PHILADELPHIA – Wedding bells will ring this summer for Marvel Comics'
first openly gay hero, super speedster Northstar, and his longtime
boyfriend.
The New York-based publisher said Tuesday that Canadian character
Jean-Paul Beaubier will marry his beau, Kyle Jinadu, in the pages of
"Astonishing X-Men" No. 51. That's due out June 20.
Northstar revealed he was gay in the pages of "Alpha Flight" No. 106
in 1992, one of Marvel Entertainment's first characters to do so.
Ten years later, in 2002, gay characters Apollo and the Midnighter
were married in the pages of "The Authority" published by DC's Wildstorm
imprint.
Since then, numerous comic book heroes and villains have been written
as gay, lesbian or transgender – from DC Comics' Kate Kane, aka
Batwoman, to Hulkling and Wiccan in the pages of "Young Avengers."
Comics, as a medium, have embraced gay, lesbian and transgender
characters, including the introduction of Kevin Keller by Archie Comics.
Comic strips have done likewise.
This month, cartoonist Tom Batiuk is writing about a gay couple
trying to attend their high school prom in "Funky Winkerbean," a move
that has divided the fictional community.
"As I sit in on the classes at my old high school, I see how the
younger generation's attitude toward gays is more open and accepting
than that of their predecessors," Batiuk said.
For Marvel, the upcoming wedding is a way to further embed same-sex issues in its contemporary universe.
"The Marvel Universe has always reflected the world outside your
window, so we strive to make sure our characters, relationships and
stories are grounded in that reality," said Axel Alonso, Marvel's
editor-in-chief.
Author Marjorie Liu, who is writing "Astonishing X-Men," said the decision to have the pair marry was appropriate.
"As a writer – and a romance novelist, no less – I've always found it
a bit odd when characters in comic books remain in relationship limbo
for years at a time," she said.
"Certainly, that happens in real life – some relationships just never
grow – but the wonderful thing about stories is that they tend to move
readers and characters forward," Liu said, adding that Northstar pops
the question in issue No. 50, which is due out on Wednesday.
"And, in this case, it was time to do the same to Northstar and Kyle,
who have one of those rare comic book romances that actually works."
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