Understanding the Era of Woke Comic Books – Opinion

Every week, whatever Batman comics are published I end up reading them. It’s one of the few opportunities for reading non-news/non-political stuff these days. A novel I’ve read in a matter of months takes me longer than it would to do the same thing a few decades ago. However, comic books are simple enough to read in an hour and get a great story.

In October of 2012, there was much outrage over DC’s announcement that he would be bisexual Superman. Brandon Morse (my colleague) summarized many of the reasons people were upset and gave the best, most balanced response you could find.

Many will say that it’s homophobia driving the anger toward DC’s decision on their character’s sexualities, but that’s not it. This anger is not a result of homosexuality, but rather what we are able to determine.

Problem is, homosexuality is being used to exclude the majority of Americans. They simultaneously want to use Superman’s sexuality to normalize homosexuality to the young and purposefully anger everyone else for both publicity and personal reasons. They want to shove it in your face and make you watch as they destroy characters you grew up with with “modern” values that make no sense to the character or the story half the time.

Here’s the kicker.

DC Comics’ bad writing is just punching holes in its own hull, and as a result, it will continue to sink into oblivion until it’s not worth much in printed form. People will eventually get sick of hearing about the abuses that their favourite characters are subject to by unworthy creators, and they’ll tune out. DC will become a distant memory for those who remember it as a child. DC used to be trying to sell comics and write stories to Americans. Not just some hateful ones.

Another news story that was heavily covered by the media last week focused on Wonder Woman’s new girlfriend. The story was reported by almost every mainstream media outlet, as though there had been a significant character change. However, some reactions were more predictable than others.

But, both stories fell prey to a media trap. The media covered both stories dishonestly using headlines that implied the stories were less important than they were. Social media users rarely gave this issue more attention than what was written in the headlines that Superman had become bisexual. In reality, it’s the original Superman’s son, Jon Kent. Clark Kent would be heading off-world for an extended period, leaving the mantle of Superman in his son’s hands.

The younger Kent, who is not going to be “Superman” forever, is getting fleshed out as a character. He’ll still appear in comics after the “return” of Clark Kent, but that is really as far as it goes.

In its conception, the Wonder Woman story was more dishonest than it should have been. The intimate moment between her and another character happened in the series “Dark Knights of Steel,” which is not part of the main continuity of the comics. Further, it’s not even news that Wonder Woman is bisexual. Greg Rucka (one of the most respected writers in the industry), confirmed that Wonder Woman was bisexual in 2016. However, the headlines and reaction were founded on false assumptions.

DC Comics’ Pride Month was celebrated with an issue that focused on LGBT characters and their relationships. You may recognize some of the names (such as Harley Quinn or Batwoman), but it also featured names that you might not be familiar with, such Renee Montoya/The Question. It explored how these women balance their love life with their super-hero (or vice versa). lives. This was a total pander because it allowed us to see the struggles that these characters had with their relationships throughout the series. More importantly, we know that sexuality isn’t what makes the hero any more than the skin tone does.

And that’s the real trick, though. This isn’t so much a trap from the media generating outrage clicks as it is DC generating headlines and PR. Because the comic-book industry is in trouble, they are trying to make more of their presence. While overall sales have increased, most of their sales are still in graphic novels format. This is different from individual books and subscriptions to comic books. While digital sales have increased, comic book shops are experiencing difficulties. Over the years, there have been issues with distribution and costs. Comic book companies want to remain profitable.

And… well, let’s face it. DC Extended Universe films have not been a success. They aren’t getting the solid headlines they like from there, so they have to make adjustments, and this is one of them. By increasing LGBT representation, you can appeal to a wider range of people.

The sexuality of Superman’s son or the relationship between Wonder Woman and another character in a non-canonical book don’t really have any greater effect on the stories. Because they believe it will help the company grow, they all go out. And, frankly, comics books are not an area that conservatives really fight on, so it’s not like a massive wave of boycotts would happen, much less help.

At the end of the day, it’s all PR. It has always been.