Gail Simone: Achilles Is "Absolutely Gay"
Last month at the DC message boards, Wonder Woman writer Gail Simone used the fan discussion to set things straight by outing Achilles, a major player of the ongoing "Warkiller" arc. A week later, Madame Simone confirmed that his wife for political purposes, Alkyone, is gay as well.
So if sexual identity labels are a novel concept that really took off in the last century's later half, what relevance does this hold? The Achilles of Greek myth is famous for laying down with his cousin Patroclus; Does this inclination matter when it's translated to DC universe?
The fact is, no, it doesn't matter, and that's what makes it so great. They've got ordinary complaints as a couple (Well, as ordinary as a demi-god pairing could be); When Achilles wonders what use can come of their marriage, Alkyone responds "like all such unions... shame and embarrassment, I suspect." Simone creates awkward verbal sparring between the two grudgingly betrothed (which makes their physical sparring even better), and it lends to this sense of Achilles and Alkyone being forced into cooperation to achieve their ends. This odd couple works great off of one another, and I especially loved it when #36 compared them alongside Diana and Tom, each pairing with their own respective hopes and fears.
I appreciate that these romantic pairings are equal, there's no Argonaut-on-Argonaut splash page required. The author respectfully leaves the information on their orientations where it'll reach the fans who care, and doesn't interrupt the story. Simone's penmanship is really pumping out some fair-minded drama that's got me cheering for Wonder Woman like I've never done before. Issue 38 is in stores tomorrow, and I'll be all over it.
Rubber Justice
Posted to on 24 November 2009
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