WHY? :

A Comic Book Gets Serious on Gay Issues : A character in DC Comics's "Green Lantern" series did something few characters in comic books do: he revealed he was gay. (GEORGE GENE GUSTINES, 8/13/02, NY Times)

In the world of DC Comics, Kyle Rayner is Green Lantern, possessor of an emerald ring, one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. He uses it to right wrongs and keep the residents of New York City safe.

His ring, however, is powerless to cope with the deadlines he faces in his civilian job as a freelance cartoonist. That's when Terry Berg, a teenage intern assigned to keep Kyle on track, entered the picture.

In April last year, eight months after his introduction to the supporting cast, Terry did something few characters in comic books do: he revealed he was gay. In "Green Lantern" No. 154, which will go on sale in September, Terry is spotlighted in the first half of a two-part story about a downside of being proudly out. He will be the victim of a gay bashing. While the comic book industry over the years has introduced gay and lesbian characters, this is the first major story line involving a gay central character of a mainstream comic book.

You know, I read comic books for almost twenty years and no one ever had sex--well, okay, the married folks, like in the Fantastic Four, presumably did. Do we really need them so sexualized that you've got gay teenagers? Isn't there a comics code authority anymore? Posted by Orrin Judd at August 14, 2002 8:53 AM