ABOVE: DC Pride 2022. Photo via DC Comics.
Superheroes have taken the world by storm in recent years, especially on the small and silver screen. Multiple versions of Batman, Captain America, Spider-Man and more have become household names, securing streaming subscriptions and saving the theater industry one movie ticket at a time.
While LGBTQ superheroes have yet to make a substantial cinematic splash, however, the comic books on which most are based have been making waves for some time. That’s particularly true for both Marvel and DC Comics, widely known as the “big two” in the comic publishing world.
The medium is beneficial for readers of any age. According to the International Literacy Association, comics “can be found in every genre, include all the literary elements you would find in traditional novels, and can be equally as complex.” They not only help develop reading comprehension and confidence, they can also foster empathy and understanding.
“Marvel’s Voices: Pride,” the publisher’s “first-ever queer centered special spotlighting Marvel’s growing tapestry of LGBTQ+ characters,” was published in June 2021 for that purpose. Pride Month also welcomed “DC Pride,” a special featuring stories about the company’s own LGBTQ roster.
These and other publications led GLAAD to add Outstanding Original Graphic Novel/Anthology as a category for its 33rd annual GLAAD Media Awards in 2022. The awards honor fair, accurate and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues and have long celebrated the comic industry.
Each collection was nominated, “a reminder to the critical role that film, television, music, journalism, and other forms of media can play in growing LGBTQ acceptance in the face of ongoing attacks against our community,” GLAAD shared.
The publishers subsequently announced their Pride anthologies would return in 2022. They serve as the perfect jumping on point for LGBTQ and ally readers to see themselves represented on the page.
“Marvel Comics is proud to highlight its commitment to LGBTQI+ representation with stories that spotlight existing stars AND introduce brand-new characters to the Marvel mythology,” the publisher announced. “Ranging from poignant to action-packed … the tales that fans can look forward to capture the joy and promise of Pride Month!”
In addition to introducing new LGBTQ characters, the anthology will highlight lesser-known LGBTQ heroes like Hercules and Moondragon, seen in “Avengers” and “Guardians of the Galaxy.” The GLAAD Award-winning “Young Avengers” will also reunite for a special story, the team gave Marvel its first same-sex superhero wedding and more.
It’s featured a number of LGBTQ fan favorites – including Loki, star of his own Disney+ streaming series and the “Thor” films – and America Chavez, Marvel’s first Latin American LGBTQ character to lead an ongoing series. She’s also a featured player in the film “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.”
Read more:
This June, Marvel Comics celebrates Pride Month with ‘Marvel’s Voices: Pride’! 🏳️🌈 Learn more: https://t.co/oCQRnOtJp4 pic.twitter.com/KdL4XL8hf8
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) March 15, 2022
In addition to its own Pride Month feature, DC promised it would continue its commitment to the LGBTQ community throughout the year. The publisher announced in March that they would publish three new LGBTQ-led comic series, a new adult graphic novel and like Marvel, a plethora of Pride-themed variant covers on its main comic line.
“DC Pride 2022” will highlight DC’s LGBTQ characters like Jon Kent, the son of characters Lois Lane and Clark Kent, the original Superman. He currently leads the ongoing series “Superman: Son of Kal-El” in his father’s stead. Nubia, the queen of “Wonder Woman” locale Themyscira, also shares the spotlight.
Answering Gotham City’s LGBTQ bat signal are Tim Drake, Batman’s longtime sidekick Robin, as well the hero’s frequent antagonists Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. Their love story also features on the animated HBO Max series “Harley Quinn,” the titular character of which appears in “The Suicide Squad” films.
Read more:
Proud to be heroes! Pick up DC Pride 2022 #1, available now. Visit https://t.co/TRb3p9xfAE for more information. pic.twitter.com/IzpkGSf4SZ
— DC (@DCOfficial) June 7, 2022
The new anthology will also include an introduction from actor and activist Nicole Maines, who is transgender. DC released some of her words in April.
“Representation is something that so many take for granted. But as queer people, we have always understood not only its necessity, but its power,” Maines writes. “Seeing yourself in the media you consume is validating in a way that says, ‘You are not alone.’
“Seeing yourself in comic books, though, in your favorite superheroes, is especially powerful,” she continues. “They are the best of us. Superheroes set the bar and they set it high. Because if you can be a superhero, you can be anything.”
This feature was originally published in Watermark’s 2022 Rainbow Family Guide, available digitally here.
Be anything with Marvel and DC Comics by visiting Marvel.com and DCComics.com to learn about their Pride anthologies and more. To find a comic shop near you, visit ComicShopLocator.com.
