Dark Wolverine writer Marjorie Liu Talks Daken, Weaponized Sexuality

Newsarama posted a great interview with Dark Wolverine writer Marjorie Liu asking about her experience writing one of Marvel's most notorious and highly billed bisexual. Liu makes some interesting points about Daken's unique powerset as a male character and his relationship, or lack of one, with his father, Wolverine. I've had a lot of conflicting feelings about Daken as a character. On one hand it's great to see writers really embrace the bisexual part of Daken, and its refreshing that recently it seems that Daken's bisexuality is more complex than it has been in the past (it seemed that whenever Daken was having sex for "fun" it would be with a woman, but sex for business/nefarious plots/leverage would be with a man). It is somewhat unique, as noted by the interviewers to see a male character use his sexuality as a weapon. Check out the interview over at Newsarama!

SuperQueeros! for December 1st, 2010

How was your Thanksgiving? Filled with comic-book AWESOME-NESS? Yeah, I thought so.

This week isn't quite as gangbusters as last week, but we have four strong titles out instead of an avalanche of limited series, and almost all of them are bringing end-of-the-year resolution to the plot threads you love!

The Authority #29

The last issue of (this volume of) The Authority! As we all know, Wildstorm is folding into the DCU (well, it's folding, and it's owned by DC. Where or when it ends up is still a mystery.), and December is the last month for its continuing series. This issue is sure to tie into the final issue of Wildcats, but the solicit is promising that the Authority is going to make it back to Earth with a Carrier full of secrets. Will one of those secrets be the solution to Wildstorm-Earth's apocalypse? And will that solution be the answer to what is about to happen to all the Wildstorm characters? Only one way to find out! #getit

Torchwood #5

It's a Gwen one-shot and the conclusion to 'Broken' in this month's Torchwood issue! I'm a Gwen fan, so I'm looking forward to this story, especially to finding out where in her timeline this story is set. Plus, Gary Russel has been knocking it out of the park with the Ianto-Jack banter in 'Broken', so I trust it will be a satisfying finish for the back-up story started way back in issue #1! It's the end of an era, so be sure to pick it up!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer#39

Speaking of eras ending, this is the second-to-last issue of BtVS: Season 8! And with no pre-released covers this month, expect the unexpected! Who will be the one to betray Buffy? Willow is facing a world without magic, Xander is facing a world with no room for humans, and Buffy is caught, unknowing, in the middle. As we've seen with Wildstorm, the Earths of comic books are not at all safe from the apocalyptic imaginations of writers. Where is Joss going to take this story?

Secret Six #28

It's the ultimate issue of 'Reptile Brain', the storyline that pitted Secret Six against Secret Six, promised a bloodbath with super-villain casualties, and delivered a bloodbath with super-villain... hugs? It also delivered a lot of shirtless Catman. So in the end everything worked out even-Steven. Since nobody died, though, how are the two Secret Sixes going to shake out post-conflict? Is this title about to become Secret Twelve, or are some people going to stay behind in Dinosaur-land? Or just head home after a hard day's slaughter? This month, we find out!

WHOOPS: Superqueeros Correction - BATWOMAN #0

Yesterday I said that this was the best Thanksgiving EVER because of the impressive prominence of queer superheroes in this week's comic books. But I was wrong. It's the BEST THANKSGIVING EVER-EST!!! N00b-like, I missed the solicitation for the BIG KAHUNA of all superqueeros: Batwoman #0 is in stores TODAY!!!!!!!!

The premise of the issue (at least in the solicit) is that Batman is confirming his suspicions of Batwoman's identity. That means that it's through the eyes of the World's Greatest Detective that we'll review all the Batwoman mythology developed in Detective Comics earlier this year. Then, primed and ready, we'll... have to wait until February for Batwoman #1. D'oh!

But some Batwoman is better than no Batwoman, especially at Thanksgiving (THANK YOU J.H.!), and this is probably the best comic book you can buy this week ever, so #GetIt. Plus, in the politics of desire, the sweetest part is always the antici-

A Reminder to All Aussies: Outland's Pride Scene Films Tomorrow!

A reminder to all our Aussie readers in, around, or able to be in or around the Melbourne area tomorrow, November 26th is your opportunity to appear in an episode of Outland!

SuperQueeros! for November 24th, 2010

It's Northstar Week! Not only is Northstar one-half of the un-quarantined X-men in Uncanny's creatively named "Quarantine" storyline, but Sasquatch's deal with the Great Beasts leads to Jean-Paul's inclusion in an awesome revival of the original Alpha Flight line-up for the Chaos War! Also, as if that weren't enough, Lafayette tells his story in the True Blood mini, the Wildcats' penultimate issue hits stores, and one of the New Mutants falls to the Inferno Babies! Plus GCS and Madame Xanadu! This is the best Thanksgiving EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chaos War: Alpha Flight

The most awesome Northstar-featuring comic this week (imo) sees the revival of his deceased teammates as they get one issue to help bring down the Chaos King. The premise for this event's tie-in books is: every living person is asleep and defenseless, so deceased heroes have been revived to fight an onslaught of attacking gods. I'm not sure if these characters stay relevant to the storyline after this one-shot, but whether or not they do I'm excited: I've not read any of the original Alpha Flight run and now, just like Marina, Vindicator, Guardian, and Shaman, I get a second chance!

Uncanny X-Men #530

If Chaos War: Alpha Flight is the most awesome Northstar-inclusive title this week, then Uncanny X-men is the most fabulous. The "Quarantine" storyline is, essentially, that Anole and the kids get sick (ANOLE ALERT!) and Utopia is quarantined from the outside world. Meanwhile, stuff starts going down outside the island, and the sick mutants start losing their powers. Where does Northstar come in to the equation? Well there are only two mutants NOT on Utopia when the quarantine starts: Dazzler and Northstar. Yup, we're about to get a full story arc of a super-diva and her super-GBF kicking butt all over San Fransisco. Who said all the X-Gays were metaphors only? #awesome #buyit

EDIT: Okay, Northstar and Dazzler aren't the ONLY un-quarantined X-Men. But 20% gay is still very gay!

True Blood #5

Lafayette's story! It's finally here! The second-to-last issue of the True Blood mini is out this week and we finally get to hear some of what Lafayette's been hiding. If you've been missing the fabulous fry cook while TB is off the air, this is the book for you. Plus, if you like Ryan Kwanten's Jason in compromising positions this book features just that sort of tale too!

Wildcats #29

Everything ends in #30! With one issue to go before everything hits the fan expect this issue to be a game-changer. Who will be the new Doctor? Will Apollo smash more golems like a blond Hulk? And is the ship headed toward Earth the Carrier or something worse????

New Mutants #19

This is the end of "Fall of the New Mutants" but it's definitely not the end of the Project Purgatory storyline! One of Marvel's Mutants is "fallen" and "no longer a part of the New Mutants" by the end of this issue, but I have a feeling that will play heavily into our heroes' successful counterstrike next month(s). Whatever happens, however, this issue is looking to be a turning point for our heroes as they're pushed to the max to overcome the overwhelming force that is: The Purgatory Babies! #KarmaKickingButt

Read more »

Scarlet Betch Episode 31

Hey betches!

We're back! In this week's issue Jason and Anthony review the latest in queer comic book news, namely Daken Dark Wolverine (with a Mystique feature) and X-Factor.

We get a double serving of Marvel's most famous bisexuals and a whole lot of kick-assery from Shatterstar (and more naive and adorable same-sex flirting)

Let us know what you think! Plus, any comics you think we missed in our coverage let us know! Send us a tweet @ScarletBetch or by email at scarletbetch@gmail.com

Clearance Sale at Class Comics! All the Catboys money can buy!

Now, we try and keep things classy, over here at Scarlet Betch, so we tend to not spend a lot of time mulling over the gay erotic comic book subculture. There are plenty of great resources on the web, but we tend to look at the queer in the mainstream content. But, I thought I'd pass along this little tidbit to our loyal readers who might want to take on this opportunity. Class Comics, the brain child of noted gay erotic comic creator, Patrick Fillion, is having a clearance sale of some of their most popular titles. If you've been looking for that perfect gift for that gay geek friend of yours to curl up next to at night... then here you go! [via Gay League]

SNEAK PREVIEW: Gaga One-Page in GQ by Cliff Chiang

Cliff Chiang is a freelance illustrator and artist and he's produced some awesome work from kickass comic book-reimagined 80's posters to threadless shirts, not to mention, you know, his comic book work. Chiang posted on his blog today a teaser image of a one-page comic he illustrated that will appear in the pages of December's GQ magazine featuring the one and only Lady Gaga. The preview looks hilarious and exciting. Cliff's an awesome artist and I can't wait to see more of his work! Make sure you check out the December issue of GQ! Men, Fashion, Comic books, AND Lady Gaga? Sign me up!

SuperQueeros! for November 17th, 2010

We know that queerness, like any genetically influenced trait, comes from a mutation, but it's a little "on the nose" that every gay character featured in a comic book this week is one of Marvel's Merry Mutants. I mean, I know we all have that "X factor", but not all of use have an X-gene too, okay?

(But no hate! I heart the X-Men times a million!)

X-Factor #211

It's going to be Shatterstar central this month as he, Rictor, Darwin, Longshot, Guido, and Layla (okay, maybe not central central) cause a violent ruckus to get the attention of Hela, Norse Goddess of the Underworld. Hopefully after the dust settles 'Star will help with the talking bits too. Or at least cutely screw up Norse custom? ;P

Daken: Dark Wolverine #3

So Daken has been burned to a crisp, an injury that his dad has recovered from multiple times. But according to the solicit, DarkWolvie is down for the count. And by "down" I mean in Hell. And by "for the count" I mean for this issue and possibly the next Act. (The current storyline is called "Empire, Act 1") We'll have to wait and see!

But in the meantime, Mystique fights off DemonWolverine! Hawtsome!!!

X-Men #5

X-Men gets an honorable mention this week for their inclusion of Bling! on the front lines of the vampire invasion this month. Someone once said, "The X-Men are gay black people who are straight and white," but Bling! is a mutant lesbian of color. So don't get vamped Bling!, you're too important!

Fanart Friday: Idealized Body Types and the Art of Paco Medina

We all know that idealized body types in comics can be fairly problematic, and I don't mean to imply that any artist who draws the super-idealized-not-achievable bodies of superheroes has or does not have any to all of those problems. Rather, on this Fanart Friday, I would like to perv out on spotlight the professional works of Paco Medina, specifically his depiction of Cyclops in next week's X-Men #5. To the right you can see a section of a larger panel that Marvel has released to the web as a preview from that very volume:

Wow. Woof. Am I right fellas? Definitely woof. AND, because this comic features Bling! (out lesbian of color!) as part of the Tough Skin Gang (read the preview), you can totally guiltlessly buy this comic for the queer solidarity factor and not for the pictures! Definitely not for the pictures! Let's all look to the right again:

Consummate penciling skills, Paco! Hopefully you didn't plagiarize a Photoshopped magazine to get these perfect proportions! lol, jk, flop sweat! Hopefully you used a life model. From Florida. Whose phone number you are willing to disseminate. Because I'm going to need to #marriage.

Happy Friday!

Scarlet Betch Episode 30

Hey betches!

We're back! And only after a week this time, hooray for us! We're so regular now, we should be spokespeople for metamusil! In this week's issue Jason and Anthony review what's on everyone's minds and pull lists: Avengers: Children's Crusade #3.

Heinberg and Cheung bring all the Billy/Teddy character development you've been so sorely looking for! I don't think Kate Bishop, Cassie Lang, or Vision even had a line through the whole thing! We also give shout outs to Batgirl and Dustin Nguyen for some amazingly adorable artwork. #tooc00tz!

Let us know what you think! Plus, any comics you think we missed in our coverage let us know! Send us a tweet @ScarletBetch or by email at scarletbetch@gmail.com

BETCH ALERT: Two-timing JMS Dumps Diana and Clark for 20 Year Old Stud from Kansas

It was announced today on the official DC Universe blog that J. M. Sraczynski is going to be leaving both of his head writer positions on Superman and the current Wonder Woman reboot to work on a sequel to the critically acclaimed Superman re-imagining, Earth One. While I am excited to learn of Earth One's continuation (haven't read it myself, but intend to), I am deeply concerned over the quality of the Wonder Woman book as it continues this winding trail of increasingly cryptic retcon-a-pullooza:

Starting with SUPERMAN #707 and WONDER WOMAN #605, Straczynski will step back as the monthly scripter of both books, opening the door for two rising talents to step in and complete the books’ respective storylines using JMS’s story notes. Straczynski’s influence will be apparent in both titles – Superman’s Walk Across America continues, the mysteries surrounding Wonder Woman barrel toward a conclusion and in due time you’ll have a second volume of SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE to put on the shelf next to the first.

Read more after the jump...

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AWESOME ALERT: Outland Casting Call!

The folks behind Outland saw our post yesterday and want YOU as an extra for the final episode's Gay Pride scene! The gig involves you and all your friends dressing up in your gay pride-est garb and hanging out on set until they need you to RAGE in the background! Totally awesome! Totally Gervais! The only downside is that you need to AVOID wearing science fiction costumes (think of it as a super-heroic sacrifice on your part) and, if you're paying attention to your surroundings, there will be SPOILERS (Please report them back to me!)!!!!

Oh, also, you have to be in Melbourne on the 26th?

Read more »

New Aus Comedy About... US!

So the Australian Broadcasting Company has just announced what may be the most exciting TV news ever?

It’s all systems go as filming starts on Outland, ABC1’s new six –part comedy series. Produced by Princess Pictures (Summer Heights High and John Safran’s Race Relations), Outland orbits around a gay science-fiction fan club, and the lives, loves and never-ending dramas of its members.

This means that we're about to get three hours of queers discussing who's hotter, Matt Smith or David Tennant, right??? Because I think I would watch that on an infinite loop! #soexcited!!

SuperQueeros! for November 10th, 2010

It's all Natalie Imbruglia up in my mind: on the one hand, the third issue of the hex-annual Children's Crusade ships this week!!!!! On the other hand, it's the only comic book out this week that features LGBT characters. So, we definitely have all our eggs of awesome in one basket. But it's a really sexy basket!

Avengers: Children's Crusade #3

The Scarlet Witch has been found! Now it's time for infighting while we get the back story of what the heck she's been doing and how she ended up with Doom! At least, I hope that's what we're in store for... The solicit just talks about Wolverine fighting Wonder Man (is that awesome? It sounds kind of awesome...), Quicksilver fighting Magneto (...why?), and the Avengers fighting the Young Avengers (again: hunh?). I understand that good-guy-only battles are a mainstay of the superhero genre, but this book only comes out once every two months. If there isn't actually a story to tell, why is it taking so long to tell it????

Counterpoint: Billy x Teddy.

Objection sustained, case rested, verdict: Avengers: Children's Crusade is #awesome. #buyit

BREAKING NEWS: Line Test for New Avatar: The Legend of Korra, leaked!

As many of you know, I am a huge fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Earlier this year, Nickelodeon and Avatar creators announced a new mini-series in the Avatar world about the next avatar: a waterbender named Korra. The intert00bs have erupted with the leaking of a line test from the show, further confirmation that the production is trucking ahead, slow and steady.

Be sure to check it out for as long as the powers that be let it stay up!

Scarlet Betch Episode 29

Hey betches!

Scarlet Betch is back at it again, keeping you updated on the latest in comic book news and reviews. Thankfully we dodged any technical difficulties and we're slowly getting a handle on this whole vlogging bit. Jason and Anthony give shout outs to Bruce Wayne - The Road Home: Batgirl, Archie Comics' Veronica 202, among others and talk in depth about this month's Wonder Woman and her confrontation with the Colonel, all things Anole in X-men Legacy and X-men: To Serve & Protect, and this month's Buffy, The Last Gleaming Part III.

Let us know what you think! Plus, any comics you think we missed in our coverage let us know! Send us a tweet @ScarletBetch or by email at scarletbetch@gmail.com

Dollhouse Goes Dark Horse; Dark Dolls?

The Whedon clan is up at it again as Dark Horse announces a new line of Dollhouse comics to come in 2011. Building off of their critical and financial success with Buffy Season 8, Dark Horse and the Whedons hope to intrigue their loyal fan base with yet another series of comic books expanding the television universe. Joss, however won't be heading this project; Rather, it will be his brother Jed Whedon who also worked on the television series.

Newsarama published an interview with the auteur about the upcoming series that's worth a read. He notes, 

"These comics will focus on the period between the present day Dollhouse timeline that we came to know and love and the future apocalypse timeline that we came to know and love more than the other timeline. But don’t tell Joss we said that."

I'm glad the writers and I are on the same page. I was always a conscientious fan of Dollhouse. There were a lot of interesting philosophical and metaphysical questions being asked, along with an interesting mythos being laid down. However, the most interesting parts of the Dollhouse mythos, isn't the near-present world of excessively elaborate whore housing, but rather it's the distinctly sci-fi post-apocalyptic future of the epitaphs. I've said for a long time, if you can't stand Eliza Dushku's wooden acting and can pass on the yummy shirtless Tahmoh Penikett, than you should really just watch the pilot, maybe the second episode to get your grounding, and then both the "Epitaph" episodes.

My love of Felicia Day even extends to her comic book avatars! I'll definitely be picking up this comic come 2011!

SuperQueeros! for November 3rd, 2010

If Halloween is "Gay Christmas" than this Wednesday is is GayGeek Boxing Day. Check out all the superqueeros this week!

X-Men: To Serve and Protect #1

In the heroic age the X-men are... cops? Vigilantes? It's a little unclear and while the title of this limited series implies the former, the preview of THE ANOLE STORY implies the latter. That's right: Anole + Rockslide, perhaps the only openly gay/straight bromance, are hitting the streets of San Fran to, well, serve and protect. But their style is less good cop, bad cop and more Leonardo and Casey Jones. Which actually makes this story MORE AWESOME. #pickoftheweek

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #39

It's the middle of the end and, if the cover is a spoiler, it looks like Joss may be going for the end-of-season main-cast-death. It appears that Dawn will be in mortal danger so... is he going for a positive or negative emotional effect? J/k, I love Dawn! But what are your thoughts? Think the Key is finally going to be put to good use? Would you miss Dawn if she were gone? Or is the cover to the right the answer to your every prayer?

The Authority #28

"Sarah Rainmaker will astonish". Okay, that was part of the solicit for this comic, so I think we all know what we need to do this week: #BuyThisComic. Also, space aliens, other characters, blah, blah, vampire emergency, blah, RAINMAKER. #SoExcited!!!!!!!!!

Secret Six #27

The girls are getting the best stories this week! Scandal gets to go head to head with Bane, her (unwanted?) surrogate father figure!!! Talk about character- AND action-driven plotting! Gail is certainly bringing her A game to this story arc: just look at the COVER! Don't miss out!

House of Mystery #31

The solicit for this issue says that the aftermath of the witches' war will be revealed, so Tursig might make an appearance. It's meant to be a stand-alone issue, though, so I'm not holding my breath.