The new Superman and the representation of the LGBTQI+ community
The Representation of the LGBTQI+ Community in Art
Over the centuries, in the world of art, the representativeness of heterosexuality was predominant, always occupying a place of central visibility, compared to other sexual orientations. This phenomenon was evident in painting, sculpture, among other means such as literature – a consequence of the patriarchal perspective that formed the western artistic canons. The LGBTQI+ community has sufferedof little representativeness in the discourse of art history,for many centuries, however, from the 20th century onwards, a real revolution was witnessed. Artists not only decided to come out of the closet, but also began to speak openly about homosexuality in their work. However, many were censored by art institutions like McBride or Robert Mapplethorpe. Historical events such as the Stonewall riots in 1969, in the United States of America, and the global AIDS crisis (AIDS), from the 1980s onwards, marked a significant change in the sense of visuality of Queer culture in society, thus initiating a public and political discourse so that there would be less marginalization in relation to this community.
Robert Mapplethorpe
The new Superman is bisexual announces DC Comics!
Over time, DC comics and Marvel have confirmed the existence of historical content in their comics, thus offering a playful, stimulating and creative moment on various issues such as racism, xenophobia, patriarchy, among others. Comics is a mass literary genre that covers a wide audience, namely children, young people and adults. This typology with two communicative elements, narrative and pictorial text, allows the reader to have a comprehensive and more concrete perspective of the entire event portrayed and presented in the work.
On October 11, DC Comics announced that the new Superman is bisexual. The new character, Jonathan "Jon" Kent, is the son of Lois Lane and Superman (Clark Kent) - one of the most recognizable cartoon characters in the world. With a more modern approach, the new Superman not only fights crime, but also helps put out forest fires, supports refugees and stops school shootings. In fact, comics never lose their charm of teaching us and continue to represent current problems, such as social and environmental issues. This new Superman offers many people a hero who represents them, as Tom Taylor stated to the press: "I've always said everyone needs heroes and everyone deserves to see themselves in their heroes and I'm very grateful DC and Warner Bros. share this idea. Superman's symbol has always stood for hope, for truth and for justice. Today, that symbol represents something more. Today, more people can see themselves in the most powerful superhero in comics."
New Superman Comics
LGBTQI+ character in comics
The new Superman comic is by no means the first LGBTQIA+ superhero in this literary world. In Marvel and DC Comics, the first bisexual and homosexual characters were Tim Drake, Batman's partner, Valkyrie, in Thor: Ragnarok and Northstar, in X-Men. In 2012, the marriage ofKyle Jinadu It isnorthstar became the first representation of a same-sex marriage in history in a comic book and to mark the 80th anniversary of Captain America will be released: The United States of Captain America, in which the problems that the LGBTQI+ community has been suffering will be represented . More recently, Loki was confirmed as gender fluid by series director Kate Herron: "He's gender fluid in the Norse mythology and the comics and it felt like an important thing to, as you say, make sure it's canon."
In fact, comics have continuously marked the history of art by representing renegade communities or less favored by society in a creative and artistic way. The first three editions of the new comic are already available and ready to revolutionize the artistic world.
marriage ofKyle Jinadu andNorthstar in X-Men