Superman is bisexual now!

Penn

People are saying their issue is how its being made too big an issue of, but as far as I'm aware, a) it hasn't happened yet in the comics so it hasn't been made a big deal of nor do we know how big a part of the story it will be other than he goes out with a guy, and b) it was announced in the same way that all comic book storylines are announced, to drum up interest in the story. All comic synopses are released before the comic is available. It's the media outlets who made the story more prominent, and then those who most strongly support it or oppose it who brought it to more peoples attention.

The majority of the criticism levied at this storyline has either been wrong (eg. it's not Superman but Superman's son and therefore a new character), been overblown (eg. making such a big deal of his sexuality in the storyline that hasn't actually happened yet), or been that person's own fault (eg. Why is this story being made paid attention to? I SAID WHY IS THIS STORY BEING PAID ATTENTION TO? EVERYONE, LOOK AT THIS STORY AND TELL ME WHY IT MATTERS? WHO CARES, AMIRITE?). And the vast majority of whom, seem to know very little about comics to begin with and that this story isn't woke nonsense etc, but is par for the course.

You're giving it the oxygen that you're complaining it has.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042555#Comment_118042555

ugh... ok.

One last time.... (which has been proven by the amount of responses on the thread)

The fact that it was reported as a big deal by national outlets and looked like a pandering move to the *insertlettershere community was worth a discussion. The fact that superman likes kissing men isn't.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042574#Comment_118042574

Again, you are implying that I have an issue with Superman's son being bisexual. I don't.

It has been overblown (which may be one of Superboy's superpowers) by the virtue of his change of sexuality being the focal point of the press release from DC.

The reason for the thread was not to say that Superboy/man shouldn't be bisexual, it was to ask why it was such a big deal and are people who are bisexual empowered by this announcement.

I realise I am giving it oxygen by discussing it but I found it interesting and wanted to see what others thought. thats why I went to a discussion board.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042487#Comment_118042487

It was a news item on the entertainment section of RTE.... It's as much of a news item as anything else in that section.. I've given a pretty good reason on why it's classified as a big deal. You don't have to read the comic and in fact any of the posters that are annoyed by it seem to not even read comics or are equally as upset by gay leads in critically acclaimed games... They're the same posters who spend much of their time ranting about anything they classify as "woke".

Also, if you think this is in your face, you'd never cope with the likes of The Invisibles which often shows up in lists of the best comics ever.

The number of responses also doesn't mean the majority of posters even agree with you. And I imagine this will have pretty much no negative impact upon sales of the comic. So this is more a case of people who frequently complain about anything LGBT related, continuing to do so.

You've also claimed something has been changed about the character. But it's more a case of Clark Kent having a son who is bi...

Chips Lovell

RTE posts all sorts of entertainment tittle tattle daily. Yet this is the thing you pick out and question why they're reporting on it. For someone who claims not to have a problem with it, you're making a bit of a meal out of it.

buried

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118041110#Comment_118041110

Well you are probably right, I don't read these things but from what I know, these comic books started from American Bubble gum companies who gave these comics out free with their bubble gum product in order to shift more units with kids. That is the ultimate genesis of the comic book super hero. Bubble gum consumption. I don't think 'fighting the nazis' was limited to adults? I think kids were told to turn off the lights during the like of the Blitz and do their part too.

It does seem odd to be bothered that a specifically entertainment related section of a news media website might report on a new story arc in the franchise of one of the most popular and recognised characters in the entertainment world. I can think of a lot more things more (only slightly) worthy of being bothered by.

Such as how sports news gets reported in the non sports area of such sites when big sporting events are on. If I want to read about the world cup I go to the sports section of - say - the BBC website. But I go to the specifically news section during the world cup and they are reporting on many World Cup related stories.

Now I am not all that bothered by this really. But it seems at least bother-worthy compared to being bothered by this particular news story. :)

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042622#Comment_118042622

And I'm saying the press releases by DC are done for almost every story/comic, especially at the start of a new run of issues. They're called solicitations. It's announcing the upcoming releases/stories.

It's the media which made articles about it, and then the loudest voices on both sides of the coin, the LGBTQ+ side and the side who say things like LGBTQWTFLOLBBC÷, who then gave it more oxygen, again, oxygen they're complaining about it having in the first place.

FunLover18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042588#Comment_118042588

You called it "Superman is bisexual now!" so you can't be surprised that people are discussing that rather than your intended topic of "why is this a big deal".

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042674#Comment_118042674

Also they frequently refer to stories as huge deals or groundbreaking. In this case, it's more Marvel and DC playing catch-up so they're portraying as ground breaking. And this type of news item by default annoys people who view Breitbart or GBN as quality news outlets.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042636#Comment_118042636

I never said the amount of responses mean that people agree with me. It shows that it is worth talking about. Christ almighty, I doubt that I would ever have a thread where I wouldnt be in the minority.

Again though, please stop implying that I have an issue with anything LGBT. Thats absolutely untrue.

And as has been explained, when I check RTE for news, I just go onto rte.ie homepage and scan the headlines. This was on the homepage.

I dunno what you mean about critically acclaimed games. I assume you mean The Last of Us 2. I personally think that was one of my favourite games of last year. The promotion around it was toxic and it did almost turn me off it (toxicity coming from all angles btw) but I gave it a go and was enthralled from start to finish. I think for the most part the sexuality of all the characters was done in a realistic and non-instrusive way (it was perhaps a little cackhanded at it's transgenderism aspect at the start but it resolved the slightly odd and shoehorned inclusion in a perfectly natural way)

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042684#Comment_118042684

It was a little play on the headline which I linked. The text in the actual post explained it I thought. But perhaps I was wrong.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042745#Comment_118042745

You went to the RTE site and they referred to an article in the entertainment section that was one of the most read on the site.... That's why it was on the front page, cause it had high engagement. The fact it seemed to get to you so much is more amusing. Cause, when did you last read a comic?

I am not sure what you can read into something being on the "homepage" of a news website though. As I said above it slightly irks me when news that is entirely sports related makes it's way into the mainstream news section. But that aside the "homepage" of any such site tends to have a mix of stories from each subsection. If I go there now I see one news story from the "World" section one from "Rugby" one from "Soaps" and so on.

So noting that a story happens to be on the main front page of a news site is really to note nothing at all in that regard. But the tone above suggests that somehow the story appearing on the homepage is somehow note worthy? Right now the front homepage of RTE is telling me that someone called "Billy" is "out for answers" in Eastenders tonight. Should I think this is news worthy because it is on the front page - and start a thread questioning why it is, or whether it should be? Or should I acknowledge that this is simply how front pages of major sites work?

I have not looked into the code behind the RTE site myself but the homepage of many sites tends not to be static. Rather they often not just pick headlines from each section - but do so based on your cookies and previous browsing history on that site. So I am not sure if the RTE particularly show one "Entertainment" story or another to you on the home page - or do they pick it entirely randomly each time you refresh the page - or if they show the one the cookies suggest is likely to be most interesting to you - or if they just show the one that happens to be the most clicked on that sub-section at this time on that day.

So if the thesis is to suggest and then question that this superman story is particularly news worthy - and the evidence for that thesis is solely limited to the fact that it appeared on the homepage of the site for you - I think the thesis itself might be on weak ground to start with? It is clearly no more (or less) news worthy that this "Billy" guy and the questions he seemingly has.

Interestingly enough (minutely but noticably interesting) when I open the specifically football related of the specifically sports section of the BBC news site right now - the "top" story it is showing me is telling me what % of players in the premier league are vaccinated. I do not know what to read into that fact except trying to read anything into what a news site shows you on the front page(s) is a minefield.

FunLover18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042772#Comment_118042772

Fair enough. I suspect a lot of people saw the title and didn't read the post. I still don't really see the point in starting a conversation about something you don't think is newsworthy though, as someone said above you're giving it the oxygen you don't think it deserves. I don't really know what direction you expected the thread to go other than it's current trajectory.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042798#Comment_118042798

Oh I know Mike. It's been pointed out multiple times in the thread. It was an honest mistake to think it was a news article.

You seem to want to needle me and keep implying that it "get to me"? I don't understand that. I just thought it was worth a thread. I wasn't annoyed. It didn't ruin my day. I give it zero thought until I come onto a discussion board and see that there is a notification.

Full disclosure, I have only recently (6months-ish) been introduced to comic books. I am undecided as to how interested I am in them if I am being honest. My nephew is really into them and has a 2000AD obsession which I don't share. But some of the other classics like the Killing Joke etc have been passed to me and I have enjoyed them.

I don't claim to be the biggest fan but I don't think that excludes me from my opinion being valid.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042854#Comment_118042854

I genuinely thought it would prompt a discussion on whether or not this was seen as pandering or whether it was in fact brave and empowering for the majority of bisexual people.

I did have a sneaking suspicion that it would result in me being called a bigot but sure, it's water off a ducks back at this stage.

^ On that side topic if you are trying to get into comics at a relatively late age and finding them not doing so much for you then you could try graphic novels before you give up entirely. Very similar in many ways but I find them often a little more adult and mature in theme and content. The Watchmen movie for example was based on a graphic novel. You mentioned the Killing Joke too which is a good example of a graphic novel more than a comic. V for Vendetta also jumps to mind and I loved that movie.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042832#Comment_118042832

No man, I get it.

I was wrong. I think when I looked at RTE in the couple of minutes I had before work, I noticed it right at the top underneath the main headlines and mistakenly thought it was a news article. I thought the entertainments usually came a little lower down. It was my fault and I hold my hands up on that one.

If I had known it was the top story purely in the entertainment section, I more than likely wouldn't have bothered starting a thread.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042953#Comment_118042953

If you can PM me some suggestions, that would be really great. As is probably very evident, I know **** all about the difference between comics and graphic novels, but I do like good story telling via any medium.

God you are calling my bluff there a little as while I know a few - there are many people here who would PM you a lot better suggestions than I can give you. My knowledge is relatively limited. The Walking dead original GN was good. V for Vendetta was a good GN. Hellboy was really good too - to the point I still cant work out how all the movies were so objectively awful :) The Sandman by Neil Gamon is up there too.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118043001#Comment_118043001

Ha. No worries man. Thats plenty to work off. Will give them a look. Thank you.

FunLover18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042935#Comment_118042935

I think that's too nuanced a discussion for boards though :D but I'll give it a go; it's only seen as either pandering or empowering because Superman (even if it is Jon Kent) is one of the most iconic superheoes, the "S" logo has to be one of the most recognisable symbols in the world, so personally even though I don't read the comics and have no intention of reading them, I think it is a big deal for that symbol to be worn by a member of the LGBT community. As has been mentioned this has been done with other characters but Superman is by far the biggest superhero to be LGBT and it is a new version of the character, ie not Clark. I think it says a lot though they didn't make him homosexual, as a bisexual they can still have love stories with the opposite gender which may go towards keeping certain people somewhat satisfied. At the same time there is of course an element of pandering (for lack of a better word), the world is diverse and the big corporations are slowly learning that diversity sells and that's all they care about in the endgame. I don't know if it will last but I think it's a step towards normalising these issues and hopefully we can get to a point where it won't be a big deal.

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042105#Comment_118042105

I like Doom Patrol myself. It's the only superhero genre thing I would watch(though the latest episodes are not so good in my humble). It's wonderfully bonkers on a few levels.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118043385#Comment_118043385

Any chance of a cliff notes or a jump on point? Sounds interesting

Wibbs

It's about a group of superheroes, anti superheroes really who are forced to work together as a group by a mad scientist fighting various oddball foes. They don't really like each other much, their superpowers are not the usual and each one of them is a Freudian wet dream and the stuff they come up against would tax Salvador Dali's imagination. It's very quirky. Put it this way one of the foes they encounter are a swarm of arses with legs and teeth and one of their friends is a Gay street/village who is reduced to a single brick after he had a bad day.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118043385#Comment_118043385

I'm not up to speed on season 3 yet. Legion sounds like it might be similarly interesting, just haven't gotten to it.

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118042574#Comment_118042574

That’s it. Seems to be an “issue” for those who don’t have a problem with the LGBTQI+ people, just with how they are promoted. Aren’t racist, just don’t agree with how racism is being fought. Have no problem with feminism just with vocal women calling for equality.

And so on and so forth.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118043445#Comment_118043445

Well **** me. I'm sold.

CGI_Livia_Soprano

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118044156#Comment_118044156

It looks to me like homosexuals are your “kryptonite.”