Cops reportedly protect DC staff after Superman's son comes out as bisexual
Superman's son falls for a male friend.
- She has a master's degree in journalism from Syracuse University.
Jon Kent and Jay Nakamura, in an upcoming issue of Superman: Son of Kal-El.
In the upcoming comic book Superman : Son of Kal-El, Superman's son Jon Kent, who currently holds the title of Superman, is coming out as bisexual. The younger Kent will kiss friend and hacktivist Jay Nakamura in the No. 5 issue, out Nov. 9. But some readers' reactions have been anything but supportive.
TMZ reported Wednesday that Los Angeles Police Department officers were sent to the homes of illustrators, production staffers and the studio because of threats made in reaction to the news. DC didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. TMZ also said the situation has since calmed down.
DC Comics writer Tom Taylor tweeted in October: "I've always said everyone needs heroes and everyone deserves to see themselves in their heroes. Today, Superman, the strongest superhero on the planet, comes out as bisexual." In an interview with IGN, Taylor also said, "I knew replacing Clark with another straight white savior could be a real opportunity missed."
The comics industry hasn't exactly been known for its representation of male characters who aren't straight. As Glen Weldon, author of Superman: The Unauthorized Biography put it in his piece for NPR, "Given the hundreds of superhero characters owned by DC and Marvel, the fact that a handful of the biggest names among them might be queer just makes a kind of inevitable demographic sense."
Though the reaction to the news was almost universally positive, former Superman actor Dean Cain has said DC Comics was "bandwagoning" other superhero coming out stories.
"They said it's a bold new direction, I say they're bandwagoning," Cain told Fox & Friends in October. "Robin just came out as bi -- who's really shocked about that one? The new Captain America is gay. My daughter [Alex Danvers] in Supergirl, where I played the father, was gay. So I don't think it's bold or brave or some crazy new direction. If they had done this 20 years ago, perhaps that would be bold or brave."
Cain played Clark Kent/Superman on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman for four seasons starting in 1993.