Teen Titans Have A Flamboyant New Teammate
11.16.2011
By Raef Harrison
DC Comics is re-launching the Teen Titan brand in the 52 series with a new openly gay, and decidedly flamboyant, character: Miguel Jose Barragan, aka Bunker. Miguel comes from a small village in Mexico, and was born totally out of the closet. The interesting twist? His family, nay his whole village, is totally accepting of him. So rather than an angsty teen out to escape a terrible upbringing, he actually has a refreshingly positive outlook on life.
“We wanted to show an interesting character who’s homosexuality is part of him, not something that’s hidden,” says co-creator Brett Booth, who has created the re-launch along with Scott Lobdell. “Sure there are gay people who you wouldn’t know are gay right off the bat, but there are others who are more flamboyant, and we thought it would be nice to actually see them portrayed in comics.”
His accepting background and positive spin on life make Miguel’s outlook a stark contrast to the other gay characters in the DC Universe, such as Batwoman, Apollo, and Midnighter, among others. But according to Booth, Teen Titans is all about diversity, so trying to depict yet another aspect of a specific community seemed logical. “Does it scare the sh*t out of me that I might inadvertently piss off the group I want to reflect in a positive way, you're damn straight (pun intended!).”
See our exclusive peek at the first few pages of Teen Titan #3, available November 23. And check out one of DC's other gay characters, the lipstick lesbian that is Batwoman.
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I actually think, if they do it right, this kid might be something good. We have some really badass characters you wouldn't guess were gay at first running around, and that's awesome... But in the real world there also exist a lot of gay people that you can spot almost instantly, and having one homosexual character really scream "gay" but in a kind of positive and nice way isn't too bad.
So I won't judge just yet, I just read the issue in which he's introduced for real, and he seems lovable enough. I just pray they don't ruin him by making him a joke.
I just hate the f+++ing fact that this gay character has to be latino. More than a decade ago, the character called EXTRANO in the saga Millennium was a Peruvian gay. Are they idiots who just don't realize the stereotypes are becoming annoying or what?
J
Actually i think its hott. I was expecting a gay white guy as usual, but im glad someone thought outside the box here... is how i see it
Why not have "Bunker" (stupid name!) just scream "GIRL! We're the Titans and we're FIERCE!" before going into battle. Why not have him sing show tunes and festoon the Titan's uniforms with feathers and sequins?!
If DC wanted to be TRULY inclusive, they'd have brought Tim and Connor out of the closet - or Booster and Beetle...not cannon fodder characters that they can simply write out of continuity if/when the fans turn on them. This is yet another ploy by Dead Comics to sell their wretched "52".
FYI--Teen Titans' writer, Scott Lobdell, is a defender of the Tea Party and is very conservative in his politics. One quote ascribed to him was, "Waterboarding is wonderful!" And this is the guy writing a flamboyant gay superhero. Speaking as an openly gay lifelong Democrat, do yourself yourself a favor--don't spend your money on anything written by this man. Better yet, just cut out the middle man and send it directly to your "favorite" conservative Republican.
... take it one step forward and get him and Superboy together. In the old continuity there was Superboy/Wondergirl action, so this is the next logical step ;)
And don't forget tough guys Apollo and Midnighter in Stormwatch!
Why does the creative team's work on this book look like it jumped out from the mid-90's?
What I dont understand about this kind of thing is why are they highlighting the sexuality of this new character at all? Unless they are making a point in the story to really highlight the fact that Robin and the others are hetero, why do they feel the need to broach the subject of homosexuality?
Do we really need to put "the lipstick lesbian that is Batwoman" in bold print at the bottom of the story? Is it really necessary to differentiate her in that way? It seems to give a porn-y connotation to her character that doesn't need to be there.
It just seems out of place to put labels like this on a story about being open and accepting.
Teen Titans = dropped. #NoHomo
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