Posted in: Comics | Tagged: chip zdarsky, Comics, entertainment, kaptara he-man, matt fraction

Kaptara Was The "Gay He-Man"

Published Mon, 28 Dec 2015 09:00:09 -0600

Last updated Mon, 28 Dec 2015 09:05:57 -0600

A rather entertaining conversation appeared between Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky on the Milkfed Mailing List the other week that I've been encouraged to share.

With Matt asking,

you described KAPTARA before the launch as "a gay HE-MAN" which is literally my favorite piece of writing of the last calendar year. where'd that come from?

not the phrase, but the impetus to MAKE a gay HE-MAN

Said phrase didn't appear publicly, only in a couple of reader posts, one on Reddit r/comicbooks and

It's billed as "Gay Saga" but it seems much more a fever dream melange of less gay He-Man and the Masters of the Universe with Lost in Space and internet forum culture and some William Burroughs biography.

And one on Goodreads,

This book is so dang good and funny. Billed as the actually gay He-Man isn't far off, also reminds me of Flash Gordon. The art is on fleek.

As one says, "Gay Saga" was more prominent, but "Gay He-Man" seems more descriptive. Chip talks about said inspiration

Oh ok. The first time I went to a Pride parade a very strong man shot me with a water gun and he looked very much like a he-man. And I remember looking around and thinking "there are a lot of he-men here". Lots of fun outfits and very nice muscles.

That was when I originally thought about He-Man and sexuality. And I haven't stopped since.

Can't stop. Won't stop.

With Matt's analysis,

you know how in the WATCHMENIVERSE there are no superheroes because superheroes murder pregnant women and rape each other in the Watchmeniverse so they read pirate comics? I like to imagine KAPTARA is the SAGA of the Watchmeniverse.

And Chip's response,

That is exactly what we were going for. That was in my pitch to image.

For the rest of the conversation, including Chip talking about working with artists other than himself, specifically Kaptara's Kagan Mcleod, you really should sign onto the mailing list…

As to Kaptara, Chip says

The… The thing about Kaptara I can't resist is the idea of a planet where your freak flag can fly and the societal constructs we know here aren't a factor. It's about figuring out who you are without the pressures of what people have pinned on you. And it's about jokes.

And promises

Oh man, I'm totally doing a He-Man Jughead story now.

I love the blending of ancient cultures with nature and futuristic technology. I think He-Man was kind of brilliant that way. Nude beast men riding tech-tanks shooting lasers at guys with swords. It's such a fantastic amalgamation of fantasy and sci-if.

And there's a plug before they start talking Batman…