https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog daily 0.75 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/eb589e21-64d7-424c-9dc8-30020fb52224/superman-27-cover.jpg https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-queering-the-multiverse monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/91c20357-1483-4669-8a49-e3de545e2347/ultimate-colossus-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Queering the Multiverse - Make it stand out Smooth, Peter. [Ultimate X-Men #47 (August 2004), art by Brandon Peterson.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/898256c1-08e9-4dca-be63-775ca4b7d8a4/ultimate-colossus-2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Queering the Multiverse - Make it stand out Yes, believe it or not, these are supposed to be teenagers. [Ultimate X-Men #65 (January 2006), art by Stuart Immonen and Wade von Grawbadger.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/0da7029d-7c46-4592-8f24-4ef82ab2162d/angel-1602-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Queering the Multiverse - Make it stand out Scott Summers: failing to accurately read the room in every universe. [Marvel 1602 #5 (February 2004), art by Andy Kubert.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/54b3646e-f624-4f57-8696-c9f361325598/angel-1602-2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Queering the Multiverse - Make it stand out …Or maybe Scott reads the room TOO well. [Marvel 1602 #8 (June 2004), art by Andy Kubert.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/290d7802-aaa8-4605-b8b4-3662e39507ac/sunfire-exiles-1.png Blog - Queer Superhero History: Queering the Multiverse - Make it stand out Morph is exhausting. [Exiles #11 (May 2002), art by Jim Calafiore and Eric Cannon.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/e1f8d1d2-2f90-4531-8bda-963d74a87d42/sunfire-exiles-2.png Blog - Queer Superhero History: Queering the Multiverse - Make it stand out This isn’t the first kiss between two women in a Marvel comic—we’ll talk about that kiss in June—but it’s close! [Exiles #34 (November 2003), art by Jim Calafiore and Mark McKenna.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/016ac5f9-384d-4e89-99b8-030a6d3e1d38/black-cat-spider-girl.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Queering the Multiverse - Make it stand out Middle-aged women in comics are rare enough. Middle-aged queer women in an interracial relationship? Unicorns. [Spider-Girl #47 (July 2002), art by Ron Frenz and John Livesay.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/6f791fbd-2521-4adf-9fa6-b39637ccd969/black-cat-odessa-drake.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Queering the Multiverse - Make it stand out Don’t worry, they do in fact kiss on the next page. [Black Cat #7 (August 2021), art by Michael Dowling.] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-apollo-and-midnighter monthly 0.5 2026-02-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/4c0925eb-dc9c-49a5-b8d0-04021551ebe4/stormwatch-4-apollo-midnighter.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Apollo and Midnighter - Make it stand out Subtlety, thy name is not and has never been Apollo and Midnighter. Or WildStorm in general. [Stormwatch #4 (February 1998), art by Bryan Hitch and Paul Neary.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/b353f330-e04b-4ddf-8ebb-8dd50f9c27c2/authority-8-apollo-midnighter.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Apollo and Midnighter - Make it stand out Turns out they’re not just platonic naked friends. [The Authority #8 (December 1999), art by Bryan Hitch and Paul Neary.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/2c57e626-f04b-404e-ace0-a7fe46a720c9/authority-29-apollo-midnighter-wedding.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Apollo and Midnighter - Make it stand out Apollo and Midnighter at their wedding, where they don’t get any dialogue, but Grunge from Gen13 gets to cameo for this important contribution. It’s funny because men kissing is disgusting, get it??? I do like the boys’ little palette-swapped outfits, though. [The Authority #29 (July 2002), art by Gary Erskine.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/a954b9e0-b7da-4516-a502-e8139447109d/midnighter-apollo-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Apollo and Midnighter - Make it stand out Love the haircut, Apollo. [Midnighter and Apollo #1 (December 2016), art by ACO.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/41640057-cf3f-4a9d-86d3-780bf47c2a53/midnighter-apollo-6.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Apollo and Midnighter - Make it stand out Absolutely self-indulgent of me to end with this image, but please enjoy this scene from the last issue of Midnighter and Apollo, where our heroes hang out with Extraño, DC’s first gay superhero, and his husband Tasmanian Devil, DC’s third gay superhero. This makes my heart so happy. [Midnighter and Apollo #6 (May 2017), art by Fernando Blanco.] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-the-sapphic-queens-of-the-golden-age monthly 0.5 2026-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/684318d5-da38-4bf6-9076-07807419e9f1/duoro_mulano_1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Sapphic Queens of the Golden Age - Make it stand out Presented: the first YOLO in comics. [All art from Action Comics #12 (May 1939), art by Fred Guardineer.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/6a661390-79e2-488a-945f-d4a425170444/duoro_mulano_2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Sapphic Queens of the Golden Age - Make it stand out Duoro. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/e7932207-5949-42d7-807d-c8af5a16c6b2/duoro_mulano_4.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Sapphic Queens of the Golden Age - Make it stand out Mulano. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/6177bc04-d00a-4880-8507-b723c59909f0/duoro_mulano_5.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Sapphic Queens of the Golden Age - Make it stand out Give this man the Nobel Peace Prize. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/afad9496-26cd-41ea-b7d6-aa050df5a450/duoro_mulano_3.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Sapphic Queens of the Golden Age - Make it stand out I would never deprive you of the image of a bird wearing a top hat. I don’t care if it’s relevant to queer history. https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-starman-and-dcs-first-gay-kiss monthly 0.5 2025-12-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/692807b9-e1bb-47de-85e1-6d16f478c1ac/mikaal-tomas-1st-issue-special-12.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Starman and DC’s First Gay Kiss - Make it stand out If I hadn’t told you this comic was from the ’70s, you still would have been able to figure it out, right? [1st Issue Special #12 (March 1976), art by Joe Kubert.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/7cd5a815-3192-43db-b271-53c518b7114f/mikaal-tomas-starman-45.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Starman and DC’s First Gay Kiss - Make it stand out RIP, Tony, you deserved better. [Starman #45 (August 1998), art by Tony Harris and Wade von Grawbadger.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/d8526895-9009-4809-a9b3-ac8a3b23efcd/mikaal-tomas-starman-48.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Starman and DC’s First Gay Kiss - Make it stand out Dolphins? Really? [Starman #48 (December 1998), art by Steve Yeowell and Keith Champagne.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/882bba53-a683-4498-b500-63190bda512f/mikaal-tomas-cry-for-justice-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Starman and DC’s First Gay Kiss - Make it stand out JUSTICE!! [Justice League: Cry for Justice #1 (September 2009), art by Mauro Cascioli.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/806f8a46-3d89-432a-97fb-06b50230331b/mikaal-tomas-starman-59.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Starman and DC’s First Gay Kiss - Make it stand out One of Mikaal’s few starring covers in Starman (1994). Or ever. [Starman #59 (November 1999), art by Alex Ross.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/b26c84ee-144d-4331-9440-d2b934d7c4ec/mikaal-tomas-dc-pride-2024.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Starman and DC’s First Gay Kiss - Make it stand out This is definitely better than the dolphin line. Also, begging on my knees for Stephen Byrne to draw and especially color every Mikaal appearance from here on out. [DC Pride 2024 (July 2024), art by Stephen Byrne.] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-poison-ivy-and-harley-quinn monthly 0.5 2025-12-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/33d143b0-b69b-4725-93aa-4e00c9c141fb/batman-urban-legends-1-harley-ivy-kiss.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn - Make it stand out Harley and Ivy’s first undeniably canon, undeniably romantic, undeniably on-the-lips kiss. It took us quite a while to get here. [Batman: Urban Legends #1 (May 2021), art by Laura Braga.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/94395742-5a7f-4598-bfae-d004b47d1f2f/batgirl-adventures-harley-quinn.JPG Blog - Queer Superhero History: Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn - Make it stand out “Play.” [Batgirl Adventures #1 (February 1998), art by Rick Burchett.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/52da68d3-fa76-4407-a6ea-d5e13f68498b/batman-harley-and-ivy-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn - Make it stand out These panels still make me laugh. They also, I assure you, were WIDELY shared in throughout the comics internet of 2004. [Batman: Harley and Ivy #1 (June 2004), art by Bruce Timm.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/9daa39d4-b222-4a99-975d-92b7ea8fbe75/supergirl-2005-0-poison-ivy.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn - Make it stand out Later on I’m going to talk about the good kind of fan service. This is the bad kind. [Supergirl #0 (October 2005), art by Ian Churchill and Norm Rapmund.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/2566eeff-a8cc-4740-9528-858c104d5653/harley-quinn-2013-15.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn - Make it stand out I challenge you to imagine a male/female duo doing this and a significant portion of the audience going “Well…maybe they’re just really good friends.” [Harley Quinn #15 (April 2015), art by Chad Hardin.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/7f6b899a-ea97-4602-96a6-c5f3afd3178a/dc-bombshells-42-harley-ivy-kiss.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn - Make it stand out Harley and Ivy’s first on-the-page kiss. [DC Bombshells #42 (digital-first numbering, May 2016)) or #14 (print reprint, August 2016), art by Laura Braga and Mirka Andolfo.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/5cc6a6a1-5f96-4982-a3c5-e9d542840068/harley-quinn-2016-25-kiss.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn - Make it stand out The censored final version of the kiss in Harley Quinn #25, making it look like Chad Hardin is either really bad at drawing kisses on the cheek or really bad at drawing kisses on the lips. Spoiler: he isn’t bad at either one. [Harley Quinn #25 (October 2017), art by Chad Hardin and perhaps an unknown editor.] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-super-friends monthly 0.5 2025-12-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/16821abb-eb6d-497b-99f1-13e9328e46f1/hero-superboy-and-the-ravers-8-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Super Friends - Make it stand out Sparx in her powered-down form, and Hero being…not particularly subtle. [Superboy and the Ravers #8 (April 1997), art by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/cf4b0542-d2a4-4014-a34d-aa56ba7e0de2/hero-superboy-and-the-ravers-8-2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Super Friends - Make it stand out Sparx and Hero (as Titanic) share a kiss. [Superboy and the Ravers #8 (April 1997), art by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/7013eeb5-0ee6-4dda-81e4-724bce9094a9/hero-superboy-and-the-ravers-13.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Super Friends - Make it stand out Hero comes out. [Superboy and the Raiders #13 (September 1997), art by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/6ca43cbf-6488-4740-9831-77b8c2061081/hero-superboy-and-the-ravers-14.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Super Friends - Make it stand out Hero tries to explain how he understands his own sexuality and the H-Dial. Meanwhile, Sparx is making it all about herself. [Superboy and the Ravers #14 (October 1997), art by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/d295b721-629b-46bd-8212-8a484f1be3e5/comet-supergirl-22.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Super Friends - Make it stand out Supergirl and Comet, ‘90s-style. [Supergirl #22 (June 1998), art by Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/e97dcd4d-0b75-4ebc-8b40-7c3324a2be42/comet-supergirl-21.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Super Friends - Make it stand out Andy comes out and asks Linda out. [Supergirl #21 (May 1998), art by Leonard Kirk and Prentis Rollins.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/154e81e9-ab7c-49ac-b749-acea042c2088/comet-supergirl-26-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Super Friends - Make it stand out The Andy/Comet transformation in action. [Supergirl #26 (October 1998), art by Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/7fd5f8ef-eccd-42dd-a5ff-abf34f791635/comet-supergirl-26-2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Super Friends - Make it stand out Supergirl has a lot of nerve here, considering she has a secret identity too. As usual, Andy deflects any serious conversation about her gender identity. [Supergirl #26 (October 1998), art by Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs.] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-the-future-is-gayqueer-coding-in-the-legion-of-super-heroes monthly 0.5 2025-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/a04f6f55-41ab-419c-ada6-7c1040f412f6/element-lad-adventure-comics-326.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Future Is Gay—Queer Coding in the Legion of Super-Heroes - Make it stand out If you look up “comp het” in the dictionary in the 31st century, you’ll find this panel of Light Lass and Element Lad. [Adventure Comics #326 (November 1964), art by John Forte.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/5136b16f-96c1-4ab9-8885-d83a59803395/legion-dc-pride-2022-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Future Is Gay—Queer Coding in the Legion of Super-Heroes - Make it stand out Jan and Shrinking Violet (see below) attend a Pride parade along with Jon Kent’s feet. [DC Pride 2022 (August 2022), art by Nick Robles.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/f9eeea5c-d490-4091-b723-159b4ce69a29/lightning-lass-shrinking-violet-legion-20.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Future Is Gay—Queer Coding in the Legion of Super-Heroes - Make it stand out Just gals being pals. [Legion of Super-Heroes #20 (July 1991), art by Keith Giffen and Al Gordon.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/e23c2d30-ae6d-4c61-a8e2-7ade3cbc3fe9/invisible-kid-chemical-king-secret-origins-47-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Future Is Gay—Queer Coding in the Legion of Super-Heroes - Make it stand out Just boys being pals, too. [Secret Origins #47 (February 1990), art by Chris Sprouse and Al Gordon.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/33376a38-3acf-4bdc-acc0-a135b857391b/invisible-kid-chemical-king-secret-origins-47-2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Future Is Gay—Queer Coding in the Legion of Super-Heroes - Make it stand out I don’t care about Chemical King at all, why am I crying?? [Secret Origins #47 (February 1990), art by Chris Sprouse and Al Gordon.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/1e3db07f-4dcc-4866-86a5-9c28c0cfbca0/brainiac-5-invisible-kid-legion-27.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Future Is Gay—Queer Coding in the Legion of Super-Heroes - Make it stand out Nearly 22 years later, I still think this is cute as heck. [The Legion #27 (January 2004), art by Chris Batista, Chip Wallace, and Andy Lanning.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/1d583d38-a5e5-4c05-b6bf-56add267ceea/chameleon-legion-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Future Is Gay—Queer Coding in the Legion of Super-Heroes - Make it stand out It boggles my mind that DC ever undid this. What is the point, beside catering to fans in their 50s and older? [Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (February 2005), art by Barry Kitson.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/91760893-54c4-4329-8393-e52db6ff8462/dawnstar-wildfire-legion-38.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Future Is Gay—Queer Coding in the Legion of Super-Heroes - Make it stand out I’m mostly including these panels so that you can actually see what Dawnstar looks like. For the record, though comics have a long history of extremely racist coloring of Indigenous characters, I think this is just a bad scan—I’ve seen less high-res versions of this page online that aren’t nearly this…fuchsia. [Legion of Super-Heroes #38 (September 1987), art by Greg LaRocque, Mike DeCarlo, and Arne Starr.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/9ea09316-a909-4606-8672-041e489ca9a7/dawnstar-justice-league-9.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Future Is Gay—Queer Coding in the Legion of Super-Heroes - Make it stand out Is this text or subtext? I vote text, but it’s admittedly a gray area. [Justice League of America #9 (July 2007), art by Ed Benes.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/d97f3ecd-9e28-4614-acb1-a433c5547a8c/power-boy-gravity-kid-adventure-comics-528.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Future Is Gay—Queer Coding in the Legion of Super-Heroes - Make it stand out There is a probably a dissertation to be written about how overtly sexual the costumes of the Legion’s only canon gay couple are, especially Gravity Kid’s (which, to be fair, is inspired by an iconic and even skimpier costume worn by major and ostensibly straight Legionnaire Cosmic Boy). If you write it, please send it to me so I can read it. [Adventure Comics (September 2011), art by Geraldo Borges, Ransom Getty, Marlo Alquiza, and Rob Hunter.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/61bb5854-b87d-445d-868a-a53364468ba8/dreamer-pride-2021.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Future Is Gay—Queer Coding in the Legion of Super-Heroes - Make it stand out They are very cute but please, Brainy, cut your hair. [DC Pride 2021 (August 2021), art by Rachael Stott.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/5be41bfe-7884-49cd-8437-8dd37e1e27dd/legion-dc-pride-2022-2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Future Is Gay—Queer Coding in the Legion of Super-Heroes - Make it stand out Brainy and Dawnstar are confirmed as demi and bi, respectively, in the aforementioned 2022 Pride special. [DC Pride 2022 (August 2022), art by Nick Robles.) https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-queering-the-justice-league monthly 0.5 2025-11-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/16f0ee19-171c-4700-87c6-a78aefac35e9/super-friends-icemaiden-tasmanian-devil.png Blog - Queer Superhero History: Queering the Justice League - Make it stand out Taz and Icemaiden as they first appeared, plus the most gobsmacked Green Arrow of all time. [Super Friends #9 (December 1977), art by Ramona Fradon and Bob Smith.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/deb36bd7-28ef-4c51-b534-f80e59e43393/justice-league-quarterly-8-tasmanian-devil.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Queering the Justice League - Make it stand out This panel would not be acknowledged again in a DC comic until 2006, when Hal Jordan claims Hugh used to have a crush on him. I’d like to think Hugh has better taste. [Justice League Quarterly #8 (Autumn 1992), art by Andy Smith.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/253cf2de-cb30-4482-85da-3d6015728078/justice-league-america-103-icemaiden.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Queering the Justice League - Make it stand out Just gals being pals. [Justice League America #103 (September 1995), art by Charles Wojtkiewicz and Drew Geraci.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/caac33fc-d78c-4584-8273-84c06581d2cb/justice-league-america-111-icemaiden.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Queering the Justice League - Make it stand out This might be the first use of the word “bisexual” in a DC comic, I’m not sure. [Justice League America #111 (June 1996), art by Charles Wojtkiewicz and Will Blyberg.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/82cdfd5a-22fd-40f8-ac22-7d1f21e2677a/tis-the-season-to-be-freezin-glacier-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Queering the Justice League - Make it stand out Dear Meghan Hetrick: This design for Sigrid is dope. [‘Tis the Season to Be Freezin’ (February 2022), art by Meghan Hetrick.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/fc39bc91-2be1-47c9-8b6e-7038c45209e7/tis-the-season-to-be-freezin-glacier-2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Queering the Justice League - Make it stand out They’re tiny, but that’s Hugh and Sigrid hugging on the right. Aw! In the foreground is Syl and Extraño, and to really bring it back to the Justice League America days, that’s Obsidian in the elf costume. [‘Tis the Season to Be Freezin’ (February 2022), art by Meghan Hetrick.] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-john-constantine monthly 0.5 2025-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/11153e6d-b187-4e12-9b1b-f828553890a1/john-constantine-swamp-thing-37.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: John Constantine - Make it stand out Our (almost) first sight of John Constantine. [The Saga of the Swamp Thing #37 (June 1985), art by Rick Veitch and John Totleben.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/40191cad-9624-40f0-b432-88e4730ffdaa/john-constantine-hellblazer-6.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: John Constantine - Make it stand out John learns that his friend Ray has AIDS. [Hellblazer #6 (June 1988), art by John Ridgway.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/07d22848-37f1-4751-8f98-bfa3147e6d8d/john-constantine-hellblazer-51.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: John Constantine - Make it stand out The panels that made John Constantine officially queer. [Hellblazer #51 (March 1992), art by Sean Phillips.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/fc644a7b-3b36-43e3-8915-303269e85ba7/john-constantine-hellblazer-172.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: John Constantine - Make it stand out Even the most careless reader couldn’t miss this. [Hellblazer #172 (May 2002), art by Marcelo Frusin.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/b5a3a24a-ff5b-4b20-9302-21d29cc302f1/john-constantine-hellblazer-dead-in-america-7.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: John Constantine - Make it stand out John describes himself as pansexual. [Hellblazer: Dead in America #7 (September 2024), art by Aaron Campbell] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-the-first-trans-characters-in-comics monthly 0.5 2025-10-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/01d16110-fc36-4803-b33a-5a1d94f83b4d/wanda-mann-sandman-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The First Trans Characters in Comics - Make it stand out Barbie and Wanda. [Sandman #32 (November 1991), art by Shawn McManus.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/116122e6-cd1f-4131-9d7e-e1b9bda7b458/wanda-mann-sandman-2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The First Trans Characters in Comics - Make it stand out I did some editing to remove the fairly graphic images of the, um, dead disembodied human face Wanda is talking to. Sandman is a horror comic, folks! [Sandman #35 (February 1992), art by Shawn McManus.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/6cc2cb4a-0c23-44be-b841-e983acba3dab/shvaughn-erin-legion-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The First Trans Characters in Comics - Make it stand out Jan, I don’t think that’s helpful. [Legion of Super-Heroes #31 (July 1992), art by Colleen Doran and Al Gordon.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/55d52304-b8ad-4cd6-a575-ac93853d7dec/shvaughn-erin-legion-2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The First Trans Characters in Comics - Make it stand out Shvaughn as Sean. [Legion of Super-Heroes #50 (November 1993), art by Darryl Banks and Rich Faber.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/de047997-23f3-47cc-821b-fd1686128e1a/coagula-doom-patrol-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The First Trans Characters in Comics - Make it stand out The button on Kate’s coat uses what was preferred terminology at the time. [Doom Patrol #70 (September 1993), art by Scot Eaton and Tom Sutton.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/d0e55696-a4cb-499e-80b0-e89cb987451c/coagula-doom-patrol-2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The First Trans Characters in Comics - Make it stand out Please note the disembodied head and bandage-wrapped energy beings in this panel, in addition to the robot. [Doom Patrol #76 (March 1994), art by Ted McKeever.] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-monsieur-mallah-and-the-brain monthly 0.5 2025-09-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/8ad0f67c-cb30-422f-a284-c1d67a1fbefb/doom-patrol-86.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Monsieur Mallah and the Brain - Make it stand out It feels very weird to see Mallah without his beret. It’s like he’s naked! (He’s always naked.) [Doom Patrol #86 (March 1964), art by Arnold Drake and Bob Brown.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/9c66601e-bf07-44da-8905-4a64c73701f9/doom-patrol-34-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Monsieur Mallah and the Brain - Make it stand out Everything about this dialogue is delightful to me. [Doom Patrol #34 (July 1990), art by Richard Case and John Nyberg.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/a6168214-3bde-4f2e-8daf-242db5a10d4e/doom-patrol-34-2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Monsieur Mallah and the Brain - Make it stand out I guess technically this means these two beat Pied Piper to become the first canonically queer supervillains in comics. Mazel tov! [Doom Patrol #34 (July 1990), art by Richard Case and John Nyberg.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/4b9004af-1144-4b0c-aeb4-5aec75f6672f/teen-titans-37.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Monsieur Mallah and the Brain - Make it stand out I mean…they probably call you evil because you named your team the Brotherhood of Evil. Like, I support your love and all but I think you need to take some responsibility for your own branding there. [Teen Titans #37 (August 2006), art by Tony S. Daniel, Kevin Conrad, and Norm Rapmund.] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-mystique monthly 0.5 2025-09-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/0328ba79-7ebf-4001-9447-6cfe29fffe7d/mystique-ms-marvel-18.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Mystique - Make it stand out Mystique in Ms. Marvel #18, the first issue to show her true appearance. [Ms. Marvel #18 (June 1978), art by Jim Mooney and Ricardo Villamonte.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/beee777d-7297-4c2a-a524-f989b1de9080/mystique-marvel-fanfare-40.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Mystique - Make it stand out Mystique and Destiny share a dance in Marvel Fanfare #40. [Marvel Fanfare #40 (October 1988), art by Craig Hamilton and Rick Bryant.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/85eaab06-7467-4094-ba0e-3e53d692d2b9/mystique-history-of-the-marvel-universe-2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Mystique - Make it stand out Confirmation at long last. [History of the Marvel Universe #2 (October 2019), art by Javier Rodríguez and Álvaro López.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/c344c11b-8a3f-4f5a-bc97-f35032d2da1f/mystique-xmen-blue-origins-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Mystique - Make it stand out Wookit that little baby Kurt! Wookit his widdle pointy ears! [X-Men Blue: Origins #1 (January 2024), art by Marcus To.] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-cannon-and-saberbe-gay-do-crime monthly 0.5 2025-08-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/af39c816-eca4-4f26-b586-f64c2b5ba6e8/cannon-and-saber-vigilante-5-1.jpeg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Cannon and Saber—Be Gay, Do Crime - Make it stand out Remember these guys? No? That’s okay, neither does anyone else. [Vigilante #5 (April 1984), art by Ed Hannigan and Dick Giordano.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/f740e25a-2e20-4138-adc9-dfd53ca176f4/cannon-and-saber-vigilante-5-2.jpeg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Cannon and Saber—Be Gay, Do Crime - Make it stand out Cannon genuinely looks so cozy here. Leave them alone, Vigilante! Let them kill people if they want to! [Vigilante #5 (April 1984), art by Keith Pollard and Romeo Tanghal.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/592a2197-7cc5-482b-9f3e-27211611ab42/cannon-and-saber-whos-who.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Cannon and Saber—Be Gay, Do Crime - Make it stand out Jennette Kahn may have missed it, but Chuck Patton and Bruce Patterson, who drew this page, clearly understood what these boys’ deal was. I assure you most duos did not get a drawing of them naked and holding hands in their character profiles. [Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #26 (April 1987), art by Chuck Patton and Bruce Patterson.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/b2a7204c-80ee-4cfa-a388-081ab35a5536/cannon-and-saber-vigilante-35.jpeg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Cannon and Saber—Be Gay, Do Crime - Make it stand out This is probably the most risque queer content I’ve seen in a pre-1989 Code update comic outside of all that BDSM Wonder Woman was doing in the 1940s. [Vigilante #35 (November 1986), art by Chuck Patton and Rick Magyar.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/e2139bb6-c91f-4a3c-b55e-f1af4eed6216/cannon-and-saber-pride-2023.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Cannon and Saber—Be Gay, Do Crime - Make it stand out Honestly, the fact that they both make the worst hair and facial hair decisions imaginable and still found love is kind of inspiring. There really is a lid for every pot. [DC Pride 2023 (July 2023), art by Steve Sadowski.] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-cloud monthly 0.5 2025-08-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/66289da9-de07-4c2c-9782-c01c2865057a/cloud-moondragon-1.png Blog - Queer Superhero History: Cloud - Make it stand out Moondragon and Cloud being…not particularly CCA-compliant. [The Defenders #130 (April 1984), art by Mike Zeck and Kim DeMulder.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/7dd6ad54-0d2a-470e-8e4d-2fde912e531f/cloud-moondragon-2.png Blog - Queer Superhero History: Cloud - Make it stand out If you’re wondering if it’s ever addressed that Cloud is a teenager and none of their romantic interests are…no. No, it is not. [The Defenders #136 (October 1984), art by Don Perlin and Kim DeMulder.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/cd521d79-31a6-42ff-a3fa-5b000302e81f/cloud-iceman-1.png Blog - Queer Superhero History: Cloud - Make it stand out If it makes you feel any better, Bobby is deeply ashamed of his behavior on the next page. [The Defenders #137 (November 1984), art by Don Perlin and Kim DeMulder.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/90fcdfd6-3bbf-4f9c-bb81-de462a92552e/cloud-iceman-2.png Blog - Queer Superhero History: Cloud - Make it stand out This scene is genuinely lovely. [The Defenders #150 (December 1985), art by Don Perlin, Alan Kupperberg, and Randy Emberlin.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/574006e0-567a-4fea-b35c-4eb16ffb4e34/cloud-doctor-strange.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Cloud - Make it stand out Modern Cloud: now with colors! [Defenders #4 (February 2022), art by Javier Rodríguez.] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-arnie-roth monthly 0.5 2025-07-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/157ca093-3a5e-4221-a0d2-b4b96db8d5a9/captain-ameria-270-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Arnie Roth - Make it stand out If you’re thinking, “Hey, I’ve seen this movie"“…stay tuned. [Captain America #270 (June 1982), art by Mike Zeck and John Beatty.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/92029bca-0c2a-4157-9b2f-ea870c4bc878/captain-america-270-2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Arnie Roth - Make it stand out Steve’s posture in the third panel always makes me laugh. That is a man who knows he is a third wheel right now. [Captain America #270 (June 1982), art by Mike Zeck and Vince Colletta.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/4336ce4a-df0d-4227-81ef-bed624a6715b/captain-america-296-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Arnie Roth - Make it stand out This page is just as painful now as it was in 1984. [Captain America #296 (August 1984), art by Paul Neary and Sam de la Rosa.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/a3d15ec6-10ee-42d0-b308-eb1997c0eb2f/captain-america-296-2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Arnie Roth - Make it stand out You know how sometimes people think Captain America is a Republican? Those people should read a comic sometime. [Captain America #296 (August 1984), art by Paul Neary and Sam de la Rosa.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/18fc1b15-d6c0-4760-86cd-82a0f18bb6c7/captain-america-443.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Arnie Roth - Make it stand out You see what I mean about the art being hard to parse? Still, the intimacy of the hand-holding and maybe-kiss is startling in a superhero comic, especially one from the ultra-macho 90s. [Captain America #443 (September 1995), art by Dave Hoover and Danny Bulanadi.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/eb973940-9fea-4352-8370-8253dc16208f/avengers-academy-marvels-voices-21.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Arnie Roth - Make it stand out Surrounding Steve and Arnie with heterosexual couples kissing goodbye is a suggestive and extremely interesting choice. Subtext is alive and well in 2025. [Avengers Academy: Marvel’s Voices Infinity Comic #21 (November 2024), art by Carola Borelli.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/c0f9bfd3-7e13-4939-8a2b-cce70d18c32a/avengers-academy-marvels-voices-38.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Arnie Roth - Make it stand out I’m obsessed with this reimagining of Arnie as a Nick Fury/Sgt. Rock-style hero. [Avengers Academy: Marvel’s Voices Infinity Comic #38 (March 2025), art by Pablo Collar.] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-taku-and-venomm-wakandan-husbands-forever monthly 0.5 2025-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/cd3dd4ea-089f-48fe-aabd-9d4347919781/taku-venomm-black-panther-8.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Taku and Venomm, Wakandan Husbands Forever - Make it stand out Check out Taku employing the Power Stance of Subtextual Romantic Intentions in the first panel. [Jungle Action #8 (January 1974), art by Rich Buckler and Klaus Janson.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/0c0ca008-d413-47df-b1af-fd4669ca24df/taku-venomm-black-panther-14.PNG Blog - Queer Superhero History: Taku and Venomm, Wakandan Husbands Forever - Make it stand out “Draw me like one of your French girls, Taku.” [Jungle Action #14 (March 1975), art by Billy Graham (not that one) and Pablo Marcos.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/af03ac9f-6008-484a-82ed-c3aba0184445/taku-venomm-black-panther-18.PNG Blog - Queer Superhero History: Taku and Venomm, Wakandan Husbands Forever - Make it stand out I just think this is sweet. (Don’t worry about the guy stuck to the plane in the second panel.) [Jungle Action #18 (November 1975), art by Billy Graham and Bob McLeod.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/deedd19b-bc2f-44f7-a174-960060331d1d/venomm-panthers-prey-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Taku and Venomm, Wakandan Husbands Forever - Make it stand out This is not how anyone describes two guys who just hang out together a lot, with or without a snake. [Black Panther: Panther’s Prey #2 (June 1991), art by Dwayne Turner.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/8f0d4647-b55c-498d-8f70-97a50821c91f/venomm-panthers-prey-2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Taku and Venomm, Wakandan Husbands Forever - Make it stand out Venomm gushes accurately about Taku. And no, I can’t explain his vest and dance tights combo. [Black Panther: Panther’s Prey #4 (October 1991), art by Dwayne Turner.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/c037e4bf-8494-4342-b59d-00ea574d76f5/taku-venomm-marvel-pride-2022.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Taku and Venomm, Wakandan Husbands Forever - Make it stand out You guys, I’m verklempt. [Marvel’s Voices: Pride 2022 (August 2022), art by Lucas Werneck. And don’t worry, it came out in June—comics are often dated two months in advance of their actual publication.] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-northstar monthly 0.5 2025-07-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/e659a595-c931-438c-9a15-a2693696938e/northstar-alpha-flight-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Northstar - Make it stand out Jean-Paul and Jeanne-Marie in Alpha Flight #1. Or Madeline. [Alpha Flight #1 (August 1983), art by John Byrne.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/dfa7a49e-1114-4393-b865-c6e98ac04e90/northstar-alpha-flight-41.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Northstar - Make it stand out Now what could she possibly mean by that??? [Alpha Flight #41 (December 1986), art by David Ross and Whilce Portacio.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/96e7c779-9671-4403-80e6-2289bde6abc3/northstar-alpha-flight-44.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Northstar - Make it stand out Again: unsubtle. [Alpha Flight #44 (March 1987), art by David Ross and Whilce Portacio.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/b9e0e89d-7e08-40b2-845c-b193860cdcb1/northstar-alpha-flight-106.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Northstar - Make it stand out WOOF. [Alpha Flight #106 (March 1992), art by Mark Pacella and Dan Panosian.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/6b730304-76b9-459e-ac53-495bbeb56bb5/northstar-kyle-wedding.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Northstar - Make it stand out Okay, this is actually really beautiful. [Astonishing X-Men #51 (August 2012), art by Dustin Weaver.] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-pied-piper monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/7c1557f0-c393-4f80-9798-945eb32f3e90/pied-piper-flash-106.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Pied Piper - Make it stand out That’s certainly a Look, Hart. [The Flash #106 (April-May 1959), art by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/b305eea1-14f8-46e3-8fbe-318159bcccec/pied-piper-flash-53-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Pied Piper - Make it stand out This is the facial expression Wally thinks is “slick” and discreet. Bless his heart. [Flash #53 (August 1991), art by Greg LaRocque and José Marzán Jr.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/8839207b-9132-4659-97fe-dbdf7ff8dc00/pied-piper-flash-53-2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Pied Piper - Make it stand out Aw, he’s so happy. [Flash #53 (August 1991), art by Greg LaRocque and José Marzán Jr.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/ad1f5e41-378f-46e1-a438-493812d9ad48/pied-piper-flash-60.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Pied Piper - Make it stand out That last panel reads very dramatically today, but please keep in mind that this was published in 1992, when AIDS was the #1 cause of death for U.S. men ages 25–44. [Flash #60 (March 1992), art by Rob Whigham and Frank McLaughlin.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/045a9716-b713-48ff-800a-9bf12cb7cd9a/pied-piper-countdown-9.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Pied Piper - Make it stand out I’m genuinely very curious about how DC got the rights to use these lyrics considering what happened with Sex Criminals and “Fat Bottomed Girls.” [Countdown #9 (April 2008), art by Tom Derenick and Wayne Faucher.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/5fbb209b-41d2-487e-96fb-4be510e1a8fa/pied-piper-flash-788.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Pied Piper - Make it stand out There have been some significant improvements to the costume over the years. [The Flash #788 (January 2023), art by Fernando Pasarin and Matt Ryan.] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-maggie-sawyer monthly 0.5 2025-06-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/44e3a09b-141e-41a6-923d-043a984d77c3/maggie-sawyer-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Maggie Sawyer - Make it stand out Note Maggie’s haircut, which sparked debates about potential stereotyping. [Superman #4 (April 1987), art by John Byrne and Karl Kesel.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/3b5a2547-329f-4d3f-955f-dd8996dfcf21/maggie-sawyer-2.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Maggie Sawyer - Make it stand out And the winner for Most Infuriating Montage of 1988 is… [Superman #15 (March 1988), art by John Byrne and Karl Kesel.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/f6f4ee87-6e8d-4bd4-8ba5-9c032c45675e/maggie-sawyer-3.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Maggie Sawyer - Make it stand out I hope Sandra found herself a nice girlfriend and a new job after this. [Action Comics #600 (May 1988), art by Dick Giordano and John Beatty.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/efc01f0c-f8e0-4c13-acd1-e2799f988ba5/maggie-sawyer-4.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Maggie Sawyer - Make it stand out Yes, the entire series is copaganda, but that’s superhero comics for you. [Metropolis S.C.U. (November 1994), art by Dusty Abell and Butch Guice.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/67c56ed3-bd9a-4f54-8ec0-a0f3319138d7/maggie-sawyer-5.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Maggie Sawyer - Make it stand out I promise Maggie was happier about this than she looks here. [Batwoman #17 (April 2013), art by J. H. Williams III.] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-the-comics-code-authority monthly 0.5 2025-06-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/a8929c5e-7fcb-4028-995f-602647756302/comics-code-authority-seal.png Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Comics Code Authority - Make it stand out The seal that appeared on thousands of comics between 1954 and 2010. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/957429c0-8377-4775-9ad5-d7ae6862b8d6/wonder-woman-sensation-comics-35.png Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Comics Code Authority - Make it stand out William Moulton Marston, Wonder Woman’s co-creator, had…extremely distinct and unsubtle tastes. [Sensation Comics #35 (November 1944), art by H. G. Peter.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/7c6416ce-138d-488a-9502-85aca3e91a84/fantastic-four-251-gay.png Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Comics Code Authority - Make it stand out I’m not sure if John Byrne intended for Johnny’s timing here to be suggestive, but that boy is still suffocating in the closet 42 years later. And yes, that is a thinly veiled Christopher Reeve in the foreground. [Fantastic Four #251 (February 1983), art by John Byrne.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/4173a691-9c3f-481b-bedf-6656b5bb883c/gender-queer.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: The Comics Code Authority - Make it stand out Maia Kobabe’s memoir Gender Queer is one of the most challenged books of the 21st century. https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/queer-superhero-history-extrano monthly 0.5 2025-06-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/1a8dcd07-70b1-4651-82c9-5f566f11d878/extrano-gregorio-de-la-vega-1.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Extraño - Make it stand out Listen, no one ever said the 80s were a subtle decade. [Millennium #8 (January 1988), art by Joe Staton and Ian Gibson.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/e0c9c722-cc17-4f4f-8645-7860e59e07ca/extrano-gregorio-de-la-vega-2.png Blog - Queer Superhero History: Extraño - Make it stand out Okay, I love him, though? [Millennium #2 (February 1988), art by Joe Staton and Ian Gibson.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/88d0d2c4-1cea-4efe-8566-4a3b8a33aca6/extrano-gregorio-de-la-vega-3.png Blog - Queer Superhero History: Extraño - Make it stand out Dialogue dripping with stereotypical language combined with compassion and wisdom: 1980s Gregorio in a nutshell. [The New Guardians #1 (September 1988), art by Joe Staton and Mark Farmer.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/2049d00e-a608-420e-a611-2f232c2cac1f/extrano-gregorio-de-la-vega-4.png Blog - Queer Superhero History: Extraño - Make it stand out Manly men don’t open their eyes when they jump through plate glass windows! (Actually, that’s probably a good idea.) [The New Guardians #10 (July 1989), art by Pat Broderick and Ralph Cabrera.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/9ca4635c-8acc-43c3-8f7f-d6ffc0253203/extrano-gregorio-de-la-vega-5.png Blog - Queer Superhero History: Extraño - Make it stand out Artist Fernando Blanco didn’t have to go this hard on making 21st-century Gregorio this hot, but I’m glad he did. [Midnighter and Apollo #1 (December 2016), art by Fernando Blanco.] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/7eefc78c-6471-47c7-be6c-69c9f9189bbe/extrano-gregorio-de-la-vega-6.jpg Blog - Queer Superhero History: Extraño - Make it stand out The big furry guy? That’s Gregorio’s husband. I LOVE THEM. [DC Pride 2021 (August 2021), art by Luciano Vecchio.] https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/tag/comics monthly 0.5 https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/blog/tag/queer+superhero+history monthly 0.5 https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/home daily 1.0 2026-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/2352fe48-2ae5-4abd-9e07-7b25fe577612/jessica-plummer-ireland-2.jpg https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/contact daily 0.75 2025-05-14 https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/about daily 0.75 2025-05-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/ca8c66e5-4a7a-462f-a3bf-59f86ec60b61/jessica-plummer-ireland-1.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/2352fe48-2ae5-4abd-9e07-7b25fe577612/jessica-plummer-ireland-2.jpg https://www.jessicaplummerwrites.com/sword-stone-table daily 0.75 2025-05-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67c0f23e735f8700ad328532/8c22b834-a10d-40b6-918a-ac99839cc199/sword-stone-table.png