In defense of Scott Lobdell
So, there’s a lot of hate going to Lobdell, which is very understandable. He’s a plague on a lot of things he touches. However, I would like to respond by pointing out some good he’s done for the world of comics.
-He’s the guy who finally acknowledged Northstar as gay. That big gay wedding could not have happened without him. While Jim Shooter was editor at Marvel, he kept a “No openly gay character” rule. Shooter’s run (From 78-87) had many positives; books were on schedule, new writers developed, and many books had their best runs (Including Frank Miller’s time on Daredevil, one of my favorite Marvel characters). However, sensitivity was not one of Shooter’s hallmarks. In 1992, Lobdell finally was allowed to have Northstar announce his sexuality, in an attempt to bring light to AIDS. Royalties were donated to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. In addition, he created the first gay character of the new 52, Bunker of the Teen Titans (One of the best reasons to be reading that book). He is the first gay titan since Hero Cruz (Who lasted one issue).
-He spearheaded a period of comics that I adored; the 90s X-Men. With almost 100 issues under his belt, he wrote many of the X stories you and I fell in love with.
Granted, he may now be out of touch. But let’s not forget what Lobdell has done for comics; he was a major part of the X-Men boom of the 90s (X-Cutioner’s Song, Phalanx Covenant, Age of Apocalypse, and Onslaught come to mind immediately), and he helped pave the way for heterosexuality in comics, making the universes a little more diverse.
He did some great stuff for Marvel, but he’s fucked up everything he’s touched over at DC. Which makes me scratch my head. His destruction of Roy and Starfire is something I can’t get over though. He’s pretty much raped both characters, and he’s about to do the same to Tim.