The dynamic duo of Robbie Landis and Ben Morse is back once again for another episode of the Other Identity. The Other Identity is a podcast about exploring the culture created by comic books. This week Robbie and Ben are joined by Kali Sloan to talk about LGBTQ+ representation in comics for Pride Month.
Robbie and Ben start the show as they always do, talking about what they’ve been reading lately. While Ben keeps up #InBlackestNight and the #DCRebirthEra Challenge, Robbie takes a break to dive into Marvel. He talks a bit about his impressions of Infinity Countdown and Infinity Wars. Plus, he’s been reading a lot more Kelly Thompson, specifically her run with Jessica Jones.
Pride in Comics
Former co-host and Other Identity Alumni Kali Sloan joins Robbie and Ben to celebrate Pride Month. They talk about Bobby Drake, aka Iceman, one of the original X-Men and his evolution as a character. Iceman is one of the biggest and most well-known X-Men and years came out as Gay in the comics. Ben being a huge Iceman fan, talks about how natural and right it felt for the character. They also discuss Batwoman and some of the problematic issues DC has had with the character in the past. Kali explains the importance of proper representation in comics.
Kali also talks about her own experiences with comics growing up, and shares her story of learning she’s transgender. She talks about the importance of representation in comic books and how having a trans character to look to could have made a big difference in her life. The group also discusses when we’ll see a strong transgender character in comics, and discusses whether it should be Marvel or DC to attempt it.