Marc Alan Fishman: Flame On! Being Gay In Comics

Marc Alan Fishman

Marc Alan Fishman is a graphic designer, digital artist, writer, and most importantly a native born Chicagoan. When he's not making websites, drawing and writing for his indie company Unshaven Comics, or rooting for the Bears... he's a dedicated husband and father. When you're not enjoying his column here on ComicMix, feel free to catch his comic book reviews weekly at MichaelDavisWorld, and check out his books and cartoons at Unshaven Comics.

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6 Responses

  1. billywingartenson says:

    ARe you afraid of the wrath of the million moms – a subsidiary of the hate group AFA, which keeps changing its name as the names go on the hate group

    Remember what happened with starbucks when it went “gay”

    thier biz boomed, the facebook page for gay starbuck was like 25 to 1 popular vs the hate groups

    \Or are yoou just warming up things so the freaks will really freak out and make an ever bigger fools of themselves. when ur gay boy comes out.

    • Like I said… when or IF the character is revealed to be gay? It’ll be done because it matters to the story, or have some relevance to the characters’ actions or plot.

      And I welcome any and all hate groups to ban us for it.

  2. JosephW says:

    “But when will we stop sensationalizing the sexual preferences of our ink and paper celebrities?”

    Well, Marc, perhaps when we follow suit with our REAL-LIFE celebrities. When we get to a point where *straight* Oscar or Grammy or Emmy or Tony winners don’t get up to the podium and talk about their heterosexual spouses or significant others during their acceptance speeches. When we stop making a big to-do about who Snooki and Pauly D are fucking. When we stop being assaulted by movie trailers where Anne Hathaway and Christian Bale aren’t flirting while dancing or where the only person Jeremy Renner isn’t punching or killing is Rachel Weisz or a movie where the object of Andrew Garfield’s affection isn’t Emma Stone. Or TV shows where Nina Dobrev’s romantic choices only extend to Stephen McQueen and Ian Somerhalder.

    Basically, the media follows heterosexual couplings ALL THE TIME. But, when it comes to LGBTs, for some reason, even ONE minute of TV or movie screen time (or even one panel of a comic book) becomes “sensationalism.”

    I’m sorry. I find that atrocious. Fuck the narrow-minded. If it’s not LGBTs, they’re going to find some other thing to freak out over. Oh, they might not get the same coverage of being outraged over Archie Andrews dating–even kissing–Val from the Pussycats (for obvious reasons–it’s not as “acceptable” to be racist as it is to be anti-gay; you might also remember how those who were upset at the announcement of Blatino Miles Morales becoming the “new” Spider-Man and how they were treated), but there’s going to be SOMEONE who’s “offended.” (Hell, I remember the outrage when Archie Comics trotted out their “new-look” stories, where the artwork was more mainstream comic-book. Actually, I’d kind of like to see Kevin Keller done in a “new-look” story, but I digress….)

    I’m happy that LGBT characters are being mainstreamed–not just in comics, but also in movies and TV–and I really don’t give two shits about those who scream that it’s some sort of “agenda” being used to “indoctrinate” kids. Those people need to get over it and realize that there are a lot of people in this world. LGBTs have been marginalized for far too long. Now, I do agree that it’s better if the characters’ sexuality is an inherent part of the characters’ development, and isn’t done as a gimmick but the problem is that the very notion of STRAIGHT sexuality is taken as a given. For the most part, you don’t go in reading a mainstream story with the assumption that a particular character is LGBT (even if you’re LGBT); you simply assume the character is straight. UNTIL something tells you otherwise. Go back and look at almost any first issue of a new comic from the last 10 years and see how many set off your gaydar (not talking about your “ooh, I hope he/she’s LGBT” wishful thinking–I mean, “yeah–he/she’s LGBT”) WITHOUT any “obvious” signs or without pre-release press.

  3. I agree with Mark Alan Fishman 100% on this issue.

  4. Mindy Newell says:

    Representative Barney Frank got married this weekend.

    Just so you know.

  5. mike weber says:

    My biggest problem with a character being made/revealed to be gay was Marvel’s “Rawhide Kid” mini-series.

    (A) it was obviously for publicity and nothing else (or at least, that’s my take)

    (B) And it was Just Plain Stupid. (See previous parenthetical remark)

    Otherwise – who cares?

    Unless, of course, the gay reveal is to allow homophobic gay-bashing on the part of the writer.