Tag Archives: Comic

‘Black Lightning’ Is Bringing To Life This AWESOME Lesbian Superhero

When The CW debuts Black Lightning on January 16, they’re not just debuting a show about an all-black family of superheroes.

They’re also debuting the first on-screen DC canonical lesbian superhero, who also happens to be a woman of colour.

Black Lightning features the title character as a father to two daughters: Thunder and Lightning. And it’s Thunder, played by 28-year-old Nafessa Williams, who is set to make history.

Thunder, whose real name in the show is Anissa Pierce, is the eldest daughter of the eponymous superhero, Black Lighting, aka Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams).

In the comics, she agrees to a deal with her mother and father. Graduate college; THEN you can become a superhero. While her younger sister, Jennifer Pierce (China Anne McClain), has powers more in line with Jefferson’s electrical abilities, Anissa is able to increase her body mass while completely reserving her volume.

And there’s even more for LGBT fans to get excited about. Just like in the comics, Thunder’s getting a love interest.

Played by Pretty Little Liars actress Chantal Thuy, the half-Amazonian, Asian-American Grace Choi will feature in the show as Anissa’s girlfriend.

In the comics, Grace is bisexual, and there seems to be no reason to doubt she will be in the show as well.

Another show currently on TV to feature a lesbian superhero is Marvel’s Runaways, in which one of the main characters – Karolina Dean – slowly realises her sexuality.

Last year, Thor: Ragnarok included Valkyrie, a bisexual superhero and woman of colour – though fans were ultimately disappointed with the fact that her sexuality wasn’t made clear on screen.

Marvel also launched a comic led by America Chavez, a queer Latina teenager with lesbian parents.

The comic, called America, prompted an outpouring of support from readers who were overjoyed to finally see an LGBT Latina superhero lead her own comic.

However, Marvel also moved to quash speculation that two warriors in the upcoming film Black Panther will be in a lesbian relationship, sparking outrage and accusations of erasure.

If You Like Steven Universe, You’ll Love This Webcomic About Queer Muslims

Saboor and Jameel star as the genderfluid, queer protagonists of Puu, a webcomic that is breaking barriers for LGBT Muslims and Indians worldwide.

The comic takes place in Chennai, India, and follows the budding romance between transman Jameel and genderfluid Saboor.

Nineteen-year-old Akshay Varaham designed the webcomic in response to the lack of Muslim LGBT representation in mainstream media. Saboor is a Twelver Shi’a, the largest branch of Shi’a Islam, although he grew up an Inyengar Hindu. Jamil is a Hanafi Sunni, a branch of Islam based in Iraq, and the minor characters are Hindu from various castes.

Varaham says,

I made them [that way] because I haven’t seen much positive representation of Islam and Muslims in a lot of media, namely in Indian and Western media.”

The religious diversity is a welcome break from many American webcomics, where LGBT characters are often agnostic, Jewish or Christian – if there are Muslim characters, those characters are portrayed as Muslim of no particular sect. Puu aims to show how the particularities of religion, caste and nationality shape expressions of queer love.

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In an early draft of the comic, Saboor “had a dark and tragic backstory of having been framed as a terrorist,” and died. Jameel was a “whirling dervish who danced to cope with the death of his lover.”

However, Varaham realized that he was playing into the Bury Your Gays trope, which says that “gay characters aren’t allowed to have happy endings,” so he changed the story. Now he is adamant about the fact that the main characters will not die. Not every LGBT story has to end in tragedy.

Dynamic lesbian characters shape the plot as well. Varaham decided to make the characters Noor and Alamu “not conventionally attractive” and “not stereotypical, hypersexualize depictions.”

He drew inspiration from Steven Universe, which centers around multidimensional queer female aliens. Steven Universe has been praised for its depiction of queer women, and Varaham hopes to accomplish the same texture of character.

New Puu chapters are released every Sunday. Read the first chapter here.

Margaret Cho Has The Perfect Method For Tackling Online Homophobic Abuse

The bisexual actress, comic, and LGBT activist, Margaret Cho – who has nearly 400,000 followers on Facebook – has released an online statement regarding the amount of online abuse she gets

In a Facebook post, Cho described the disturbing encounters she has been involved in – and why people should take trolling more seriously.

I’ve experienced numerous breaches of security, a couple of very troubling face to face interactions and so much online trolling I can’t help but believe it’s all somehow connected.”

However, rather than shy away from social media, Cho advises those subject to homophobic abuse to use modern technology to their advantage.

I want everyone in the reach of my voice to keep their phones charged, film everything, screenshot and report ALL offensive people and ALL threats on social media.”

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She also warned her followers of the danger trolls pose – and how people should take any threats or abuse they receive seriously.

BUT UNDERSTAND ‘Haters’ are potential killers. We’ve seen this countless times now. They say it on social media, then they go DO IT. We’ve got to be vigilant and protect ourselves. Stay alive. I need you all here with me. I love you.”

Cho said although the abuse sometimes upsets her, she has developed a unique way of getting her own back.

The actress described of she takes a screenshot of offensive messages she receives and forwards them to the troll’s employers, spouses or loved ones.

Ask their employers if they are aware of this person’s activity online and if they condone this type of behaviour. That usually shuts EVERYTHING DOWN. And it’s pretty gratifying. Bully the bullies with class and grace. It’s the BEST.”

Sci-Fi Comic ‘Infinite Loop’ Has Time Travel and Lesbians

Let’s see a show of hands: what’s the very first rule of time travel? If you said ‘don’t alter things that happened in the past’ then pat yourself on the back and give yourself a round of applause.

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Obviously, if you and I were able to time travel we’d probably stick to that, knowing that meddling in time affairs could drastically change the fabric of our world, but in the comic book world of Infinite Loop, there are plenty who defy that simple rule for nefarious reasons.

In Infinite Loop, time travel is everywhere: sort of like Ugg boots and selfie sticks and so the chances that people will alter the past for kicks is that much higher. Bring in the the Paradox Hunters then who are a crack team of folks hired to snuff out those who alter the past, to stop it from changing the present.

Our main character Teddy, is one such Paradox Hunter and things are going fine and dandy for her until she falls in love with one of the people she’s meant to eliminate.

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You see, Ano was born in one such paradox accident meaning that her very existence goes against what Teddy knows.

A synopsis from the comic’s publisher, IDW (who picked up the comic after it was successfully crowdfunded), explains that “Teddy must decide between fixing the time stream or the love of her life, both of which have unique consequences” so expect Infinite Loop to sucker punch your heart as much as it will captivate your attention.

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Unfortunately, Infinite Loop is only six issues long (it’s technically a mini series) so there’s the risk that that’s not enough time for us to fall in love with Teddy, Ano and their relationship, but if it’s paced right it could be a relatively enjoyable, albeit bite-sized read.

Furthermore, each issue will also pack in a reader submitted story about their first loves or when they realised that they were gay, bi, queer or trans, which you can submit to  [email protected].

The first issue of Infinite Loop will be released on April 22nd, 2015.

Anna Paquin Would Return as X-Men’s Rogue on One Condition

Rogue has long been my favourite character in the X-Men series, but the truth is that the mutant heroine hasn’t really had the opportunity to do very much on the big screen.

Played by bisexual actress Anna Paquin in the original X-Men trilogy and a brief cameo in X-Men: Days of Future Past, she got plenty of chances to mope and be a disgruntled teen with unfortunate powers, but she didn’t really ever get into the action and fight the forces of evil.

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Rogue had always had super strength and the ability to fly in the comics after permanently stealing Ms Marvel’s powers.

Evidently, Paquin herself has noticed this, and as a result her one requirement for ever getting back into the X-Men franchise is that she has to be allowed to fly and kick ass.

X-Men: Apocalypse will be the next instalment of the series. It will arrive in 2016.

Bisexual Oppression That Pushes People Further into the Closet

For bisexual women, disclosing their sexuality can be a tough process, especially in the LGBTI community. They often have a very tough time claiming their identity.

This comic, published by Funny Honey Bunny on her Tumblr page, shows exactly how bisexual women can be pushed further in the closet by people’s narrow-minded views.

The ‘four unintentionally oppressive moments’ include her interactions with her mother, her boss, people in a gay bar and her queer friends.

The comic has already been shared and liked over 70,000 times on Tumblr.

Read it below:

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Ursa Eyer’s Comic Shows Perfectly the Effects of Catcalling Throughout Life

New Orleans-based illustrator Ursa Eyer’s newest comic shows the effects of catcalling throughout life. This is the ‘vanilla’ version of what she’s actually heard, but all women should be able to relate.

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Image source: Ursa Eyer / Via ursaeyer.tumblr.com

Gay Women In Comics, and There are Plenty

Here are some of my favourite lesbians and bisexual women Super heros.  The characters cover the full range of heroes, anti-heroes, villains, and supporting cast.

tank-girlTank Girl

Real name: Rebecca Buck
Comic: Tank Girl

My first comic crush, Tank Girl is a tank driving, bounty hunted bad-ass. Her character is well-known for her lack of manners, bad behaviour, and carelessness with the hearts of her lovers. Besides this, she can usually fight her way out of any pickle.

MystiqueMystique

Real name: Raven Darkholme
Comic: X-Men

Mystique’s first made an appearance X-men universe in the comic Ms. Marvel. One of the most famous X-villains, Raven had a lifelong on-again, off-again affair with fellow mutant Destiny. Writer Chris Claremont stated that he originally planned to have Mystique and Destiny be Nightcrawler’s biological parents, but due to the Comics Code Authority, Marvel refused to do this. However, years later Mystique and Destiny were confirmed to be a lesbian couple.

Miss-AmericaMiss America

Real name: America Chavez
Comic: Young Avengers

Miss America story starts when her mothers sacrifice their lives to save their home planet, Utopia, forcing her leave home to fight injustice in more crime-ridden dimensions. She teams up with other superheroes including Loki, Hulkling, and Wiccan. In Young Avengers #12 she flippantly mentions that she is a lesbian.

Scandal-SavageScandal Savage

Real name: Scandal Savage
Comic: Secret Six

One of the most bad ass characters around, Scandal is the daughter of immortal caveman Vandal Savage. She was dating Knockout at the time of the other’s death, and is currently involved with Liana Kerzner. She has a healing factor, and wields her Lamentation Blades with deadly skill.

BatwomanBatwoman

Real name: Kate Kane
Comic: Batwoman 52

Easily the most prominent lesbian character in superhero comics, Kate’s backstory is tragic and includes the loss of both her mother and twin sister at the hands of a terrorist organisation. As an adult, she joins the Marines to please her father, but is eventually outed as a lesbian and is dishonorably discharged. Upon her return to Gotham as a socialite, she parties and binge drinks every night until an encounter with Batman incites her to begin fighting crime.

Renee-MontoyaRenee Montoya

Real name: Renee Montoya
Comic: Batwoman 52

One time girlfriend to Batwomen, and former Gotham City police officer, Renee picked up the legacy of her friend Vic Sage after he passed away from lung cancer, becoming the second Question. As her desire to fight the good fight intensifies, she reconnects romantically with Kane. Unfortunately, in recent iterations of Batwoman, Montoya is no longer a superhero and simply a member of the police force. Although her big relaionship was with Batwoman, she has also had a long term relationship with Darla Hernandez. Currently she has the co-feature/back-up in DC’s flagship title, Detective Comics.

Maggie-SawyerMaggie Sawyer

Real name: Maggie Sawyer
Comic: Batwoman 52

Created back in the 1980s when the comic code prohibition against lesbian comic characters was in effect, Maggie was as ‘out’ as one could possibly be, even getting a girlfriend named Toby Raynes. Originally created as a supporting character for Superman, Maggie was later shifted over to the Batman universe, first as a cast member in Gotham Central and more recently as a potential love interest for Batwoman in Detective Comics.

Ramona-FlowersRamona Flowers

Real name: Ramona Flowers
Comic: Scott Pilgrim

Ramona Flowers is a subspace-traveling, mallet-weilding, endlessly desirable bisexual woman. How else would someone end up with seven evil exes? She’s guarded and maybe a bit cold, but she isn’t particularly interested in how most people feel about her. However, when she’s jealous or upset her head glows.

GwendolynGwendolyn

Real name: Gwendolyn
Comic: Saga

Gwendolyn is the most enigmatic characters in new Saga series. Her story, well Gwendolyn is on the hunt for her ex-fiancé, Marko. She doesn’t want him back, but he stole a family heirloom from her, a set of rings that allow languages to be translated between two speakers. After becoming infected with Heroine (a parasite that alters brain chemistry), Gwendolyn sees a naked mirage of the first woman she ever slept with, Velour.