More or less vanishing from the DC Universe after an ill-advised storyline involving vampiric mind control and sexual assault, Kate Kane just needed a little TLC and a new mission. That’s not even close to where we should be on the cusp of 2017.īut, for now, I present 12 moments in 2016 where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, and all-around queer characters got the spotlight in the ever-evolving DC Universe.
That said, there’s still a long, long way to go - particularly for transgender characters, who have not seen more than two recurring (supporting only) characters across the Big Two companies in five years. AND for the other Big Two company Marvel Comics as well! And if early reports bear out, 2017 is looking to be even MORE queer-filled for DC. And yet…Įven with the reduction of queer led titles from 5 - Harley Quinn, Constantine: The Hellblazer, Catwoman, Midnighter, and Secret Six - to 2.5 - Harley Quinn, Hellblazer, and the Batwoman co-led Detective Comics - DC soon re-expanded those ranks with 3 more queer-led titles for a net gain. DC You seemed designed to highlight marginalized characters in a way Rebirth didn’t when it rolled out in mid-2016. I didn’t really think after an explosion of queer characters at DC Comics in 2015 that we’d be back here to do it all over again.
