Analysis of the depiction of LGBT+ characters within DC comic books (Visual culture essay)
- Sophie Hawkins
- Apr 5, 2021
- 11 min read
This essay will consider the depictions of queer culture within mainstream comic books, focusing on the pair of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. Studying queer couples within comic books and their link to fandom is important because of the lack of representation of openly queer characters within some of the biggest comic companies and the affect this newly found representation both positively and negatively reflects on the LGBT community and how they are perceived. I will provide a close critical analysis of the depictions of stereotypical female villains within the contexts of DC comics media, through ideas of voyeurism and sexualization. In addition to this I will analyses how ideas of fandom and fan activity can affect a character’s sexuality and how this is then expressed through the years.
Firstly, queer theory and the ideas around it was the product of impatient anger. Contextually these ideas developed around the 1980s aids crisis that highlighted ideas of institutional homophobia and inequality towards the queer community. In essence, queer communities refused to plead politely and quietly with the inherently heterosexual society. This idea of placing themselves as an open and inclusive alternative to the norm is exemplified by JoAnne C. Juett and David Jones analysis that places attention on “a critical intervention into the discursive construction of sexualities and genders in terms of binary oppositions of normal versus abnormal, dominant versus subordinate, included versus excluded, and familiar versus strange” (Juett and Jones, 2010, p.5). He defines homosexuality as the abnormal, excluded, and strange. This is epitomized by comic book characters like Harley Quinn who are ostracized within her community and characterized by her craziness through quotes like "I’m rubber, you’re glue, whatever you say bounces off me and makes a six-inch-diameter exit wound in you" (Joker's Asylum: Harley Quinn Vol 1). Moreover, these suggestions of the unnatural, of artifice and exaggeration as being solely linked to the queer community and identity through the mode of camp are embodied by Joe Meyers suggestion that “camp is the total body of performative practices and strategies used to enact queer identity” (Meyer, 1994, p.139). This places ideas of camp as a means for embracing one’s queer identity safely and openly. Harley Quinn reflects this through the exaggeration of the characters personality and aesthetic, and yet this is muddied by the fact that her most publicized and mainstream relationship is with the joker. This creates an identity that may not be held to the same level of discrimination as other queer members of her community. This strengthens the idea that homosexual characters within comics are in fact unusual and inferior to their straight counterparts.
Secondly, fandom and fan activity have become an integral part of identity formation within the queer community. Fans and the tools used by them (like queerbaiting and subtext) originated on social media platforms like Tumblr as a way of interaction and exploration of gender and sexuality through fans works. The idea that fan activity and the materials created by it leads to identity formation is supported by Henry Jenkins who suggests “the ability to transform personal reaction into social interactions, spectatorial culture into participatory culture, is one of the central characteristics of fandom.” (Jenkins, 2006, p.41). These ideas can be translated to these characters because of the overtly positive fan reaction and then subsequent support of the conformation of Ivy and Harley as a couple in Harley Quinn issue 25, with fans vocalizing this support through fan productions like fan art and twitter. Fans went from reading the subtext between the pair to then having these ideas seemingly confirmed and validated, creating a greater sense of interaction between both fans and the creators. Additionally, the whole idea of fandom revolves around ideas of identity. Fandom can be described as a form of consumption that is then linked to and crucial to the exploration of identity. The idea that fandom and the importance it holds helps fans themselves form a key part of their personal identity is supported by Lisa A. Lewis who states that “perhaps only a fan can appreciate the depth of feeling, the gratification, the importance for coping with everyday life that fandom represents” (Lewis, 1992, p. 1). This illustrates how important fandom can be for people to be able to cope with and ultimately enjoy every day life. These ideas can then be translated to the queer community and how the depiction of queer characters in mainstream media, like Harley Quinn, can allow people to confidently and without judgement explore their identity and sexuality.
For instance, comic book writers use ideas of subtext to allude to the sexuality (in the case of Harley, the bisexuality) of characters to allow both hetero and homosexual readers to enjoy these characters and the stories around them. This expresses both an acceptance of and willingness to show openly queer characters but also a want to hide their sexuality from the wider public. This is especially apparent with the coupling of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy as they have been queer coded since Batman: The Animated Series and act as one of the few examples of a polyamorous queer female relationship, with their ‘relationship’ being considered to be just as impactful as that of Harley and the Joker. However, this queer coding gives writers the ability to openly express the queer nature to Harley and Ivy’s relationship through suggestion and implication. These kinds of suggestions have been an ongoing issue throughout the early 90’s and even the early 2000’s through mini series like Batman: Harley and Ivy. Joseph Brennan suggests that “gay subtext was never more than a hidden text which could only be discovered by the spectator who was sensitized to the coded messages of homosexuality” (Brennan, 2019, p.10). This sentiment that the pair are essentially acting as a covert queer couple, through suggestive dialogue, emotional support and a physical closeness that can be read as more than just platonic, shows how subtext can be used and then adopted by the queer community as a reading protocol.
This conversational exchange (figure 1) exemplifies Brennan’s idea that subtext can be used as a reading protocol by queer audiences to engage with texts of a straight society. Batgirl’s comment of “y’know… friends… like…” alludes to the fact that she believes that Harley and Ivy are more than just stereotypical, platonic best friends without having to explicitly use labels like girlfriend or partner. Yet, because of the ambiguous nature of her comment, this permits the readers to come to their own personal conclusion about the nature of Haley and Ivy`s relationship. Batgirl’s sentiment is then strengthened by Harley Quinn defensively translating this queer reading of her relationship with Ivy to Batgirl’s friendship with Supergirl, “like what everybody says about you and Supergirl,” who had appeared together as a duo throughout both the Sliver age of comics and Batman: The Animated Series. These kinds of off handed comments allow the queer coded aspects of Harley and Ivy`s relationship to go unnoticed by straight audiences while standing out enough for queer fans to understand and enjoy the implied subtext between the two characters. However, this also implies an unwillingness to openly confirm both the possible bisexuality of Harley Quinn and the romantic nature of her partnership with Poison Ivy.
This reveals the more negative and manipulative side to the commercial use of subtext as publishers are able to keep their queer audience interested in and buying property depicting these covertly queer characters, without running the risk of controversy and alienation of straight audiences. This manipulation and confusion of their fans creates a dissonance between the fandom and creators as they have adopted an explicitly queer reading protocol that emerged from fan culture and monopolized it for a mainstream, straight audience. This lessens the possible impact of the confirmation of a more openly queer, mainstream comic book character like Harley Quinn. Furthermore, it gives agency to more conservative readers who push the idea that fans are reading too much into Harley and Ivy`s relationship which in turn devalues queer fans interpretation and enjoyment of the characters subtextual and queer coded relationship. Fans use queer coded characters to explore more personal aspects of fandom like identity formation that can then be discredited by other fans because subtext and queer coding are just suggestions or implications of a character’s sexuality, not an outright confirmation.
In addition to this, writers can take this concept of implying queer relationships a step further thorough the use of queerbaiting. This writing strategy can be defined as “a strategy by which writers and networks attempt to gain the attention of queer viewers via hints, jokes, gestures, and symbolism suggesting a queer relationship between two characters and then empathetically denying and laughing off the possibility” (Brennan, 2019, p.26). These ideas are contextualized by DC comics recent treatment of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy in 2020 6-part miniseries ` Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy. ` Harley and Ivy have been written and depicted as girlfriends without the jealousy of monogamy by writer and artists like Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti and yet at the end of the series the couple appeared to break up. To make matters worse for fans, 2 days after the completion of the miniseries and canonical breakup DC then announced a statue depicting the pair in a romantic embrace; acknowledging the `close relationship` while appearing to ignore the fact that they were a couple. They stated that “we all know valentine’s day is usually about celebrating love, and these two characters know what it means to be there completely for someone else. They’re the epitome of what it means to be a loyal best friend above all else and always a shoulder to cry on in times of need” (Levine, 2020). This canonization and then subsequent denial of a queer relationship perfectly exemplifies Brennan’s definition of queerbaiting, and the negative effect this writing strategy and reading protocol can have on the legitimacy of the couple’s relationship and subsequent relationships like this.
This idea of ‘empathetically denying’ and teasing the possibility of a canon queer relationship between two characters can be translated to narratives based in alternative universes and the effect this has on canonization. Joseph Brennan states that “in these cases, even when representation is ultimately provided, it may be in a marginal form that has little impact upon the canonical or actual image of a popular character” (Brennan, 2019, p.171). This partial exclusion from the agreed upon canon shows a form of validation that appeases the queer fan base while keeping the desired status quo.
For example, this comic book panel and subsequent splash page (figure 2) can be accused of queerbaiting while still
being enjoyed and celebrated by queer and straight fans alike. The pair had been established as couple throughout the ‘Injustice’ franchise. Their eventual wedding was teased in the comic series injustice 2, issue 70 where fans saw what appeared to be their wedding poster with an Elvis Priestly impersonator, Harley, and Ivy. This idea of hinting and then subsequently showing fans their aforementioned wedding seems to negate the argument that the writers for this franchise have queerbaited their audience. However, this canonization had only occurred within this franchise’s universe and not in the main comic universes continuity. Although this appeared to pave the way for Harley and Ivy’s relationship to become canon in the main comic universe, what we got was a miniseries that heavily relied on subtext and in the last issue of its series; both confirmed the pairs feelings for each other while showing their breakup. This leaves fans questioning why, in alternative universes, the pair are able to experience and live out a happy, romantic relationship but aren’t then given the opportunity to do so in the main comic continuity. Is it because, as suggested by Brennan, that this alternative universe canonization has little impact upon the actual image of the character or a way of attempting to keep their queer readers buying comics depicting the pair, hoping that the same canonization will occur in the main comic continuity?
Along with the use of strategies like queer baiting and subtext, illustrators, and their depictions of certain characters; like Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy; can also have an impact on the reception and enjoyment fans take from said characters. Historically the depiction of female comic book characters has been linked to men’s views on women, a reflection of societies views of women, and they have then been drawn as sex objects for a heteronormative male audience. Historically “men act, and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at” (Berger, 1972, p.47). This suggests that women’s only purpose in media is to pose for the pleasure of male viewers, with the female figures being aware of this voyeuristic male gaze. This is personified by characters like Poison Ivy whose characterization is based predominantly in their ability to seduce and manipulate men through the purposeful exploitation of their sexuality. Ivy is often described as being a ‘femme fatale,’ characterized as being a beautiful seductress that uses her charms to entrap their lover, fulfilling the idea that ‘women watch themselves being looked at’ through the purposeful manipulation of her sexuality for the pleasure of men. This casual sexualization of women within media has bled through to the depiction of lesbians. There is a concerning trend within film where female queer relationships are made to appeal to the liking of a male audience, in films often directed by men, leading to a fetishized view that exploits queer female bodies and their stories. By removing the more romantic aspects of a queer partnership and forcing a sexualized narrative, creators have created an environment where lesbian couples can be fetishized solely for the enjoyment and satisfaction of a predominantly male demographic. We can see these kinds of ideas reflected by the depiction of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy within comics.
For example, in figure 3 Harley and Ivy appear to be holding their clothes together after the climactic fight of the issue. Each character has been depicted throughout the comic as wearing unreasonably inefficient skintight or revealing clothing that highlights each of the female’s curves, and yet in this scene the illustrator has decided to strategically show parts of the characters nude body heightening the overt sex appeal and fan service that was already on show within the scene. In addition to this, both Harley and Ivy are drawn to exemplify ideas of the perfect female body with each woman being depicted as having a small waist and pronounced breasts. It is almost as though the reader is able to just gaze upon them and their bodies, making them nothing more than just an object that men can then place their ideologies and fantasies on. As well as this, Harley and ivy are depicted gazing at each other, implying that they are unaware that they are being watched. However, they are illustrated and posed in such a way to hint at the idea that they should indeed be watched by and stared at by the reader, this feeds into ideas of voyeurism where pleasure is taken in looking while not being seen doing so.
Be that as it may, Brian James Baer and Klaus Kaindl introduced queer theory as “another way of thinking the sexual” that focuses on “desire and performance” (Baer and Kaindl, 2017, p. 1). If we look at the depiction of Harley and Ivy using this definition, then the sexualized depictions of these characters can act as a form of rebellion that embraces and celebrates their sexuality and how they decide to perform it. This gives the power back to the characters and to the queer community that they represent, allowing them to take way the control that male writers and the male gaze had and giving the female characters; and by extension the queer community; back some form of agency. The purposeful sexualization of these characters become a tool for the queer community to use for their enjoyment, through fan activities like fan art.
In conclusion, this essay shows how certain types of fan activity and fan culture intersect with queer theory and how this then reflects on the depiction of particular comic book characters and how they are written. Through the exploration of Harley Quin and Poison Ivy, we can see the importance of the pairs inclusion in comics for a queer audience. However, we also have to acknowledge how the writing strategies and visualization of these characters undermine the more positive affect they have. This essay shows both the positive and negative impact this combination of queer ideologies and fan culture can have both on the characters themselves and the queer fans perception, engagement and ultimately their enjoyment of these characters and characters like them within DC comic. In the future, it would be useful for scholars to undertake similar studies on marvel comics and the depiction of gay relationships within this media.
Bibliography
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