On the Air: "Out with the Comics" (WNYC-FM)

This morning I was a guest on The Brian Lehrer Show (WNYC-FM 93.9), a public radio chat-show, discussing DC Comics' announcement about their newly revamped Batwoman character, who's now a lesbian. Joining me to talk with Lehrer and his callers were Nick Purpora, store manager at comics shop Jim Hanley's Universe, and Emily Remm, managing editor of Bust Magazine (which quite often includes interviews with cartoonists as well as graphic novel reviews). It was an interesting discussion (even if some of the callers wandered a bit far afield, as they so often do), and I was glad to have the opportunity to join in. At least a thermos of Throat-Coat Tea from Kate helped me keep my cold-addled voice from disappearing for eighteen minutes.

This new Batwoman character has garnered lots of press, although it's certainly not the first time that even mainstream superhero comics have included homosexual characters - as sites like GayLeague and this Wikipedia article detail. Apparently, some fuss is being made that Kate (Batwoman) Kane will be portrayed as a lipstick lesbian. Personally, I think the fuss should be over why even a lipstick lesbian would choose to fight crime in those boots.

The show's archived here, with links for listening and downloading. And the link for ComicsResearch.org works, even though it's listed there (and was announced on the air, repeatedly) as ComicBookResearch.org. Whatchagonna do....

(Special Saturday Morning Update: Freaky - At the WNBC website, the audio links for this segment, and this segment only, of the show have disappeared. However, my audio links in the paragraph above still work - at least, they do at present, as of this writing. Get 'em while they're hot!)

(Above: The Batwoman image that's appeared in probably every newspaper in the country by now. Unlike the NY Times, however, I'll credit it to DC, not Marvel. Tsk tsk, NYT fact-checkers...!)

Filed in:

• radio
• superheroes
• comic-books
• publishing
• interviews