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Well, right on cue for sales and ratings heaven,

the second big-deal gay marriage in comics (Kevin Keller's

in "Life with Archie" # 16 sold out earlier this year)

will be celebrated in

Astonishing X-Men # 51 in a few months.

(In case you've been living under a rock.)

Not exactly the eye-opener or the standard-setter

Marvel would like folks to believe with their Lee-styled

self-promotion. If the 'Kevin Keller' Archie character

hadn't been sales GOLD last year, this would surely

not have happened.

(And, if I seem nonplussed by the 'achievement,' forgive me.

I'm painfully aware of how quickly the pendulum can shift

in comics. I was there for dreadful years of avoiding

the matter in the 1980s, the bullshit homophobic-decree from

Shooter that made Northstar a friggin' 'faerie' to

avoid a gay character, the 'AIDS-like' disease they

struck him with, his death, etc. Yeah, yeah...Alpha Flight # 106.

I know.)

But, just as everyone from TV execs to car makers

have discovered, gay content is a big seller now.

And, also, not the social stigmace was,

since youth--those with the more expendable income--

are less concerned about such things.

Now, I like Jean-Paul (Northstar,) but have not found

an X-Men comic worth reading for some time. So,

his boyfriend Kyle, steady dating, the engagement,

etc. were not known to me. But the wedding, while

not completely inconceivable, does seem far-fetched

and very conveniently-timed. (DOMA, DADT, Presidential

proclamations, North Carolina--and every other state

in the Union-- Prop 8, election year, etc.)

This is not so much a supportive gesture from the

suits as it is a desire to ride the gravy train, I'm sure.

(Controversy and sensationalism sell;

there really is no such thing as bad publicity, especially

in a sagging sales market. Well, except maybe hanging

out with Trump, but I digress.)

Still,

hopefully it will be done tastefully and well, and will give

some exposure/education to those in need.

And, thanks up front to the One Million Morons for

boycotting the issue, making certain it will become

an even more phenomenal sales success.

Learn much, bitches?

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