Posted on 05/28/2006 3:33:03 PM PDT by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
Hinted and teased about for months, Sunday’s New York Times (already being delivered in the New York area) confirms that DC is brining back a staple of its Silver Age: Batwoman.
The article, entitled "Straight (and Not) Out of the Comics: At DC and Marvel Comics, new heroes are gay, black, Asian and Hispanic. Get used to it," is a full- page feature on page 25 of the Sunday Arts & Leisure section on Marvel and DC’s emphasis on increasing the diversity of their respective character libraries over the past months to year-plus. NYT writer George Gene Gustines covers, among others, the attention being placed on the upcoming Black Panther/Storm wedding at Marvel and Luke Cage's key role in New Avengers, and the new Blue Beetle - a Hispanic teen - as well as Batwoman, Kathy Kane, who, according to the article: “…is a wealthy (socialite), buxom lipstick lesbian who has a history with Renee Montoya, an ex-police detective who has a starring role in 52."
According to the article, Batwoman will "appear in costume for the first time in a July issue of 52"
Eagle-eyed DC fans caught a first look at Batwoman in Infinite Crisis #7’s splash page showing a swath of new characters – wearing a costume apparently inspired by the original, Silver Age Batwoman, as well as a nod to the color scheme of Batman Beyond. According to the NYT, the costume was designed by Alex Ross. Of course, her name, an obvious homage to the Silver Age “Kathy Kane”.
Also mentioned is “the Great Ten”, a Chinese-government controlled/sponsored superhero team making their debut next month in 52. According to the article, the team includes, "the Celestial Archer, with ties to Chinese mythology; Mother of Champions, who can give birth to a litter of 25 super-soldiers about every three days; and Seven Deadly Brothers, a martial arts expert who can divide into many."
The Times piece recaps the sometimes bumpy roads comic books have taken towards diversity - including DC's 1998 series The New Guardians, the mid-90's Milestone imprint, and 2000's "Planet DC" initiative - but according to Gustines, this new emphasis/push is intended to be a "sustained one,” taking place in an alternate world that nevertheless reflects American society in general and comics readers in particular, in much the same way that they multicultural casts of televisions shows like ABC's Lost and Grey's Anatomy mirror their audiences."
"I'm glad we're at the point when they're being rolled out without flourish - not 'Minority Heroes Attack!,' " DC writer Judd Winick tells Gustines. "It's important to see them as characters and not a story line about race."
The piece is also not without some examination of the online comic book community and their reaction to change. Citing the death of the Ted Kord Blue Beetle, which paved the way for the new Mexican-American Jaime Reyes version, Gustine writes, "Fans of the old Blue Beetle posted online messages decrying his death and griping about DC's new, generally more somber direction. But comics devotees are notorious for buying titles out of loyalty, whether from completist compulsion or from a need to be able to complain about what they don't like, and DC knows it".
"It's hard to introduce any new hero," DC Executive Editor Dan DiDio tells Gustines, adding that using familiar names like (like Blue Beetle and Batwoman), "gives us a leg up so they're more readily accepted, I think that's the way to go."
Look for a link to the Times piece when it appears online, and an interview with DiDio on the new Batwoman and DC's drive to diversity Sunday, here at Newsarama.com.
You've seen this one, right...? :)
"The Times piece recaps the sometimes bumpy roads comic books have taken towards diversity - including DC's 1998 series The New Guardians, "
(snip)
Hey New York Times? Let me let you in on a little secret. "The New Guardians" (which was from 1988, BTW) was a horrible trainwreck of a series that most comic book fans consider to be slightly less noteworthy than stuff like "NFL Superpro." If you're going to cite something with homosexual superheroes in it, cite "Watchmen" or "Astro City", rather than a series that had 3 out of eight members of the team infected with the AIDS virus before the end of the first issue. (shakes head)
The article, entitled "Straight (and Not) Out of the Comics: At DC and Marvel Comics, new heroes are gay, black, Asian and Hispanic. Get used to it," is a full- page feature on page 25 of the Sunday Arts & Leisure section on Marvel and DC’s emphasis on increasing the diversity of their respective character libraries over the past months to year-plus
Well, if they want to increase diversity then get some new super gender questioning characters created than can change gender and orientation with a wink or click of ruby red slippers RATHER than attempting to change established normally "oriented" and normally "gendered" characters...
P.S. Where is the "Ex-Gay" super hero -arch nemesis of the GLSEN disordered underage sex advocacy ring?
;-)
"THIS is Moonbatwoman..."
Geez, now I wll have nightmares
I always thought Aquaman was kinda gay. Maybe we can bring him back around. Or that little guy Adam, really little guys are often gay, like Gary Coleman.
Awesome idea!!
And let's not forget Linda Carter...
Just for those who like to drool.
Needs repeating!
Gee, that's going to do wonders for sales. Who's going to want to buy that?
John Kerry would be against that. Remember what he said about "fighting man" comic books.
Whoa. That almost sounds like as bad an idea as Super Globetrotters.
If you're going to cite something with homosexual superheroes in it, cite "Watchmen" or "Astro City", rather than a series that had 3 out of eight members of the team infected with the AIDS virus before the end of the first issue. (shakes head)
That actually happened? Holy cow. I know it's make-believe, but how could you possibly be a superhero while maintaining that pill regimen?
Batgirldickery
I read the first issue of 52, and I think there was a Muslim. I know little about the DC Universe, so I don't know who the superpowered guy was--I think he was a Middle Easterner--but he saw a Muslim suicide bomber in a crowd of people, so he pulled him up into the air by one arm (which ripped his arm off) and threw him high enough to explode away from the crowd. That was kind of cool.
This depiction of Batwoman actually looks like a fantasized version of a young, muscular male wearing lipstick and big hair. It's truly a polymorphous transgender creature.
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