Queer Comic Book Characters: Rorschach and Ozymandias (Oct 7th) Watchmen 3 of 3

Both Rorschach (Walter Kovacs) and Adrian Veidt (Ozymandias) are also possible LGBT characters. However, the text does not directly identity either them as gay; it only gives undertones and innuendos. This could be Moore and Gibbons’ way of saying that neither Rorschach nor Adrian are self-aware enough concerning to their sexuality to self-identify and/or act on any urge, and both are essentially asexual. This could also mean that neither of them are gay as Moore and Gibbons had no problem identifying Ursula Zandt (Silhouette), The Hooded Justice, and Nelson Gardner (Captain Metropolis) as LGBT; and the latter two were very closeted, though couldn’t keep their relationship with each other a secret from their team members. Continue reading “Queer Comic Book Characters: Rorschach and Ozymandias (Oct 7th) Watchmen 3 of 3”

Queer Comic Book Characters: Normalization Through Marginalization in Watchmen (Oct 6th) 2 of 3

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave GibbonsWhile these posts are part of a celebration of LGBT History Month, Watchmen‘s problems go beyond just sexual minorities, and I’ll also be covering gender and racial minorities in this part.

As a great story, Watchmen must be able to reach across all types of people and become a universal story. A universal story is enjoyable no matter who you are and no matter if you physically or emotionally resemble the characters. Watchmen, however, falls short from being a universal story as Alan Moore and David Gibbons normalize women, racial minorities, and sexual minorities through marginalization.

Moore notes that he wanted control over his own characters for Watchmen so he could destroy or kill them without blighting the beloved DC Universe. This is important because Moore’s making a mockery of the perfect superhero, who has no flaws, by making his heroes murder and rape victims, become alcoholics, go crazy, etc., and he gives only one of them actual superpowers. Most of them are no stronger, faster, etc. than you or I. This meta text is credited with moving superhero comics into darker realms of human experience than they’d ever been before. Moore and Gibbons craftly uses the backdrop of the Cold War and millennial panic to show how everyone, regardless of superpowers, gender, race, or sexual orientation, is affected by life. Continue reading “Queer Comic Book Characters: Normalization Through Marginalization in Watchmen (Oct 6th) 2 of 3”

Queer Comic Book Characters: The Minutemen (Oct 5th) Watchmen 1 of 3

Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen is without a doubt one of the most celebrated comics ever created. Published in 1986-87, they took archetypes of classic Charlton Comics’ characters, gave them flaws, and put them in a dystopian alternative universe where the United States won the Vietnam War; Nixon’s still president for several terms; nuclear war with the U.S.S.R. seems imminent.

While Watchmen mostly focuses on the second superhero team, the Crimebusters, it features flashbacks to their predecessors, the Minutemen. The Minutemen had three notable LGBT characters: Ursula Zandt (Silhouette), The Hooded Justice, and Nelson Gardner (Captain Metropolis). Sadly, all three have been murdered before the story ever begins. This is problematic given the history of LGBT characters being killed off, and I will go further into this in Part 2 of 3.

The Queer Minutemen: Ursula Zandt (Silhouette), The Hooded Justice, and Nelson Gardner (Captain Metropolis)

The Minutement
From the movie L to R: Silhouette, Mothman, Dollar Bill, Nite Owl, the Comedian, Captain Metropolis, Silk Spectre, Hooded Justice
Continue reading “Queer Comic Book Characters: The Minutemen (Oct 5th) Watchmen 1 of 3”