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Batwoman's New Writer Is Gay, But Will He Let the Lesbian Superhero Marry?
DC Comics has hired openly gay writer Marc Andreyko to take over the Batwoman franchise after the previous lead writing team quit over what they say was a refusal to let the comic's main character marry her girlfriend.
In an apparent effort to save face after two head writers quit the Batwoman book in protest over being forbidden to let the openly lesbian superhero Kate Kane marry her longtime girlfriend and new fiancee Maggie Sawyer, DC Comics has hired an acclaimed — and openly gay — author to fill the void.
Marc Andreyko is known for his work with Gotham's other female superhero Manhunter, who sports an openly gay sidekick, according to Newsarama. Andreyko will take the helm starting with Batwoman #25. The out writer said on a Facebook post announcing his hire that he adores the original writers, and is "taking this job very seriously and hope to do right by Kate, Maggie, Bette and the rest of the cast," reports the Huffington Post.
Former authors J.H. Williams and W. Haden Black quit the Batwoman brand after what they called continued last-minute editorial interference in their character's storyline. The final straw for the pair was when DC Comics told the writers that Batwoman, who proposed to her police detective girlfriend in February, would not be allowed to tie the knot.
Fans immediately called foul on what they perceived as DC's homophobic censure of the genre's most popular out female superhero. But a spokesman for DC said the issue for the comic company wasn't the Batwoman's sexual orientation, but rather the editorial edict that "heroes shouldn't have happy personal lives." People in the Bat family have miserable personal lives, said DC's copublisher Dan DiDio at Baltimore's Comic Con. "It's wonderful that they try to establish personal lives, but it’s equally important that they set them aside," continued DiDio. "That is our mandate, that is our edict and that is our stand."
Somehow, we'd bet a generation of teenage (and grown up!) lady-geeks would beg to differ, happy to attest to the impact of putting the only lesbian superhero with her own solo title into a happy, legal marriage would have on future generations of comic nerds. And the GLAAD-award-winning series won't be the same if our leading lady can't have hers.
<p>Sunnivie is an award-winning journalist and the managing editor at <em>The Advocate</em>. A proud spouse and puppy-parent, Sunnivie strives to queer up the world of reporting while covering the politics of equality daily.</p>
<p>Sunnivie is an award-winning journalist and the managing editor at <em>The Advocate</em>. A proud spouse and puppy-parent, Sunnivie strives to queer up the world of reporting while covering the politics of equality daily.</p>
