Which gay or lesbian character should get a solo on-going post-SECRET WARS?

[Fokken]

She got in on the texting in Original Sins, too. But, would she come hang out and punch the Hood?

No.

I'm still a little disappointed in her and her no-punching decision, though it was a nice little boys night out.

She was on a date, if I recall.
Depending on the date, I wouldn't go hang out and punch the Hood either.

[silence.]

I went for Wiccan but I also want a Storm series where she's exploring her bisexuality more and crying over Wolverine's corpse much less.

[t hedge coke]

She was on a date, if I recall.
Depending on the date, I wouldn't go hang out and punch the Hood either.

She was. I'm being sort of facetious. Noh-Varr tries to get her to come anyway, I think, because it'll impress her date.

(And, for some reason, I can't see the image you posted.)

[Holt]

She was. I'm being sort of facetious. Noh-Varr tries to get her to come anyway, I think, because it'll impress her date.

(And, for some reason, I can't see the image you posted.)

I wonder if we'll ever find who the girl was.

[Kieran_Frost]

I wonder if we'll ever find who the girl was.

If we don't get a reboot maybe we will in Season 4

[MichaelC]

Jubilee. I want her and X-23 to have a Power-Man/Iron Fist style book.

[Tiamatty]

Jubilee. I want her and X-23 to have a Power-Man/Iron Fist style book.

Neither of them are lesbians. At most, they could be bisexual. This thread is specifically for debating which gay or lesbian character would make a great solo star.

That said, I think we all want that book. Those two had the best chemistry in X-23's solo. Like, even setting aside any lesbian undertones, they just made such a compelling pair.

[Joe Acro]

I didn't want this thread to get bogged down in a "should they or shouldn't they" debate, so I branched that off: http://community.comicbookresources....own-solo-title

[ed2962]

I voted for Northstar too, but most of the LGBT mutant characters really aren't equipped to handle a solo series, tbh. The over-crowded approach to team books over the past decade, the frequent changes in characterization from writer to writer, and spotlight that's largely absent save for when they're being used for headlines or PSAs means that most of them haven't had the focus needed to build up popularity.

But I'd sure as hell like to see someone give it a shot!

I think I mentioned it in another thread months ago, but I think a Northstar ongoing could be really groundbreaking with an informed and intelligent writer. You have a main character who's not only gay but married. He's part of the 616 but he operates from a place and culture that's not NY. He's a hero but he has a semi-shady past ( cheating to be a ski champ, ties to a separatist movement?). He's a mutant superhero but not caught up in the X-Men dramas.

It could be a chance to build a new type of superhero mythos

[t hedge coke]

I think I mentioned it in another thread months ago, but I think a Northstar ongoing could be really groundbreaking with an informed and intelligent writer. You have a main character who's not only gay but married. He's part of the 616 but he operates from a place and culture that's not NY. He's a hero but he has a semi-shady past ( cheating to be a ski champ, ties to a separatist movement?). He's a mutant superhero but not caught up in the X-Men dramas.

It could be a chance to build a new type of superhero mythos

Northstar's not a personable guy, though, and that tends not to make for the most long-lasting lead. He's conceited, short-tempered, withdrawn...

[Anduinel]

Northstar's not a personable guy, though, and that tends not to make for the most long-lasting lead. He's conceited, short-tempered, withdrawn...

Doesn't stop Namor from getting a new title every few years. Sustaining reader interest is usually less about making a character likable than it is about making them interesting. (Otherwise we're left wondering how the likes of Mystique and Daken were ever considered for solos.) Yeah, Northstar has a short fuse and a sharp tongue, but he's also loyal, self-confident, business savvy, generally gives few shits about what others think, has a tragic past, etc. Lots of ingredients there character-wise to make an interesting 12 issues.

I think the big potential weakness in a Northstar solo would be the lack of a strong rogues gallery. He's got what? Dept. H? Deadly Ernst? Pink Pearl? One Million Moms? (OK, maybe Loki would count, but still...)

[Kieran_Frost]

Okay; with three clear winners; let's expand this, and play "creative". What are the various stories you would tell with the on-goings?

ICEMAN
Would it be "Iceman" or IceMEN? (i.e. adult and 05 as costars)
Who would be the five primary allies/supporting cast? And of them who would be the main ally (Foggy to Daredevil, Sera to Angela)
Who would be the main villain?
Name three antagonists through-out the series.
Should it be primarily X-world, or intentionally not X-verse?
If there was a love interest, who would you pick?
Who would you like as the creative team (writer/artist)?

MAC
Would you keep MAC's current costume?
Who would be the five primary allies/supporting cast? And of them who would be the main ally (Foggy to Daredevil, Sera to Angela)
Who would be the main villain?
Name three antagonists through-out the series.
Would you have it primarily 616 based OR would you have MAC travelling dimensions (Exiles style?)
Would you introduce MAC's secret date from the recent mini OR would you keep her off screen (so MAC can protect her from enemies; Maris in Fraiser style?)
Who would you like as the creative team (writer/artist)?

WICCAN/HULKLING
Would it be a couple comic or would it be primarily a Wiccan or a Hulkling book, with the other as the primary ally?
Who would be the five primary allies/supporting cast? And of them who would be the main ally (Foggy to Daredevil, Sera to Angela)
Who would be the main villain?
Name three antagonists through-out the series.
Would you like Wiccan to interact with the X-verse in it?
Would it mostly happen on Earth OR in space with the Kree/in magical realms like limbo or Otherworld?
Who would you like as the creative team (writer/artist)?

I didn't want this thread to get bogged down in a "should they or shouldn't they" debate, so I branched that off: http://community.comicbookresources....own-solo-title

Awesome; thank you Joe

Neither of them are lesbians. At most, they could be bisexual. This thread is specifically for debating which gay or lesbian character would make a great solo star.

I assume that was a reference to the recent Battleworld Runaways comic; which had them as a former couple. Were they confirmed bi in the series, or lesbians?

[t hedge coke]

Doesn't stop Namor from getting a new title every few years. Sustaining reader interest is usually less about making a character likable than it is about making them interesting. (Otherwise we're left wondering how the likes of Mystique and Daken were ever considered for solos.) Yeah, Northstar has a short fuse and a sharp tongue, but he's also loyal, self-confident, business savvy, generally gives few shits about what others think, has a tragic past, etc. Lots of ingredients there character-wise to make an interesting 12 issues.

I'll give you twelve issues. Namor's solo stuff hasn't lasted particularly long, in general, has it? I think he's better suited to twelve issue or less, or group dynamics stuff, even if you nicen him, like the Andi Watson series.

Daken and Mystique are charming and unpleasant. Northstar just doesn't charm, it's not his thing.

You have to give characters like that some likable underdog for audience perspective, if you're going to stretch it out for a long time and make it last/work. And his husband's just as sharp as he is, so that's not going to help.

You could invent new enemies, though, or borrow from elsewhere. I don't worry about the villains, so much.

[Tiamatty]

Okay; with three clear winners; let's expand this, and play "creative". What are the various stories you would tell with the on-goings?

ICEMAN
Would it be "Iceman" or IceMEN? (i.e. adult and 05 as costars)
Who would be the five primary allies/supporting cast? And of them who would be the main ally (Foggy to Daredevil, Sera to Angela)
Who would be the main villain?
Name three antagonists through-out the series.
Should it be primarily X-world, or intentionally not X-verse?
If there was a love interest, who would you pick?
Who would you like as the creative team (writer/artist)?

I think, with an Iceman solo, I'd be inclined to really push the whole "mutant as metaphor" angle. I'd definitely have him out among normal people, and I'd have him facing lots of hate and lots of love, over his being a mutant. I'd probably go with Teen Bobby, rather than a duo book, and I'd likely have Teen Beast as one of the main supporting characters. I'd give him a girl friend who's really politically active, and who's just so excited to have a mutant friend. Definitely a cute boy he crushes on, but he doesn't really know how to approach, and have him worrying about not being good enough. I would definitely keep Bobby neurotic and full of self-doubt - that, to me, defines the character more than anything else. No idea for main villain, minor antagonists could be pretty much anyone.

For creative team, I'm thinking Jen Van Meter for writer. Her handling of the gay romance in the second and third volumes of Hopeless Savages - I will never tire of posting the below image - was really good. She can do humour, she can do teen drama, she can do romance so damned well. She's just a great writer. Artist, I'm not picky. Just about anyone could probably do a reasonable job. I'd be inclined to go with someone who has a bit of a lighter style. Less superhero, more teen drama. Someone like Stacey Lee would be a great choice.

twitch.jpg

MAC
Would you keep MAC's current costume?
Who would be the five primary allies/supporting cast? And of them who would be the main ally (Foggy to Daredevil, Sera to Angela)
Who would be the main villain?
Name three antagonists through-out the series.
Would you have it primarily 616 based OR would you have MAC travelling dimensions (Exiles style?)
Would you introduce MAC's secret date from the recent mini OR would you keep her off screen (so MAC can protect her from enemies; Maris in Fraiser style?)
Who would you like as the creative team (writer/artist)?

Chavez has a current costume? Psh! I'd go the McKelvie route of having her changing her clothes regularly. I'd have 616 be the reality she spends the most time in, but she'd travel to others. I wouldn't have her still dating the random woman from the mini. I would probably have her hook up with someone at some point. I'm not sure about the creative team. I feel like she'd be an easy character for most creators to have fun with. But hell, let's go with Jen Van Meter again. And Emma Rios for art, because I love Emma Rios so much!

WICCAN/HULKLING
Would it be a couple comic or would it be primarily a Wiccan or a Hulkling book, with the other as the primary ally?
Who would be the five primary allies/supporting cast? And of them who would be the main ally (Foggy to Daredevil, Sera to Angela)
Who would be the main villain?
Name three antagonists through-out the series.
Would you like Wiccan to interact with the X-verse in it?
Would it mostly happen on Earth OR in space with the Kree/in magical realms like limbo or Otherworld?
Who would you like as the creative team (writer/artist)?

I'd probably be inclined to focus on one or the other. A Wiccan solo would have a lot of focus on his complicated family situation, a Hulkling solo would have a lot of focus on his heritage. Wiccan would be mystically-oriented, Hulkling would be a space adventure. And creative team, screw it, Jen Van Meter and Emma Rios, because if I'm going to wish, I may as well wish big.

I assume that was a reference to the recent Battleworld Runaways comic; which had them as a former couple. Were they confirmed bi in the series, or lesbians?

I think it was actually a reference to the borderline pornographic levels of subtext between Jubilee and Laura in Marjorie Liu's X-23 run. As far as Runaways, Pixie is confirmed bi there - she dated Jubilee but flirts with Tyrone - but Jubilee's sexuality is unconfirmed.

[Anduinel]

I'll give you twelve issues. Namor's solo stuff hasn't lasted particularly long, in general, has it? I think he's better suited to twelve issue or less, or group dynamics stuff, even if you nicen him, like the Andi Watson series.

Eh, 12 issues is around the expected run for a solo book anymore, which is why I went with that number. There are happy exceptions (Hawkeye, Ms Marvel) and the usual big names can hold their own, but 12 - 18 issues seems to be the trend. Loki, for example, has barely made it to 15 and is probably a goner as of SW, though his star's been rising since the first Thor movie. Black Widow is in the same boat. Elecktra and She-Hulk both had unique styles (maybe a bit too much so in She-Hulk's case) and it didn't help. Storm barely limped to 11 issues. I'll be shocked if Squirrel Girl sees 12 issues (being likable only gets you so far, I suspect) and I suspect Angela won't see much beyond it.

I'm not saying that this is a fault with the characters or even the books, but it tends to be what the attention span of the current readership allows for. I suspect that reality is part of the reason Marvel's going with their new "season" approach.

Daken and Mystique are charming and unpleasant. Northstar just doesn't charm, it's not his thing.

That's going to be a YMMV situation, I think. Neither one strikes me as charming, just manipulative (which has its own appeal, don't get me wrong). And even then, I think Mystique's solo only just made it to its second year in a stronger market.

You have to give characters like that some likable underdog for audience perspective, if you're going to stretch it out for a long time and make it last/work. And his husband's just as sharp as he is, so that's not going to help.

He's a orphaned double minority with intimacy issues who tries to look out for his mentally-ill sister (who's rarely appreciated it) in a world that fears and hates him. (Sorry, couldn't resist.) Not something that gets explored a lot these days, but it's all part of his background. I'm not sure where the perception of Kyle being as sharp-tongued as Northstar comes from though; he's generally portrayed as the nicer, grounded one and his moments of sharpness tend to come when he's pointing out that his husband's being an ass.

You could invent new enemies, though, or borrow from elsewhere. I don't worry about the villains, so much.

It's something that can be worked around sure, but I seriously think it's a deficiency that helped sink Storm's solo. A hero is only as interesting at the threats he's up against and all of that.