The Politics of Wiccan and Hulkling

[CBR News]

Marvel's premiere gay couple, the Young Avengers known as Wiccan and Hulkling, kissed for the first time in last week's "Avengers: Children's Crusade," and Brett White can't stop pondering the wider implications.


Full article here.

[Rick Worley]

Good article. The big deal here is that it's not treated as a big deal. There's no reason two people kissing should involve politics at all, unless bigots make it about politics. The page was a big splash page moment, I'd like to think, because it was a big moment for the characters in that it expressed that they care about each other. I don't think it was a big splash page because they're both guys. At this point, even reacting to the bigots as though they deserve a reaction treats them as though they have a valid point to make in the discussion that's worth debating with them. They don't.

[Hero Girl]

Yawn.

[Hockstatter]

Yeah don't even see how this is a big deal. In 2012 nothing is shocking about seeing 2 males kiss. The fact that there is an article about it makes it seem like it something that is not normal and shouldn't happen.

[Hero Girl]

I think this article does more harm on what it's trying to say isn't a big deal.

[Fluffy6079]

Though I understand (at least as much as I can) the writer's viewpoint, I think not treating it as a big deal is probably the best thing. Let's just not call attention to it, not in the sense that I think we should say, "pay no attention to the gay people." It's just that I think that if people who are okay with it make a huge deal about it, then it will become this huge political issue. I think Marvel did well by not making a huge deal out of it. These are characters that have been together for a while now, so it really should come as no surprise that they finally had their moment. Honestly, the big deal here should be from a story perspective, same as when any other couple kisses for the first time.

[kalorama]

When I read my comics, I want to stop worrying about the underlying politics; I want to start being happy for the characters.

Then go ahead. Be happy for them. No one is stopping you. If you choose not to be happy and instead worry about the "political" ramifications of it, then that's on you. That's a choice you made not one that was forced on you.

[1USAgent]

What I find interesting is that when Spider-Man becomes black, it's plastered all over the place and they promoted the heck out of it. Not so here.

[SJNeal]

I'll be excited when they finally show full penetration, and not a moment before.

[darknessatnoon]

What I find interesting is that when Spider-Man becomes black, it's plastered all over the place and they promoted the heck out of it. Not so here.

Right, Children's Crusade got no promotion.

Anyway, this issue was terrible. These characters are terrible. Have Iceman come out instead of creating new, lame gay characters. Marvel should use the gays they already have.

[Van Custo]

Yeah don't even see how this is a big deal. In 2012 nothing is shocking about seeing 2 males kiss. The fact that there is an article about it makes it seem like it something that is not normal and shouldn't happen.

For most people of the world and for a good portion of the US population, its not. If it was, there wouldn't be so many problems for gay people.

[weeji]

If you don't think to yourself "This is potentially going to be pointed to as damaging to kids by the conservatives" when you see something like this, then you are kidding yourself. This comes only a week after the big Archie thing happened with Toys R Us. I'm glad Toys R Us/Archie stood their ground, and I'm glad Marvel is standing theirs, but I've seen enough horrible "news" articles to have that thought immediately cross my mind. The hope is always that it wont be newsworthy, but you never know.

[trajikflp]

What I find interesting is that when Spider-Man becomes black, it's plastered all over the place and they promoted the heck out of it. Not so here.

...Wiccan and Hulkling are not. It is a big deal that Marvel introduced Ultimate Spiderman as a black character. Neither of them, Ultimate Spiderman being black and Wiccan and Hulking kissing. I don't recall splashy ads focused on Ultimate Spiderman being reintroduced as a black kid instead of a white kid. I remember the media doing a bait and switch, making it sound like Earth 616 Peter Parker had died and replaced by a black kid, but nothing really along the lines of "Spiderman turns Black".

Likewise, I don't remember there being any advertisement on this particular issue about the two of them kissing. I don't remember there being a big deal about Shatterstar and Rictor kissing, except for the "small" fact that Rictor had previously been depicted as dating and kissing girls. Otherwise, it was just another day in the life of...

[1USAgent]

"Right, Children's Crusade got no promotion."
I'm talking about how Marvel danced with the mass media outside of the comic book industry and ate it up. I don't really count ads for comics in other comics as being any sort of heavy promotion.

"Comic books are leading the progressive charge right now" I found this quote in the article interesting as well. If comic books are leading the way, doesn't the movement have issues? I mean, the world at large does not care about print comic books.

[trajikflp]

Right, Children's Crusade got no promotion.

Anyway, this issue was terrible. These characters are terrible. Have Iceman come out instead of creating new, lame gay characters. Marvel should use the gays they already have.

We gay men and women don't like being called "the gays", just like you probably don't like us calling you people "the breeders".