“He's queer now … Superman, Champion of the Oppressed, the Man of Steel, the Man of Tomorrow, the Last Son of Krypton, the Big Blue Boy Scout, Mr. Not-A-Bird-Nor-A-Plane Himself …
“And at 83 years old, no less! Bless his heart.
“But that's not what's happening here. Comics being comics, the truth is a lot more granular.
“We're not talking about the classic, original-recipe Clark Kent/Kal-El Superman that's been around since the June 1938 issue of Action Comics #1 first hit the stands …
“No, it's his son, Jonathan Kent.”
(Glen Weldon. “Superman's son comes out as bisexual in a new comic. It's a big deal – sort of.” NPR. October 11, 2021.)
In current DC Comics continuity, Clark Kent married Lois Lane. They had a son, named after Clark's father, Jonathan. Now he's a 17-year-old with all of his father's powers.
And while Jon Kent is the O.G. Superman's son, and has gone by “Superboy” until now, in the pages of Superman: Son of Kal-El, he's assumed the mantle of “Superman,” while his father heads off to deep space for an indefinite period of time.
Why is Jon (a.k.a. Superman) coming out?
Glen Weldon of National Public Radio explains …
“But when you take a step back, the canny strategy DC Comics is employing here comes into sharper focus. They haven't queered their core characters, after all — no, those heavily licensed nuggets of intellectual property resist meaningful change because they must, especially if they're to keep paying out dividends by, among other things, getting printed onto kids' bedsheets.
“So instead the publisher introduces much-needed, long-overdue progress along the edges – a sympathetic villain here, a supporting character there. They re-introduce deep-bench characters that haven't appeared in any comic for decades, and slap 'em with a same-sex partner.
“Finally, they start nudging a few top-tier characters out of the closet – but are always careful never to send 'em out without first attaching an all-important asterisk, as a bulwark against any backlash from homophobic readers (and/or stockholders):
“Superman's queer!*
“*Not the Clark Kent Superman, but his recently-introduced son.
“It's a kind of release valve, that asterisk. It means they can say the thing ('Superman comes out!') that's certain to attract attention – attention in the form of this very article, in point of fact – but they'll always be able to ease the pressure by hitting that valve, and pointing to those all-important asterisks.”
(Glen Weldon. “Superman's son comes out as bisexual in a new comic. It's a big deal – sort of.” NPR. October 11, 2021.)
The young man kisses reporter Jay Nakamura in issue five of the comic book "Superman: Son of Kal-El," which will be released on November 9. (National Coming Out Day is observed on October 11 to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.)
However, Superman: Son of Kal-El writer Tom Taylor (wearing a T-shirt with a rainbow-striped Superman logo) said in an interview from Melbourne, Australia "It's not a gimmick.”
"When I was offered this job, I thought, 'Well, if we're going to have a new Superman for the DC Universe, it feels like a missed opportunity to have another straight white savior," he said.
"We didn't want this to be 'DC Comics creates new queer Superman,'" Taylor said. "We want this to be 'Superman finds himself, becomes Superman and then comes out,' and I think that's a really important distinction there."
(Rollo Ross. “Superman comes out as bisexual; 'not a gimmick,' writer says.” Reuters. October 12, 2021.)
John Timms, the artist on the series, concurred with Taylor's thoughts, adding, "It is a pretty big deal doing it with Jon Kent as Superman. As we have seen Jon grow up in front of our eyes, it will be interesting to see him not only trying to find himself as a person but a global super hero in the complex atmosphere of modern life. On the other hand, I hope this kind of thing will not be seen as a big deal in the future. You could visualize how it could pan in the future when the most powerful man in the world is part of the LGBT community. So many things are on the horizon and beyond."
This latest twist is all part of Jon Kent's larger journey in the DC Universe in 2021 and beyond. Can he truly live up to his father's legacy? Can he find the balance between costumed and civilian lives that's proven so elusive so far? And perhaps most importantly, can he figure out what kind of Superman the world needs now?
Jesse Schedeen of Imagine Games Network reports …
"I think Clark said it best when he left Earth in Jon’s hands. Clark was the Superman of tomorrow. Jon is the Superman for the days after," Taylor says. "The question for Jon (and for our creative team) is, what should a new Superman fight for today? Can a seventeen-year-old Superman battle giant robots while ignoring the climate crisis? Of course not. Can someone with super sight and super hearing ignore injustices beyond his borders? Can he ignore the plight of asylum seekers?"
Taylor continues, "When asking these questions, it’s important to acknowledge that Jon isn’t just the son of Kal-El, he’s also the son of Lois Lane. Jon is the son of the fiercest, most effective journalist on the planet. With that, comes a strong sense of right and wrong, an instinctive dislike of corruption and a strong desire for the truth to win over misinformation. But Jon is young and passionate and sometimes how he tackles things will be a bit heavy-handed. And just like we see in our world, when young people speak truth to power, it ruffles the feathers of certain older people who are used to being the loudest voice in the room."
(Jesse Schedeen. “Exclusive: DC's New Superman Jon Kent Comes Out as Bisexual.” IGN. October 13, 2021.)
Reaction of Conservatives
The announcement sparked a shockwave, as social conservatives seemed confused and unsettled by the news, many under the impression that it was original Superman Clark Kent who had come out, rather than his son.
Superman fans expressed their frustration with Wendy Rogers, Arizona senator, following her insistence that Clark Kent loves "Louis Lane."
Yes, I said “Senator” Rogers.
Rogers' comments come in the wake of DC's announcement that Jon Kent will come out as bisexual in Superman: Son of Kal-El #5. "Superman loves Louis (sic) Lane. Period. Hollywood is trying to make Superman gay and he is not. Just rename the new version 'Thooperman' so we can all know the difference and avoid seeing it," tweeted Rogers. "Say no to Woke Thooperman!!!" she said in separate tweet.
Fans of the character were quick to correct Rogers; while some are poking fun at the ironic typo of "Louis Lane," others are criticizing her for what they consider to be homophobic sentiments.
(Dani Di Placido. “Why ‘Bisexual Superman’ Has Conservatives’ Tights In A Twist.” Forbes. October 12, 2021.)
Phillip Kennedy Johnson, writer of the main Superman title, Action Comics featuring Clark Kent, Superman, posted to Twitter in response to Rogers:
"This is just the best. Thanks so much for reading, Wendy! Don't worry, Louis and Clark's marriage is as secure as ever, as you'll continue to see in the pages of "Action Comics," the Superman (Clark Kent) title. "Superman: Son of Kal-El" follows Jon Kent, their son. To clarify: both father and son are using the title of "Superman" currently, much like two characters go by 'Spider-Man' at Marvel. Like his dad, Jon is a beautiful character with a lot to say about how people should treat one another, and clearly has a lot to teach us …
"Adding Jonathan Kent to the DC Universe in 2015 did not 'subtract' Clark Kent. There is NO REPLACING Clark Kent. Both can exist. Giving more people an A-list superhero that they can see themselves in does not mean that yours – the one you see yourself in – no longer exists. I can't take credit for Jon's creation or the recent development, but I'm proud that he's there. Here's what Clark's descendants look like in coming generations. Like Jon, they look different from him, and they give others the chance to see themselves wearing the S-shield."
(Rich Johnston. “Wendy Rogers Tells America Superman Is Not Gay, He Loves Louis Lane.” Bleeding Cool. October 12, 2021.)
Believe it or not, this is far from the most controversial thing Rogers has tweeted, as Arizona's slate of electors met in Phoenix to formally cast the state's electoral votes for Joe Biden as President, Rogers tweeted out "Buy more ammo", seeing her condemned by Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, and that "We Americans who love this country are being replaced by people who do not love this country" and that "Communists & our enemies are using mass immigration, education, big tech, big corporations & other strategies to accomplish this."
Other Republicans also complained about Superman's sexuality. Josh Mandel, a Republican running for a U.S. Senate seat in Ohio, tweeted: "Bisexual comic books for kids. They are literally trying to destroy America."
Arizona Republican, Josh Barnett, who is running for the U.S. House, asked on Twitter: "Why does Hollywood have to ruin everything?" with a Superman hashtag.
(Jack Dutton. “Arizona State Senator Furious with Superman Being Bisexual, Insists He 'Loves Louis Lane.'” Newsweek. October 12, 2021.)
On Fox News, the outrage continued.
“Why do they sexualize superheroes? Asked Raymond Arroyo, a frequent guest on Laura Ingraham’s show. “We just wanted them to get the bad guys, not venereal disease.”
No comments:
Post a Comment