We recently reported on the fact that GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) would be honoring two DC comic books -- BATWOMAN and SECRET SIX. DC aren't the only ones being recognized by the organization, however. Marvel recently announced that two of their titles are also being nominated for GLAAD awards.

The publisher recently announced that both AVENGERS: THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE as well as X-FACTOR were both nominated for "ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through media," in this case, comic books.

Both series featured romantic relationships of gay superheroes. In THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADEAllan Heinberg developed a lovely romantic relationship between Hulkling and Wiccan and in X-FACTOR writer Peter David explored the relationship between Rictor and Shatterstar.

X-FACTOR -- which won the award last year -- is receiving a second nomination, and one that writer David is "genuinely" honored to be nominated.

it genuinely is an honor considering that X-FACTOR was nominated and won last year. Not a convention goes by where a fan or fans comes up to me to tell me how much Rictor and Shatterstar's relationship means to them, and that always fills me with a sense of pride; and also a feeling of—to borrow a page from Spidey—great responsibility. I'm just glad that Marvel has consistently allowed me the latitude to explore these kinds of topics.”

It's great to see these books receive this kind of recognition from an organization like GLAAD. Which book is your favorite? Who would you like to see win?

Source: Marvel

Congrats to Marvel. I am glad both companies are doing at least a tiny bit to advance society.

So you get an award for having gay characters in a comic?

Good for them.

@Jake Fury: No, you get awards for having gay characters in comics who are presented in a 3 dimensional way rather then resorting to tokenism and stereotypes.

Cool.

Hulkling is a power-top fo'sho

Rob Liefeld was not a happy camper when Marvel decided to make Shatterstar gay.

Hulkling and Wiccan need their own sitcom.

@Mumbles: If there was a way to like that post.. I would

X-Factor has my vote all the way.

@EpicMeltDown said:

@Jake Fury: No, you get awards for having gay characters in comics who are presented in a 3 dimensional way rather then resorting to tokenism and stereotypes.

This ^ and the fact the it is the GLAAD awards so that is the entire purpose, to celebrate the use of LGBT characters well.

I have read all of these asides from Secret Six but that is supposed to be great as well so whichever book wins!

Suprised that Stormwatch has never been recognised by GLAAD, its a pretty postive potrayel of two super heros in love with each other despite everthing in the universe trying to kill them. Maybe next year ^_^

My vote goes to X-Factor.

So wait, Daken doesn't get any gay pride love?

I love Rictor and Shatterstar, it's great that X-factor got nominated this year. I Did't know that Wiccan was gay but he's also a great character

Daken disagrees.

Daken is not always painted in the most favorable light, though.

@jrock85 said:

Rob Liefeld was not a happy camper when Marvel decided to make Shatterstar gay.

lol he really shouldnt have made him so ambiguously gay! Not to mention his art... he is known as the man who gave cap boobs!!!

this is straight gay

@kamionero said:

@jrock85 said:

Rob Liefeld was not a happy camper when Marvel decided to make Shatterstar gay.

lol he really shouldnt have made him so ambiguously gay! Not to mention his art... he is known as the man who gave cap boobs!!!

He said that he always intended for Shatterstar to be asexual, nothing but a warrior who does not seek romance.

Marvel getting nominated is kind of a surprise. DC has always seemed friendlier to more than just their straight male readership. Just look at Marvel's "women" comics compared to DC.

I remember reading that Shatterstar's creator wasn't too happy about that guy/guy kiss scene.

Anytime these homosexual characters are given a good story and aren't just used as tokens, it's a positive.

I hope Wiccan and Hulkling win, they were an awesome couple.

@kiddevil said:

Cool.

This is just sick , i still cant belive they put these stuff in comics.... Good story but wiccan and hulkling is just sick..

@deadpool25mm said:

This is just sick , i still cant belive they put these stuff in comics.... Good story but wiccan and hulkling is just sick..

Because they're gay? Or..?

If you're being ignorant like that JUST because they're gay, shame on you.

@deadpool25mm said:

This is just sick , i still cant belive they put these stuff in comics.... Good story but wiccan and hulkling is just sick..

Nice to know ignorance and bigotry is still rampant.

@jrock85 said:

Rob Liefeld was not a happy camper when Marvel decided to make Shatterstar gay.

The crazy part is that Rictor & Shatterstar were so totally gay WHILE Liefeld was writing them

@EpicMeltDown said:

@Jake Fury: No, you get awards for having gay characters in comics who are presented in a 3 dimensional way rather then resorting to tokenism and stereotypes.

"both nominated for "ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through media," in this case, comic books."

@Thunderscream said:

@jrock85 said:

Rob Liefeld was not a happy camper when Marvel decided to make Shatterstar gay.

The crazy part is that Rictor & Shatterstar were so totally gay WHILE Liefeld was writing them

LOL I guess its just a matter of reader interpretation.

Yay? Sorry, but making a big deal over the fact that these books have gay characters rubs me the wrong way. I like Wiccan and Hulking though, so I guess I'm happy they're getting some sort or recognition.

@kagato said:

Suprised that Stormwatch has never been recognised by GLAAD, its a pretty postive potrayel of two super heros in love with each other despite everthing in the universe trying to kill them. Maybe next year ^_^

Stormwatch will probably get one next year considering they'll have more issues to them (hopefully) after all the romance is just beginning! lol

@Lantern Prime said:

this is straight gay

Some of us are straight gay. And no worries Teen Titan's Bunker made it to February's issue of Out Magazine.

@Joe Venom said:

So wait, Daken doesn't get any gay pride love?

Even though Daken IS most of the time shown doing morally wrong things I think it would nice to have his book nominated, it can't all be just good. Evil people can be gay/bi too after all. lol

i am torn. i really want them all to win. each are great comics with great characters. kinda partial to wiccan and hulkling though.

Honestly, I cant stand the way Children's Crusade handles Wiccan and Hulkings relationship. Every issue I have read just screams out "HEY WERE GAY" "HEY LOOK AT US WE ARE HOMOSEXUAL" "HEY HEY HEY LOOK 2 MEN ARE KISSING" none if ever feels natural to me, I think Batwoman has pulled it off better than any book has been able to.

@Mumbles said:

Hulkling is a power-top fo'sho

This is just sick , i still cant belive they put these stuff in comics.... Good story but wiccan and hulkling is just sick..

I'm not against the gay characters in a comic at all, although it shouldn't be the main focus of the story. As with any romantic connections between characters. Sure, Peter Parker and Mary Jane are cute together, but we don't need to see it ever issue for half the comic book.

And honestly, I think the writers should be bringing in new characters who are gay/lesbian, or using characters never stated to have relationships before. Not changing the older ones.

No one ever tends to complain about the girl/girl action, yet they do with guy/guy? That's unfair and uncalled for. People need to chill out.

@WykedlilKara said:

Honestly, I cant stand the way Children's Crusade handles Wiccan and Hulkings relationship. Every issue I have read just screams out "HEY WERE GAY" "HEY LOOK AT US WE ARE HOMOSEXUAL" "HEY HEY HEY LOOK 2 MEN ARE KISSING" none if ever feels natural to me, I think Batwoman has pulled it off better than any book has been able to.

But Wiccan and Hulking have never, to my recollection, actually kissed on-panel. Which is a big problem I have with this. Like, they're allowed to be all over each other flirtatiously but they're not allowed to actually do anything like kissing.

I'm rooting for Batwoman. Lesbians get less exposure anyway and that book is just beautifully written and drawn.

@deadpool25mm: wow you're....um wow

I hope X-Factor wins. Besides being the only consistently good X-book, the relationship between Shatterstar and Rictor is just one of the few realistic and actually likeable couples.

coolio

@deadpool25mm said:

@Ouija: Post deleted.

What's worse: homosexual characters kissing, or trolls who do not know how to properly use grammar, apostrophes, and your/you're?

I invariably vote the latter.

What is gross, is your capacity for social and grammatical ignorance. Get it? Gross. It's a pun. No, you probably don't.

wow. i hope a mod takes care of this.

@deadpool25mm said:

Funny, i dont see any problem with it. (+ even if i do have a few mistakes in grammer that has nothing to do with what im talking about)

You've certainly got me there. Your unabashed homophobia is stupid independently from your inability to grasp a proper use of English. However, if you're to subject everyone to your social ignorance, it would be a courtesy to at least make an attempt at being intelligible.

For future record, however:

Your = belonging to you.

You're = you are.

You = the second-person personal pronoun.

U = the English letter following the letter t.

' = an apostrophe: to be used when making contractions, eg. "That's why you didn't like my comment."

@deadpool25mm said:

@Ouija: Post deleted

Why you wanna make me do work today, huh? Wassamatta witchu?

I have a question. Why do people automatically start bashing anyone whom they THINK is anti-gay even when they make seeing logical statements like, "Hey, where are the awards for straight characters?" I know, I know, we are trying to be accepting of gay characters and as long as it isn't shoved down our throats that character is gay first and a character second like, oh, say Batwoman, I believe most of us are perfectly willing to be accepting (see the way Creote and Savant were wonderfully written by Gail Simone). However, the venom spewed by those who perceive homophobia by a simple statement shows way more ignorance and hatred than the aforementioned interrogative. When someone asks, "Hey. blah blah awards for straight people blah blah," and that is followed by, "Why you hate filled homophob! **** you right in the **** you ***** and ***** *** ***** ******* with a *** ****** **** *** **** plus ****** *** * **** ***** and don't forget **** ** ******* ******* ******** you ******* ** *** ****** ******!!!!" Who sounds more full of hate?

Now that I've said my piece, why was Batwoman, who seems to try hooking up with all sorts of random females (I'm taking 52 and 'Tec into account as well) nominated, but the wonderfully developed yet way underrated relationship between Creote and Savant ignored? Something that is all too common in comics these days: hype > story-telling. That's right, I said it.

And thanks for proving my point Marvel.

I have a question. Why do people automatically start bashing anyone whom they THINK is anti-gay even when they make seeing logical statements like, "Hey, where are the awards for straight characters?" I know, I know, we are trying to be accepting of gay characters and as long as it isn't shoved down our throats that character is gay first and a character second like, oh, say Batwoman, I believe most of us are perfectly willing to be accepting (see the way Creote and Savant were wonderfully written by Gail Simone). However, the venom spewed by those who perceive homophobia by a simple statement shows way more ignorance and hatred than the aforementioned interrogative. When someone asks, "Hey. blah blah awards for straight people blah blah," and that is followed by, "Why you hate filled homophob! **** you right in the **** you ***** and ***** *** ***** ******* with a *** ****** **** *** **** plus ****** *** * **** ***** and don't forget **** ** ******* ******* ******** you ******* ** *** ****** ******!!!!" Who sounds more full of hate?

Now that I've said my piece, why was Batwoman, who seems to try hooking up with all sorts of random females (I'm taking 52 and 'Tec into account as well) nominated, but the wonderfully developed yet way underrated relationship between Creote and Savant ignored? Something that is all too common in comics these days: hype > story-telling. That's right, I said it.

And thanks for proving my point Marvel.

Isn't Shatterstar more of an omnisexual kind of alien?

@Vance Astro: Actually, YOU don't understand and THIS was exactly my point and thank you for making it. You immediately bristled when I mentioned the whole "blah blah straight awards" but that wasn't the point of my argument. I KNOW why there aren't straight awards. I didn't even make that part into a complete sentence if you will re-read what I wrote. My point was the blind lashing out at ANYONE who would DARE to question anything gay in comics. Never mind that I DEFENDED another gay couple and tried to at least make my point as to why they should have been recognised but were over-looked. No, you only saw the part where I used the "straight awards" and went on your little rampage. The problem ISN'T that simple.

@Vance Astro: Actually, YOU don't understand and THIS was exactly my point and thank you for making it. You immediately bristled when I mentioned the whole "blah blah straight awards" but that wasn't the point of my argument. I KNOW why there aren't straight awards. I didn't even make that part into a complete sentence if you will re-read what I wrote. My point was the blind lashing out at ANYONE who would DARE to question anything gay in comics. Never mind that I DEFENDED another gay couple and tried to at least make my point as to why they should have been recognised but were over-looked. No, you only saw the part where I used the "straight awards" and went on your little rampage. The problem ISN'T that simple.

@kagato said:

Suprised that Stormwatch has never been recognised by GLAAD, its a pretty postive potrayel of two super heros in love with each other despite everthing in the universe trying to kill them. Maybe next year ^_^

A gay writer once mention how there over-the-top violence made them stereotypes that gay means insane so I think it has something to do with that and the fact I love those two but they need more kissing time and moment were they show they truly love each other, they have them but they need more otherwise it like me saying 'oh ya that guy is gay but let just show him kissing the other dude' it just doesn't caught it