Suvudu Universe

These days I try not to get involved with too many new comic books. My queue is on the verge of self combustion with untouched reads, and quite frankly, I don't have the patience to wait for new issues. But, DC threw me a welcomed curveball this month (Happy Pride Month y'all!) with Midnighter, a comic lead by a gay vigilante/ anti-hero with a ballsy violent streak. And might I add...he...is...everything!



If you know me, and I certainly hope you do, you know I'm not one to sing DC's praises. But I must give credit, where credit's due. Midnighter comes on strong, and I love it. Unabashed in all of his endeavors, his Grindr profile lists his interests as "Violence (Inventive)" and goes on to boast his impressive power-set which includes: "Computer in brain" and "Superhumanly flexible." Though I don't have a full grasp on his abilities, the ex-machina tech aspect makes for some pretty impressive fun. Three pages in, readers get to be the proverbial fly on the wall while Midnighter is in the middle of an interracial date. While, I'm all for good man-on-man action, his sexuality and the date itself is thrown out the window, when the restaurant he and his date are at, gets held up by a punk gang. (How '90s of you DC.)

For the sake of a spoiler-free review, it's needless to say that we get to see what the Midnighter is truly capable of, and that's where this book becomes worthy of its praises. No passive powers. All grappling, knuckle-smacking, head-butting, sucker-punching bravado-filled pages. (With a lil hooking up here and there.)

I've had a bit of a Grindr like experience with LGBT super heroes. They can present themselves to be engaging, detailed and unbearable addictive, and yet in the end, I was left with little more than empty sentiments and a severe lacking of action. With the exception of my all time fav, Wicaan (Scarlet Witch's son from the Marvel universe.) And most were annoyingly effeminate. Don't get me wrong, I love my fellow effeminate gays, but in a world of capes and tights, the queer community shouldn't be defined just by effeminate men. It should be as diversified as it's readership. From gym bunny to Masc Only (ugh..don't even get me started on that..) the gay community has a plethora of "types."

The book also seems to be leading towards a bigger mystery, one we'll obviously see unravel in issues to come. But be sure to make sure you pick up Midnighter, and thank Steve Orlando for help molding a well-rounded queer hero!