Green Arrow Comic Book To Feature HIV-Positive Character; First Major Comic Book Series To Address HIV/AIDS
The Green Arrow comic book series in its latest issue, which was scheduled to be published on Wednesday, will debut an HIV-positive character, marking the first time a major comic book has dealt with HIV/AIDS, the AP/Washington Post reports. In the storyline, which is overseen by writer Judd Winick -- who has participated in AIDS education projects since appearing on MTV's 'Real World' in 1994 with Pedro Zamora, who later died of AIDS-related causes -- a teenage character named Mia discovers that she is HIV-positive after engaging in commercial sex work. Winick said he hopes to use Mia's HIV-positive status as a "way to explore socially conscious themes" while giving her "extra motivation to make a difference in the world," the Post reports. Winick added that he developed the character of Mia -- who later will become the title character's "sidekick" -- to "approach HIV from the point of view of other young people." According to the Post, "Mia is coming to terms with it in the way most young people are," Winick said, adding, "It isn't about death and dying. Young people, for good or for bad, are still pretty fearless. With drug combination therapy, people are living a very long time." Winick also said, "Comics have a long history of telling lessons. They tell stories through metaphor, but sometimes I feel we don't need the metaphor." The character of Mia also is expected to be incorporated into DC Comics' youth hero series "Teen Titans," the AP/Post reports (Breznican, AP/Washington Post, 10/14).
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.