[quote]Sometimes a social issue overrides spoiler warnings. Headlines across the web have announced the news: In Batwoman #17, which came out yesterday, the superhero proposed to her girlfriend. It's a first for DC comics. But is this too little, too late for the company that has outraged fans by hiring anti-gay activist Orson Scott Card as a writer?
Kate Kane, wearing her Batwoman costume, proposed to her long-time girlfriend Maggie Sawyer in the issue's final panel. It was a sweet moment, and one that finally catches DC up to Marvel (whose superhero Northstar married his beau in May of 2012) and Archie (whose character Kevin Keller married his boyfriend even earlier, in March).
While some fans may be confused at the lack of press DC gave the proposal, I'd like to say it's a positive step forward from the company, whose last foray into promoting sexual equality in their comics was to make a week-long event of "WHICH MAJOR DC CHARACTER IS NOW GAY?!" with the answer eventually revealed as original Green Lantern Alan Scott, who's not only the fifth most popular human Green Lantern, but also doesn't even live in the mainstream DC universe (he's on Earth-2). Comparatively, Batwoman's engagement is simple, tasteful, and presents itself as an event that shouldn't be considered news because it is simply normal.
While I'd like to say this, I can't, unfortunately, because I'm 99% sure the only reason DC hasn't mentioned Batwoman's marriage to the press is because it would call attention to the furor caused by the company's recent decision to hire Orson Scott Card, scifi author and ardent detractor of gay rights, to write Adventures of Superman. Angry fans and retailers alike are planning to boycott the Superman comic in general, and some DC in particular unless Card is removed.
It's too early to tell if Batwoman's proposal will at all mitigate DC's public relations problems with Card, or even if Card might have a problem collecting a check from a company whose works seemingly condone gay marraige. But at the moment, at least Kate Kane and Maggie Sawyer are happy, even if nobody else is.[/quote][url=http://io9.com/5986032/can-batwomans-gay-marriage-rescue-dc-comics-from-angry-fans]Sauce.[/url]
So is DC doing the right thing here, or is this for all the wrong reasons? Is DC trying to become more progressive, or are they just doing this as a sort of stunt to save their asses in this situation?
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Nice, have a character randomly decide to be gay as a nice pr stunt to save face. Maybe you could respect your product and fans more a little more than that. Or at least make Robin gay, we all know its true anyway.
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Bat[i]woman[/i] is a thing? Eww...
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Why do people care that much? Just because a superhero is gay/not doesn't mean they're any less entertaining. Quit bitching and grow up.
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I don't think this is a shot at Card's anti-gay stance. If DC wanted to make this a big publicity grabbing event (I haven't seen it on IGN or Comicvine) you would think they would release it in a week that doesn't see three huge titles coming out. Any publicity this could gather is going to be overshadowed by the new Justice League, the beginning of the end of Geoff Johns' Green Lantern run, and the end of Throne of Atlantis. The whole 'Which character is now gay?' thing was a dumb move' though.
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Still waiting for Captain America to be gay. That would be amazing.
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Frankly, I don't care. Marvel and DC both still treat women as eye candy, drawing them in outrageous, physically impossible poses to show off the tits, ass, midriff and thighs. They aren't doing this because it's the right thing to do, they are bowing to peer pressure to adapt with the times or lose revenue.
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Are we serious with this? Like seriously?
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They're probably trying to save their asses, but still... :'3
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Reminds me of Birds of Prey. :P
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[spoiler]Dumbledore is gay.[/spoiler] I suggest everyone just get over it (not directed at you guys).
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Orson Scott Card is a good writer, his political beliefs shouldn't detract from that. Just because a company hires someone who doesn't like you doesn't mean you should boycott the company.
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[quote]call attention to the furor caused by the company's recent decision to hire Orson Scott Card, scifi author and ardent detractor of gay rights, to write Adventures of Superman. [u]Angry fans and retailers alike are planning to boycott the Superman comic in general, and some DC in particular unless Card is removed.[/u][/quote]So I thought you "gay rights" people were supposed to be some sort of "open-minded gods." Huh, weird.
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Edited by Banned Man 3000: 2/21/2013 11:39:29 PMBatwoman is gay huh? Meh, Batman best Bat
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I'm not much of a comic fan but I am pretty sure both Marvel and DC have injected issues and controversies of the time to improve sales or state a point.
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I think they are also loosing alot of fans because they are forcing these things in sorta weird ways. It's not even like it naturally happened, but it is (I hear) very obvious the whole gay thing (for green lantern) was forced as some sort of stunt. Now, I am not saying my opinion (I don't read comic books) but this is what I've heard.
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They hired Card? No book has ever had as much of an impact on my life as Ender's Game. It completely changed how I thought and even who I was. I wouldn't be here today without it. Which is why I was very disappointed to find out a few years ago that Card is just... not a nice man. :(
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Batwoman is gay, eh? If any DC female turned out to be gay, I surely thought it would have been Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn.
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DC Should go the Bioware route and make everything everywhere polysexual with perfect asses.
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Edited by Wyldfyre: 2/21/2013 11:28:12 PM[quote]all the wrong reasons[/quote] [quote]just doing this as a sort of stunt to save their asses in this situation[/quote]