I have become obsessed with Young Avengers, due in no small part to the characters of Wiccan and Hulkling. Writer Allan Heinberg and artist Jimmy Cheung bring the goods when it comes to these groundbreaking characters, but many artists have developed an affinity for them as well and have drawn their own versions. It comes as no surprise to me that two mainstream comic book superheroes have developed such a large fan base, as heroic gay male characters (especially ones in a relationship) are scarce. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but Wiccan and Hulkling are leading the charge for change. Above, Kame Urashima draws a particularly starstruck Hulkling and Wiccan. I found Urashima on deviant ART in addition to many awesome artists who have created work featuring these Young Avengers.
I can imagine how exciting it must be for young comics readers to feel represented in a high profile comic book. My inner sixteen year old self is certainly jumping for joy! There’s a dearth of heroes for young queers to read about, especially in super-hero comics and Allan Heinberg has done the gay community a great service. Besides, his writing is top notch and these characters have interesting stories besides their being gay. Above, Kame Urashima draws a particularly starstruck Hulkling and Wiccan.
The artist known as Abby, whose handle on deviantART is colours07, draws an affectionate rendition of our Young Avengers couple. We have yet to see the two boyfriends actually kiss on panel and many fans are impatient for the moment to be rendered. Luckily, fans can have their wish fulfillment fantasies met by artists such as Abby.
Abby’s solo Wiccan is gorgeous. She makes Wiccan’s costume look visually arresting. I miss the wings that Wiccan used to have on his headgear, but when he changed his name from Asgardian to Wiccan, I guess he had to change it up a bit.
And it’s nice to see some artwork with a sense of humor and sweetness. Scarlet Witch holds her twins, Speed and Wiccan, as only a happy mommy can. I love looking at this image forever. So cute and clever!
The artist of the two images above are by Jacopo Camagni (also a deviantARTist known as dronio). Aside from Young Avengers artist Jim Cheung, these are my favorites. Hulkling and Wiccan’s personalities really shine through.
Another deviantART creator with the handle cris-art has some gorgeous images of Wiccan and Hulkling on her site. I love the little details in her artwork, like the redness on their noses.
A sweet scene between our heroes created by cris-art.
This portrait by cris-art, entitled “Dream,” is especially tender and poignant.
Joe Phillips draws our couple a bit more muscular that we’ve seen before (well, at least Wiccan anyway–Hulkling can assume whatever shape he wants), but I do like the expressions on their faces.
And finally, Jemma Salume, known as eatfun on deviantART, draws an array of possible Sorcerer Supremes. Top, from left to right, Nico Minoru (from Runaways), Clea and Magik (from New Mutants). Below, Wiccan, Mos Def (!) and Scarlet Witch. I love the idea of Doctor Stephen Strange tutoring Wiccan as an apprentice and thought perhaps Brian Michael Bendis was going to go that way with his plotlines, but instead he chose Brother Voodoo and we’ve seen how that turned out. *shakes head* Anyway, I love that Jemma Salume turned out some awesome redesigns for logical replacements for the role of Sorcerer Supreme. She definitely has an eye for fashion! looking at her awesome Clea design, I cannot help but wish that Marvel would make the former girlfriend of Doctor Strange a star much in the way that DC (i.e. Geoff Johns) is pushing Mera in Brightest Day.
Thanks for checking out this post and go get the Young Avengers trade and read about these amazing characters. Also, Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #3 recently came out and is worth picking up. The series is only 9 issues and is coming out bimonthly, so waiting for the trade will take a looooong time. I recommend going to your nearest comic book store and catching up on the back issues.