Gay superheroes to the rescue!

Over the years, comic book series have stayed relevant to their times. Storylines have reflected the conflicts that emerge in popular culture. 

After gay marriage was legalized in New York last summer, Marvel Comics decided to bring back Northstar, a member of the "Astonishing X-Men," who announced his homosexuality in a 1992 issue. 

The return was officially announced on ABC's The View by Whoopi Goldberg, a member of the LGBT community herself. 

Northstar proposed to his longtime boyfriend Kyle in the May 23 issue. 

In the next issue of the series, released this week, the two will celebrate their marriage.

One Stop Comics, located on 111 S. Ridgeland, has been receiving special attention, as are other comic book shops around the nation, due to this recent trend in comics.

"You see a lot of quirky gimmicks from time to time in comics which gain a lot of attention from people who wouldn't usually read them," said Rick Manzella, owner of One Stop Comics, "but this looks like more than just a gimmick to me. It looks like it's here to stay."

The gay community has embraced this recent exposure as the national legalization of gay marriage has become a topic of debate with the presidential elections nearing this fall. 

Marvel has responded to the positive feedback by offering the opportunity for gay couples to put themselves on the same page as their favorite superheroes and leaving an empty frame next to the newlyweds for personal pictures or sketches.

"I've been hearing couples are having the professional artists of the comics create custom drawings to go alongside Northstar and Kyle, which I thought was a pretty cool idea," Manzella offered.

Marvel is not the only comic company that has recently added gay characters to their stories. DC Comics recently re-introduced their heroes in order to relate more closely to current events. Alan Scott, also known as the Green Lantern, has become an openly gay character.

Since President Barack Obama's appearance in Marvel's Spider-Man in 2009, this has become the biggest social development in the comics world.

"If this would have happened 30 years ago, there would have been a lot of fuss made about it," Manzella said, "but nowadays people don't care if the story isn't sexual. It's just as normal as showing a male superhero marrying a female. The bottom line these companies are trying to get to is: If the heroes can accept it, why can't we?"

Comics, supporters say, are sending a powerful message to America's youth and could help the gay community make great strides socially as times continue to change, including the legal aspects surrounding homosexual couples.