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Aleksei Green
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 20 July 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 640
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| Posted: 10 September 2007 at 9:25am | IP Logged | 1
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I have read interviews with various creators that Jim Shooter would never allow any portrayal of homosexuality in Marvel comics when he was editor in chief. I would appreciate John Byrne's comments on this. I know that Shooter did the infamous Hulk story where Bruce Banner was nearly raped by a man at a YMCA. This would indicate homophobia on Shooter's part.
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Keith Elder
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 1974
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| Posted: 10 September 2007 at 9:55am | IP Logged | 2
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I know that Shooter did the infamous Hulk story where Bruce Banner was
nearly raped by a man at a YMCA. This would indicate homophobia on
Shooter's part.
I don't think that conclusion necessarily follows, just like a story involving a black criminal doesn't always mean the author is racist. If you said "may indicate", I'd agree.
But I imagine that, if Shooter did have a policy of no homosexual portrayals in comics, that there were plenty of economic reasons for that. It may have been a business decision, not a personal one. Lots of companies played it very conservative back in the 80's... and comics had even more a reputation as a children's medium than they do now.
Edited by Keith Elder on 10 September 2007 at 9:56am
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Mikael Bergkvist
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Joined: 23 April 2005
Location: Sweden
Posts: 1857
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| Posted: 10 September 2007 at 9:56am | IP Logged | 3
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"This would indicate.."
Communism, witchcraft, homosexuality, or whatever else one would like to suggest or accuse someone of in a non-specific way.
Nothing good has ever come from a sentence that started like that.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 133571
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| Posted: 10 September 2007 at 9:57am | IP Logged | 4
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No comment.
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Andrew Kneath
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
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| Posted: 10 September 2007 at 10:00am | IP Logged | 5
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I have read interviews with various creators that Jim Shooter would never allow any portrayal of homosexuality in Marvel comics when he was editor in chief.
... I know that Shooter did the infamous Hulk story where Bruce Banner was nearly raped by a man at a YMCA.
Well obviously the man at the YMCA was not a homosexual!
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Victor Rodgers
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 26 December 2004
Posts: 3508
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| Posted: 10 September 2007 at 10:02am | IP Logged | 6
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I know that Shooter did the infamous Hulk story where Bruce Banner was nearly raped by a man at a YMCA. This would indicate homophobia on Shooter's part.
****
This reminds me of this letter I read in Prime. In an earlier issue Kevins powers had given out a long way from home. So he hitched a ride with a guy who turned out to be a pedo. Somebody sent in a letter saying how offensive and homophobic I still find the letter very odd. How somebody would get offended at a child molester being shown in a negative light.
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Fred J Chamberlain
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Joined: 30 August 2006
Location: United States
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| Posted: 10 September 2007 at 10:27am | IP Logged | 7
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I read that issue of Hulk magazine as a kid (What was that...77/78? I'd have been 10ish) and though I was sickened at the thought of the rape and Bruce's response was that of repulsion, I didn't see it was homophobic. In fact, it struck me as a very close call to an incredibly violent and violating crime.
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Bruce Buchanan
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 14 June 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 4797
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| Posted: 10 September 2007 at 10:31am | IP Logged | 8
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I have read interviews with various creators that Jim Shooter would never allow any portrayal of homosexuality in Marvel comics when he was editor in chief.
***********
I don't think this indicates anything, other than Shooter was being careful, as Keith says.
Homosexuality still is a controversial subject for some people. That was even more true 20 years ago when Shooter was EiC at Marvel. Introducing such a controversial subject in what was still largely a kids-oriented medium could have offended many parents.
I can't blame an editor for wanting to avoid that kind of trouble and I would caution against trying to read too much into Mr. Shooter's motives.
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Kevin Brown
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 31 May 2005
Location: United States
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| Posted: 10 September 2007 at 11:21am | IP Logged | 9
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No comment.
*******************
My admiration for you just increased.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 133571
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| Posted: 10 September 2007 at 11:25am | IP Logged | 10
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Gimme a week. I'll fix that!
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
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| Posted: 10 September 2007 at 11:27am | IP Logged | 11
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BTW --- one thing on which I will comment. Shooter described the YMCA scene to me before he did it, and stated that "Banner is so scared, he does not become the Hulk!"Talk about forcing the character to serve your story!
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Michael Hunt
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 10 April 2007
Posts: 297
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| Posted: 10 September 2007 at 11:32am | IP Logged | 12
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why does homosexuality need to be in comics ?
It almost seems that in modern comics, there are more new heroes that
are gay then there are new heroes that are Mexican -- and I sure know
there are more Mexicans in this country then gays. On that note --
there are more proportionately more gay super folk then Asians, Blacks,
Indians, Middle Easterners, etc then there should be to be a fair
representation of homosexuality.
C'mon -- BatWoman is gay ??? Since when.
Colossus is gay ??? Since when.
If Shooter did try and edit the material coming from his gay, or gay
friendly, staff -- so that the material would be recieved by the mass
of the reading public (who were/are mostly NOT gay) - good for him.
That's a responsible editor looking out for his sales figures. Where
does "homophobia" come into it? If 95 of 100 readers are NOT gay - why
publish gay stories. I'd rather lose 50% of my gay readership with
those numbers - than 50% of my NOT gay readers.
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