10 Comics That Broke All The Rules
6. Northstar's Coming Out (1992)
These days, it's not uncommon for LGBTQ+ people to be out and open about their sexuality, and "gay marriage" is legal in practice in various nations around the world. Of course, it wasn't always like that. Many western nations around the world criminalized being gay. The UK, for example, decriminalized it in 1966.
Over in the States, things were pretty much the same, but as time went on, homosexual characters began popping up in pop culture, but it took comics a while to catch up. The first mainstream comic to acknowledge a character's sexuality was Alpha Flight #106.
This was a groundbreaking issue, and yes, it broke an unspoken rule in society. The book was published in 1992, and it touched on some serious issues. In the issue, Northstar adopts a baby, who has AIDS. While defending the child, he comes out.
What was so effective about the coming out was how simple and declarative it was. While fighting a man who wanted to kill the child for its infection, Northstar yells, "Do not presume to lecture me on the hardships homosexuals must bear. No one knows them better than I." He then explains that his sexuality isn't anyone's business, but he follows simply with "I am gay!"
It's a great moment in comic book history, and while it broke a rule, it also helped establish homosexuality in mainstream comics, which is a trend that continues to this day.