Northstar Panel at SDCC 2012

[Phil]

1:00-2:00 Northstar: Coming Out to Getting Married!— Northstar, the first openly gay superhero in mainstream comics and a member of both the X-Men and Alpha Flight, came out of the closet 20 years ago-and this year he ties the knot! Northstar has led a challenging life, facing villains, personal challenges, family rivalries, disease, death, and accusations of being put back in the closet. Now Northstar starts a major new chapter in his life, with a high-profile wedding. Prism Comics celebrates Northstar and explores how he and the comics community's attitudes toward LGBTQ characters have changed over the years. Moderator Chance Whitmire (Fanboys of the Universe) delves into the past and the bright future of everyone's favorite gay mutant with guests David Gabriel (VP of sales, Marvel Comics), Phil Jimenez (New X-Men), Marjorie Liu (Astonishing X-Men), Scott Lobdell (Uncanny X-Men), and Jase Peeples (The Advocate magazine). Room 25ABC

http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci12_prog_sat.php

[EccentricSage]

I'd be more excited if his boyfriend were an established character and not a plot device contrived to finally show that Northstar IS allowed to have a sex life.

[Phil]

I dunno... I like the fact that Northstar's dating a non-mutant, non-powered, non-superhero character.
It's in line with his previous relationships and less inbred(for want of a better term) than 'supers must marry supers' such as Storm & Black Panther.

[Sypes]

I agree with Phil. I like that Kyle is non-powered. That said, I still want him to be kicking ass once in a while. And I think we all know Northstar was having a sex life even before getting married. He's just doing it without living in sin anymore!

[-K-M-]

I don't mind Kyle not being depowered actually I like it, but I do not like the fact it does seem kind of forced. We really dont know much about his background or history, he was just there. I just would kind of like more backstory to him is all.

[rplass]

I'm hoping he gets powered somehow. It seems to happen a lot to super-spouses.

[Jason Eberly]

I'd be more excited if his boyfriend were an established character and not a plot device contrived to finally show that Northstar IS allowed to have a sex life.

I agree completely. I don't care that he's non-powered or whatnot, it's just that I don't have any empathy for the character. Kyle just kind of pops up, Northstar says "He's my boyfriend! I love him so much!!" Big near-death experience, so now let's get married. There hasn't been any kind of organic growth of the relationship and Kyle is basically a tabula rasa.

It just feels like a plot device for Marvel to show how faux progressive they are and to get some free publicity.

I'm becoming more afraid that Northstar is becoming overshadowed and defined by his sexuality than the character himself.

[Flightpath07]

it's just that I don't have any empathy for the character

Thank you. i was staying out of this debate, becuz i was unsure of how to discuss what i felt without coming off as attacking Kyle; don't want to be seen as bigoted for that, despite the fact my feelings have nothing to do with his sexuuality. But i completely agree with you on this sentiment.

It just feels like a plot device for Marvel to show how faux progressive they are and to get some free publicity.

NO...NOT from Marvel. lol.

I'm becoming more afraid that Northstar is becoming overshadowed and defined by his sexuality than the character himself.

Again, i agree. This was my issue with his "coming out" way back when. Since when do people's whole lives have to revolve around what sexuality traits and likes they have? To me, Northstar isn't a "gay superhero"; he is "an arrogant prick superhero who loves his sister to the point of obsession and who has a very checkered past. Oh yeah, and he is gay". I don't like defining people this way, it creates an us against them mentality. I have the same issue with Marvel mutants, always closeting themselves away lately and only dealing with their own issues; it creates the "mutants versus mankind" tension, when both mutants and mankind are people, first and foremost.

Bu, enuff about that.

[Phil]

Kyle just kind of pops up, Northstar says "He's my boyfriend! I love him so much!!" Big near-death experience, so now let's get married. There hasn't been any kind of organic growth of the relationship and Kyle is basically a tabula rasa.

It just feels like a plot device for Marvel to show how faux progressive they are and to get some free publicity.

I'm becoming more afraid that Northstar is becoming overshadowed and defined by his sexuality than the character himself.

Oh, I agree with a lot of your points.
But if it had been an established character that JP suddenly met for the first time, started dating and married in the same amount of time, I think that that'd be worse.

[Jason Eberly]

Oh, I agree with a lot of your points.
But if it had been an established character that JP suddenly met for the first time, started dating and married in the same amount of time, I think that that'd be worse.

And I agree with you, fine sir. A problem with today's comic world is it is very hard for new characters to "take hold". Therefore, sometimes it seems that when a company (Marvel, DC, Image, etc.) wants to make a political or moral statement, they shoehorn an established character into that mold. Not a top-tier, character, no...that'd be TOO radical. Usually a peripheral character that is still recognizable but no one had been clamoring for in a while.

Perhaps Freg had intended to draw out the relationship with Kyle, and then Marvel saw a chance to stir the pot and hijacked the relationship when AF was cancelled, but somehow I doubt it.

[Phil]

CBR have a transcript of the panel: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...ticle&id=39892

Interesting to see that Lobdell reckons it was his idea to make Northstar gay (?) and that Marvel apparantly had the wedding planned over a year ago, BEFORE Archie did it, and BEFORE they decided AF was cancelled (Again, ?)...

[Flightpath07]

Can we see it in writing? I mean, are there dated notes from that far back that prove that was Marvel's intention, or are they just trying to sound like they are more progressive than Archie Comics? I hate to say that i don't believe anything that Marvel says, but i don't believe anything that Marvel says (without proof).

[Phil]

Yeah, that was my point with the question mark. Sounds dubious and doesn't quite mesh with the timeline.

[Jason Eberly]

I don't know about Marvel's intention, but what Lobdell said is just silly. Not only has Byrne said at least once that I remember that Northstar was meant to be gay, but even stupid teenage me back in the 80's recognized all the clues that JB had dropped that Northstar was gay.

Of course, this is the same Lobdell who can't keep his own stories straight, since, after months of saying Tim Drake was still Robin in the New DC, at SDCC he now says that Tim Drake was NEVER Robin.