The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Why I’m A Gay Spiderman Fan

Posted on | August 4, 2011 | 18 Comments

by Smitty

Once again, I’m not tracking the uproar over the recent Progress made in comic book characters. While the World’s Youngest Blogger isn’t yet into comics, I remember fondly collecting comics for several years.

That I may not agree with the direction some comics I used to enjoy are taking seems more an opportunity than a problem, to me. Guys like Muir at Day By Day can be relied upon to produce work that is more in keeping with the American tradition.

It’s a fantastic thing that Marvel Comics is following their muse and producing the comics they feel have a market. Just that, in the privacy of my own home, we’ll be addressing the secular culture with, let us say, clarity.

This is what I mean about laughing, rather than shooting the messenger. Leave the caustic tone to the Left.

Category: Uncategorized

Comments

18 Responses to “Why I’m A Gay Spiderman Fan”

  1. Dave C
    August 4th, 2011 @ 9:57 pm

    Wait…  He wasn’t gay before?

    How do you explain his costume then? 

  2. Joe
    August 4th, 2011 @ 10:29 pm

    I assume Marvel just felt like it had to compete with DC’s gay superheroes. 

  3. Joe
    August 5th, 2011 @ 12:18 am

    When your market is primarily teenage boys. 

    When actual “gays” are probably 2%  of the population (if that). 

    And when one of the more feared slurs as a teenage boy is to be labled gay…

    Is it any surprise a gay character called “Northstar” is not going to be popular. 

    Well it is either that or becase he is Canadian. 

  4. Anonymous
    August 5th, 2011 @ 12:57 am

    These were the same jerks who put out the Avengers as a TV cartoon where Thor was protesting whaling with Greenpeace. Thor, whose idea of a proper guest gift was a couple of dead  whales on a stringer like catfish….

  5. Dave C
    August 5th, 2011 @ 1:13 am

    It was the ‘Ultimates’ universe..   Where all the characters were re-imagined and were able to start over with a clean slate..  

    Same characters, same setting, entirely new continuity of story line..  

    Gave a little bit more freedom to some of the writers where they weren’t tied down to 20 odd years of storylines needing to adhered too..

    It wasn’t the real Spidey..  

  6. Spider-Man Undergoes Race-ectomy? « NATION OF COWARDS
    August 4th, 2011 @ 9:40 pm

    […] to say Smitty at The Other McCain manages to get it exactly backwards on this issue. Tags: genocide, miles morales, multi-cultural spiderman, spider man, […]

  7. Theblogprof
    August 5th, 2011 @ 1:59 am

    Thanks a bunch for the link!

  8. ThePaganTemple
    August 5th, 2011 @ 2:20 am

    Joe, it might well be that only 2% of the population is gay, but I have a strong suspicion they all either read comic books or are involved at the creative end. Look at the way some of these characters are portrayed. The Destroyer, an old Thor villain, has been drawn with a noticeable bulge at the crotch. Not such a big deal until you consider the Destroyer is basically an empty suit of armor. Robin is another character who seems like he was drawn to appeal to latent gay instincts in prepubescent boys. He obviously wasn’t meant to appeal to girls. Oddly enough, he too is now a gay hero, assuming he hasn’t been killed off. An old Marvel villain, Electro, also recently came out of the closet.

    For a good laugh, search for the character Red Blazer. His entire origin story has what seems now to be an obvious gay undercurrent, and this is going back to the golden age of comics. I think its always been there under the surface, mainly because so many people involved in the industry is gay.

  9. ThePaganTemple
    August 5th, 2011 @ 2:25 am

    The Sub-Mariner, from what I’ve gathered, is the character that has taken on the role of environmental whack job, seemingly more than any of the others. That would be fine if they kept him as a solid anti-hero type. He always had a somewhat villainous edge to him, and was always better that way than as a straight hero. But I doubt they’re playing him that way now, seeing as how he is the champion of the environment now.

  10. ThePaganTemple
    August 5th, 2011 @ 2:27 am

    Well they had a story line where they were all zombies at one point. I never did know how that one turned out, or whether that was some other weird parallel universe, or what. I just see other people talking about this stuff and I wonder what kind of drugs they’re on at Marvel.

  11. Dave C
    August 5th, 2011 @ 3:20 am

    I know..  Much has been re-conn and various alternative dimensions..  

    it’s difficult to keep straight..   Been reading Jim Shooter’s blog (the old Editor is Chief at Marvel.)  Fascinating stuff  about what went on behinds the scenes back in the day..

  12. ThePaganTemple
    August 5th, 2011 @ 3:37 am

    I’ll look that up, thanks.

  13. Adjoran
    August 5th, 2011 @ 5:12 am

    Marvel made their reputation as the comic books where the heroes had real human problems to deal with rather than idealized private lives that rose above cardboard scenery only for the occasional kidnapped girlfriend story.  It took them from a small niche in the DC-dominated comics world of Superman and Batman to the runaway leader.

    Probably none of their heroes had more problems than Spiderman, who in his real life struggled with school, money trouble, job trouble, family trouble, and heartaches.  Spidey wouldn’t be the first character Marvel killed off by a long shot, but he would be the biggest, as Peter Parker led them to the summit of comicdom.

  14. Nospam
    August 5th, 2011 @ 1:37 pm

    Ostrander and Truman are putting out Grimjack collections, The Badger has been coming out as collections (and some new stuff!) and Nexus can’t be far behind; and I’ve just picked up the most recent Goon graphic novel.

    Y’all can keep your spandexed Stonewall aficionadoes.