Batman could be one of the candidates, according to speculators. Photo credit: miripi photos, http://www.flickr.com/photos/miripi/5771570300/
The background
Could Batman be gay?
Maybe. At the recent Kapow! convention in London, co-director of comicbook powerhouse DC, Dan DiDio let slip that it will be one of their established characters who was previously assumed to be straight that will be revealed as gay. This character is set to become “one of our [DC Comics’] most prominent gay characters”, according to bleedingcool.com. DC owns Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, among other major titles, so speculation is running rampant – who will it be?
Meanwhile, DC isn’t the only comicbook to include gay and lesbian characters among its superheroes: On Wednesday (new arrivals day in comicbook world), the latest issue of Astonishing X-Men, openly gay superhero Northstar proposed to his longtime boyfriend, Kyle Jindau. The Guardian spoke to one older, lifelong comics fan, about the 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.”
So, are comic books finally in the 21st century?
Why now?
The Daily Mail report that DC were changing with the times, saying “senior VP of Sales Bob Wayne said DiDio’s view ‘had evolved’, comparing the shift to Barack Obama’s recent endorsement of same-sex marriage”. DiDio also said, according to The International Business Times, “What we really wanted to do was show the diversity of our audience across the line of our books.” ScienceFiction.com also noted DC’s achievements in this area, noting that the publisher’s titles now include “several minority characters, including lesbian Batwoman and bisexual Voodoo, as well as including openly gay teen Bunker in the Teen Titans and the previously established gay male couple Apollo and Midnighter in ‘Stormwatch’, among others”.
Who’s it going to be?
Comic Book Resources said that DC “is playing things close to the vest” with this announcement, which will be revealed in June. They cite the Senior Vice-President of Publicity of DC Comics, Courtney Simmins, who revealed the character is “major,” “iconic” and male”. But it might not be Batman – or at least, not his alter ego: They also quoted the Batman writer, Scott Snyder, saying on Twitter that “it’s not Bruce Wayne”. Snyder also emphasized that it will be a character “not seen since the relaunch” of DC’s ‘New 52’ series.
So who are the likely candidates?
The Guardian reckon that “the smart money is on Batman or Aquaman or Wonder Woman but, frankly, a case could be made for all or any of them”, whilst bleedingcool.com said “we got the very strong impression that the death of Superman of Earth Two many not have been as final as portrayed”, sensing an opening for an outing. Comic Book Resources speculate that it could be: The Flash, who would “count as a major and iconic character who also has a sizable and loyal fanbase”; Plastic Man, who would “give readers a better look into the man behind the comic relief”; The Joker, as “DC never said the character was a hero”; or Green Lantern, who the “fans seem to be expecting”. Science Fiction agree with the Green Lantern guess, saying his new incarnation as a “hunky, blond, unmarried media mogul” makes him a probable candidate, but they also tote Damian Wayne (“the biggest b*tch in comics”) and Tim Drake (“what’s to keep Red Robin from finally coming out?”) as possibilities.
