10 Iconic LGBTQ Comic Book Superheroes

Although LGBT characters are still relatively rare in mainstream comic books, representation has reached a high water mark in recent years. These ten heroes were selected by Bill Schelly, who, as a gay kid, grew up reading comics long before any heroes were "out" - as he describes in his new book Sense of Wonder: My Life in Comic Fandom--The Whole Story(North Atlantic Books).

ASTONISHING X-MEN #51: Northstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier) was one of the first gay superheroes in American comic books, and the first openly gay character to come out in a Marvel comic book. He married his husband Kyle Jinadu in this issue in June 2012, the first same-sex marriage shown in mainstream comics. Plus, he's a real bad-ass!

Artwork courtesy of Marvel Comics.