It seems as though Teen Titans is becoming one of the most Latino-friendly comics in the DC Universe. Not only does it have a rich history with legendary Puerto Rican artist George Perez, but it’s now added a gay Mexican superhero named Bunker.
Also known by his secret identity, Miguel Jose Barragan, Bunker was born and raised in the Mexican village of El Chilar (according to his “official” DC bio). He is described as upbeat, funny, and very comfortable in his own skin. But we’re sure what comic fans will love most about Bunker is his ability to project Psionic bricks, fists, and shapes with his mind.
And, for the record, Bunker is openly gay and has even been described as “flamboyant” by the Teen Titans writers. The DC artists have reflected that fact, by dressing the character in colorful pink costumes, complete with earrings and “metro” styled hair.
Some in the gay community have actually criticized Bunker as being a bit of a stereotype, but artist Brett Booth was quick to defend his creation.
“We wanted to show an interesting character whose homosexuality is part of him,” Booth told fans. “Sure there are gay people who you wouldn’t know are gay right off the bat, but there are others who are a more flamboyant, and we thought it would be nice to actually see them portrayed in comics. Did we go over the top, I don’t think so. Our TT is partly about diversity of ANY kind, it’s about all kinds of teens getting together to help each other.”
And Brett certainly held true with his diversity statement. The new Teen Titans lineup also features Skitter, an African-American girl with insect powers, and Solstice, an Indian character capable of light manipulation.
Issue #1 with the revamped Titans hit newsstands in September and has been garnering tons of positive reviews. Who knows? Maybe if Bunker breaks out, he could get his own comic and perhaps his own movie! We’ve already got a great idea of which Mexican star could play him on the big screen.
Courtesy of Blogamole.com
