Archive for October 24th, 2009

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Sunfire 2

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

sunfireContributed by Ronald Byrd

Born in Tokyo, Mariko Yashida comes from an alternate earth different from the one on which most stories of the Marvel Universe take place. When her mutant powers manifest at age twelve, her ultra-strict parents see them as a source of shame and forbid her to learn more about their use. Pressured to excel in all academic efforts, Mariko becomes more and more rebellious and finally runs away at age sixteen. Arriving in America, she joins her earth’s version of the X-Men as Sunfire,defending humanity and helping to save the world on more than one occasion. However, even these successes don’t serve to reconcile her to her parents, who disapprove of her not only for her mutant nature, but also because she is gay.

As the result of accumulated and as yet unexplained “breaks in the chain of time,” the timelines of several alternate earths, including Sunfire’s, are altered; in Sunfire’s case, her history changed so that instead of flame powers, her mutant nature manifests as uncontrolled atomic radiation. Six heroes (Blink, Mimic, Morph, Thunderbird, Nocturne, and Magnus) from six different alternate earths become “unhinged” from their own realities and, as the Exiles, are set the task of traveling
to other earths to correct the changes on each one and, according to a metaphysical entity called the Time Broker, eventually regain their old lives. When Magnus dies in the course of the team’s first mission, Sunfire is sent by the Time Broker to replace him. Over time, her fellow team members learn about her lesbianism and accept it easily, even the male shape-changer Morph, who harbors a crush on her. In a later adventure, Thunderbird is left comatose on another earth and replaced by Sasquatch, and how long any of the others, including Sunfire, will survive their adventures remains to be seen.

In issue #41, Exiles member Mimic is infected by a parasitic Brood egg, and turned into a crazed beast bent on the Earth’s destruction. The other team mates used all their strength and abilities to save him, but Mimic’s salvation came at a very high cost; the death of Sunfire.

Sunfire II possesses the ability to manipulate flaming energy, which she can use to fire energy blasts and to fly.Sunfire II should not be confused with the male “mainstream Earth” hero of the same name, and she is apparently not intended to be an alternate earth version of the late Mariko Yashida who was Wolverine’s lover since the two appear to be different ages; most of the other Exiles are counterparts of or, like Sunfire, at least share names with “mainstream Earth” characters.

Sunfire first appears in Exiles #2, vol 1 and reveals she is lesbian in #11.

© and ® Marvel Comics. Used without permission. Created by Judd Winick.

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Hero Cruz

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

herocruzHero (yes, that’s his real name – Greek, ya know?) was introduced in the completely unneccessary (yet ultimately a guilty pleasure anyway) Superboy And The Ravers title from DC Comics. When we first met Hero, he seemed like a  typical embarrasing stereotype of a young African-American male. With baggy pants and a “Superboy is in the house!” lingo, it was hard to expect much from this character at first. We immediately learned that Hero was already deeply involved from the get-go in “The Event Horizon” – an intergalatic “rave” composed of the most hip, happening and partying aliens throughout the universe. Yes, it really was as lame as it sounds.

It was unclear at first what Hero’s powers were even, and whether they came from his cheesey-looking vest or not. All we could see was that some strange aura was surrounding him at certain times. Eventually, we learned that his vest was some kind of protective force field – and that he somehow got a hold of it from the lair of The Scavenger (a sometimes Superboy adversary). The Scavenger is a collector of all kinds of strange weapons and artifacts that have appeared throughout the DCU  and when Hero came across him again in issue #5, he somehow lost the vest, but stumbled across the even cooler Hero-Dial from “Dial ‘H’ For Hero” fame. In typical comic book fashion, he quickly learned that by dialing H-E-R-O on the dial, he could transform into any one of a gazzillion random superheroes. In that one issue alone he became the big, buff, axe-weilding BadAxe as well as the human deity Human Justice. From then on, he was known as the newest hero in a long line of adventurers to weild a Hero Dial (and slowly, but surely, he became one of the most likeable characters on the team).

During the course of the series, we learned that Hero’s fellow Raver teamate D.C. (aka “Sparx”) had a big ol’ crush on him. She was hardly subtle in her obvious attraction to him, and when Hero dialed up and became Titanic, a macho man of power, he took it upon himself to take her in his arms and give her a kiss she’d never forget. In the following issues, we had assumed the two young Ravers would become an “item”, but Hero suddenly seemed very uncomfortable around the gushing D.C., and did his best to not ever be alone with her. When D.C eventually got some quiet time with Hero at her family ranch in Canada, Hero finally admitted to his friend that he was actually… gay!!!

Unfortunately, six issues later, the series was cancelled – leaving the fate of Hero a big ol’ question mark. By the last issue, we learned that Hero had hooked up with an alien named Leander, and had decided to stay on with the Rave. Meanwhile, his once best friend D.C. lost her powers at the end and became a total psycho bitch, telling Hero that what he does is disgusting and not natural. Hopefully the next time we see her, she’s an evil villainess!!

Hero is in possession of an “H-Dial”, an amazing alien artifact of unknown properties. Whenever a possessor of an H-Dial dials up the word H-E-R-O, they immediately become “a totally different, all-new, superhero!” – but Hero was different than the other H-dialer’s that we’ve seen in that he was able to retain some of his personality as the new hero. Each new “persona” dialed up had a different name and a different power. When the Dial-H-For-Hero comic was around, DC had kids create their own superheroes and send them in – and those heroes would end up as the dialed-up “personas” in the stories. It’s assumed that Hero is merging with other heroes from Hypertime whenever he uses his dial.

In the promotional ads for the Ravers title, Hero was initially called “Hard Luck,” and was originally meant to have “bad luck” powers – but The Powers That Be nixed that idea since they knew of Hero’s eventual sexual orientation, and decided that it probably wasn’t the best idea to have a gay hero with such a “problem” power.

Hero first appeared in Superboy and the Ravers #1 and comes out in #13. This bio was possibly written by Anton K.

© and ® Comics. Used without permission.

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Hector

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

hector2Contributed by Ronald Byrd

Hector is a member of the Pantheon, a corps of superhumans descended from and led by the immortal half-god Agamemnon, dedicated to preventing and ending crises worldwide. Nothing is known about his background or what his life was like prior to entering Agamemnon’s service, nor is it known precisely how he is related to Agamemnon, but he is one of the Pantheon’s most effective operatives. Although the Pantheon’s current activities remain unknown following a disruption of their activities due to a conflict between Agamemnon and his temporary successor, the Hulk, it may be assumed that Hector continues to aid his kinsmen in their efforts.

Hector’s homosexuality is known to his teammates, who accept him for who he is despite occasional familial bickering. He was briefly seen to be flirting with Northstar, a guest at the wedding of the Hulk’s friend Rick Jones, but otherwise nothing is known of his private life. He is the unwilling recipient of longtime romantic sentiments from his distant kinswoman Cassiopeia.

Another interesting item revealed during Peter David’s Incredible Hulk tenure is the statement by Nick Fury in #411 that the regulations of SHIELD, the omnipresent military-intelligence agency of the Marvel Universe:”don’t give gays any grief.”

Like most of his kinsmen, Hector appears to possess an enhanced level of endurance, agility, and recovery from injury, evidently the legacy of Agamemnon’s demigod nature. He wields a glowing mace, composed of an unidentified form of energy, which vanishes when not in use. Although first impressions might lead some to believe that the Pantheon members create their personal weapons from nowhere, the weapons in fact exist independently of them and are passed down to new operatives when their previous wielders die. As a member of the Pantheon, Hector has access to a wide range of high-tech weaponry and equipment.

hector1

Hector’s sexual orientation is discussed in Incredible Hulk #413 and #417. The Pantheon’s base of operations is The Mount, a facility located in the southwestern US.

© and ® Marvel Comics. Used without permission. Hector created by Peter David.

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Enigma

Saturday, October 24th, 2009
Art by Duncan Fegredo

Art by Duncan Fegredo

Contributed by Bill Reid

We meet Michael Smith, a compulsive, late-20’s, heterosexual phone repairman living a highly-structured life in Pacific City, California. We’re told he knows he’ll be having sex with his girlfriend tonight because it’s Tuesday, and they always and only have sex on Tuesday.Other characters include Titus Bird, the queer writer of the superhero comic book series “The Enigma,” which stopped after three issues when the publisher folded.

Characters from the series start appearing in Pacific City, over 25 years after the series ended. The title character of “The Enigma” was a major part of young Michael’s life, “a man in a mask and a cloak who was his mysterious friend. . . glimpsed in the unlit alleyways of his childhood,” (Michael’s father was killed in an earthquake, and he was abandoned by his mother around age 9).

Shortly after the series abruptly ended, an infant is born who is an extraordinary leap forward in human evolution. He causes his father’s face to be disfigured. His horrified mother throws the baby down an almost-dry well and shoots the father’s head off with a shotgun. The baby is able to survive on his own and lives in the well for 25 years. After he is discovered, he wanders the Southwest, eventually finding the ruins of Michael’s childhood home and, of course, copies of “The Enigma.” He adopts the identify of The Enigma, and causes other people to adopt the identities of the villains from the books he found.

Michael tracks down Titus in Texas and rescues him from a group of crazed fans, The Enigmatics, who consider Titus to be “some kinda guru.” Neither can understand how or why these characters are suddenly appearing, but they are sure that Michael is somehow directly linked to the events. They decide do some investigating.

enigma2In a bar they stop at on their way back to California, Titus makes a pass at Michael, who in turn floors Titus with a punch. Titus apologizes, and Michael is shocked that Titus assumed he was queer. Michael’s violent reaction to Titus’ offer of sex is later revealed to be because he is starting to realize that perhaps he is indeed sexually attracted to men and was “scared of the truth.” He succumbs to this desire when he finally meets The Enigma, who is an essentially emotionless being of incredible powers and unfamiliar with the concepts of right and wrong.

In the final issue we learn that The Enigma caused Michael to become homosexual because he needed to experience emotions, to learn to “be a little more . . . human. To feel a little love and compassion. . .” because he knows he needs this to defeat his most powerful enemy, his mother, who had gone insane after she discovered what a freak he was. The Enigma had sought out Michael specifically because he could tell how much the comic books had meant to young Michael when he found them. The Enigma offers to change Michael back to the way he was, (a heterosexual), but Michael declines the offer. The series ends just as Michael, Titus, and The Enigma go off to meet The Enigma’s mother, who had recently been transformed into a monstrosity.

Like the Sebastian O mini series by Grant Morrison, The Enigma was originally part of Disney’s planned line of mature comics that never appeared. Karen Berger picked up the two series and used them in Vertigo’s launch. The Engima tpb can still be found on Amazon.

Smith and The Enigman first appear in Enigma #1, Titus in Enigma #3. Titus is outed in #3, Michael and The Enigma in #6.

Enigma © and ® 1993 by Peter Milligan and Duncan Fegredo.Published by DC Comics. Used without permission.

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Grace

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

graceStefano  Raffaele’s Fragile is set in a post apocalyptic world in which 95% of the world’s population have been turned into zombies due to a mutated virus. The remaining humans have formed various safe havens. Alan Olden is a young man who lives in one of these walled communes, but everything changes when he dies from a work accident and flees the town after the zombie process begins. While on the run from living humans and the vigilante zombie Disinfestors he finds and falls in love with the undead Lynn, whose existence will soon end as decomposition ramps up.

The pair are in the desert when they’re ambushed by a small band of Disinfestors. It looks like their end is near when a large SUV appears from nowhere and barrels through the Disinfestors. The pair jump in the vehicle and find a tall, thin blonde woman, who introduces herself as Grace, behind the wheel. Grace cautions them to hold on to the paintings stowed in the back as they make their reckless escape. She confides the paintings are originals, having taken them from museums in order to preserve them.

It takes only a couple minutes into their rescue to notice that Grace is alive. Grace admits she started to follow the pair after they left the small town where Alan found Lynn, but doesn’t confide why she would help zombies. The next morning Alan starts to have a chat with Grace only to be surprised that there’s stubble on her face. It dawns on Alan that he used to know Grace when they were younger. Only then Grace was Thomas, the neighbor boy next door who’d fallen in love with Alan and then disappeared after being humiliated. During a tense encounter with other zombies, Grace admits that she is still in love with Alan, and the tension mounts between the trio as both Grace and Lynn vie for Alan’s attention. Grace can’t understand why Alan is attracted to an undead zombie woman when she’s alive and beautiful and at the same time she never questions why she’s still drawn to a zombie Alan.

They make it to the town of Alberville where a small enclave of zombie scientists work on developing new strains of the virus to keep the undead alive longer (I’m not making this up!). Once inside the facility it becomes apparent to the top scientist that Grace carries a serum in her blood to reverse the zombie process.No reason or theory is ever given as to why or how this is possible. For some unknown reason, Grace radios Alan’s friend Marcus, who meets them in Alberville, and is somewhat shocked to learn that Grace was a boy, but he also admires her beauty.  Lynn and the top zombie scientist are taken hostage by a group of zombies to be used as a bargaining chip against her Army father who’s trying to keep New York City from being overrun by the undead. It becomes a chase via a commandeered transport plane to New York to rescue Lynn, partly facilitated by Grace as a means to show her love for Alan, though he continues to reject her. The plot’s logic dramatically recedes after they arrive amidst a zombie onslaught, though Grace is equally adept at gunning down zombies as the rest of them. Lynn and the scientist are rescued and he agrees to work with the human scientists to synthesize a serum from Grace’s blood. She may be humanity’s salvation, but Alan’s final choice to remain with Lynn as they both face termination is stinging, forcing her to find solace in Marcus’ arms.

Grace identifies herself as both transgender and a woman (“I’m not a man! I’m a woman! I’ve always been a woman!”) and wears very sexy feminine clothes and shoes. Some of her dialog reveals that two medical professionals that helped in her transition had become zombified, so it remains unclear at what point the character was in transitioning.

Fragile was originally serialized Metal Hurlant, #4, 7-8, 10-14 before being collected as a tpb. This trade is available used at Amazon.

© and ® Humanoids Publishing. Used without permission.

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Triumph

Saturday, October 24th, 2009
Art by Phil Jimenez

Art by Phil Jimenez

Brian Augustyn, Mark Waid, and Howard Porter created Triumph though writer Christopher Priest may be the name most associated with the character because of his four-part mini series. The character was revealed to be a founding member of the Justice League via a ret-con as shown in a three-part story that ran in Justice League #92 – 94 as part of the Zero Hour event.

Triumph (Will MacIntire) is included in this list because of statements made by writer Christopher Priest. On Priest’s website, the writer mentions that many fans and DC staffers alike hated the character for being inserted into the JLA’s origin story. What wasn’t apparent to readers at the time was that Priest viewed Triumph as gay. Priest also shares how the late Neal Pozner, DC’s director of Creative Services, served as inspiration for some of “Triumph’s energy.”

“Triumph was gay, something probably only Brian and I knew since we didn’t have an appropriate storyline to deal sensitively with that issue, but that was my subtext for his emotional center: how out of place and out of sync Triumph was with the DC
Universe.”

While Priest viewed the character as gay, this notion did not affect Brian Augustyn writing a short story involving a girlfriend named Melissa in Showcase ’94 #12 or heterosexual romantic elements with Gypsy and later Fire that Priest himself wrote. Further evidence that DC considers Triumph to be heterosexual, or at least ignoring Priest’s view, appeared in Brave and Bold #17 and 18 vol 2 (2008). Marv Wolfman reveals Triumph to be the long lost father of his villain du jour.

On an ironic note, Phil Jimenez and Mike S. Miller, once controversial for his views toward gay people, have drawn Triumph. Jimenez work appeared in Justice League International #68 and Miller was the artist on the mini series.

Please refer to Wikipedia’s Triumph entry for an informative character bio. Anyone interested in a full list of appearances for Triumph or other characters should consult the Comic Book Database. Priest’s scripts for the Triumph mini series can be read at this link. Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed also wrote about Priest’s plans here.

Triumph first appeared in a brief cameo in Justice League International #67. Created by Brian Augustyn, Mark Waid and Howard Porter, though the character is primarily associated with writer Christopher Priest.

© and ® DC Comics. Used without permission.

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Spectral

Saturday, October 24th, 2009
Art by Rick Hoberg

Art by Rick Hoberg

Contributed by Ronald Byrd

Dave Castiglione, who worked as a baker, was among the fifty-nine cable car passengers in San Francisco struck by a “jumpstart” effect, which granted all of them superhuman, or “ultra,” powers. In Dave’s case, the sudden flaming effect which he initially fears to be a symptom of AIDS (a disease which ultimately kills his friend Sandy) is the precursor of several flame-related powers. Six passengers, including Dave, join the sorceress Yrial to form the super-team known as the Strangers, receiving public acclaim and battling a wide variety of foes. Dave takes the codename Spectral due to the multi-colored nature of his powers. In addition to Yrial, his teammates are Lady Killer, Atom Bob, Grenade, ElectroCute, and Zip-Zap. Of the seven (later joined by Teknight), Dave appears to be the one with the most active social life away from the team, and by the series’ end he had acquired a boyfriend, Bill Kern.

When the characters of Malibu Comics were acquired by Marvel Comics, several were featured in new stories, including some that crossed over to Marvel-Earth, but  Spectral was not among them; his current activities are unknown, as is the status of the Ultraverse itself. Interestingly, Spectral, a believable, effective super-hero whose homosexuality was quite understated, was created by Steve Englehart, who also created the embarrassingly stereotypical gay hero Extrano for DC Comics.

Spectral can completely envelop his body in flames and project them through his hands; by changing the color of the flames, he obtains a different power. Orange gives him control over fire, blue control over water (and the ability to breathe underwater), yellow control over air and the power of flight, red super-strength (coupled with a berserker nature), purple protection from physical harm, green the ability to control plants and heal wounds, and indigo the ability to survive in outer space and extend that protection to others.

Spectral first appears in The Strangers #1 and is confirmed gay in Strangers #5.

© and ® Malibu Comics (now owned by Marvel). Used without permission. The Strangers were created by Steve Englehart.

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The Russian

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

russianContributed by Ronald Byrd

Strong enough to squeeze a man to death without even realizing it and tough enough to devastate a commando unit single-handed. The Russian first came to attention in Afghanistan, where he spent most of the 1980s; following this, he has a long line of assignments from various governments and organized crime families worldwide (as well as the Las Vegas Police Department). The Russian has seen action in Lebanon, Iraq, Rwanda, East Timor, Chechnya, the Balkans, Belfast, and was last seen in Grand Nixon Island in the South Pacific. Despite his violent career, the Russian is an interminably good-natured sort and sees no contradiction in being a great admirer of American super-heroes, noting that he is a founding member of the “Daredevil Man Without Fear Fan Club of Smolensk.”

The Russian finally meets his match when crime boss Ma Gnucci hires him to kill the vigilante known as the Punisher. The Russian severely beats the Punisher until his opponent incapacitates him with hot pizza in the face and smothers him to death with an obese neighbor (a method of execution rather atypical for him). The Punisher then decapitates the Russian and brings his head with him when he finally confronts the Gnuccis for a deadly showdown.

However, a secret paramilitary agency, hoping to use the Russian’s skills, retrieves his head and has it reattached to his body, which is now strengthened with metals and plastics and augmented by a super-hard alloy coating on his skeleton. His internal organs are modified, giving him, among other changes, the lungs of a gorilla and a second heart to better withstand pain and stress (with a third heart added later). Hormone-laden chemicals are necessary to insure that his body accepts the modifications, a rather obvious side effect of which is the development of two truly enormous breasts. The Russian also notices a “strange cranky feeling, once a month,” suggesting that the hormones have changed his body in other gender-related ways, but whether or not it has indeed undergone an entire sex-change is as yet unclear. Undaunted by the change (he even takes to wearing women’s clothing), the relentlessly enthusiastic Russian agrees to work for the agency’s head, the military sadist Kreigkopf, in exchange for being allowed one attempt to gain vengeance on the Punisher. His effort fails when the Punisher throws him off the Empire State Building, but the damage that the Punisher does to him is repaired, and he will certainly clash with the killer vigilante again.

Originally the Russian was, although apparently not superhuman, incredibly strong and tough, even able to ignore a knife wound to the lower abdomen; he was, however, sensitive to heat. Following his transformation, he now possesses superhuman strength, augmented resistance to injury (including a titanium jaw), heightened olfactory senses, and probably other abilities. He is durable enough to withstand a ninety-story fall from the Empire State Building into the New York subway system (and a subsequent high-velocity impact with a train), albeit to require significant repairs later. The Russian has used a wide range of firearms in his previous work but prefers hand-to-hand combat.

The Russian first appeared in Punisher #8, vol 5 and the transgendered aspects are revealed in Punisher #1, vol #6. The indicia to Punisher volume #5, issue #8 says volume #3, but there were four Punisher series prior to this one. Likewise, the
indicia to Punisher volume #6 states volume #4.

© and ® Marvel Comics. Used without permission.

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Karma

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

karma01Contributed by Ronald Byrd

Born in South Vietnam, Xi’an and her twin brother Tran discovered their shared power to take mental possession of others during childhood. Their uncle, General Nguyen Ngoc Coy, arranged for Tran to join him in the US to further his criminal efforts, but Xi’an and the rest of her family were left to escape Vietnam on their own. Set upon by Thai pirates, Xi’an’s father was slain and she and her mother were raped, her mother and died soon afterward. Xi’an survived her ordeal but was forced into General Coy’s service via threats to her younger siblings, Leong and Nga. After the children were rescued via the intervention of Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, Xi’an accepted Professor X’s invitation to join the group of students known as the New Mutants under the codename Karma, but her hardships were just beginning.

She was soon possessed by the telepathic Shadow King, who used her as a host body to direct his criminal empire. Eventually escaping this fate, Karma learned that her siblings had again been abducted, this time by the extradimensional madwoman Spiral, and she re-entered General Coy’s service as part of her efforts to find them. Finally managing to locate her siblings and entrust them to medical care, Karma began a new life which included a “butch” hairstyle, sharing a loft in Greenwich Village with documentary filmmakers Simone and Jessikah, a lesbian couple. Now far more carefree than her former responsibilities allowed her to be, she has apparently given up involvement in superhuman matters, but her current activities are unclear. It is not specifically stated that Karma shares the sexual orientation of her girlfriends, but it is known that Simone is aware that she is a mutant, suggesting that the two have been particularly close. Furthermore, she notes that her fellow New Mutant alumnus Sam Guthrie, a.k.a. Cannonball, is “definitely not my type.”

[The following information written by Joe Palmer.]

Xi’an appears in the Mechanix mini series. “Shan” is the spelling, based on the pronunciation, used throughout Mechanix At this point, Kitty Pryde has traded in being an X-Men for a student at the University of Chicago and is working as a bartender at the “Belles of Helle.” In the first issue Shan, a fellow student and university librarian, surprises Kitty when she shows up at the bar for a happy reunion. Dylan Maguire, the owner, gives Kitty an extended break, and the two begin to catch up. Dylan is quite a piece of eye candy himself, and Shan makes an admiring remark, to which Kitty says: “I thought you and guys –?” Shan replies: “What – a girl can’t admire the view?” Their body language becomes more intimate as the conversation continues. At one point Shan gazes at Kitty and strokes her hair. Shan invites Kitty home for dinner and to reconnect with younger siblings Leong and Nga, whom seem trapped in the same comics time warp as Franklin Richards. The children become very fond of Kitty and there are other scenes between the two women in which they could be interpreted as close friends or getting to know each other on an intimate, romantic basis.
karma02
Kitty, Shan, and a previously unseen mutant named Shola fight a mutant hating group of fellow students called Purity. Happening after the destruction of Genosha, the context of the fight is the recurring metaphor of outcasts and minorities struggling for acceptance, equality, and dignity. In the end, the trio wins. Kitty returns to being a superhero and Shan continues as student, librarian, and parent.

This isn’t the end of the Purity movement though. It and Shan next appear in New Mutants #4 (volume 2). Xavier sends Dani Moonstar to Chicago in search of a mutant Cerebra detected. The mission brings her into contact with Shan. It’s graduation day for Shan, who we find sitting her brother and sister in the audience. Her brother asks if “Aunt Kitty” is coming to the ceremony, and Shan replies that “she’s…out of town.” The implication in her answer is that Kitty in some way had continued to be a part of their lives. Instead of Kitty, Dani appears at the end of the ceremony with Shan’s siblings standing next to her. Shan invites Dani back to the family’s apartment, who asks how Shan can afford such a large place. Shan says a friend “set it up for [her] and a curious Dani asks if the friend is a “friend friend or girlfriend friend.” Shan then replies: “Let’s just say she’s a friend and there was a moment where it felt like she could be more. But when I tried to talk to her about it…she’s just not sure she…goes that way.”

The rest of the story introduces David, the young mutant that Dani has come to find who is a thin plot device to move Shan from Chicago back to Xavier’s Institute where she’ll become a teacher and adviser. In one scene Shan does state that “[she is] a lesbian immigrant raising [her] own brother and sister.”

Karma has rejoined her fellow New Mutants in a new series (2009). This bio does not reflect any developments that may have occurred in it.

Art by Juan Bobillo

Art by Juan Bobillo

On a related note there is another, minor gay character in the Mechanix story. A fellow tenant in issue #4 vandalizes Kitty’s apartment. Her landlord Dylan Maguire arrives to find Kitty, Shan, Shola, and another student named Tom cleaning up the apartment. As Kitty directs Dylan to the common hallway he says “Nice to meet you, Tom” as he eyes from behind the student taking off his shirt. A sucker in Dylan’s mouth is a not so subtle cue that he is bisexual or gay.

Karma has the ability to take mental possession of another person and direct his or her actions from afar. Initially only able to possess one person at a time, her power has grown to the extent that she can control dozens of people at once, although she cannot direct their actions to the extent that she can an individual.

Although the notion of rape as a cause of lesbianism is clichéd and disproven, in Karma’s case her past abuse at the hands of her Vietnamese tormentors and under the mental domination of the Shadow King might well have been a factor in the development of her own sexuality though certainly not its cause.

Karma (real name Xi’an Coy Manh) first appeared in Marvel Team-Up #100 and is confirmed lesbian in Mechanix #1. She’s been affiliated with New Mutants, Alpha Squadron, Hellions, and The 198 Xi’an has been a student, superhero, executive secretary to Professor Charles Xavier, and operative of General Nguyen Ngoc Coy.

Please read the Wikipedia entry for further information.

Karma is one of the members featured in Astonishing X-Men starting with #48, written by Marjorie Liu.

© and ® Marvel Comics. Used without permission.

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Julie Power/ Lightspeed

Saturday, October 24th, 2009
Art by Karl Moline

Art by Karl Moline

The Loners first appeared in the pages of Runaways (volume 2, #1 “True Believers”) as a group named Excelsior holding a support group in the basement of Los Angeles’ Holy Trinity Church for former child and teenaged superheroes. As Julie’s turn for introductions comes around, she mentions her former career under various names and talks about living in Hollywood and pursuing auditions and an agent.

Michiko Musashi (formerly Turbo) is the de facto leader. After receiving a mysterious phone call promising the allure of a million dollars, she persuades her friends to put on their costumes and make a stand against the Runaways before they can recruit Victor (a progeny of Ultron). Julie and Karolina Dean have an interesting exchange while their other teammates are fighting in issue #3. Both hover in the air, ready to face off. Julie says: “Don’t try anything funny, girlfriend, or I’ll –“ Karolina replies: “Wow. You are really, really pretty.” Caught off guard, Julie stammers. “Oh…thanks” I mean, you’re pretty, too.” Karolina: “Seriously?” Julie: “Yeah, I like how your hair glows and–” It’s interesting because this may be a hint that building up to both Julie and Karolina’s sexuality.

Their mysterious benefactor is revealed to be Rick Jones, Marvel’s first teenaged sidekick/ hero. While they’re unsuccessful in dealing with the Runaways. Jones persuades Excelsior to continue the mission to continue on as “peacekeepers” to take on what he deems as mounting threats in California. (Volume 2, #6)

Their debut proved popular enough to warrant a six issue mini series in 2007. Calling themselves the Loners and are now without any ties to Rick Jones. They’ve also resumed support group meetings to adjust to living non-powered adult lives. Julie has trouble accepting this and is first seen jumping from a hotel roof and then flying upward with a look of joy on her face. Later when confronted, Julie admits having trouble not using her powers.

A flashback scene in issue #3 reveals how Julie is gravely wounded during a fight with a clawed woman. Fellow Loner Ricochet (Johnny) rushes her to a hospital where a surgeon cares for her, and informs the friends that she’ll thankfully survive. Julie and Ricochet share a meal at a burger place after her release from the hospital. They talk about the fight she was in and gossip about “teammates” Michiko and Chris who’re “knocking boots.” Julie talks excitedly: “But she’s [Michiko] like smoking hot! I’d totally–” and then changes the subject when asked “totally what?” Julie and Johnny spend the rest of the day at a movie studio trying to find work. Julie does some fast talking with a producer and scores them work as stunt doubles even though or especially because it means using their powers. They spend the day doing stunts dressed as Black Cat and Iron Fist. Their career is extremely short-lived when the producer tries to seduce Julie and she uses her powers on him. Later at that week’s group meeting she reminisces about her early days with Power Pack. In a separate scene on page 11, Michiko and Chris have a disagreement about their relationship. He accuses Michiko of being jealous of Mattie (AKA Spider Woman) and asks why she isn’t jealous of Julie. Michiko replies: “No. Of course not. Come on. It’s Julie. She’s not into–” He asks, “Not into what?” and her evasive answer is “Uh, you know. The dating scene. She’s too focused on her career.”

Despite the interpersonal tensions, infighting, and a mediocre villain, the mini series ends on a high note.

Julie joined the Avengers Academy in #20 where she is both a student and teaching assistant under Quicksilver’s mentorship. She’s admitted her own attraction to both men and women, given advice to team mate Striker who’s accepted his homosexuality, and made a date with Karolina Dean after Avengers Academy and the Runaways met.

Julie Power has also been known as Molecula and Starstreak, and was a member of Power Pack, where she debuted in #1.

© and ® Marvel Comics. Used without permission.

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