Early evidence of Northstar's homosexuality

[Zach]

There is another hint about Northstar's orientation in issue 10. During the origin section when Mac is talking to him, he says "You had it all--money, fame, women...Although the women don't seem to have interested you overmuch."

[ladymako71]

well I can tell you that I first learned which way JP swings when AF #106 made the front page of the Honolulu Star Bulletin. I had seen AF in the comic shop but had never really given it much thought. I was already collecting 20+ titles at the time and was daunted financially there...lol damn college poverty. The issue itself got blah reviews in the article for being to fast paced and not really in depth considering it was a 'major milestone for a Marvel Comics character'

I remember the article also had a positive light with saying Marvel was doing good by showing different sides of current culture and that acceptance isn't a bad thing. I wish I still had the bloody thing but alas. =/ I only wish that Marvel had gone further with it instead of saying 'look we have a gay guy too!'

[jay042]

John Byrne says so himself

[Phil]

Then there you go.

We have fact, speculation over.

That was all people wanted to see.

Cheers Jay.

[DelBubs]

So Northstars gay then ? What about his boyfriend ?

[SwiftFox]

Then there you go.

We have fact, speculation over.

That was all people wanted to see.

Cheers Jay.

Not to be argumentative by any means... but what exactly did that solve? There was no dispute over whether JP was gay or that Byrne intended that..

My only argument is that just because JP said "Hi" and not "Hello" in issue 14, that wasn't a sign of his homosexuality. I mean that is an obvious exaggeration but some of the speculations have seemed almost that ridiculous.

[Phil]

Don't take things the wrong way mate, I'm with you on the points you raised, and was trying to argue the case that people can't just say stuff now in hindsight, as evidenced by my earlier comments in the thread.

I wasn't trying to solve anything, so apologies if I expressed that poorly.

I just mean that on that particular issue, we have Byrne's comments that it was intentionally written as a sign, and didn't want this whole thing spirally out of control.

[SwiftFox]

LOL Phil No apologies needed. It's so hard in pure text sometimes to get the right attitude across and all. I think I came across the wrong way there..

I think I missed your point overall... thats what I get for posting when my mind is elsewhere (Spider-man 2 for Xbox...)

Alll is good.

[beetleblack]

I want more concrete proof so we have no doubt at all - I'd like to see Northstar carrying an oversized pink handbag like the one Tinky-Winky carries around in The Teletubbies, wherever he goes, that should do it

[kozzi24]

Learn something new every day...!

It could mean what toffee-nosed means...

"toffee-nosed - snobbish; pretentiously superior "
"toffee-nosed
adjective UK INFORMAL DISAPPROVING
People who are toffee-nosed consider themselves to be better than other people, especially than people of a lower social class:
- He's a toffee-nosed git - take no notice of him!"

My point was that Byrne was choosing words carefully to to hint to Northstar's sexual identity, and the article seems to prove that. Byrne was dropping hints where he could. I'm not saying I figured it out from the toffee nosed remark, but put that with all the other hints that were in existence by the time Mantlo's obvious disdain came into play, and it was all there for me, particularly with the number of times I had read Byrne's run.

I had taken the toffee nose comment as one of those hints, unaware of meaning in UK or elsewhere. The closest term I had heard was of someone beeing a brownnose or brown noser, meaning that they kissed the ass of bosses, teachers, etc, just do be liked or better grade, raise. That sense certainly is not in NS's personality.

[jay042]

I want more concrete proof so we have no doubt at all - I'd like to see Northstar carrying an oversized pink handbag like the one Tinky-Winky carries around in The Teletubbies, wherever he goes, that should do it

This was the era of the Comics Code, and Byrne had to be sly about this if he wanted to get it approved. That's why there was no concrete evidence that JP was gay. Northstar was never the flamboyant effete stereotype. His sex life was honsetly nobody's damned business and he made that quite clear. Adding those qualities into the character obviously made him much more interesting for Byrne to write.


As for Tinky Winky, no he is not gay, he's just very British

[Phil]

As for Tinky Winky, no he is not gay, he's just very British

I think you'd find there's a few of us on here that'd disagree with that :P

[ladymako71]

LMAO believe it or not Phil the 'tinky winky is very british' thing was a response here in the states to the gay claims...heaven forbid that parents let their toddlers watch a flaming homosexual on the telly...in the states? good god! the very idea! </sarcasm>

[Phil]

If he'd have carried a bowler hat, umbrella and briefcase I'd understand :P

[ladymako71]

^^ just remember where the assertion came up in, in the first...

As for the actual thread...Seeing as I have only begun collecting AF with this volumn, I would only be adding to the 'it's all so clear to me in hindsight!' bit. But then me best mate back in Hawai'i is a drag queen who would probably shoot me if I did so...said mate is also a bigger comic book nut then me...and that's saying quite a bit.