With the arrival of Midnighter, has the era of the LBGT superhero finally arrived? If so, why?
Angle
The impact of this text is looking at how society now represents LGBT superheroes, this would be by the reason of how 10 years ago they wouldn't allow content on this. In today society we live in a world where its okay but some people go against this as to being Homophobic or not accepting it. Andrew Garfield is one of the people who are okay with it he wants there to be a pan-sexual spiderman and people not to comment on it.
The main point is that the impact of Midnighter is he started in the late 90s this would mean that he got his big solo series in start of 2015 taking his character to take long for society to accept a gay superhero. Midnighter was inspired by the peoples favourite superhero batman and the comic designer though the difference was to make him homosexual and this content wasnt shown until start of 2015.
Hypothesis
My hypothesis is that LGBT superheroes are getting more recognized and getting the spot light like any normal superhero are like. This would be by LGBT superhero Midnighter who is becoming popular as to starting his big issue in start of 2015 even though been created since 1998 and now getting popular in batman and nightwing comics.
Linked production piece
The linked production idea is different because I want to do a documentary on what people opinions are on LGBT superheroes and what they really see with them. However I was thinking of doing a LGBT superhero short film but dont know if the people i get would be comfortable about it.
MIGRAIN
Midnighter is dark, gritty and homosexual this is because of him being created he was suppose aim for the same audience but all another new generation and chunk who can relate. The denotation is about a character who believes that justice is corrupt and needs to do something about it. He is shown as a very high skilled tactical man who wants to just stop the bad guys. He is married to the character Apollo who was inspired like superman but is homosexual. The difference with this superhero is that he is homosexual representing a alternative homo sexual.
There is not really a shot of midnighter or any LGBT character in a movie or in a animation film. The shots taken are in comic strips so this would lead to many shots of close ups of the character face of being gritty and bloody from fighting. Midnighter clothing is a black costume this would be by black everything with a bullet proof chest and a trench coat. The props used would be the guns that he has when he fighting people as he is a tactical person. The facial expressions to people are dark and gritty but too children he is nice he represents him self as a alternative stereotype because of this. When he sees his lover he is happy and dark at the same time.
DC comics is what made the character and who fully developed Midnighter by Warren Ellis.This was made for the genre first LGBT theme comic book series which increased awareness. The promotion used for this is just posters and marketing as its a comic book. The way it gets distributed is by the method of getting stores to sell them or comic book stores. You can also get comics online making it very easy to get now. Genre is that its a LGBT theme comic books and it has action and thriller to it making you get attracted to the story.
Representation of Midnighter would be a alternative stereotype of a homosexual man. When he is in character he is a dark and gritty character which just wants justice. Love and sexuality is shown non existent with this character as he laughs at violence and believes he can take people down. He is constructed in a way to make himself seem straight and a 'man' by the way he acts how ever he is represented soft around children and his husband/
Audience is aimed for Comic book mainstream lovers as to what they love is the same/ The audience is for a LGBT audience to as to giving the content to understand that its okay with society/ The age would be 16-25 as to being a dark and gritty comic how ever it has inappropriate content it is for C1,C2, D demographic as to being for students and comic book lovers/ Gender would be 70% male and 30% female as to the reason of male reading comic books regularly read by mean than women.
Narrative is about a gay superhero wanting to protect and save lives of people in a city. Midnighter is a married superhero whos purpose it is to save the save the city he loves from evil people so the world doesnt go corrupt .
SHEP
Comic books teach people about the realism of the world that its not easy and that there is not always a good place. Martin Luther King was represented as Professor X from X-men as saying mutants were like Black people. This would convey on comic books being that they aim to go for realistic events and go for real events but show what there view is.
Andrew Garfield want a pan-sexual spiderman to be not commented on and audience to be okay with it and wants society to accept it. It is about the sexuality of superheroes that they dont want to get judged anymore and you can tell by giving alternative stereotypes of the superhereos by making them seem not like that and still treated the same.
Another piece of content is that comic books has censorship and they were not allowed to show content because of this but people did understand what they meant when read comic books. Another view of this is that people believe it was there but were not allowed be pointed out and i am one of those people who believed that they hinted by this and was trying to push LGBT for years but society wasnt ready for it.
Issues/Debates
This creates regulation and censorship rule back 20 years ago where comic book content couldnt be inappropriate because of children and the age of not being ready for it but they did try to point it out as visible as they could. The view on this is that censorship for comic books were strict and there was content you was not allowed to show.
Representations and stereotyping is big in this as to being shown a alternative version of LGBT meaning that they show a tough character and they would be homosexual making the audience see no difference and i like that making it a effect that people understand they are the same superhero who just care about saving lives.
Technology is one of these debates as comic books are now electronic and the content is allowed but it will be restricted on who can read them. This is good that its on electronically but its the internet which will make horrible comments on people who are against this. This is good for LGBT themes as people can relate
Media effects is a big debate because comic books puts real problems in and it can actually do with the real world but not tell the audience. Like racism linking to the X-men and how mutants shown or the gender equality of the superheroes. It is the away of showing that society are ready to do this but what stops this is audience and what they like as comic books get funded by the fans and if they dont like it they cant do anything.
Ownership and Control the institution has control over the comic books and to what they can show. They would have to get authorized when showing a comic book and to see if its right because of law and copy rights so would have to look to detail what can show and not to show. This is important because they dont want comics being a threat or even being a problem to readers to understand.
Theories
Uses and gratification is one of the theories used in the LGBT comic books ass for example It gives personal Identity as to people who feel like these characters and are being judges by them. Another would be person relation as to you know someone like this and understand them or that you know you want to talk to someone about this.
Another theory would be with stereotypes as to being shown an alternative stereotype. This would be by the stereotype of Homosexual men shown as acting like women and very feminized as to do with fashion. However Midnighter is this alternative where is this big man who will kill and fight for justice even though hes homosexual.
Psycho-graphics I would say are the reformers as for example they would see it as a different and interesting text. It would be a way to show they are okay with this as its a different theme of comics books going for a different kind of audience, This would also go for main streamers as for the reason of comic books that they will still read it and that it will be important to them still. They will stick to comics books because of the narrative and story and as long as it gets them interested.
I would put the female gaze by Dyer, this theory is about finding Midnighter attractive to a LGBT audience as to the strength and intelligence he shows in the comic books. This is female gaze because men like a specific part of person but because traditionally it women this is shown different as to men who are homosexual liking Midnighter. However this is also a male gaze because women can still like the way character is as to being strong and also shown as a confident character in the comics.
Research plan
Academic texts/books
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qzDHmQEACAAJ&dq=lgbt+superheroes&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qzDHmQEACAAJ&dq=lgbt+superheroes&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y
LGBT superheroes book on google books
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=gbpIbqiEy2sC&pg=PA30&dq=society+of+sexuality&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CC8Q6AEwA2oVChMIgpzf6ZO1yAIVR28UCh1z8AF-#v=onepage&q=society%20of%20sexuality&f=false
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=gbpIbqiEy2sC&pg=PA30&dq=society+of+sexuality&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CC8Q6AEwA2oVChMIgpzf6ZO1yAIVR28UCh1z8AF-#v=onepage&q=society%20of%20sexuality&f=false
The Gender of Sexuality: Exploring Sexual Possibilities
The New Mutants: Superheroes and the Radical Imagination of American Comics
Internet links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3UF-KDlhGs
This is about the new gay big superheroes, this video explains the popular superheroes who have been developed to different sexualities. This video explains the fun side of the characters and the good side of this. This explains Midnighter as this strong character who is a different sexuality and that its okay and that it would be fun to look at. The video explains that it was a mount of time to do this as for the reason of fan art and also a type of audience who want the LGBT theme to be popular because of this.
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JoshWildingNewsAndReviews/news/?a=124885
In this article actor Andrew Garfield is campaigning that it doesn't matter what sexuality Spiderman is and will enjoy that one day we don't have to have a problem with sexuality of superheroes or in real life. He gave the example that he would like to see a version of Spiderman which is pansexual and nothing being wrong with it. The interview was about how Spiderman or anyone can be any sexuality its also about how we shouldn't be scared of people who want to change and let men or woman like what ever they want as it doesnt change them in society as they are still the same skin colour, gender and sexual orientation meaning any one can be a hero in their own lives.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_themes_in_comics
This is just showing the meaning of how in comics the new concept of LGBT themes. It talks about how comics had censorship and not allowed to do this because society wasn't ready. It describes that LGBT started in the 1970s as they had grown mostly at that time of 1990s though making it mainstream it grew.
http://www.comicvine.com/profile/bumpyboo/lists/lgbt-characters/41243/
Has all the list of superheroes origins and what sexuality they are. it gives more information about the background and time they were issued. Talks about character evolution of why the writers made the character a different sexuality and when it was introduced.
Example of a superhero s Alan Scott as he is the first Green Lantern to be Gay and evolved in modern day society as being okay with it.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/iramadison/midnighter-is-the-gay-comic-book-youve-been-waiting-for#.xeXWe1XwP
Article about Midnighter being launched as a comic book series in 2008. Its about how the writer thought it would be good as it goes with modern society and it reflects where we are okay with it. It describes that Midnighter is still a normal super hero like all the others. He was shown to be like Batman but just homosexual and people still love him as he is dark character.
The first issue of DC's new superhero comic Midnighter debuted last week.
http://mashable.com/2015/07/19/lgbt-comic-book-superheroes/
Its about superheroes you would need to know about as they're big in the comics books now. This is to show the sexuality of superheroes and explain to them how good they are. The website gives the secret identity, powers, first appearance and who published it. The fun facts is what tells use the sexuality and what is good and what's actually interesting about them.
