and the stories they've followed.

Even if you've followed discussions on the topic before (like our article from last fall), comments from talent like Devin Greyson (Nightwing) and Alan Moore (V for Vendetta) are worth a reread. Moore has an especially insightful moment when he notes that:

No one would say that the majority of superhero characters should be constantly dealing with the fact that they're white, or the fact that they're heterosexual, or the fact that they're men, but because the white heterosexual man is the norm, I suppose a lot of the white heterosexual men who are publishing these comics kind of think that everybody else is in terrible conflict, because they're not white heterosexual men. They don't seem to be able to imagine gay people being on the same planet as everybody else. That they are on some special gay planet, and they're not a part of mainstream society, which is clearly rubbish.

Since its debut is coming right up, I've been thinking a bit about Who Wants to Be a Superhero.

Its first season managed to be pretty inclusive (despite the gay contestant, Levity, getting booted in the first episode) and this season Parthenon is an openly gay hero. In reality TV, one can be a superhero who happens to be gay, but in print, gay characters still have a long way to go.

Be sure to check back next week for our coverage in the leadup to Who Wants to Be a Superhero's second-season premiere.