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Hooded Justice

Thursday, March 19th, 2009

hoodedjustice3By Ronald Byrd

Real Name: Possibly Rolf Muller
Occupation: Crimefighter; possibly a circus strongman
Group Affiliation: The Watchmen
Base of Operations: New York City
Outed in: Watchmen #9

Hooded Justice was the first costumed crimefighter to appear publicly on the alternate Earth that is the home of the Watchmen, debuting in the fall of 1938. Nothing is known about the tall, muscular Justice’s origin. Known for his violent demeanor in combat, he was among the founders of the Minutemen in 1939, and in 1940 he prevented the Comedian from raping their teammate, the Silk Spectre.

The Comedian responded to the beating with the remark: “This is what you like, huh? This is what gets you hot… ” The implication is that Hooded Justice’s crimefighting activities serve as a release for more than one kind of aggression; the Comedian also implied that he would one day seen vengeance on Hooded Justice for the beating. Unknown to the general public, Hooded Justice had a gay relationship with one of his teammates, Captain Metropolis, who alone among the Minutemen may have known Justice’s true identity. Although the Silk Spectre often pretended to be his girlfriend in public, he also had frequent rough sex sessions with young men, perhaps supporting the Comedian’s speculation.

In 1955, six years after the Minutemen disbanded and following demands that he testify before the House UnAmerican Activities Committee, Hooded Justice vanished from sight and was never heard from again. A corpse tentatively identified as that of circus strongman Rolf Muller was found not long afterward, leading some to speculate that the two men were one and the same. However, while some right-wing sources speculated Muller, of East German descent, had been a communist agent, it is known that, before the bombing of Pearl Harbor brought the US into World War II, Hooded Justice expressed approval for the activities of the Third Reich, hardly something one would expect from a communist of that era (Actually, it seems unlikely that a gay man would support either the Soviets OR the Nazis.). Then again, the Comedian, who may or may not have retained his grudge against his former teammate, was himself an active anti-communist government agent who conceivably could have played a role in these events; the full story of Hooded Justice’s life and presumed death remains unknown.

Hooded Justice had no superhuman powers but possessed an unusual level of strength, stamina, and brutality.

The Watchmen created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Art by Dave Gibbons. © and ® DC Comics. Used without permission.

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Looking Back at Wonder Woman #185

Thursday, March 19th, 2009
Ohmygod! It's THEM!

Ohmygod! It's THEM!

By Joe Palmer

IT’S THEM! Sadistic lesbians menace Diana Prince?

It was 1969 when WONDER WOMAN #185 hit the spinner racks, shelves of drugstores and supermarkets around the country. The comic had undergone a radical revision the year before in an attempt to attract new readers. The Powers That Be decided to greatly downplay the character’s Amazonian heritage, strip her of her powers, and occasionally couple her with an Asian sidekick masquerading as her mentor. The man responsible for this new direction was Mike Sekowsky, though he received helped from Denny O’Neil.

This change was as far a departure from the character’s previous continuity and sensibility as were some of the changes that American culture was experiencing. Richard Nixon was in his first term as President and the United States was conducting a war in Vietnam. American society was in flux. On one hand, traditional family values were still bolstered by post World War II consumerism on one hand. On the other the massive changes in social structure and identity that resulted from the Civil Rights Movement and the hippie “threat”.

Power was going to the people and things like color film, Polaroid cameras, and color TV were becoming commonplace. Drive in movie theaters were favorite spots for many Americans, too with some drive-ins having two screens. The screen in front showed movies for adults, and kids were meant to watch cartoons and kiddie movies through the rear window. I dared to break this unwritten rule the night my family went to see BONNY AND CLYDE. Warren Beatty transfixed me and I was all of eleven, but that’s a story for another time.

People during this time also bought, yes bought music—there was no Napster and recording technology was not as mass produced and available as they are now. Your main choices back then were “45’s” or albums with popular music selections ranging from bubble gum acts like the Monkees or “hippie” music from the Beatles, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Jimmi Hendrix, Donovan, and Iron Butterfly.

On June 22 gay icon and diva Judy Garland died of a pill overdose in her London home. In New York City’s Greenwich Village just a few days later on June 28 a number of Stonewall bar patrons publicly protested the police harassment and raids of their community.

Back to the “Emma Peel” version of Wonder Woman, and specifically issue #185 and its sensationally titled story “It’s Them!” The plot is thin, oh so incredibly thin. It opens with Diana returning to her New York City home on Blocker Street (a likely reference to Bleecker Street) from Paradise Island to discover a frightened young woman named Cathy. Cathy is hiding in Diana’s darkened, street-level clothing boutique from a group of villains ominously known as “THEM!” And if the exclamation mark didn’t provide enough melodramatic emphasis, “THEM!” is almost always done in thick, red letters.

THEM! is a gang that has been terrorizing the neighborhood for a while, but apparently, Diana’s been too busy dividing her attention between learning Kung Fu moves from I Ching and visiting Paradise Island to notice. What makes the story of interest is that “THEM!” appears by inference to be lesbians—and sadistic ones at that. The gang’s proclivities are inferred because the story was printed in 1969, a year when comic  publishers were still subjecting themselves to the guidelines established by the Comics Code Authority,(CCA). The CCA was an agency created in response to Frederic Wertham’s book, SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT and the Senate hearings of 1954, both of which leveled charges of inappropriate content for children being published in comics. Much like television and film media being subjected to the Hayes Code, it was simply impossible to include directreferences to LGBT characters or themes unless they were buried in subtext or coding. The CCA’s prohibition against depicting “sexual depravity” reamined in its guidelines for another 20 years until its 1989 revision.

wondwerwoman185-02The most obvious clues to the nature of “THEM!” are their clothing and appearance: they’re dressed as drag kings. Top Hat, the boss of the bunch, wears a costume that’s a cross between a circus ringleader and Victorian opera goer. It’s a gaudy green affair of a suit paired with a frilly yellow top and contrasted by a purple cape and top hat. Moose Mama is a big boned butch kind of gal who likes to wear biker’s clothing accented with gold costume jewelry. Pinto prefers dressing like a cowboy from the Old West. Well, maybe it’s the same Old West that the Rawhide Kid came from if you know what I mean.

When the gang bursts into Diana’s boutique, Top Hat tosses a dog collar on a chain at Cathy and commands “Put it on, slave!” and then threatens Diana who in turn quickly disposes of “THEM!” in a no-nonsense manner.

Diana is genuinely concerned for Cathy’s well being and takes her in. While soaking in a hot bath Cathy reveals she felt stifled at home and decided to run away from her straight-laced parents. After arriving in New York she naïvely accepted the gang’s offer of a room, only to discover they had stolen her money. At this point Cathy is forced to wear a dog collar and become their slave, complete with beatings and humiliation.

Diana’s acts of kindness are contrasted with the determination of THEM to recapture their slave. Their acts of intimidation start with tossing a rock with the requisite threatening note attached to it through a window and nightlong chanting outside Diana’s bedroom window. The next day, a male accomplice knocks groceries out of Diana’s arms, but he is cowed by a dark haired man who lives in the neighborhood.

Unfazed, Top Hat orders some previously unseen gang members to enter Diana’s store under the pretense of shopping and instead to slash clothing. Out on the street Diana confronts a dog collar wielding Top Hat. Again, the dark haired man appears and causes Top Hat and her gang to disperse.

With nine pages left, the plot really picks up. Later that night, Diana agrees to let Cathy stay, and then discovers an unmailed letter from Cathy apologizing to her parents, Diana decides to contact the “Missing Persons Bureau” and as fate (and the plot) would have it, at the same moment that Diana is speaking to whoever at the bureau, Molotov cocktails crash through the shop windows. Diana and Cathy escape to the street. Top Hat and her gang are gloating nearby while firemen try to extinguish the blaze. Tony Petrucci, the dark haired man, and his mother also witness the fire and offer to take in Diana and Cathy.

In the morning, Diana wakes to find a note from Cathy saying she’s returned to THEM and of course Diana starts to search for her. Meanwhile, a well intentioned Mrs. Petrucci informs her son of the events and he gets some of “the boys” together for a final showdown. Top Hat and gang with a resigned Cathy leading at the head suddenly appear on the street before Diana. Top Hat thrusts two dog collars at Diana, commanding her to put one on herself and the other on the young woman. Tony and his boys surprise Top Hat’s gang, disarming them swiftly and inexplicably without drawing Top Hat’s attention while she continues to threaten Diana. Armed with a repertoire of Kung Fu moves, courtesy of that nice I Ching, Diana delivers a quick and resounding defeat to Top Hat.

The police arrive to take custody of the gang, and moments later, Cathy and her parents are tearfully reunited, thanks to the information Diana gave the Missing Persons Bureau. Mrs. Petrucci, being the epitome of a good Italian mother, invites everyone up. Over coffee and biscotti, Diana seems to have forgotten her store has burnt down and proposes the idea to Cathy’s parents to let Cathy work in her store. With Cathy out of the clutches of those awful, frightening lesbians—er—criminals, and back with her Ward and June Cleaver parents the story ends on a happy note.

Were Top Hat, Pinto, and Moose Mama really lesbians? Reading the story now it certainly seems clear to me that they were. Even when I read it in the used comic bin at Boss Drugs in 1970 or 1971 I had a distinct impression there was something more to the story. Heaven knows that we in the LGBT community are self-trained to look for sub text. Could Sekowsky’s story have been a comment on the nascent Gay Rights Movement? In house ads for other DC comics have September sale dates. Considering printer deadlines and the time it takes to create a comic it’s possible that Sekowsky was compelled to comment on Stonewall though the timeframe would have been very tight. Or, he may have used as inspiration the elements of the gay underground culture that contested the illegality of gay bars in New York which ultimately resulted in the legalization of these spaces. It would be ironic, given the accusations of rampant lesbianism in Golden Age WONDER WOMAN comics made by Frederic Wertham. Or maybe it was really a twisted take on the Cinderella fairy tale with Top Hat, Pinto, and Moose Mama serving as the wicked stepmother step-sisters, and Diana as the fairy godmother?

Or not.

This story was reprinted Diana Prince Wonder Woman volume 2. Click the link to purchase a copy from Amazon and help support this site.

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Looking Back At Gay Comix #1

Thursday, March 19th, 2009

By Joe Palmer

gaycomix011The year is 1980, the start of the “Me” decade. Movie goers that year had their pick of films such as Raging Bull, Airplane, American Gigolo, Popeye, The Shining, Xanadu, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Blue Lagoon, and the original Friday the 13th. Christopher Cross, Bette Midler, Pat Benatar, Billy Joel, Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb all won Grammy awards for their music. Punk and new wave in its various manifestations were in force to act as an alternative and counterbalance to the Top 40 and disco. People watched Magnum, P.I., 60 Minutes, Little House on the Prairie, The Dukes of Hazard, and in the fall everyone wondered who shot J.R. on Dallas. The debut of MTV is a year away still. Jimmy Carter was President, Americans were held hostage in Iran, and on November 4th, Americans elected former actor Ronald Reagan as their new President. The HIV virus was just beginning to make its presence known.

1980 was a year that marked a big change in my life. That change came on June 14th. This was the day I’d moved from my central Illinois hometown of 16,000 people to Chicago. In my hometown of Lincoln it seemed everyone had a German last name, worked as a farmer or in a factory, got stinking drunk on a Friday night and sobered up enough for church on Sunday, and, of course, was heterosexual. Attending church was my madatory obligation in those days. News of the Stonewall Riots four years before had yet to make it to me, so I naїvely and successfully set off to find gay men to date around 1977. It wasn’t too long before I’d found a man whom I thought was the true love of my life, and it was he who persuaded me that we should move to Chicago. Imagine my shock and euphoria when I experienced my first Gay Pride Parade that also fell on my birthday that year two weeks later!

One day while wandering I came across the comic book on a newstand a few blocks from my first apartment in Chicago. This comic was unlike any I’d ever seen before since my fascination with the medium began as a nine-year old in 1967. Yes, I’m that old. The comic in question was the first issue of GAY COMIX with a September cover date. Only a year before had I met through a friend of my then boyfriend another gay man who read comics; Kevin had a very cynical attitude and it wasn’t long before we stopped trying to talk about comics. In my nervously excited hands there was proof of at least a small handful of gay people who appreciated comics. Finding these stories was a big step out of a second closet.

Some – many – of you know about Jim Shooter’s infamous Hulk story that included a scene in which Bruce Banner is nearly raped in a YMCA shower by two men was published with an October date. Now I must admit to forgettingwhich of these two comics I first read. The Hulk story will be looked at another time.

After thumbing through the pages at the news stand, I paid the $1.50 price – expensive on a weekly take home pay of $120 – and walked the few blocks home, and dove into the stories. Inside the two color covers were stories by Howard Cruse, who also edited the title, Lee Mars, Roberta Gregory, Billy Fugate, Kurt Erichsen, Mary Wings, Demian, and Theo Bogart. Rand Holmes drew the front cover and Roberta Gregory did the back. There wasn’t a Perez, Wolfman, Thomas, Swan, Ordway, O’Neil, Byrne or Claremont in the lot of them. Nor were any of the stories include any of the elements of super heroes, mystery, horror, war, spy, western or sci-fi comics, all of which I was familiar with. Since I’d had little exposure to other styles of art outside of the comic book standards of the day I audaciously decided that the artists, with Howard Cruse as an exception, were amateurish.

gaycomix02The book was still fascinating to me simply because of the idea behind it: gays and lesbians telling stories about themselves. Aside from “Saboteur” which had an activist bent, every story was about the search for acceptance or love. Lee Marr’s “Stick in the Mud” was about the late blooming lesbian Sue who after a failed marriage and a string of disastrous dates finds her soul mate. Billy Fugate’s “Fallout” is a critical look at stereotypical gay culture while his one page short, “Found a Reason”, is a tender look at two senior men in a committed relationship. Roberta Gregory’s “Reunion” focuses on a small group of women negotiating their paths in life through a series of relationships and their personal affirmations to become the person they’ve always wanted to be. In “Billy Goes Out”, Cruse poignantly relates Billy’s attempts to move on with his life after the death of his lover. It became my favorite story in the anthology because it spoke of the capacities to hope and love. Mary Wings’ “A Visit from Mom” recounts a lesbian daughter’s sudden realization of the true nature of her elderly mother’s fifteen year relationship with her best friend. Theo Bogart’s full page illustration of a doting and perhaps intentionally oblivious mother delivering hot drinks to her son’s room while he and a friend indulge in a little masturbation.

As I mentioned above, the most important and empowering aspect for me of GAY COMIX #1 was the potential for gay people to use this medium to tell stories about themselves. Of course, this was something I could do in my own life though on an extremely personal level. It made me aware that I could reject being pigeon holed within the gay community and certainly society at large, and instead could make my own choices. But that’s another story that is being written still. Go write and tell yours.

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Sealed with Approval 1989

Thursday, March 19th, 2009

comicscodeseal3The Comics Code underwent its most drastic revision in 1989. For the first time homosexuality (see “Institutions”),  sexual preferences (see “Language”), and sexual orientation (see “Characterization”) are openly mentioned. Despite these and other similar changes this most recent and still in effect version makes it clear that its emphasis is on assuring that
comics displaying the Comics Code Authority seal provide “decent and wholesome” entertainment for children.

Please note that bold italic emphasis has been added here.

Preamble

The Comics Magazine Association of America was formed in 1954 by a group of publishers committed to the principle that the public deserved decent and wholesome comic books as entertainment for children. To that end, those publishers set content guidelines, created a reviewing authority and established the Comics Code Seal. This seal was to appear on covers of the CMAA member comics as a way of communicating to the public their shared commitment to uphold these standards.

While the comic book industry has changed over the intervening three decades, as has almost every other facet of American life, the publisher members of the CMAA remain committed to providing decent and wholesome comic books for children. This new updated version of the Comics Code is a reaffirmation of that commitment.

The member publishers of the Comics Magazine Association of America hereby reaffirm our joint commitment to our shared principle: that comics carrying the Comics Code Seal be ones that a parent can purchase with confidence that the contents uphold basic American moral and cultural values.

Institutions

In general recognizable national, social, political, cultural, ethnic and racial groups, religious institutions, law enforcement authorities will be portrayed in a positive light. These include the government on the national, state, and municipal levels, including all of its numerous departments, agencies and services; law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, the Secret Service, the CIA, etc.; the military, both United States and foreign; known religious organizations; ethnic advancement agencies; foreign leaders and representatives of other governments and national groups; and social groups identifiable by lifestyle, such as homosexuals, the economically disadvantaged, the economically privileged, the homeless, senior citizens, minors, etc.

Socially responsible attitudes will be favorably depicted and reinforced. Socially inappropriate, irresponsible, or illegal behavior will be shown to be specific actions of a specific individual or group of individuals, and not meant to reflect the routine activity of any general group of real persons. If, for dramatic purposes, it is necessary to portray such group of individuals in a negative manner, the name of the group and its individual members will be fictitious, and its activities will not be clearly identifiable with the routines activities of any real group.

Stereotyped images and activities will be not used to degrade specific national, ethnic, or socioeconomic groups.

Langauge

The language in a comic book will be appropriate for a mass audience that includes children. Good grammar and spelling will be encouraged. Publishers will exercise good taste and a responsible attitude as to the use of language in their comics. Obscene and profane words, symbols, and gestures are prohibited.

References to physical handicaps, illnesses, ethnic backgrounds, sexual preferences, religious beliefs, and race, when presented in a derogatory manner for dramatic purposes, will be shown to be unacceptable.

Violence

Violent actions or scenes are acceptable within the context of a comic book story when dramatically appropriate. Violent behavior will not be shown as acceptable. If it is presented in a realistic manner, care should be taken to present the natural repercussions of such actions. Publishers should avoid excessive levels of violence, excessively graphic depictions
of violence, and excessive bloodshed or gore. Publishers will not present detailed information instructing readers how to engage in immutable violent actions.

Characterizations

Character portrayals will be carefully crafted and show sensitivity to national, ethnic, religious, sexual, political and socioeconomic orientations.

If it is dramatically appropriate for one character to demean another because of his or her sex, ethnicity, religion, sexual preference, political orientation, socioeconomic disadvantages should never assign ultimate responsibility for these conditions to the character themselves. Heroes should be role models and should reflect the prevailing social attitudes.

Substance abuse

Healthy, wholesome lifestyles will be presented as desirable. However, the use and abuse of controlled substances, legal and illicit, are facts of modern existence, and may be portrayed when dramatically appropriate.

The consumption of alcohol, narcotics, pharmaceuticals, and tobacco will not be depicted in a glamorous way. When the line between the normal, responsible consumption of legal substances and the abuse of these substances is crossed, the distinction will be made clear and the adverse consequences of such abuse will be noted.

Substance abuse is defined as the use of illicit drugs and the self-destructive use of such products as tobacco (including chewing tobacco), alcohol, prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, etc.

Use of dangerous substances both legal and illegal should be shown with restraint as necessary to the context of the story. However, storylines should not be detailed to the point of serving as instruction manuals for substance abuse. In each story, the abuser will be shown to pay the physical, mental and/or social penalty for his or her abuse.

Crime

While crimes and criminals may be portrayed for dramatic purposes, crimes will never presented in such a way as to inspire readers with a desire to imitate them nor will criminals be portrayed in such a manner as to inspire readers to emulate them.  Stories will not present unique imitable techniques or methods of committing crimes.

Attire and sexuality

Costumes in a comic book will be considered to be acceptable if they fall within the scope of contemporary styles and fashions.

Scenes and dialog involving adult relationships will be presented with good taste, sensitivity, and in a manner which will be considered acceptable by a mass audience. Primary human sexual characteristics will never be shown. Graphic sexual activity will never be depicted.

Administrative procedure

Article I:

All comics which member publishers wish to bear the Comics Code Seal will be submitted to the code administrator for review prior to publication. The administrator will review them according to the guidance he has received from the permanent committee and will either approve them to bear the seal, or return them to the publisher with comments. The responsible editor from the publisher will either revise the comic in accordance with those comments, or discuss with the administrator the concerns raised with him and reach agreement on how the comic can properly bear the Code Seal either without being revised or within a mutually-agreeable set of alternative revisions. In the event no agreement can be reached between the editor and the administrator, the matter can be referred to the permanent committee, which will act promptly to determine if, or under what conditions, the comic in question can bear the Code Seal. Decisions of the permanent committee will be
binding on the publishers, who agree not to place the Code Seal on any comic on which it is not authorized.

Article II:

The members of the Comics Magazine Association of America include publishers who elect to publish comics that are not intended to bear the Code Seal, and that therefore need not go through the approval process described above. Among the comics in this category may be titles intended for adult readers. Member publishers hereby affirm that we will distribute these publications only through distribution channels in which it is possible to notify retailers and distributors of their content, and thus help the publications reach their intended audiences. The member publishers agree to refrain from distributing these publications through those distribution channels that, like the traditional newsstand, are serviced by individuals who are unaware of the content of specific publications before placing them on display.

Article III:

Recognizing that no document can address all of the complex issues and concerns that face our changing society, the member publishers have established a permanent committee composed of the senior editor of each member’s staff. The committee will meet regularly to review those issues and concerns as they affect our publications, and to meet with the guide and administrator of the Comics Code, and will replace the previous written guidelines of the Comics Code.

Source for the material is Amy Kiste Nyberg’s Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code (Studies in Popular Culture Series).

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Sealed With Approval 1971

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

comicscodeseal2The Comics Code Authority made its first revisions to its standards in 1971. These revisions are largely reflected in items number 1 and number 5 under GENERAL STANDARDS PART B. These changes allowed for the judicious use of the words “horror” and “terror” within the pages of a comic, but not on its cover, as well as the use of vampires, ghouls, and werewolves if presented in the classical traditions of authors such as Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN, Bram Stoker’s DRACULA, and works by Edgar Allen Poe.  Please note that bold and italic emphasis has been added here.

-Joe Palmer

This seal of approval appears only on comics magazines which have been carefully reviewed, prior to publication, by the Comics Code Authority, and found to have met the high standards of morality and decency required by the code.

Preamble

The comics magazine, or as it is more popularly known, the comic book medium, having come of age on the American culture scene, must measure up to its responsibilities.

Constantly improving techniques and higher standards go hand in hand with these responsibilities.

To make a positive contribution to contemporary life, the industry must seek new areas for developing sound, wholesome entertainment. The people responsible for writing, drawing, printing, publishing and selling comic books have done a commendable job in the past, and have been striving towards this goal.

Their record of progress and continuing improvement compares favorably with other media. An outstanding example is the development of comic books as a unique and effective tool for instruction and education. Comic books have also made their contribution in the field of social commentary and criticism of contemporary life.

Members of the industry must see to it that gains made in this industry are not lost and that violations of standards of good taste, which might tend toward corruption of the comic book as an instructive and wholesome form of entertainment, will not be permitted.

Therefore, the Comics Magazine Association of America, Inc. has adopted this Code, and placed its enforcement in the hands of an independent Code Authority.

Further, members of the Association have endorsed the purpose and spirit of this Code as a vital instrument to the growth of the industry.
To this end, they have pledged themselves to conscientiously adhere to its principles and to abide by all decisions based on the Code made by the Administrator.

Code For Editorial Matter

General Standards Part A

1. Crimes shall never be presented in such a way as to promote distrust of the forces of law and justice, or to inspire others with a desire to imitate criminals.

2. No comics shall explicitly present the unique details and methods of a crime, with the exception of those crimes that are so farfetched or pseudo-scientific that no would-be lawbreaker could reasonably duplicate.

3. Policemen, judges, government officials and respected institutions shall not be presented in such a way as to create disrespect for established authority. If any of these is depicted committing an illegal act, it must be declared as an exceptional case and that the culprit pay the legal price.

4. If a crime is depicted it shall be as a sordid and unpleasant activity.

5. Criminals shall not be presented in glamorous circumstances, unless an unhappy ends results from their ill-gotten gain, and creates no desire for emulation.

6. In every instance good shall triumph over evil and the criminal punished for his misdeeds.

7. Scenes of excessive violence shall be prohibited. Scenes of brutal torture, excessive and unnecessary knife and gun play, physical agony, gory and gruesome crime shall be eliminated.

8. No unique or unusual methods of concealing weapons shall be shown, except where such concealment could not possible be duplicated.

9. Instances of law enforcement officers dying as a result of a criminal’s activities should be discouraged, except when the guilty, because of their crime, live a sordid existence and are brought to justice because of the particular crime.

10. The crime of kidnapping shall never be portrayed in any detail, nor shall any profit accrue to the abductor or kidnapper. The criminal or the kidnapper must be punished in every case.

11. The letters of the word “crime” on a comics magazine cover shall never be appreciably greater in dimension than the other words contained in the title. The word “crime” shall never appear alone on the cover.

12. Restraint in the use of the word “crime” in titles or subtitles shall be exercised.

Costume

1. Nudity in any form is prohibited. Suggestive and salacious illustration is unacceptable.

2. Females shall be drawn realistically without undue emphasis on any physical quality.

Marriage and Sex

1. Divorce shall not be treated humorously or represented as desirable.

2. Illicit sex relations are not to be portrayed and sexual abnormalities are unacceptable.

3. All situations dealing with the family unit should have as their ultimate goal the protection of the children and family life. In no way shall the breaking of the moral code be depicted as rewarding.

4. Rape shall never be shown or suggested. Seduction may not be shown.

5. Sex perversion or any inference to same is strictly forbidden.

General Standards Part B

1. No comics magazine shall use the word horror or terror in its title. The words may be used judiciously in the body of the magazine. [Footnote: The word horror or terror in a story title in the body of the magazine has been ruled to be an injudicious use, and therefore is not permitted.]

2. All scenes of horror, excessive bloodshed, gory or gruesome crimes, depravity, lust, sadism, masochism shall not be permitted.

3. All lurid, unsavory, gruesome illustrations shall be eliminated.

4. Inclusion of stories dealing with evil shall be used or shall be published only where the intent is to illustrate a moral issue and in no case shall evil be presented alluringly nor so as to injure the sensibilities of the reader.

5. Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, or torture, shall not be used. Vampires, ghouls and werewolves shall be permitted to be used when handled in the classic tradition such as Frankenstein, Dracula, and other high caliber literary works written by Edgar Allen Poe, Saki, Conan Doyle and other respected authors whose works are read in schools around the world.

6. Narcotics or drug addiction shall not be presented except as a vicious habit. Narcotics or Drug addiction or the illicit traffic in addiction-producing narcotics or drugs shall not be shown or described if the presentation:

(a) Tends in any manner to encourage, stimulate or justify the use of such narcotics or drugs; or

(b) Stresses, visually, by text or dialogue, their temporary attractive effects; or

(c) Suggests that the narcotics or drug habit can be quickly or easily broken; or

(d) Shows or describes details of narcotics or drug procurement, or the implements or devices used in taking narcotics or drugs, or the taking of narcotics or drugs in any manner; or

(e) Emphasize the profits of the narcotics or drug traffic; or

(f) Involves children who are shown knowingly to use or traffic in narcotics or drugs; or

(g) Shows or implies a casual attitude toward the taking of narcotics or drugs; or

(h) Emphasizes the taking of narcotics or drugs throughout, or in a major part, of the story, and leaves the denouement to the final panels.

General Standards Part C

All elements or techniques not specifically mentioned herein, but which are contrary to the spirit and intent of the Code, and are considered violations of good taste and decency, shall be prohibited.

Dialogue

1. Profanity, obscenity, smut, vulgarity, or words or symbols which have acquired undesirable meanings- judged and interpreted in contemporary standards- are forbidden.

2. Special precautions to avoid disparaging reference to physical afflictions or deformities shall be taken.

3. Although slang and colloquialisms are acceptable, excessive use should be discouraged and whenever possible good grammar shall be employed.

Religion


1. Ridicule or attack on any religious or racial group is never permissible.

Code for Advertising Matter

The regulations are applicable to all magazines published by members of the Comics Magazine Association of America, Inc. Good taste shall be the guiding principle in the acceptance of advertising.

1. Liquor and tobacco advertising are not acceptable.

2. Advertising of sex or sex instruction books are unacceptable.

3. The sale of picture postcards, “pin-ups,” “art studies,” or any other reproduction of nude or semi-nude figures is prohibited.

4. Advertising for the sale of knives, concealable weapons, or realistic gun facsimiles is prohibited.

5. Advertising for the sale of fireworks is prohibited.

6. Advertising dealing with the sale of gambling equipment or printed matter dealing with gambling shall not be acceptable.

7. Nudity with meretricious purpose and salacious postures shall not be permitted in the advertising of any product; clothed figures shall never be presented in such a way as to be offensive or contrary to good taste or morals.

8. To the best of his ability, each publisher shall ascertain that all statements made in advertisements conform to the fact and avoid misrepresentation.

9. Advertisement of medical, health, or toiletry products of questionable nature are to be rejected. Advertisements for medical, health or toiletry products endorsed by the American Medical Association, or the American Dental Association, shall be deemed acceptable if they conform with all other conditions of the Advertising Code.

Source for the material is Amy Kiste Nyberg’s Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code (Studies in Popular Culture Series).

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Sealed With Approval 1954

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

comicscodeseal1Preamble

[Please note that bold and italic emphasis has been added here.]

The comic book medium, having come of age on the American cultural scene, must measure up to its responsibilities.

Constantly improving techniques and higher standards go hand in hand with these responsibilities.

To make a positive contribution to contemporary life, the industry must seek new areas for developing sound, wholesome entertainment. The people responsible for writing, drawing, printing, publishing and selling comic books have done a commendable job in the past, and have been striving toward this goal.

Their record of progress and continuing improvement compares favorably with other media in the communications industry. An outstanding example is the development of comic books as a unique and effective tool for instruction and education. Comic books have also made their contribution in the field of letters and criticism of contemporary life.

In keeping with the American tradition, the members of this industry will and must continue to work together in the future.

In this same tradition, members of the industry must see to it that gains made in this medium are not lost and that violations of standards of good taste, which might tend toward corruption of the comic book as an instructive and wholesome form of entertainment, will be eliminated.
Therefore, the Comics Magazine Association of America, Inc. has adopted this Code, and placed strong powers of enforcement in the hands of an independent Code Authority.

Further, members of the Association have endorsed the purpose and spirit of this Code as a virtual instrument to the growth of the industry.
To this end, they have pledged themselves to conscientiously adhere to its principles and to abide by all decisions based on the Code made by the Administrator.

They are confident that this positive and forthright statement will provide an effective bulwark for the protection and enhancement of the American reading public and that it will become a landmark in the history of self-regulation for the entire communications industry.

General Standards Part A:

1. Crimes shall never be presented in such a way as to create sympathy for the criminal, to promote distrust of the forces of law and justice, or to inspire others with a desire to imitate criminals.

2. No comics shall explicitly present the unique details and methods of a crime.

3. Policemen, judges, government officials, and respected institutions shall never be presented in such a way as to create disrespect for established authority.

4. If crime is depicted it shall be as a sordid and unpleasant activity.
5. Criminals shall not be presented so as to be rendered glamorous or to occupy a position which creates the desire for emulation.

6. In every instance good shall triumph over evil and the criminal punished for his misdeeds.

7. Scenes of excessive violence shall be prohibited. Scenes of brutal torture, excessive and unnecessary knife and gun play, physical agony, gory and gruesome crime shall be eliminated.

8. No unique or unusual methods of concealing weapons shall be shown.

9. Instances of law enforcement officers dying as a result of a criminal’s activities should be discouraged.

10. The crime of kidnapping shall never be portrayed in any detail, nor shall any profit accrue to the abductor or kidnapper. The criminal or the kidnapper must be punished in every case.

11. The letters of the word “crime” on a comics magazine shall never be appreciably greater than the other words contained in the title. The word “crime” shall never appear alone on a cover.

12. Restraint in the use of the word “crime” in titles or subtitles shall be exercised.

General Standards Part B:

1. No comic magazine shall use the word “horror” or “terror” in its title.

2. All scenes of horror, excessive bloodshed, gory or gruesome crimes, depravity, lust, sadism, masochism shall not be permitted.

3. All lurid, unsavory, gruesome illustrations shall be eliminated.

4. Inclusion of stories dealing with evil shall be used or shall be published only where the intent is to illustrate a moral issue and in no case shall evil be presented alluringly nor so as to injure the sensibilities of the reader.

5. Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, torture vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibalism, and werewolfism are prohibited.

General Standards Part C:

All elements or techniques not specifically mentioned herein, but which are contrary to the spirit and intent of the Code, and are considered violations of good taste or decency, shall be prohibited.

Dialogue:


1. Profanity, obscenity, smut, vulgarity, or words or symbols which have acquired undesirable meanings are forbidden.

2. Special precautions to avoid references to physical afflictions or deformities shall be taken.

3. Although slang and colloquialisms are acceptable, excessive use should be discouraged and wherever possible good grammar shall be employed.

Religion: Ridicule or attack on any religious or racial group is never permissible.

Costume:

1. Nudity in any form is prohibited, as is indecent or undue exposure.

2. Suggestive and salacious illustration or suggestive posture is unacceptable.

3. All characters shall be depicted in dress reasonably acceptable to society.

4. Females shall be drawn realistically without exaggeration of any physical qualities.

Note: It should be recognized that all prohibitions dealing with costume, dialogue, or artwork applies as specifically to the cover of a comic magazine as they do to the contents.

Marriage and Sex:

1. Divorce shall not be treated humorously nor shall be represented as desirable.

2. Illicit sex relations are neither to be hinted at or portrayed. Violent love scenes as well as sexual abnormalities are unacceptable.

3. Respect for parents, the moral code, and for honorable behavior shall be fostered. A sympathetic understanding of the problems of love is not a license for moral distortion.

4. The treatment of love-romance stories shall emphasize the value of the home and the sanctity of marriage.

5. Passion or romantic interest shall never be treated in such a way as to stimulate the lower and baser emotions.

6. Seduction and rape shall never be shown or suggested.

7. Sex perversion or any inference to same is strictly forbidden.

Code For Advertising Matter:

These regulations are applicable to all magazines published by members of the Comics Magazine Association of America, Inc. Good taste shall be the guiding principle in the acceptance of advertising.

1. Liquor and tobacco advertising is not acceptable.

2. Advertisement of sex or sex instructions books are unacceptable.

3. The sale of picture postcards, “pin-ups,” “art studies,” or any other reproduction of nude or semi-nude figures is prohibited.

4. Advertising for the sale of knives, concealable weapons, or realistic gun facsimiles is prohibited.

5. Advertising for the sale of fireworks is prohibited.

6. Advertising dealing with the sale of gambling equipment or printed matter dealing with gambling shall not be accepted.

7. Nudity with meretricious purpose and salacious postures shall not be permitted in the advertising of any product; clothed figures shall never be presented in such a way as to be offensive or contrary to good taste or morals.

8. To the best of his ability, each publisher shall ascertain that all statements made in advertisements conform to the fact and avoid misinterpretation.

9. Advertisement of medical, health, or toiletry products of questionable nature are to be rejected. Advertisements for medical, health or toiletry products endorsed by the American Medical Association, or the American Dental Association, shall be deemed acceptable if they conform with all other conditions of the Advertising Code.

Source for the material is Amy Kiste Nyberg’s Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code (Studies in Popular Culture Series).

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Sealed With Approval 1948

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

comicscodesealThe following guideline constitute the original pre-Wertham Comics Code which was established in 1948. Publisher adherence to the code was voluntary and largely ignored the industry.

Association of Comics Magazine Publishers Comics Code

The Association of Comics Magazine Publishers, realizing its responsibilities to the millions of readers of comics magazines and to the public generally, urges its members and others to publish comics magazines containing only good, wholesome entertainment or education, and in no event include in any magazine comics that may in any way lower the moral standards of those who read them. In particular:

1. Sexy, wanton comics should not be published. No drawing should show a female indecently or unduly exposed, and in no event more nude than in bathing suit commonly worn in the United States of America.

2. Crime should not be presented in such a way as to throw sympathy against law and justice or to inspire others with the desire for imitation. No comics shall show the details and methods of a crime committed by a youth. Policemen, judges, Government officials, and respected institutions should not be portrayed as stupid or ineffective or represented in such a way as to weaken respect for the established authority.

3. No scenes of sadistic torture should be shown.

4. Vulgar and obscene language should never be used. Slang should be kept to a minimum and used only when essential to the story.

5. Divorce should not be treated humorously nor represented as glamorous or alluring.

6. Ridicule or attack on any religious or racial group is never permissible.

Source for the material is Amy Kiste Nyberg’s Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code (Studies in Popular Culture Series).

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A Batwoman Timeline

Sunday, March 15th, 2009

SBAP#1.XBy Joe Palmer

If you think Midnighter’s sexuality is problematic in his solo book, then the case of Batwoman seems no less challenging. With the former, the character debuted as a teammate in the popular  AUTHORITY. The idea of a Batwoman series first appeared as a rumor eight months before confirmation of thecharacter arrived, followed by appearances as an ensemble cast member in 52. In comparison, Batwoman has made few appearances, especially after 52
concluded.

The appearance of problems for DC arose with Midnighter and Apollo when references to the gay Batman and Superman became more frequent. Likewise, the proximity of a lesbian character to the Batman franchise, especially in the minds of the general, movie-going public, has seemingly created a similar instance for Time Warner to attempt control of a situation.

Others, notably Valerie D’Orazio, Ragnell, and Kalinara, have kept the Batwoman topic going from time to time. I don’t know how much I can add to the discussion, but I thought it might be helpful to use a timeline to look at
events. There may be other noteworthy items that escaped my attention during research.

[June 15, 2005 – Batman Begins is released. The box office receipts are high enough to warrant a sequel.]

September 26, 2005 – The earliest reference to a rumored Batwoman book that I can find without spending hours searching comes from Rich Jonhston’s Lying In The Gutters. Under the header “Back to the Bat”, it simply read: “After “Infinite Crisis,” look for a new “Mystery In Space” series and a new Batwoman series. Should provide lots of wiggle room.”

September – October 2005 – This is what I think is a probable date for the start of project development. Devyn Grayson mentions that she learned her Batwoman project is scuttled by reading a newspaper article. See the entry for July 19th, 2007.

The Sunday New York Times piece (May 27th, 2006) mentions that Batwoman will appear for the first time in 52. The following day’s Newsarama interview with Dan Didio may be the real source. See the entry for May 28th, 2006. The initial rumor reports may help to substantiate this probable time frame.  A Google search contains references in links to USA Today also running an article. Searching the website’s online archives doesn’t yield any useful information.

October 23, 2005 – First rumor report in the old All The Rage column, attaching the names Gail Simone and John Byrne to the project.

December 27, 2005 – Under the header “Gay Award”, Johnston attaches homosexuality to the rumored Batwoman series, and suggests it will beat the Midnighter comic to the shelf, making it the first ongoing title with a gay lead.

December 27, 2005 – Writing for All The Rage, John Voulieris, reports a similar rumor. In the “Not That There Is Anything Wrong With That” section, he writes:

“One of the big rumours coming out of DC these days is that one of the existing DCU superheroes will come out of the closet during the One Year Later event next summer. This is supposedly a silver age character who has been part of the DCU for decades. Let the speculation begin!

DC has also hinted that they will publish a new series that features a brand new superhero character whose civilian identity is openly gay, as well as a new solo series from Wildstorm featuring the Midnighter.”

February 6, 2006 – The rumor resurfaces again in LITG. “And right now, DC have plans to publish a Batwoman series, with a lesbian character in the lead.”

March 5, 2006 – All The Rage, under “Bats Aplenty”, reports that Dan
DiDio said Barbara Gordon wouldn’t resume her career as Batgirl, but it doesn’t exclude another character from using a similar [costume] in the forthcoming Batwoman.

May 7, 2006 – All The Rage wonders if Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Amanda Conner are working on a Batwoman mini series. Not right at all though the rumor did involve a Batwoman. The book in question is a one-shot tie in to COUNTDOWN, the long-winded title: COUNTDOWN PRESENTS THE SEARCH FOR RAY PALMER: SUPERWOMAN/BATWOMAN #1.

May 27, 2006 – Partial confirmation of the rumor appears in the New York Times article with Dan DiDio talking about more diversity and Batwoman’s sexuality in DC Comics. Religious conservatives and many straight fan boys share in the cascading aneurysm that follows.

I wonder if Warner Bros executives had any idea its little subsidiary DC had a lesbian Batwoman comic in the planning stages before the newspaper article exploded the news. Did Warner Bros assume the worst and wanting to protect its investment and income potential, call up DiDio or Paul Levitz sometime between the Sunday Times piece and DiDio’s interview with Newsarama the following day and tell DC to put the project on the backburner immediately?

May 28, 2006 – Newsarama’s Matt Brady interviews Dan DiDio about the newly confirmed Batwoman. Quotes from DiDio include:

“We’re always looking for ways to reinvigorate the Batman franchise, and look at other characters to inhabit his world.”

“We wanted to find a way to make her feel different, and give her a different personality, a different ideology, and a different backstory, so that she wasn’t just another Batman or Bruce Wayne clone. She’s a member of high society and she is gay. But her sexuality is not the main thrust of the character; it’s just another aspect of her personality, one that helps her to determine her choices that she makes as she’s fighting crime in Gotham City.“

“Basically, what it means is that we have another very strong female character, and how her private life plays against her heroic life is going to be where the stories play in; as well as different types of adventures and different types of dramas that she gets caught up in.”

“…one of the things I’d like to see, at least in the beginning, is to see her as a character who will be appearing primarily in 52. Then, we’ll be exploring things in different ways.”

“I think this is a character that can really benefit from appearing in different books first before we test the waters with her on her own.”

“We’ve introduced a lot of characters in a very short period time, and we’ve got a lot more coming down the pipeline, but I’d like to believe that mostly everything we do now is coming out of other things so that we’re not just throwing books and ideas and concepts at people cold. I want it to be where it feels like everything has time to take root.”

“So what we wanted to do is have a DC Universe that was more reflective, not only of our readership, but as society as a whole. Everything that we’re doing, every step that we’re taking, we’ll keep on pushing that, not only because I think it’s the right thing to do, but also because it allows us to create those points of difference.”

“The same thing with Renee Montoya or Kate Kane being gay – that doesn’t matter who they are, but it does help give their stories a different point of view, a different perspective on the DCU that other characters might not have. It’s trying to attack these things on a personal level, so we can get much richer, more emotional stories from them.”

June 5, 2006 – Only eight days after the New York Times piece, LITG’s Johnston attaches Devin Grayson and Dustin Nguyen as the creative team on the book. Not much time at all between the Times story and being given names, one of which we know was indeed connected to the project.

Johnston notes “…the coverage has been generally positive and welcoming. Some have seen this as indicative of a sea change, especially in American society. It’s certainly different from the mauling Marvel received over “Rawhide Kid” which made them rather risk-averse in this area.”

Well, there was some evidence that Batwoman wasn’t welcomed by all as seen in this video from CNN reporter Jeanne Moos. Perhaps of more concern to WB was a podcast from Concerned Women for America’s Robert Knight. The last thingWB would want to avoid is a backlash fueled by the Religious Right similar to what Marvel experienced.

July, 2006 –Batwoman makes her first cameo appearance in 52 #7, followed by a more prominent role in 52 # 11. Other appearances in tandem with Renée Montoya follow throughout the series.

July 24, 2006 – Writing for AfterEllen, Michelle Helberg adds to the Batwoman discussion.

December 10, 2006 – Under “Yuletide Rage”, All The Rage reports Greg Rucka and Joe Benitez are slotted to work on a five issue story featuring Supergirl and Batwoman to run in SUPERMAN/BATMAN.

December 10, 2006 – The DCU Infinite Holiday Special one-shot includes a short story written by Greg Rucka that features Batwoman. It is the first and to date only solo story for the character.

[April 18 – 24, 2007 – Filming begins on The Dark Knight in. The cast and crew return to Chicago for filming from June 9th to early September. Robert Roeper of the Chicago Sun Times remarks on how widely known the filming in Chicago is, despite an attempt at secrecy.]

May 2, 2007 – DC Direct Batwoman action figure available for the price of $18.99.

July 16, 2007 – In the ”Prince William” section, LITG tentatively names JH Williams III as new Batwoman artist.

July 19, 2007 – In the “Homosexuality in Comics” article on CBR, Devin Grayson publicly confirms being the writer and eight months in to the developing stage of a Batwoman comic before finding out through a newspaper article that her project was dead. The only remaining unconfirmed part of the rumor is whether Dustin Nguyen was the artist. Nguyen went on to other assignments while presumably none were offered to Grayson.

Grayson’s comments have, to my knowledge, never been acknowledged by anyone at DC and likely never will be. Still, with few exceptions comics pros aren’t known for publicly biting the hand that feeds them, so to speak. I’ve no doubt her account is 100 % accurate. The courtesy of an apology is the least DiDio could do.

August 17, 2007 – Some of the same points made by Grayson in the CBR article are reiterated by AfterEllen’s Editor in Chief Sarah Warn in an article ironically titled “Best. Lesbian. Week. Ever.”If there is a silver lining, it’s that the article brought the matter to the attention of the greater LGBT community.

October 8, 2007 – DC solicits in advance a Batwoman bust, calling her the “crime-fighting partner of Batman.” Jim Maddox sculpts the bust from a Terry Dodson design. The item is scheduled to go on sale May 7, 2008.

October 8, 2007 – LITG reports the rumor that Greg Rucka will join JH Williams III on Batwoman. Under “Two Men and a Lesbian”</a>: “This was meant to be announced during the summer conventions. It’s still being delayed – a mixture of managing professional workload, and DC’s nervousness about potentially damaging a brand with the publicity a title lead gay Bat-character may bring, and the release of “The Dark Knight” movie.”

Dark Knight was filming in Chicago during the height of the summer convention season. Wizard’s Chicago convention is one of the big summer events.

November 5, 2007 – LITG reports a rumor that the Batwoman series is held back because of the impending Batman movie in summer 2008.  “And what of Batwoman? Well, I’m told the launch of the Rucka/Williams series has been pushed back yet again because of the movie, and fears of ‘unacceptable media coverage.’ I’m told four issues are fully completed.”

[November 6 – 11, 2007 Dark Knight films in Hong Kong. Post-production phase begins.]

November 11, 2007 –  A podcast interview with artist JH Williams III. The artist alludes to “working on stuff on the side for a couple of years now”, “having a couple of different writing partners that we’ve got a cachet of material…” and hints at a mini series and a pitch for an ongoing both for DC that are stalled. The mention of these projects begins around 16:50 into the interview. Whether these unnamed projects include Batwoman is a matter still yet to be confirmed.

February 23, 2008 – At Wonder Con, Dan DiDio corrects a statement from the previous day. In essence, he mistakenly said “Batwoman” when talking about an upcoming Batgirl mini series. DiDio states there is no Batwoman series coming soon and later adding that Batwoman “will be an integral part of the DC Universe in 2008.”

February 25, 2008 – In response to DiDio’s comments, blogger and former DC staffer Valerie D’Orazio wonders Whither Goest Batwoman? D’Orazio posts a pic of Ellen DeGeneres as an example of how the public can and does support a lesbian in the entertainment industry. Ironically, DeGeneres’ show is produced in associated with and distributed by Warner Bros. In one instance the media giant took advantage of the lesbian entertainer’s popularity when it hawked episodes of the WONDER WOMAN TV show with a banner ad prominently displayed on the DeGeneres show website. This wasn’t a single incident, but at least four times. It also featured a banner ad for the SUPERMAN RETURNS video game. See dates below.  I also think a banner ad promoting Jodi Picoult on WONDER WOMAN was featured, but resurrecting pages through the Internet Archives is a bit problematic.

The WW banner ad linked to IN2TV, an AOL service, where episodes of the 70s Wonder Woman show are available to watch for free. AOL is a subsidiary of Time Warner. The company hopes viewers will be enticed to buy the DVD set for $29.95 by using its handy dandy links to its Warner Home Video website. So, yeah, in some instances Warner Bros isn’t afraid of lesbians if there’s money to be made, or maybe only Ellen.

Wonder Woman
12/19/2006
12/25/2006
1/15/2007
1/20/2007

Superman Returns
12/14/2006

In other entries, D’Orazio has compared Marvel’s handling of lesbian
Phyla-Vell as Quasar, a C-list character, to reinterpreting an old character branded with the Bat symbol.

The Bat office was once not so long ago very queer friendly. Bob Schreck was the franchise’s main editor, Devin Grayson wrote Nightwing, and Holly Robinson and her girlfriend were once supporting characters in Catwoman. Schreck’s editorial duties switched along with many others around the time of “One Year Later.” Grayson stopped writing Nightwing in favor of developing Batwoman. Holly temporarily became Catwoman and then the character was moved out so she could join Countdown.

February 28, 2008 – Taking his cue from Dan DiDio, Tom Bondurant, in a Grumpy Old Fan entry for Newsarama, speculates on how Batwoman “will be an integral part of the DC Universe in 2008.” Bondurant nicely points out the dichotomy between Didio’s comment about building a grass roots appeal for the character through exposure in other books and the nearly complete lack of same in the following years. Neither does he forget the scuttled Grayson book or the rumored Rucka/Williams stalled project.

March 15, 2008 – At Wizard World LA, writer James Robinson announces at a panel a new Justice League book that he is writing. Team members include Batwoman and one-time Starman Mikaal Tomas, a bisexual, blue-skinned alien.

March 17, 2008 – Robinson elaborates some on his decision to use Batwoman and Supergirl is “to get the iconic emblems on the team.” Mikaal Tomas’ inclusion warrants a little more discussion from the writer. I am looking forward to the dynamics creates between Batwoman and Starman.

No release date, tentative or otherwise, is given for the book. The only clue to its scheduling is that its heroes come together as a response to events in Final Crisis. I say don’t look for this comic to be in your shop before the Dark Knight is released in July.

Robinson’s Starman is a comic I greatly enjoyed and dearly miss. The prospect of him writing two queer characters intrigues me. However, two and a half years have passed since the first rumors of a Batwoman comic and what I believe to be the project’s inception by Devin Grayson. In those two and a half years we’ve learned the project was unceremoniously killed and a change in attitude from solo series to building grass roots appeal ensued. Well, the latter approach was barely followed through on with a smattering of recurring roles once 52 finished. After a scuttled series what we have now is the prospect of yet another gay character relegated to the role of teammate/ supporting character. This and DiDio’s words that the character will be integral in 2008. The proof behind DiDio’s words remains to be seen.

[July 18, 2008 – Scheduled release date for The Dark Knight sequel.]

Seems like everything you’d want to know about the previous incarnation of Batwoman can be read in this Newsarama article.

February 6, 2009 – Newsarama reports that Batwoman will appear in a run in Detective Comics starting with issue #854. The New York Comic Con program contains a five page preview with art by JH Willaims III. Writer Greg Rucka interviews with Comic Book Resources .

 

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Gotham’s New Guardian

Sunday, March 15th, 2009
batwomannewThe secret is out now. Which secret is that? The one about the secret identity of the lesbian Batwoman character. Well, not so much out as it was confirmed in a New York Times article about diversity in comic books. Rich Johnston got it right again when he included a bit in his Lying In the Gutters column. It seemed to me that Renée Montoya would become this new Batwoman, not because I want to see her wearing a cape, but because it seemed like a logical possibility at redemption for her drunken fall. Oh, well.
Instead Batwoman will be a new character with an old name, Kathy Kane. George Gustines, the article’s author, describes her as “a lesbian socialite by night and a crime fighter by later in the night.” That makes her seem like Bruce Wayne except the Times article is calling her a lipstick lesbian which is already being objected to by some. Wonder if she’ll appear at fundraisers for the Human Rights Campaign or GLAAD. Will her secret identity become compromised when someone compares her pics from OUT’s “Scene” page to newspaper photos of Batwoman? Will writers or readers resist the urge to give her a villain named the Scissors Sister?

Okay, that joke is old already. It won’t come from me again.

At the moment we don’t know a lot about this Batwoman. Her real name is Kate Kane. She’s a socialite who has some history with Bruce Wayne and Montoya. I think people may assume that she and Montoya will be sexually intimate, but this may not be the case. Her first appearance will be in 52 #11. At some point she’ll have a run in with the Question. She’ll have nearly a year’s worth of experience behind her by the time Batman returns from his year long vacation with Tim and Dick. There was also a hint that Bruce and Kate will deal with each other on multiple levels because of their social connections and history and her decision to become a superhero. Kane isn’t completely out to family and everyone in her circle.

That’s just enough info to be teased with. C’mon DiDio! How about cluing me in with some more secrets about her?

Regardless, I’m looking forward to the character and reading how she’s handled in stories and developed.

Newsarama’s Matt Brady posted an article about the New York Times piece. Posts about a lesbian Batwoman are generating the usual comments whenever a homosexual character or story is introduced in comics. “The boots make her look like a dominatrix!” “They look like Batgirl’s (Barbara Gordon) boots.” They do, and they’re no more practical now than they were then. Did anyone ever think Babs was dominatrix for wearing them? The usual does anyone else find this sick…” objection is raised and then the poster excuses himself with “No offense to gays—who anyone sleeps with it their business.” Thanks for the glib lip service, but that was a privilege we didn’t win until the Supreme Court struck down sodomy laws a few years ago and some people still think it’s their business. Cries of “agenda this” and “agenda that” and “no homos in my comics!” and “comics are for kids!” and “Silver Age throwback or Silver Age masterbation [sic].” Thank God you don’t have to spell it correctly in order to be able to do it.

Hoping to come to the rescue, the defenders rush in with counter comments. Thank God for people like you. Message boards aren’t always, or should I say often, forums for discussions, and I don’t have enough patience to engage people whose minds were made up years ago. It seems every time the topic of gay characters or plot lines is mentioned the straight guys get in an uproar. They turn the boards into a pissing contest by eagerly whipping out their dicks and hoping to shut up the gay guys and gals by drowning them with their collective urine streams. You can knock it off.

I’d offer a reassuring hug to the straight guys to let them know they’re not really being threatened, but it might be mistaken for something more. That reminds me of a time an old boyfriend had a party. I’d gone to bed, and was woken a couple of hours later by the yelping of a scared straight boy who’d drunkenly crawled into bed next to me. How about a friendly punch in the arm instead? Or maybe not.

People had similar opinions about Apollo and Midnighter, Terry Berg, Northstar, Rawhide Kid, and Hulking and Wiccan in Young Avengers. People threatened not to buy comics these characters appeared in, and I think that’s fine. No one should buy comics they’re not going to enjoy, and I don’t spend a penny on comics written by Chuck Dixon or published by Mike S. Miller.

The closet door of mainstream comics started to be pushed open eighteen years ago with an obviously effeminate Extraño, and the 1989 revision of the Comics Code Authority guidelines finally let publishers identify characters as LGBT. Yes, there are hints in ALPHA FLIGHT about Northstar’s sexuality, but I’m arbitrarily deciding to mark the appearance of an unmistakably gay character, stereotype aside, over contextual clues. The cries and objections over queer character are old, but an opinion is an opinion. Even bigoted ones.

Let’s be fair to the paranoid. With this news and characters such as Holly Robinson stepping in as Catwoman, Hulking and Wiccan, and a solo Midnighter comic on the way it does seem like we gay comics readers are poised to take over the industry. Let’s get ready for the big push of the gay agenda right into the homes of the vast comic reading population! Our efforts will be validated with new converts from the formerly straight life style, and we’ll all have more than enough men to form polygamous relationships that groups like the American Family Association has been warning people about lately. Right.

Back to more serious matters. It’s interesting that DC decided to let the New York Times article announce news about Batwoman. Typically DC and Marvel make their important announcements in press releases to comics news sites, all the while wishing for some exposure in the non-comics media. Despite both recent and old successes in movies and television comics remain a niche media. This has an advantage though in that companies can be freer to experiment if they want because less attention is typically paid to them than to television or film. One trick is to fly under the radar as much and as long as possible. If you’ve read the Times article you’ll notice that Joe Quesada mentions race. Storm, Luke Cage, and Araña are mentioned. Reginald Hudlin talks about Black Panther. These characters are safe to mention. There isn’t a word about Hulkling and Wiccan in Young Avengers. Sure, Judd Winick incidentally refers to Sunfire as a Japanese lesbian superhero in Exiles. And she’s dead, too.

The other tack, I suppose, is to say to hell with it all, and try to let as many people as possible know by telling it to the New York Times. It wasn’t so long ago that Bill Jemas and Joe Quesada courted national attention and controversy over the Rawhide Kid matter. The outcry from family groups was loud and I assume organized. I say “assumed” because for the past few months I’ve subscribed to the AFA’s newsletter and I swear, if any group is organized and has an agenda, it’s the AFA. One can imagine the flood of angry emails that one of the AFA’s action alerts might have generated to Marvel’s offices and shareholders. The irony here is that DC, often considered to have been on the timid side in the past, is acting self-assured.

Marvel points to its efforts at racial diversity, which is still an important topic to address, while remaining quiet on the issue of sexual diversity. Marvel should be commended on its efforts, but it also dodges the bullet. Let’s be realistic. There won’t be any flak from conservative groups about the inclusion of non-white characters.

Will a lesbian Batwoman and Catwoman and the impending solo Midnighter comic cause a similar reaction with the same groups as Rawhide Kid? The AFA is a bit obsessed with Ford Motor Company and the vote in Washington on the Marriage Protection Act, but I’ll be paying attention.

The great irony here is that the characters of Kathy Kane and Batwoman were created and first appeared in 1956 as a love interest for Batman, just two short years after the height of Frederic Wertham’s campaign that led to Senate hearings and the creation of the Comics Code Authority itself.

Haven’t read the New York Times article yet? You can find it here. You will have to register if you don’t have an account already.

 

 

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Batwoman

Sunday, March 15th, 2009

DC’s “Who’s Who” entry for the original Batwoman states that Kathy Kane was originally a stunt-cyclist and trapeze artist who had idolized Batman. After receiving an inheritance, Kane initiated her dream of becoming a superhero, and adopted the guise of Batwoman. Her newfound wealth allowed her to build a mansion, replete with her own secret crime lab à la the Batcave, only Kane’s occupied an abandoned mine tunnel. Her mode of transportation was a motorcycle she’d built herself (showing a little butch aspect to the heterosexual version?).

While skilled at fighting, she often teamed up with a partner to compensate for her lack of talent as a sleuth. Batwoman found herself in the company of Batman, Robin, and her own niece Betty, the original Bat-Girl.

Long time fans of Batwoman will note there were Earth-One and Earth-Two versions; the latter having gone into retirement. On Earth-One, Kane retired for a while, but she found the non-costumed life boring despite having become a circus owner. She returned to the spandex life and teamed up several times with Batgirl (Barbara Gordon). Kane met a grisly and untimely end when a brainwashed Bronze Tiger murdered her in Detective #485.

Post Infinite Crisis, a new Kathy Kane emerges. This new version goes by the name Kate, not Kathy, and like her predecessor, is a socialite though this time her wealth comes from the family company (Hamilton Rifles) and real estate investments. She also has had a romantic relationship with Reneé Montoya. It’s through Reneé in 52 #7 that readers are introduced to Kate.

Montoya’s life has hit bottom. Her partner Crispus Allen was murdered. She began drinking excessively and picking fights, which led her girlfriend Daria Hernandez to leave. For reasons known only to him (and the writers and editors), The Question hires her to solve a mystery.

Early in the case, Reneé links the crime scene at an abandoned building to Kate, and screws up the courage to show up unannounced at gala being held at the Kane mansion. Kate meets Reneé in a quite study though their conversation quickly becomes volatile from unresolved relationship issues. In the end, Kate agrees to help her.

Batwoman makes her first appearance in the last panel of 52 #9. She’s perched on a rooftop ledge spying on Reneé and the Question talking late at night in an alley. In #11 Kate meets Reneé and Charlie in a park so she can tell them information she has learned about the building where the pair were assaulted. The women begin arguing after Reneé inquires about the woman in Kate’s car. Kate wants to know what Reneé is involved in; Reneé cuts her off. Charlie and Reneé run into trouble following another lead in their investigation. Whisper A’Daire orders her bodyguards (who transform into wild animals) to kill them. Things look bad until

Batwoman appears on the scene. During the fight, Reneé figures out it’s Kate in the costume. Batwoman then disappears into the night.Batwoman next appears in #28. Reneé and Charlie have learned about a book considered holy, the Book of Crime, by Intergang. Reneé has sought Batwoman because she thinks the book contains an image of her (Kate) meeting a grisly fate. Later in the story Batwoman attacks several Intergang henchmen inside a church. The fight is going in her favor till Boss Mannheim stuns her with a ray gun of sorts. It looks as if the prophecy will come true till Reneé and Charlie show and Boss Mannheim runs off, leaving the trio to catch their collective breath.

Kate has persuaded Reneé to move Charlie and herself into Kate’s penthouse in between issues #28 and #30. Kate is paying for medical care for Charlie, who is dying of cancer. Feelings between the two women seem to have softened off panel since their last appearance together. Batwoman runs into more of Mannheim’s were-creatures on patrol. Nightwing appears from the shadows to lend her a hand. They agree to work together and search different parts of Gotham starting the following night.

When next they meet atop a building roof (issue #33) she’s presented with a Christmas gift: an authentic batarang. Back at the penthouse, Reneé is distraught over Charlie’s worsening condition. Kate tries to console her and they kiss. We also learn that Kate is Jewish because of a menorah displayed on a table.

Kate is seen only briefly in issue #34 when Charlie is transferred to a hospital. She tries to persuade Reneé not to leave on a fool’s journey to Nanda Parbat in the hopes of saving Charlie, saying, “I just got you back in my life, I don’t want you walking out again!” (issue #36). She doesn’t succeed.Montoya returns to Gotham City, now having assumed the mantle of the Question, to find Kate’s penthouse a complete shambles (issue #47). Nightwing extends his offer to help find Kane.

Issue #48 opens with Montoya and Nightwing fighting it out with Intergang and trying to learn the whereabouts of Kate. It seems to Mannheim and A’ Daire that the time is close at hand to both destroy Gotham by turning it into a fire pit à la Apokolips and to sacrifice Kane and fulfill the Crime Bible’s prophecy. Nightwing decides the only way to save both the city and Kane is for them to split up.

Thanks to an Intergang member they’d captured, Montoya heads off to an abandoned cathedral, where she finds Kate (dressed as Batwoman) bound and gagged on an altar and at Mannheim’s mercy. Montoya throws herself against the bestiamorph creatures guarding the ritual and almost loses her own life, only to witness

Mannheim plunge a dagger into Kate’s chest. She shoots Mannheim, hitting him in the temple and knocking him momentarily unconscious. Montoya rushes to Kate’s side, only to be picked up and thrown about by a desperate Mannheim. Summoning courage and strength, Kane pulls the knife from her chest and manages enough force to plunge it into Mannheim, killing him. The scene closes with Montoya pleading that Kathy not die while the church burns, leaving the impression that Kate dies.

The closing scene of #52 shows Kate recovering in her penthouse. She’s talking with a woman named Mallory. Judging by the conversation, she appears to be either a doctor or a police detective. She’s very curious about the “pseudo-skin bandage” (the same artificial skin that covers the Question’s face) that covered her chest wound when brought into the ER. The very last page show Montoya shining the Bat signal into Kate’s penthouse. Where these two characters appear next remains to be seen.

Batwoman appears in a short story in DCU Infinite Holiday Special. She busts up a ring of thieves dressed as Santa Claus and finds a family treasure belonging to an older woman she knows.

So far the Batwoman of the DCnU/ 52 relaunch appears to have all of her previous history in contact. We know she dated Montoya, however, whether Montoya is alive or dead or if she ever transformed into the Question is unknown. Kate has had a falling out with her father over a revelation that came to light during her fight with Black Alice, and she has taken cousin Bette under her wing to re-train and remold. Kate misdirects her anger at her father toward Bette, which will have terrible consequences. In private life, Kate and GCPD’s Maggie Sawyer are dating.

The Silver Age version which  debuted in Detective #233 drove a customized motorcycle. Her should bag/utility case contained sneezing powder puffs, tear gas perfume, an expandable, high-tensile hair net, smoke bomb lipstick, and a periscope lipstick case. The shoulder bag’s straps doubled as bolas, and her bracelets worked as handcuffs. The contemporary version lacks all of these gimmicks. For now she has an authentic batarang and a bat-rope knock off. She seems to have increased her strength and fighting skills before putting on the costume.

This character caused a major controversy for some fans after the New York Times interviewed Dan DiDio. Some felt that the character’s changes were forced in a blatant attempt to establish more diversity in the DCU. Others were angry over a formerly straight character being made into a lesbian. Others noted the practice of artists drawing her in very objectified poses.

This version of Batwoman first appeared and was confirmed as a lesbian in 52 #7.

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