GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) has announced its nominees for its 20th annual media awards. Among its comic book nominees are:
The Alcoholic by Jonathan Ames (Vertigo/DC Comics)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb and Joss Whedon (Dark Horse Comics)
Final Crisis: Revelations by Greg Rucka (DC Comics)
Secret Six by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott (DC Comics)
Young Avengers Presents by Ed Brubaker, Brian Reed, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Paul Cornell, Kevin Grevioux and Matt Fraction (Marvel Comics)
January 27th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Nice choices
Well there weren’t many to choose from… but still! And it’s great because all of these nominees wasn’t about being gay. Just had strong characters who just happened to be gay.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
What, not love for the Authority’s dynamic couple, Apollo and Midnighter? BOOOOO!
January 27th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
I hope Secret Six wins.
January 27th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
What, no Batwoman comic? Oh, right – no Batwoman comic (yet).
January 27th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Buffy for the win!
January 27th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Definately Buffy for the win… I am kind of surprised Midniter isn’t on there too. Brian K Vaughan did a great love/battle issue a while back.
C’mon Marvel, pick up the pace!!!!
January 27th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Manhunter? The Authority? Gen13? Crime Bible? Midnighter?
Young Avengers Presents was absolutely off-base in writing the gay characters – it was painful to read – I don’t know why the heck it was nominated.
And yeah, Marvel you look more and more like a frat house compared to other publishers.
January 27th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Read the Alcoholic, great stuff, great writer.
This hardback GN took me totally by surprise.
January 27th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
“What, no Batwoman comic?”
Well, she’s a fairly major character in Final Crisis: Revelations. Does that count?
January 27th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
where is Manhunter on this list??? Buffy and Final Crisis are just more examples of titillating lesbians included for straight fanboys. Mere inclusion is NOT representation.
January 27th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Where the hell is Y: The Last Man? Best book out there.
January 27th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
What about New X-Men or Young X-Men?
January 27th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Dom, the writer of Young Avengers, Allan Heinberg, is gay. He might be a bad writer in your opinion, but saying he is “absolutely off-base in writing gay characters” is a bit unwarranted.
And fanboi, Joss Whedon doesn’t write for titillation. He respects his characters too much for that. Buffy’s lesbian experience was about her emotional development, and sexual exploration is a part of that. Feel free to disagree, but he is well-known as an avid and thoughtful feminist. I think there are a lot of writers far more deserving of accusations of objectification than him.
I’ll grant you that Renee Montoya’s (I refuse to call her “The Question”) appearance in 52 was almost entirely about titillation. I mean, really, she deals with her depression with promiscuity? Can’t she get drunk like everyone else?
January 27th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
TBF, Void, Heinberg didn’t work on YA:P, but Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa did, and he is also gay.
Anyway, I’m of two minds on this. My personal bias is for Secret Six to win, because I think it’s the best BOOK on the list. But I feel that the best PORTRAYAL of a gay character is in The Alcoholic. As much as I love Scandal Savage, and like the way Gail has handled her mourning Knockout, there’s just something incredibly moving about Jonathan A. trying to make a friendship work with a man who is in love with him and can’t bear to be around him because of it.
January 27th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
I hope revelations wins. I liked the religious imagery with out gay characters. So often gay people have been on the end of religious hatred and for a well written book to say that god doesn’t give up on people because of their sexuality is great. Plus its understated. Never has Renee or Kate’s sexuality been overly pointed at beyond their concern and affection for one another.
January 27th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
It would be nice to see Young Liars on that list but David Lapham doesn’t portray anyone in a positive light in that series
January 27th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
@Fanboi
Where are the “titillating lesbians” in Final Crisis Revelations.
January 27th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
hit submit too early.
Revelations is about Montoya trying to survive the end of the world and maybe help save it.
There hasn’t even been a hint of titillation and honestly it makes me wonder if you’ve read the story.
January 27th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
I feel,as a gay man, a little guilty for not picking up and supporting some of these titles. The one I do buy, Secret Six, gets my vote anyway for being a great read that actually got me to add the title to my pull list after the second issue.
January 28th, 2009 at 1:29 am
It doesn’t matter if either writer on Wiccan or Hulkling’s Presents is gay; the fact is that it was completely out of character, and, from a gay perspective painful to read.
January 28th, 2009 at 1:46 am
“but David Lapham doesn’t portray anyone in a positive light in that series”
you know, I would’ve thought that portraying a gay character as just another person, no different from any of the straight characters, would be considered a positive step in the overall conversation.
But maybe I’m biased, because I dig that book (and anything creator-controlled by Lapham).
January 28th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Secret Six is the best book on there (I haven’t read the Alcoholic), and deserves to win for being able to have a same sex relationship that comes off as authentic, while also being a great book overall.
Final Crisis Revelations?
That seems like it was chosen just because Montoya and Batwoman are in it. And even then, Batwoman has been a VERY minor character relegated to being a mind-controlled plot-device.
Young Avengers and Buffy?
These always just came across as shoehorned in for the sake of being edgy and topical.
January 28th, 2009 at 11:26 am
I hope Secret Six wins.