According to Newsarama, Stan Lee made a surprise guest appearance at the San Diego Comic-Con’s “LGBT Portrayals in Comics” panel to announce a budding partnership with Perry Moore, the author of Hero. What that partnership actually entails is still up for spectulation (do I smell a movie?).
Hero gained a great following for its epic portrayal of superheroics through the eyes of gay teenager Thom Creed. Thom must navigate both his budding sexuality and superpowers while under the watchful eye of his disapproving, ex-hero father–all while an unseen assailent is murdering the world’s superheroes. While plots and mysteries abounded, Perry Moore managed to keep the book grounded in the characters. It was an altogether exceptional debut.
In the midst of comic-based blockbusters, Hero stands out as a story in which superheroics can be just as much about being oneself as it is about saving the world. And personally, it was nice to finally see a queer superhero save the day (take a look at Moore’s essay “Who Cares about the Death of a Gay Superhero Anyway?” to see what fates have befallen the others).
Joseph Wilk
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Teen
Joseph: Thanks very much for pointing to the Moore article. It is devastating. Don