And I was struck by how many of those male superheroes look, well... gay.
Exhibit A: Captain America.
Yeaaahhh, um... iO9 said it best: "This Captain America illustration was a collaboration between Norman Rockwell and Tom of Finland."
And of course, I would be remiss if I didn't point out comics' first gay superhero: Northstar.
Now, he's hot, don't get me wrong... but somehow this is more demure than the "straight" superhero pin-ups in the bunch. I honestly wonder why that is... Is Northstar not presented as a sex object because he's gay? Because it would be more threatening to show him in a banana hammock? Possibly. Are Captain America's muscles presented to the (presumably male) viewer as something to aspire to rather than something to desire? If so, where does this put female or gay male viewers? Is Capt. America presented to female viewers as titillating, and if so, then is Northstar as well?
Take a minute to glance at these two pictures... Captain America's ass is there for all to see (oh, those wrinkles are driving me crazy), but Northstar's is conveniently hidden by that spray of water. The Shrew wonders why. The Shrew does not have any hard answers, but thinks it's fun to contemplate the intersection of comics, representation, sexuality and the male gaze. If anyone has thoughts, feel free to share in the comments.
If you're interested in reading more about gay superheroes, here's a few links:
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