Welcome to Flame Con Week! And by that, I mean that I will be attending Flame Con in Brooklyn this weekend and wanted to celebrate! Flame Con is the largest LGBT comic convention on the East Coast, and I will be showing off Gamer Girl & Vixen! It’s our first big convention and we’re super excited. And to celebrate, I wanted to do another LGBTQ focused comic book list!

Order your copy today!

I’ve already written about my favorite LGBTQ characters and couples. This time, it’s about which of those characters I think deserve their own comic book series! There have been a ton of new LGBTQ comics hitting the stands — and not just Gamer Girl & Vixen. We’ve got Iceman, Midnighter, Harley Quinn and more. I’m excited for all of this diversity and acceptance, and I think a couple other characters could use their own books!

Join me after the jump for the six LGBTQ comic book characters who I think should get their own ongoing comic book!

6. Catman (or Scandal Savage)

All cat, all man

Despite having one of the greatest re-inventions in all of modern comics, Catman has yet to get his own solo series or even mini-series. Granted, his re-invention has been part of Gail Simone’s exceptional Secret Six comics, so perhaps he works best as the member of a team. But Catman has a loner streak to him, and I think he’d do smashingly well in his own solo series. He could have some wild, international adventures. Maybe hunt and punish poachers in Africa. Romance men and women equally. Fight the occasional Batman. Team up with Catwoman. There’s a lot a guy like Catman could do. Maybe even challenge Nightwing to the crown of DC’s studliest sex symbol.

And if not Catman, then perhaps Scandal Savage. She’s his partner in the Secret Six, at least back in the first iteration. She’s cool, quite badass and is the daughter of Vandal Savage, so she could have just as many wicked adventures. Last I saw, Scandal was also in a throuple with a New God, which would be a neat romance-style to pursue.

5. Renee Montoya

She watches over the city, a silent protector

Has Renee Montoya ever not been cool? Back when she was one of the stars of Gotham Central, she was immensely cool. Then she was a washed up, reckless drunk on the road to redemption in 52. Then she was the best iteration of the Question! Cool, faceless and a little sassy, the Montoya/Question mini by Greg Rucka was the only good part of Convergence (does anybody even remember Convergence?). Now she’s back to being a cop, but I’m pretty sure DC has abandoned their mystical, New 52 version of the Question. Renee should take up the mantle again, team up with the Birds of Prey on occasion and have a somewhat contentious back and forth with her ex-girlfriend, Batwoman. All while serving as a real, gritty, noir detective in the streets of Gotham.

4. Bluebird

Kids like sewers, right?

Like I expected, new Batman character Harper Row has disappeared from Batman comics after DC didn’t make her the new Robin. I wanted that so badly! She would have been perfect! Instead, DC continues to stick with the boring, overstayed Damian Wayne, while letting new characters like Harper and Duke Thomas fade away into non-importance. But Harper is cool, she’s bisexual and she’d be great for her own solo series. Just like Spoiler was popular back in the day, and Batgirl has always had strong comics, Bluebird could be a solid new, street-level Gotham teen vigilante!

3. Bling! (or Anole)

The exclamation mark is very much part of her name

The X-Men have a long history of granting solo comics to their more popular characters, but only Wolverine ever seems to be able to make it successful. Still, where’s the harm in trying? Perhaps even just a mini-series to test out the waters. The X-Men currently have two young, queer students who could stand to have more of a spotlight. Bling! is the star of Generation X, and hopefully she’ll get some solid exposure in that title. She’s a mutant with a strange, rocky body, which means her struggles with her sexual identity are greatly amplified. Hard to be intimate when you’ve got sharp rocks for skin. She’s a solid choice for exploring life as a young, gay mutant.

Or maybe Anole! This reptilian kid has been begging for his own series since he was introduced. He’s practically been reduced to a gay mascot, so he could really use a chance to show off how human and personable he can be.

2. Julie Power and Karolina Dean

A match made in adorableness

Karolina Dean is returning to prominence with a relaunched Runaways comic (and TV show), but in the wake of that comic’s last cancellation, she got into a rather adorable relationship with young adult Power Pack member Julie Power. It was one of those relationships that existed on the fringes of comics, taking place in Avengers Academy, I think. Just small, cute and personal between the two of them. It was cute! But…it’s probably over now. I’m going to hold onto hope that maybe it’ll get mentioned in the new Runaways, but it probably won’t make the cut. Still, I think the pairing could make for a fun little comic about a young superhero couple trying to make ends meet and beating up bad guys. They could be young, hip and queer, and show off a really cool romance! They could all it Julie & Karolina, maybe!

1. Bunker

He was a hero, once

Remember Bunker? Apparently DC Comics does not! When they unceremoniously cancelled the New 52 Teen Titans, then brought it back in revamped form, they decided to let Bunker slip through the cracks. He was one of the most prominent brand new LGBT characters to come out of the New 52, and could have been a star, considering his leading role in Teen Titans. Bunker was perfect Young Justice material. He could have been a star! But nope. He’s simply gone.

(Just like that boyfriend that was abandoned after the first revamp).

Bunker was one of the only shining lights of the New 52 Teen Titans, and I’m gravely disappointed that he’s disappeared. He was friendly, charming, heroic and had some pretty cool powers. Heck, I still don’t think we’ve ever gotten an origin or his powers. There’s so much we don’t know! Perhaps someday DC will let us find out.

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