After objecting to the sexual orientation of a comic book character, several Republican politicians were mocked online on Monday.
In the current issue of ‘Superman: Son of Kal-El,’ the comic portrays a kiss between Man of Steel and reporter Jay Nakamura. Jon Kent fights climate change and school massacres, and he uses his superpowers to prevent illegal immigrants from being banished.
On Monday writer Tom Tylor said in a statement:
“Superman’s symbol has always stood for hope, for truth, and for justice.”
“Today, that symbol represents something more. Today, more people can see themselves in the most powerful superhero in comics.”
‘Superman: Son of Kal-El’ marks the official beginning of Superman’s son Jon Kent’s story in the DC Comics universe. Jon Kent and his father’s original patriotic declaration for “Truth, justice, and an American Way” has been changed to “Justice, Truth, and a Better World”.
DC had already hired race activist Ta-Nehisi Coates to work on a race-swapped Superman film.
Many fans and some conservative bents had no issue with the regular Superman. English contrarian Piers Morgan tweeted “Excellent! But for real inclusion, I’d also like to see Lois Lane become pansexual and Lex Luthor identify as a gender-fluid lesbian.”
Despite superhero movies’ dominance, comic book sales have been stagnant for some years. Younger audiences haven’t been able to connect with mature storylines. Former DC artist Ethan Van Sciver claimed this summer that “there’s a distinct feeling of despair” in the business.
Jon Kent isn’t the only LGBT hero revealed by DC in recent months. Back in August, DC exposed that Batman’s assistant Tim Drake is bisexual.
