Queer-inclusive days are here again with the new "Justice League" lineup

In this week's Gay Geek column, I lamented that when gay characters appear in the big name, top-of-the-sales-chart titles, they usually end up as backburner characters. When gay characters do get prominently featured in a title, it's usually in a title that debuts on the cancellation bubble.

However, here's some hopeful news: it's time for DC's Justice League franchise to get its once-a-decade revamp and renumbering. This time, the initial team includes lesbian heroine Batwoman as well as the bisexual alien Starman (Mikaal Tomas). This Justice League series is being written by James Dale Robinson, who dragged Mikaal out of the obscurity of First Issue Special #12 and who was nominated for a GLAAD media award in 1999 (though Robinson lost to Peter David work on Supergirl) for the way he handled Mikaal.

If memory (and Wikipedia) serves me correctly, it's been a while since we've seen Mikaal, who hasn't had a major appearance since the critically praised Starman series wrapped up in 2001, so it should be interesting to see what he's been up to since Jack Knight (the lead character in Starman and another hero to take up that legacy) retired. Robinson teases that Mikaal has been reconnecting with the "war-like aspects of his race," making him a man who is savage in battle and elegant in civilized society.

This isn't the first time a Justice League title has been inclusive of LGBTQ characters. During a period most superhero fans would rather forget, the mid-90s League included the bisexual Ice Maiden as well as Obsidian, who had begun openly questioning his sexuality during his time in the League (he eventually come to terms with his sexual orientation in Manhunter a few years ago). However, this is the first time the League has included LGBT characters in its lineup as it headed towards a high-profile relaunch under a big name creator, a hopeful step forward for gay characters.

(And if you can't wait to find out more about Mikaal, you can check out his Gay League profile page or check out the collected Starman books.)