World outside your window

I wasn’t an avid comic book reader in my youth. My exposure was limited to a few issues of various sci-fi comics that my girlfriend had lying around. When I was bored I would pick up an X-Men issue or some other super hero. I loved the visuals and I was of course drawn to the female characters … the ones that kicked ass, not the frail ones that were waiting around to be rescued. Oh please!

Even though most stories told in the comics were a bit beyond reality, what with their big alien monsters and mega super powers, they always seemed to me to be a better world than the one outside my window, evil monsters notwithstanding. The X-Men series became one of my favorites since they were essentially mutants, the ultimate outsiders and minority group. They were very different and feared because of their differences.

Naturally I identified with them, being a mutant myself … sans the superpowers 🙁

This month I heard something that brought a huge smile to my face, Northstar is getting married! Check out this story. Marvel’s Astonishing X-Men comic features two gay superheros getting engaged. In issue #50 Northstar proposes to his boyfriend Kyle and in issue #51 they will get married. Yeay, yippie!

I hear alot of my friends and writing buddies complain often about how there aren’t many LGBT characters in science fiction. And the few that do exist usually end up killed or going crazy. Hopefully that isn’t a sign of things to come for Northstar and Kyle.

I wish them many years of wedded bliss with occasional breaks to defend the world against evil baddies!

— KRR