DC LGBTQ+ Characters 2021 appreciation

[witchboy]

On the subject of Kon, he has been portrayed as hetero on the surface absolutely.
If they wanted to have come out as bi though, I think there's room to make it believable. He's always been someone who's very concerned about his image, how the public and people around him perceive him, projecting a macho, womanizing heroic persona. I think just addressing that he thought being gay/bi went against that would be enough to make it be believable. Possibly say that Tim is the only guy he wanted, and Tim was back and forth with Steph, possibly that he didn't say anything because he didn't think Tim thought of him that way and/or wasn't into guys, and it builds a credible case for a queer Kon.

[The Invincible Beawulf]

Tim's story continues in next week's Batman UL #10:

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/tim-...r-months-late/

[J. D. Guy]

Tim's story continues in next week's Batman UL #10:

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/tim-...r-months-late/

Oh, I thought this issue had been delayed, but it seems to be releasing in December as scheduled.

[ZuLuLu]

Jon Kent and Jackson Hyde team up in Superman: Son of Kal-El #7.


variant cover by InHyuk Lee

[J. D. Guy]

Jon Kent and Jackson Hyde team up in Superman: Son of Kal-El #7.


variant cover by InHyuk Lee

This looks too good! I love it! I can always appreciate artist's takes for Jon's Superman having a athletics-slim physique. That, in turn, compliments Jackson's Aquaman having the more built diver's physique.

Jon's supposed to be plugging how nose because he's underwater, but optics make it have a different implication, which is kinda weird and a little funny.

[The Invincible Beawulf]

Oh, I thought this issue had been delayed, but it seems to be releasing in December as scheduled.

I also thought that, but here we are. Hope it will be a nice & heartwarming Batman & Robin story. Based on the solicitation, it will be indeed:

A Carol of Bats by Meghan Fitzmartin and Alberto Albuquerque Jimenez: "Tim finds himself troubled by Bruce's state of mind, which is having an impact on Tim's recent happiness and his new relationship with Bernard. Will solving a new case together be just the thing to help, or will it add to the sudden distance that Tim feels growing between him and the man who helped raise him?"


Oh, I forgot that there'll be a JLQ, Vixen, & Harley Quinn story released next week as part of the 2021 holiday special:
https://bleedingcool.com/comics/tis-...ys-not-likely/

[Robanker]

I also thought that, but here we are. Hope it will be a nice & heartwarming Batman & Robin story. Based on the solicitation, it will be indeed:

A Carol of Bats by Meghan Fitzmartin and Alberto Albuquerque Jimenez: "Tim finds himself troubled by Bruce's state of mind, which is having an impact on Tim's recent happiness and his new relationship with Bernard. Will solving a new case together be just the thing to help, or will it add to the sudden distance that Tim feels growing between him and the man who helped raise him?"


Oh, I forgot that there'll be a JLQ, Vixen, & Harley Quinn story released next week as part of the 2021 holiday special:
https://bleedingcool.com/comics/tis-...ys-not-likely/

I'm torn about this new status quo for Tim. On the one hand, I always liked him and Steph. Still do. On the other hand, I'm overjoyed at the concept of a superhero getting a civilian love interest and I am aware Bernard was in Tim's Robin run, but he's a bit flat as a character since re-introduced. Obviously, he hasn't had a ton of page time, but I do hope that if we continue to have Tim date Bernard, he gets developed as a character as well so we can like him as more than just Tim's queer affirmation.

I'm a bit concerned because of how DC turned Poison Ivy from her own character with motivations to Harley's girlfriend and nothing else, effectively hamstringing her character for years. They do seem to care about representation, but the best love interests are also those who are interesting themselves, so I want to see more development for Bernard somewhere along the line. Also, just throwing this out there, don't make him a hero or villain. Since they hooked up, every Poison Ivy story (save the mini by Amy Chu) has been about her relationship with Harley Quinn. Pretty sad to see that happen to a woman who had her own **** going on. :/

If nothing else, Bernard is a lot better than Jon's boyfriend Jay by virtue of being something different. Jay is just Jon's Lois, which is just fucking weird.

I want to see better from DC. I love a good romance in comics, but that requires we care about the other half of the equation, not just the protagonist who we're already buying the book for.

[Frontier]

I'm torn about this new status quo for Tim. On the one hand, I always liked him and Steph. Still do. On the other hand, I'm overjoyed at the concept of a superhero getting a civilian love interest and I am aware Bernard was in Tim's Robin run, but he's a bit flat as a character since re-introduced. Obviously, he hasn't had a ton of page time, but I do hope that if we continue to have Tim date Bernard, he gets developed as a character as well so we can like him as more than just Tim's queer affirmation.

I'm a bit concerned because of how DC turned Poison Ivy from her own character with motivations to Harley's girlfriend and nothing else, effectively hamstringing her character for years. They do seem to care about representation, but the best love interests are also those who are interesting themselves, so I want to see more development for Bernard somewhere along the line. Also, just throwing this out there, don't make him a hero or villain. Since they hooked up, every Poison Ivy story (save the mini by Amy Chu) has been about her relationship with Harley Quinn. Pretty sad to see that happen to a woman who had her own **** going on. :/

If nothing else, Bernard is a lot better than Jon's boyfriend Jay by virtue of being something different. Jay is just Jon's Lois, which is just fucking weird.

I want to see better from DC. I love a good romance in comics, but that requires we care about the other half of the equation, not just the protagonist who we're already buying the book for.

I think if any Robin made sense to have a civilian love interest, it would be Tim, but Bernard just seems too much like male!Steph to me.

[Robanker]

I think if any Robin made sense to have a civilian love interest, it would be Tim, but Bernard just seems too much like male!Steph to me.

I agree, Tim's the one to date a civilian (and he's got more history of it than the others), but yeah. I just want Bernard to actually develop into someone unique other than "generic but nice guy."

You gotta sell me that he's more than just a badge to prove Tim is queer since they broke up Tim's most popular pairing (with Stephanie) to go this route. I'm fine with that, as I think both characters can benefit from it, but I want to see them develop Tim's new love interest.

[J. D. Guy]

If nothing else, Bernard is a lot better than Jon's boyfriend Jay by virtue of being something different. Jay is just Jon's Lois, which is just fucking weird.

While the Jay and Lois parallels are obvious and purposeful (Lois and her ideals and their legacy has been positioned as being important in this run, after all), for one thing, I don't see how it's weird. The parallels are there, but that doesn't mean Jay is Lois. For another, Jay has been shown to be unique enough his own character, with more insights to come, that you're really unfairly oversimplifying Jay. He's also still pretty new, so for as much as we do know of him, there's plenty of time to learn more and see him and Jon expand.

Frankly, I'm loving Jay. And Jon with Jay, especially the prospects of them being a couple and duo. (They've only just got together, after all.)

[Frontier]

I agree, Tim's the one to date a civilian (and he's got more history of it than the others), but yeah. I just want Bernard to actually develop into someone unique other than "generic but nice guy."

You gotta sell me that he's more than just a badge to prove Tim is queer since they broke up Tim's most popular pairing (with Stephanie) to go this route. I'm fine with that, as I think both characters can benefit from it, but I want to see them develop Tim's new love interest.

I'm still not sure he isn't.

[Robanker]

While the Jay and Lois parallels are obvious and purposeful (Lois and her ideals and their legacy has been positioned as being important in this run, after all), for one thing, I don't see how it's weird. The parallels are there, but that doesn't mean Jay is Lois. For another, Jay has been shown to be unique enough his own character, with more insights to come, that you're really unfairly oversimplifying Jay. He's also still pretty new, so for as much as we do know of him, there's plenty of time to learn more and see him and Jon expand.

Frankly, I'm loving Jay. And Jon with Jay, especially the prospects of them being a couple and duo. (They've only just got together, after all.)

I would argue Lois's ideals should be apparent in the run through her son instead of the guy he's dating, but hey, what do I know?

I will admit I'm exasperated that their idea to make Jon his own character was to grow him up and have him date a purple-eyed firebrand journalist (you know, Lois Lane) is really goddamn annoying. It's even more tiresome when the character worships Jon's mother, Lois. It makes sense that a journalist would look up to her, but for Pete's sake, did we really need the next Superman to also fall in love with a journalist?

I just wish Jay was anything but a journalist. It continues the trend of Jon essentially being Clark-lite.

* Looks exactly like his dad. At least give him Lois's purple eyes, but no, Jay gets those to remind you of Jon's mother I guess?
* At times, even speaks using his mannerisms (this was more a Bendis thing, but to Taylor's credit, is becoming less an issue)
* Has a significant relationship with the Bat of his generation.
* Had adventures as Superboy with the Legion of Super-Heroes, including a whirlwind romance there.
* Operates in Metropolis and dates a firebrand reporter with purple eyes.

He's just his dad right now. Jay was an easy way to swerve left and have his love life be something unique to him, but aside from dating a man instead of woman, Jon continues to essentially be DC's "same Superman taste, no Superman baggage" approach to building their new Man of Steel.

I've loved Jon since we met him in Convergence: Superman #2, but goddamn if DC isn't just using the most uninspired ideas (sans making him bisexual, which is a great idea) to try and make him interesting since the age-up. It's just been "graft as much of daddy on him as you can and hope people want a Superman who we don't need to write as carefully as Superman!"

I'm still not sure he isn't.

Right now, that's kind of all he is, but they've had so little page time I don't know how much they could have really done anything else. Now that they've hooked those two up, it's time to develop them.

[The Invincible Beawulf]

I just wish Jay was anything but a journalist. It continues the trend of Jon essentially being Clark-lite.

* Looks exactly like his dad. At least give him Lois's purple eyes, but no, Jay gets those to remind you of Jon's mother I guess?
* At times, even speaks using his mannerisms (this was more a Bendis thing, but to Taylor's credit, is becoming less an issue)
* Has a significant relationship with the Bat of his generation.
* Had adventures as Superboy with the Legion of Super-Heroes, including a whirlwind romance there.
* Operates in Metropolis and dates a firebrand reporter with purple eyes.

He's just his dad right now. Jay was an easy way to swerve left and have his love life be something unique to him, but aside from dating a man instead of woman, Jon continues to essentially be DC's "same Superman taste, no Superman baggage" approach to building their new Man of Steel.

Maybe DC's main intention is to make Jon Clark-lite

[garazza]

Maybe DC's main intention is to make Jon Clark-lite

Seems a bit redundant to make Jon into another Clark when already have the actual Clark Kent. Same thing with there being two teenaged Superboys with Conner. Jon as a kid is what made him unique and interesting regardless of any complaints that he was stale (despite having been literally created a couple years before the age up) and also just like his dad (he would've developed more of his own personality if he wasn't aged up and allowed grow up normally). How DC can go from knowing what to do with Jon to not knowing what to do with him is utterly bizarre.

The only "good" thing to come out of the age up was his coming out and that could've been done when he was a kid and would've been a hundred times more interesting and groundbreaking because I came out when I was Jon's real age and showing that kids can be queer is such an important message.

[The Invincible Beawulf]

Seems a bit redundant to make Jon into another Clark when already have the actual Clark Kent. Same thing with there being two teenaged Superboys with Conner. Jon as a kid is what made him unique and interesting regardless of any complaints that he was stale (despite having been literally created a couple years before the age up) and also just like his dad (he would've developed more of his own personality if he wasn't aged up and allowed grow up normally). How DC can go from knowing what to do with Jon to not knowing what to do with him is utterly bizarre.

The only "good" thing to come out of the age up was his coming out and that could've been done when he was a kid and would've been a hundred times more interesting and groundbreaking because I came out when I was Jon's real age and showing that kids can be queer is such an important message.

Yeah, it's a bit redundant indeed. I'm not really interested in Clark-lite young adult Jon, I'd have cared more about kid Jon. But let's see & try to enjoy Taylor's run. Maybe he'll manage to find Jon's own voice & make him different from Clark. One can only hope.

So far I have the impression that Jon is a mixture of Golden Age & New 52 Clark Kent/Kal-El. Plus, how he looks like (Clark's baby-blues, black hair, etc) - he's Clark Jr, he's so cute