Michael Davis: Milestone Media Announces Static Shock is Gay
No we didn’t.
I was sent the accompanying image by a fan that asked me, as co-creator of the character, what I thought of it. The image is of Virgil Hawkins (Static) making out with his best friend Richie. Frankly, it didn’t bother me and I was much more concerned with how this woman got my personal email.
Turns out I gave it to her at the end of my Black Panel at the San Diego Comic Con, which struck me as suspect because she’s not Asian.
Shit, I said I would no longer do Asian girl joke references. OK, let me try that again… turns out I gave it to her at the end of my Black Panel at the San Diego Comic Con, which stuck me as suspect because she’s not pretty.
What?
Actually she’s very pretty so let me try that one more time, turns out I gave it to her at the end of my Black Panel at Comic Con, which struck me as suspect because she’s fat as shit.
What??
Frankly I don’t remember what she looks like and I don’t care. She could have had one eye and weighted 500 pounds. I still wouldn’t care. I see the person I don’t see anything else but the person. I don’t see color, sexual orientation or
religious beliefs. She must have been way cool because I gave her my personal email.
I guard my personal email like my social security number. There are people who think they have my personal email but they don’t. I answer every single email I get from every email address but some take a lot longer than others. In my mind giving my personal email to everybody would be like giving my social security number to a telemarketer.
Stupid.
Speaking of stupid, I posted the image on my Facebook page with the following caption:
Sooooooooo, someone asked me what I thought of this image of my character Vigil Hawkins (Static) kissing his best friend Richie.
It’s fine with me and if it’s not with anyone else I could give a fuck.
A few people assumed I was saying Static was gay. I never said that. In fact one of my friends posted the following, so let me get this straight, Static is gay? To which I replied, no, but I’d be cool with it if he was.
Still even after that a few folk thought I said he was gay.
Nope, never said that.
Just so we are clear Virgil is not gay just so we are crystal clear, when he becomes Static he doesn’t become gay. That would be… wait for it… wait for it… Wait for it… a shock.
Damn, I’m witty.
Derek Dingle, Denys Cowan, Dwayne McDuffie and I created Static. I was lucky enough to be chosen to write the Static bible. That means I created most of the major and supporting characters for the series. There is an expression, writers write what they know and that’s what I did. I based Static on my childhood and my family.
My mother’s name is Jean, father, Robert, sister, Sharon. The family name “Hawkins” is my cousin’s, most of Virgil’s friends were named after members of my Bad Boy Studio mentor program mine, Brett, Kevin and Thor. Their real names were Brett Lewis, Kevin McCarty and Thor Badendyck.
Yeah, I had a student named Thor.
All of those guys are fantastic creators now. Don’t take my word for it, Goggle those Bad Boys (damn, I’m witty) and see for yourself. Brett & Thor’s work will be easy to find, Kevin on the other hand will take a bit more effort. Kevin is like me, you need a key word like “comics” or “Dark Horse” if not then you will end up with about a zillion murderers all named Kevin McCarthy.
Bad Boys Studio has an alumni like that you will never believe. One day I’ll write about it just as soon as I have a heart to heart with Brett about some stuff.
But, (sorry Peter) I digress.
As I was saying, I based Static on my life growing up and as far as I remember I did not grow up gay. I am gay now, I’m a lesbian. I do so love me some women.
Damn, I’m witty.
Static is not gay but he is black. I do remember growing up black. Some black people especially those in the church have a real problem with homosexually.
Every single time I write anything in support of gay rights some in the black church take me to task. It’s always an angry email, which almost always mentions “role model” for black boys.
I get it. I’m not mad at people for having their beliefs. Really.
But…
Static is based on my life. Mine. Not anyone else’s, mine. Role model? Gay people can’t be role models? Really, shit I guess I have to stop using Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci as examples of great artists.
If I’m okay with Virgil coming out as gay does anyone really think I give a fuck what he or she think?
No.
I think with all my heart people should be allowed to love whoever they want to love.
With all due respect, if you create a world famous character based on your life you can get as mad as you want when someone draws a picture of your character kissing someone of the same sex.
However, until you create that world famous character based on your life I suggest you get a life.
SATURDAY: Marc Alan Fishman
SUNDAY: John Ostrander
“Yeah, I had a student named Thor.”
Did they pronounce it like Messers Heyerdahl and Johnson, or did he own it and come in with the blonde wig and a hammer?
I look forward to the people who will try to spin this “reversal” as a case of homophobia. In the same way I expect the Romans looked forward to the Christians being thrown in the lion pit.
Having no awareness of this bit of confusion, my first reaction to this bit of news was “Huh, that’s cool, but wouldn’t it have been better to say so back when the book was out?
Moot point, yes, but there’s been quite a bit of that kind happening lately, and I’m rather glad it didn’t happen here.
When JK Rowling announced after the books were all bought, read and enjoyed that Dumbledore was gay, my first reaction was “That would have been important information for gay readers to have back when they were reading it”. Because to find out that one of the main characters of a series of books you loved was gay would probably feel a lot better if you knew it WHILE you were reading it.
I’ll lay odds I know damn well why it didn’t get mentioned while the books were coming out, assuming f course she didn’t simply decide it after the fact. She was already catching enough hell from the fundamentalists for being a book about witchcraft; imagine the frooferau if the main character, the head of a school, the one with such a close mentoring relationship with a young boy, was known to be gay.
So instead she chose to reveal it after the fact, where the worst that could happen is a few people get angry for being “tricked” into reading about a gay guy, and heaven forfend, tricked into liking and ADMIRING a gay guy.
There was a reaction somewhat similar when Raven Simone came out recently. Small-minded people announced that their childhood was ruined, or at least invalidated, as they had invested their love and other emotions into a stealth lesbian. First off, I had no idea That’s So Raven was that beloved a show for anyone, but considering the amount of love for Drake and Josh there is on tumblr, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Second, doesn’t her playing a girl so into boys make her a BETTER actress?
In the case of Neil Patrick Harris, coming out while he was still a working actor was a cool move, hasn’t affected his ability to play an unrepentant horndog, and has pretty much made him more beloved on both side of the Thin Pink Line. But too often, people decide to come out long after they’ve made their money, after the threat of a drop in sales would have shown any true bravery.