Grant Morrison quote has some Batman fans in a tizzy on CBR....

[Ziggy Stardust]

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/04/...on-in-playboy/

What say you?

Frankly, I see his point.

[Shurato2099]

Which I frankly don't see. Morrison starts his example with all of the women that have thrown themselves at Batman, some of which he -has- had sexual/romantic relationships with over the years, and then says that he prefers to spend time with Alfred and Robin ... which he does not do in a sexual or romantic way. Batman is not gay by Morrison's yardstick, he's asexual.

[t.c.johnson]

I know a couple of gay people who read that and were not happy. their attitude was, "Oh, is that is what being gay is about?"

[JBK405]

I've got to disagree with Grant. Though I actually believe that some writings of Batman have indicated that he is gay (And no, that's not "He wears tight spandex LOL he gay!" or "Him and Robin are gay together!" but instead an inference based on the the writing style, his relationships with those around him, etc.) I don't believe it's an inherent part of the character. Just because somebody is uninterested in pursuing women doesn't mean they're gay (Apart from all the other sexual categories, like asexuality or bisexuality, there's more than enough straight people in real life who are more committed to their job than they are to their love life). Also, though I doubt this is what Morrison was deliberately trying to say, he's falling into the horrible trap of "Gay = pedophile" by pointing out that Batman preferring to spend time with his sidekick is another sign that he's gay.

I like a lot of his work, but he's completely missed the mark here.

[sunbird]

Comics without hilarious subtext would be like days without sunshine. And Grant seems to be poking fun more than anything. He is giving an interview to Playboy after all.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Which I frankly don't see. Morrison starts his example with all of the women that have thrown themselves at Batman, some of which he -has- had sexual/romantic relationships with over the years, and then says that he prefers to spend time with Alfred and Robin ... which he does not do in a sexual or romantic way. Batman is not gay by Morrison's yardstick, he's asexual.

Hmmmmm... actually, reading this, I see this as better than what grant said.

[Stressfactor]

Actually, I thought Morrison was more on the mark when he talked about modern superheroes as the extension of the cultural myth hero.

Look at Beowulf or Gilgamesh. They come from a society where women aren't really important and as such their entire world is pretty male centric.

All of their best friends are male, all of their companions on adventures are guys. Their idea of a good time is hanging out in the mead hall and swapping bullshit stories.

Their world isn't so much "gay" as it just is 'male-centric'. And really, that is Batman's world perhaps more than most other heroes because his world is, just like those culture heroes of old, male-centric.

[Slewo.O]

I don't think he was saying Batman is gay so much as there is gay subtext. His own run on Batman was driven by heterosexual relationships.

[Corrina]

I know a couple of gay people who read that and were not happy. their attitude was, "Oh, is that is what being gay is about?"

Yeah, I got a tone of "Batman is about gay stereotypes" from it and not in a truly positive sense but in a "C'mon, that's SO gay," kind of sense.

[Thequeerjock]

It sounds as though he was poking fun but yeah. There are actually pretty wild superhero costume parties now in the gay community and I definitely get the appeal.