Press Release
The X-Men, one of the world’s most popular super hero teams, have always been at the forefront of the biggest stories in comic history; and today is no different as Marvel is proud to announce the wedding that has everyone talking! Today, fans worldwide learned on ABC’s The View, that Jean-Paul Beaubier, AKA Northstar and a popular member of the X-Men, proposes to his boyfriend Kyle Jinadu in Astonishing X-Men #50, on-sale tomorrow in comic stores, on the Marvel Comics app and at the Marvel Digital Comics Shop.
The creative team of New York Times best-sellers Marjorie Liu (X-23¸ the urban fantasy Hunter Kiss series and the Dirk & Steele paranormal romances) and Mike Perkins (Stephen King’s The Stand) have put Northstar and Kyle’s relationship to the test—and now they’re about to take their biggest step yet. But will their path to wedded matrimony in New York City be smooth or are there hidden dangers around the corner?
“The Marvel Universe has always reflected the world outside your window, so we strive to make sure our characters, relationships and stories are grounded in that reality,” said Axel Alonso, Marvel Editor in Chief. “We’ve been working on this story for over a year to ensure Northstar and Kyle’s wedding reflects Marvel’s “world outside your window” tradition.”
Then, on June 20th, don’t miss the wedding of Northstar and Kyle in the pages of Astonishing X-Men #51! This unforgettable issue features covers by Dustin Weaver and Marko Djurdjevic, along with a special “Create Your Own Wedding” blank variant cover! Select comic book retailers nationwide will host wedding parties at their stores to celebrate this joyous occasion, with special items exclusively available at participating stores!
“The story of Northstar and Kyle is universal, and at the core of everything I write: a powerful love between two people who have to fight for it against all odds,” said Liu. “This is the quintessential Marvel story, one that blends the modern world with the fantasy of super heroes in order to tell an exciting story that begins with a wedding—and continues in ways you can’t imagine.”
Northstar was first introduced to comic fans in the pages of 1979’s Uncanny X-Men #120, a member of the super hero team Alpha Flight and antagonist to the popular super heroes. A gold medal winning Olympian and successful businessman, the French-Canadian super hero quickly became one of the most popular members of Alpha Flight when its ongoing series launched in 1983. In 1992’s historic Alpha Flight #106, Northstar became the first openly gay super hero when he announced his sexual identity through national media. Since then, Northstar has not only joined the X-Men but become one of their most popular new members. Northstar and Kyle have been a couple since 2009, garnering a large fan following since their first appearance together.
“As a long-time fan of the X-Men, it’s not only a true honor to be part of such a historically significant story but also a complete joy,” explained Perkins.
Don’t miss the proposal everyone’s talking in Astonishing X-Men #50, available tomorrow in comic stores, on the Marvel Comics app and at the Marvel Digital Comics Shop. And then save the date for June 20, as Northstar and Kyle tie the knot in Astonishing X-Men #51
ASTONISHING X-MEN #50 (MAR120623)
Written by MARJORIE LIU
Art by MIKE PERKINS
Cover by DUSTIN WEAVER
Variant Cover by JOHN CASSADAY
Sketch Variant Cover by JOHN CASSADAY
Rated T+ …$3.99
ON SALE 5/23/12
ASTONISHING X-MEN #51 (APR120665)
Written by MARJORIE LIU
Art by MIKE PERKINS
Cover by DUSTIN WEAVER
Variant Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Create Your Own Wedding Variant also available
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC—5/28/12, On-Sale—6/20/12
14 Comments
Two things – first, this is the 1st time I’ve heard of Northstar finally having a steady boyfriend. So seeing that progression for him is pretty damn cool. In fact, the plot itself is pretty damn cool. But as a Northstar fan who’s drifted away from the books, it’s cool to see him reach the point where he can’t be mistaken for his early “it’s all about me” characterization ever again.
Second, Marvel, why The Shrews – er, The View? How many times during the announcement did the “hosts” talk right over you? Did they assume that the audience for comics is still little baby children like they do with every medium aside from their own show? Couldn’t you have chosen an infinitely less annoying show than this? GMA has a much wider audience and isn’t hosted by bickering biddies who constantly argue over each other & whoever’s been duped into being a guest. There’s no way they would have shut up long enough for any of the creators to get more than two words out, so why not go on a show that doesn’t feel like an accidental production of “No Exit” and give us the good news?
In short, Yay Northstar, Boo The View.
GMA has more viewers, yes, but only in small spurts. Folks watch for a few minutes and then run out the door. The View gets more people for the whole hour.
But still, why The View? Where else? Its a Mouse party (ABC is owned by Disney which owns Marvel) so it was going to be shown on an ABC show. Now, what other show do they have on ABC that would make sense for anything like this? All of the news shows are either the 5 o’clock variety or the 20/20 variety; either not enough time for adequate coverage or not enough coverage to actually fit into a segment on an hour long “news” program.
With The Avengers being so popular and the gay marriage issue being in the forefront right now, the word ‘Marvel’ being tied to the issue was too much to ignore, and, unfortunately, The View is really the only venue ABC has to give the story anything more than a comment between the story about the latest natural disaster or political gaffe and the latest cast-off of Dancing with the Stars.
TL/DR: ABC news is a big commercial for the rest of the ABC family, and the time The View can give to the topic is not to little to seem uncaring and not too much to give the story more credence than it actually deserves in the minds of most Americans.
Northstar, you fool. Getting married is a sure way for your loved one to die/turn evil/get erased by a Faustian deal.
This smacks of the worst kind of pandering. DC is introducing a gay hero so Marvel has to one up the competition and have their gay hero get married. We get it Marvel you want to be seen as “Progressive”. Its Apache Chief and Black Vulcan on the Super Friends all over again.
Since when is Northstar one of the most popular X-Men? I must have missed all the kids clamoring to be Northstar for Halloween or Northstar’s huge role in the X-Men movies. Has anyone been on the Northstar ride at Marvel Islands of Adventure? No ya haven’t cause other than being gay their is nothing remarkable about Northstar.
Its bad enough that the X-Men stories are indecipherable half the time, but do they half become preachy and obnoxious political statements as well? No wonder Wolverine formed his own team.
Pandering because its this issue? Or have all these other current events been pandering too?
http://comics.ign.com/articles/115/1154017p1.html
Marvel has always addressed real-world current event within the pages of their comic books. Its nothing new. What’s new is the attention that it is getting in the press, and the overall negative attitudes that ignore the story in favor of griping over the same old publishing nonsense about a medium they claim to enjoy.
This is sort of a big deal historically; Marvel and their media conglomerate blob in the shape of giant mouse ears knows it; and look? People are talking about it. Why ruin it with creative or arbitrary venom?
It is pandering because of the timing of this issue and the way it is being handled. You can’t tell me that the announcements of both DC and Marvel having similar social issues come up at the same time in their books is a coincidence. Marvel has delt with gay heroes before, such as Ultimate Colossus without all the pomp and circumstance. Although I didn’t appreciate the change in Colossus I also didn’t particularly mind it because of the way it was handled. When Colossus and Northstar went to prom in the Ultimate books did Marvel announce it on TV and have fake prom parties at local retailers? No they didn’t. So why is this different now? It is because they are competing with DC and trying to make more noise than the competition. I see that as pandering.
I like when comics use some aspects of the real world in their storytelling. That is probably why I enjoy the Ultimate Universe so much. However I think that more than once, Marvel has been one sided on the way it handles different issues. Just compare and contrast the way the last few presidents have been portrayed in their books and it should tell you where Marvel stands.
I do love this medium and there are a plethora of titles that I read and enjoy on a regular basis from a number of publishers. I will admit that non-Ultimate X-books have not been among those titles untill AvsX started but the way that the team has been shown in that book hasn’t done them any favors in my eyes. The Avengers however are still awesome.
pan·dered, pan·der·ing, pan·ders
1. To act as a go-between or liaison in sexual intrigues; function as a procurer.
2. To cater to the lower tastes and desires of others or exploit their weaknesses
So why is this different now? It is because they are competing with DC and trying to make more noise than the competition. I see that as pandering.
And that is your right. But it may be worth noting that there are few absolutes in the universe, and what one person sees as pandering, another sees as a natural progression of things… Mileage varies, and all.
No, its not a coincidence, its simply the comics doing what they have always done: putting social issues into their books. A sitting U.S. President came out in support of gay marriage, putting the issue at the forefront of the national discussion. This is why these issues are being brought up in comics, not because of the old DC vs. Marvel schtick. Going to prom ain’t getting married. When the prom issue came out in stores same-sex couples wanting to attend prom and being denied that right by their school was a big issue, but the media didn’t cling to it because a sitting U.S. President didn’t come out in favor of same-sex promenade attendance. :)
And how has Marvel treated the past two Presidents? One as a guy who brought us into an unconstitutional war and the other as a harbinger of hope and change? That’s how most Americans viewed these two Presidents at the times they were depicted within the pages of Marvel comic books. But this isn’t part of the current discussion and is only another attempt to disqualify the thought of marriage equality because of the perceived political leanings of a publisher in the past, a publisher that is doing nothing but reflecting the current image of the American populace.
Do we really believe that Marvel is hoping that all of the gay comic book readers, hell, even the non-readers, out there are going to flock to the beacon of sexual equality that IS the Marvel brand now? No, they aren’t catering to anyone, except their readership that has enjoyed Marvel being a reflecting pool of the real-world status quo.
Sorry about the “claim to enjoy” comment. Didn’t mean to sound so mean. I’ve grown so tired of the hating on comics for the sake of hating them when the places I see so many of those comments are places that beckon the comic book lover. Shouldn’t have tried to take it out in this discussion. My apologies.
First I would argue that as soon as Marvel moved the X-Men to be based out of San Francisco they made the team into a metaphor for the gay rights movement. In the same way Marvel used the team as a metaphor for the social rights movement in previous decades. This happened long before President Obama came out in favor of gay marriage. So once again, if this has been a metaphor for quite a while and this is not the first time Marvel has done this dance why wait till now to make this announcement. The answer is business and publicity. Although you are correct that prom is not marriage, I would still see that event as a seminal moment in many peoples young lives and just as valid as using gay marriage as a vehicle for a story but that is just my opinion.
Although I was not a huge supporter of the Bush presidencies, I would argue with you at length about your description of each president and what they brought to the table; as well as your assertion that most Americans viewed them the same way as you have described them. However you are correct that it is not the point of this thread and I am sure we could go on at length about the merits of both. I did not use that example with the purpose of discrediting the gender equity of gay marriage, that would take far more than a discussion about a comic book to do. I only meant it to show the obvious leanings of the company and how that can impact their storytelling. Usually I can ignore the more subtle use of their bias and simply enjoy a good story. However this is so overt that I felt it deserved comment.
I would also argue with you about the American populace that is being reflected. If that were the case we would not have 38 states that have made same-sex marriage illegal and only 9 that allow it. Once again, my problem isn’t necessarily the use of gay marriage in the Marvel U but how it is being overblown. I recognize that some places allow gay marriage and as such could be represented in a story in a meaningful way. Yet the way they are handling it comes off to me as a political statement not just a reflection. There is a huge difference between recognizing something and celebrating it. To quote Something Something Something Darkside, “A long time ago back before the gays were all in your face about it…..”
On a positive note let me say that I appreciate dialoguing with someone online without it becoming a mud slinging match as is often the case. Excelsior! lol
Agreed about the conversation. Very nice.
But we aren’t discussing Marvel doing something that reflects societal issues. We agree that Marvel does that. How they lean politically in that context is open for debate on an entirely different level than this board should be subjected to, but my point on that is it is all subjective. One persons left-wing radical is another persons moderate libertarian. But I think if you look at polls, which is at the heart of every single marketing campaign ever conceived, this is an issue that is divisive, as was the presidency of Bush in certain contexts, the election of Obama in certain contexts and the center of many things that comics, thank goodness, have the guts to touch on. My point in bringing up specifics about those two presidents in my previous post was that these were/are the points that people cling to and remember simply because we love the battle/divisiveness of the whole thing. But that doesn’t make it less important or cheapen it when it is discussed. Bringing something up in a comic book while it is current and relevant is exactly what it should do to not only make a bigger impact (as it has) but also make the company publishing it more money (which is their goal). But what we are discussing is how this has been grabbed up by the media, which is the only reason we are really talking about just another X-Book. You are right: one COULD argue that the X-Men moving to San Fran was the beginning of a larger idea. But that wasn’t shown on The View :) But you know what? If Marvel DID in fact have this huge plan in the works for years, that is an actual news story: “Marvel Predicts the Future!”
Why was that other post deleted? The discussion was just getting good. Aren’t we all grown ups, especially if we are discussing such important issues? Its so rare that the way comics deal with societal cultural issues is so in the face of those reading it as seen with the gay marriage issue and this particular topic. Can’t we keep a discussion going for the sake of the importance of the discussion and not delete it for other personal reasons?
Either way, I’m not judging any opinions or any mods, although one certainly could, but I will point out that BVK makes a point to say that he could argue that the X-Men moving to San Fran years ago was a beginning to an overarching LGBT agenda, yet claims that this marriage is an effort in pandering to current goings on. Which is it? Did Marvel do something because it was timely pandering of a left leaning publisher, or because it was a natural evolution of a storyline that has been working up to this point for years? I don’t think it can be both…
Nothing has been removed for personal reasons. Specific, personal attacks (i.e., “X is a Y!”) are not allowed under the Major Spoilers terms of use.
Damn! I’m sorry. You are right.
I prop up the quality of having an adult discussion without the usual mudslinging and namecalling the interwebs are famous for, and complain about a post that is the Star Trek mirror world of that being removed. My bad, and thank you for not letting the MS site become venom filled in that context.
But removing the venom and rule-breaking from the deleted post, it did bring up several questions about the agenda of the posters and mods in commenting or not commenting in something that many see as an issue that equates to something that WOULD be addressed differently, like racial and gender equality. Does the responsibility simply end with enforcing namecalling rules?
My grandfather always used to say that an unreturned phonecall says more than anything the caller could have said in an actual phonecall; I think the same could apply for any topic on a blog, especially one that is so important socially that is only being brought up because of comic books. How awesome is that?!?! Its one of the main reasons I read comic books is because of this sort of thing, and I just thought the discussion would not only be more substantial but moderator driven simply because of the way this bridges into society in such a profound way.
But honestly, I’m just along for the ride, and its my love for comics being historically relevant that I posted at all in the thread. Again, thanks for addressing my concern and keeping with the rules that make MS the only comic site I check every single day. These aren’t necessarily my thoughts or anything I would share if they were my thoughts; I just want to address the deleted posts issues because I thought they were relevant, and I wanted to hear the answers :)
To my knowledge, only posts with a direct attack on another poster have not been approved in the thread. Having something to say on either side of this issue is not a problem. Directly attacking someone because you dislike what they have to say is a problem. The only horse I have in the race is “Are the posting rules being followed?”
As for the notion of silence speaking volumes, extrapolating motives from the act of commenting or not commenting is pretty spurious. Stephen, Rodrigo and I spoke at length about DC’s character announcement in the latest MSP (That’s #412, the Ultraduck show), if you’re looking for specific thoughts on the situation.
Regarding Marvel & DC, what we need to remember is that everything that the writers do with our favorite characters is designed to move more books so they can write more stories and make more movies and blah blah blah fishcakes. Is it a gimmick? My answer comes in the form of a parable:
Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 (wedding issue) sells at around 20 to 25 bucks in mint condition. Annual #22 is a $3.00 book.
Fantastic Four Annual #1 (wedding issue) sells at around 250 to 300 bucks in mint condition. Annual #4 tops out at about half that.
Superman: The Wedding Album #1 is a 4 dollar book. Superman #118, on sale that same month, is roughly half that.
Weddings, funerals, engagements, graduations, costume changes, first appearances, chromium covers; all do the same thing: Increase interest in the issue, which leads to additional sales, which leads to additional stunts. It’s as much a gimmick as when Aerosmith appeared in Shadowman or when they revealed which Spider-Man was a clone, and gimmicks are a part of the hobby. This particular gimmick is highly emotionally charged, sure, but when you boil it down, it’s a ratings stunt (albeit one with ramifications.) Of course, having a character or characters to represent the worldview of a sizable portion of your audience is always a good thing in my view, but mileage, as always, may vary.