Batman gay comic

Several characters in the Modern Age Batman comic books are expressly gay, lesbian, or bisexual. [1] The early Golden Age Batman stories were dark and violent, but during the late s and the early s they changed to a softer, friendlier and more exotic style that was considered campy. Gay subtext managed to insinuate itself into the Dynamic Duo’s dyad from the very start.

Freely adapted from The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture by Glen Weldon, out now from. Tim Drake is the Robin who isn’t really sure how to be Robin anymore — but in this week’s Batman: Urban Legends, he’s figured at least one thing out. A nice boy asked him out on a date, and Tim. Robin has come out as bisexual in the latest Batman comic.

Tim Drake – a.k.a. the third Robin – realized he’s bi in the newly released issue Batman: Urban Legends #6. In the latest issue of "Batman: Urban Legends," Robin accepts a date with a male friend, confirming the Tim Drake version of the character is queer. Poet Chris Tse looks into the hidden and not-so-hidden subtexts of comic books, and shares the role superheroes — particularly Catwoman in Batman Returns — played in his own journey.

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When I was a young boy, my pulse quickened every time I came across a naked male torso in a magazine, on greeting cards in the mall gift shop, or on TV. Sometimes, it felt safe to marvel at these displays of the male physique because it was a sports game or a TV show I was watching with my family or friends. As a kid, my younger brother was a big wrestling fan.

And then there was that one ACC Thinksafe TV ad featuring a buff guy enjoying a steamy shower before stepping out and slipping on the wet floor. But my ultimate source of fit men in various states of undress other than Farmers catalogues were comic books. Of course, I never revealed this appreciation in front of my friends in case it said more about me than I was ready to admit to myself. Beneath the lycra, masks, and armour, they too grapple with tidal waves of conflicted emotions and personal trauma, which are often the reasons they suit up to fight crime.

Sometimes their motives for assuming the role of protector can be at odds with the societal norms they are supposedly upholding. Because of this, they are often misunderstood, perceived as dangerous vigilantes or a threat to society. Oh, Batman Gift of Michael Eyes, Te Papa PC While superheroes and villains wore literal masks to protect their identities, I too found ways to hide certain facets of myself from the world.

On the inside, I was riddled with insecurity and confusion about my sexuality, but at the same time I wanted people to see me as a pillar of strength and support. This duality is what I grew to relate to the most as I began to follow the adventures and struggles of characters like the X-Men and Batman. These stories were also vehicles for unpacking themes like discrimination, existentialism, and morality. They could also be seen as analogues of real-world injustices.

In the comics, mutants are a minority group feared and treated as outsiders by the general population, and many of the X-Men narratives can be interpreted as parables about the queer experience, particularly in the s with the introduction of the Legacy Virus storyline, which many saw as a parallel to the AIDs pandemic. Despite these parallels, and one token gay mutant, the X-Men were still as straight as they come.

It never occurred to me that superheroes could be gay, especially since they were sold to us as symbols of strength and masculinity. Superman, Batman, and Captain America were manly men, the kind who used their superpowers and fighting prowess to save the day and damsels in distress. Most parents probably thought they were harmless idols and role models, but as I grew older I began to recognise them as characters with deep flaws and relationship issues.

We glossed over these traits as children; all we wanted was to see them beat the bad guys. The most cited example of this is the relationship between Batman and Robin, which has been the subject of much queer analysis and speculation. Depictions of Batman in other media have often swung between the hyper-camp and the deathly serious.

Homoerotic interpretations of their relationship became even more popular with the release of the s television series, which is remembered for its overly camp tone and innuendo-laden dialogue. Although it seems gayness and Batman have always gone hand in hand, many writers have stated that he is canonically heterosexual.

Despite its critical slaughtering at the time of its release prompting both star George Clooney and director Schumacher to half-jokingly apologise for killing the franchise , Batman and Robin has become a cult favourite — a candy-sweet antidote to the darkier, grittier Dark Knight films that would follow under the direction of Christopher Nolan.

Schumacher passed away while I was writing an early draft of this essay, and it was heartwarming to see so many people heralding Batman and Robin as a misunderstood work of genius. In a interview with GQ , Schumacher acknowledged its status as an underrated piece of gay cinema and the gay following it has attained since its release, thanks in part to the asset-enhancing rubber suits worn by the actors.

Schumacher claimed the costumes were based on classical Greek statues a homoerotic red flag waves in the distance , so it made sense to add the nipples.