As a comic book reader, I of course had picked up X-Men comics before. Once the X-Men were the top of the pile, a must-have, for comic book readers but in recent years that is no longer the case.
In recent years, the X-Men had been overtaken in sales by
other franchises like the Batman, Green Lantern and Spiderman books. In a bid
to boast sales and reclaim the mantle as a series that pushes the envelope, in Astonishing
X-Men #51, they will have the first gay marriage in Marvel comics.
I have not been following the series for awhile but do know
that the characters, Northstar and Kyle, had been shown to be in a gay
relationship for a few years already. I have nothing against that but having a gay wedding might be a
step too far.
Frankly, I think this development will hurt the series, and the
X-Men brand. There are a lot of people, even in America, that are against gay
marriage and this event will turn a lot of people off. I don’t care for a moment the
argument of equality for gays in America and I can say with some
certainty most readers of comics don’t either. It's a matter of whether this event will hurt or help the brand. I seriously think it will be the former and not the latter. After all we pick up comics to enjoy them,
not for social changes.
Whether gay marriage is legal or not in America is
something I care nothing about but in showing this marriage, Marvel is shooting
themselves in the foot. And the X-Men brand has been hurting enough without
this extra “help”.
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