Superman Comics Sales Have Seen a Major Change With Bisexual Superman
Many were wondering what DC's decision to have Superman as bisexual would do to their comic book sales and now we know.
Just a few weeks ago, DC made the announcement that Jon Kent, son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, and the current Man of Steel in DC’s main publishing line, would come out as bisexual in the upcoming comic issue Superman: Son of Kal-El #5. After topping headlines across the globe, DC made an announcement on their blog yesterday that orders for the upcoming issue have hit “unprecedented” numbers. In response to the outpouring of interest in the comic, DC announced they will be reprinting Son of Kal-El issues 1-4 to include the DC Pride logo.
The Superman publishers didn’t release sales information to support the skyrocketing orders, but they claim retail comic shop orders for the upcoming issue are already exceeding orders for the series’ debut issue. Generally speaking for both DC and Marvel comic series, sales for comics peak with the first issue, and the numbers subsequently tend to drop off with each preceding issue. In response to the success DC is seeing with a bisexual Superman, the company also announced they would be reprinting the series prior issues to include the DC Pride logo at the top-left corner of each issue.
Superman: Son of Kal-El was released in July 2021 and was written by Tom Taylor (Dark Knights of Steel) with artist John Timms (Harley Quinn). The series finds Jon taking up the mantle as Superman while his father is away from Earth on Warworld. Trying to find his own identity while staying true to the principles that make Superman one of the world’s most beloved heroes, the series will most likely set the world up for a new type of Superman while holding true to the integrity that makes the man of steel beloved by so many.
Jon first appeared in Convergence: Superman #2 (2015), a story in which Superman is temporarily depowered, allowing Lois to become pregnant. He would be seen again in the limited series Superman: Lois and Clark as a 10-year-old just discovering his fathers’ secret powers, along with discovering his own. In the upcoming Superman issue, Jon Kent will find himself romantically linked with a new character, reporter Jay Nakamura as the new marvel of metropolis navigates that difficult moment between adolescence and adulthood.
Although the overall reaction to Superman coming out as bisexual has been positive amongst DC fandom, many who do not understand the topic have taken to social media to express their anger and lack of knowledge on the subject. Arizona senator Wendy Rogers tweeted in response the following:
Fans of Superman were quick to point out the Senator’s mistakes in her lack of knowledge on the comic series. Furthermore, Jon Kent isn’t even close to being the first comic book superhero to come out as something other than straight. To catch up on Superman: Son of Kal-El, DC is reprinting Issues #1-4 and encourages fans to put their orders in by October 30, with the reprints hitting stores on November 23rd. The upcoming 5th issue will hit shelves on November 16th.
