The X-Men's Historic First Gay Kiss is Reborn in Breathtaking New Fanart
A gorgeous new piece of fanart, by artist JP Pinto, pays homage to Marvel Comics first-ever on-panel LGBTQ+ kiss, a breathtaking tribute to the X-Men Shatterstar and Rictor. A perfect Pride Month celebration, Pinto's art honors the momentous kiss that permanently changed queer visibility and representation in modern mainstream comics.
Both Rictor and Shatterstar were major characters of the 90s X-Men comics, perhaps the era with the most wide stream popularity for Marvel's Merry Mutants besides the current Krakoan Era. Rictor, introduced by Louise and Walt Simonson in 1987's X-Factor #17, and Shatterstar, introduced by Fabian Nicieza in 1991's The New Mutants #99, had long running Marvel-mandated sub textual queer tension between them until Peter David formally got them together in 2009's X-Factor Vol. 3 #45, much to fans delight.
Related: The X-Men Go Back to Their Roots With a Modern, Queer, Twist
Shatterstar is one of Marvel Comics most complicated characters continuity wise, being a time-traveling and dimension-hopping mutant from Mojoworld, later revealed to be the future child of X-Men Dazzler and Longshot. When he first escaped Mojoworld and joined the X-Men, becoming a founding member of X-Force under Cable's tutelage, Shatterstar had been a slave to Mojo's entertainment world for years, and struggled to understand human emotion and behavior, but his burgeoning friendship with Rictor helped to teach him how to interact correctly with his friends and teammates. Rictor, a beloved Latinx mutant with the ability to generate and manipulate seismic energy, experienced years of suicidal thoughts and depression, but his relationship with Shatterstar kept him grounded and allowed him to heal. JP Pinto, a talented artist
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