#Love Unlimited

[jeremywhitley]

Here we are, six weeks later...

HEY!

So, in case you haven’t heard, our six week run on Love Unlimited following Gwenpool wrapped up today and...

and as much as I did write all of this and it is extremely important to me, I feel I really need to make sure you all know that this didn’t start with me.

To be completely accurate, it started with Chris Hastings and crew for creating such an amazing and nuanced character out of what could have only ever been a high concept and a cover gag. Not that the cover gag wasn’t good, but the statue that is revealed from that piece of marble over the course of The Unbelievable Gwenpool is truly astonishing.

Then, of course, there’s you. An audience of fans with an incredible love and passion for a character who also saw a lot of the quirks and experiences that we as people on the asexual spectrum experience and talked about it online.

Which is where the incredible @alannawrites, my editor, comes in. Alanna had been looking for an opportunity to tell a story about being ace in Marvel comics. We had kind of skimmed around the edges during Unstoppable Wasp, but ultimately being a character who owed so much to a movie franchise, there were a lot of nerves there. Gwen was not only a great opportunity to tell a story of a person hyper aware that they are in a story struggling with the tropes that affect their actual life, it was a chance to bring about this story for a character a lot of the fandom already saw as ace. Obviously, not everybody, but still a lot.

So when editorial game to okay to tell this story, Alanna reached out to me - somebody she’d worked with but also specifically had just had their own little coming out as demisexual a little while back. I was thrilled by the idea and before long we brought on @bailiesartblog and Kelly and had a full creative team of people on the ace spectrum. This is easily the first time that’s ever been a thought.

For me it was important that it not just be a story of coming out, but that it be a Gwenpool story. A story of knowing how stories work, what tropes you can play with, trying to direct the story where you think it should go, and ultimately finding that the story just won’t comply. And for people who have experienced being on the ace spectrum or a lot of other marginalized genders and sexualities - that’s a very familiar problem.

Ultimately, it’s different from a lot of other Gwenpool stories because it’s not the world around her. She has 2-3 real working possibilities for romantic relationships in this story and one that is about to become a fully adult sexual relationship with a woman whom she really loves before it skips the tracks. Ultimately, it’s not a thing from the 616 that’s holding her back, it’s a thing she brought with her from the real world - her sexuality - and no matter how worthy you are, you can’t beat that with a hammer.

There’ll be lots of time to talk about this later, but along with her actually saying the words and waving the flags above, one of the sequences that’s most important to me is the opening sequence of issue 6

This is the problem sometimes with being story tellers. When you think you know the story, realizing you’re not who you thought you are can feel like maybe you’re a villain. Maybe you’re a monster. Maybe you don’t belong here.

Some people on the internet seem to have decided to misinterpret this sequence as us comparing being asexual to being a monster, when very clearly that’s Gwen doing it. I’m just going to assume they’ve never had the experience of struggling to understand themselves and where they fit. Sounds fake, but whatever.

I love this FF story. I love Ben Grimm. I love this cover and that was why I gave my art team the truly unenviable task of recreating it. Like, I don’t know if you’ve been there, but I certainly have and I’d wager that most of us have at some point.

But perhaps the most important image in this scene is the next one:

Julie sees her friend, her girlfriend, the person that she cares about spiraling and literally yoinks her right out of the frame.

And sits her down and talks to her about it. And listens to her about it. And when she starts asking questions that Julie can’t answer, she finds Gwen somebody who can.

And that is an incredible gift to give to someone. And yeah, maybe we should all do that for each other, but man is it hard. Julie for one is in a multi-month relationship with this girl that just told her that not only was she lying about being ready to have sex with her, but that she didn’t actually like kissing her and has been faking enjoying some aspects of their relationship. You wanna think you would still be there for this person, but that’s a lot to handle and it takes a lot to be the person Julie is in this moment. But, personally, I love Julie Power and I think she’s the kinda person to stick with it.

And ultimately I think this scene is so important to me because I hope this book is our opportunity to be Julie Power to somebody reading this story. I hope someone who is going through a hard time or struggling with how to define themselves will find this story and it can be the hands that pull them out of the cover of Fantastic Four 51 when they need it. Maybe that’s a lot to hope for a comic, but it’s really the ambition I think the team went into this comic with. We want to tell a story about an aroace character coming to terms with who they are and learning to accept and be comfortable with it, but ultimately we hope this story gets to someone out there when they need it and makes the difference.

Well, this has gone really long and I’m sure there will be other things I wanna say about it later, but until then take care of yourselves and hopefully you’ll get the chance to be someone’s Julie Power.

P.S. - Julie, you’re amazing and I’m sure we will find a romance for you that works out eventually. Sorry that we’ve collectively now put you through three breakups.

[bailiesartblog]

Issue 46 of Gwenpool Love Unlimited is out today! A lot happens this week, so make sure you’re prepared before diving in! In the meanwhile, here are some panels I had fun drawing!

[whatisgoingoninmyhead]

combining how this used to be a marvel spoilers account and how it's currently an aroace account to share part of Gwenpool's 'Love Unlimited' series where she works out she's aroace. It just feels like really accurate representation!

[sundreary]

she’s just like me fr…….

[scarletwitchpanels]

Wanda & Hulkling in Love Unlimited Infinity Comic #25

[redibinch]

You look like yourself

[acquamarinie]

Gwenpool aroace icons, F2U!

Credit and reblogs always appreciated

[heckcareoxytwit]

Miles Morales and Starling are dating when they are interrupted by the loud noise. The loud sound came from Doctor Bong who is on his typical supervillain rampage in the city. Starling wastes no time in attacking Doctor Bong with her wing flechettes before carrying him off and dropping him to the ground. Miles Morales catches Doctor Bong just in time before he could turn into street pizza. Miles gets upset with Starling's brutal vigilante methods that he argues with her until she leaves him in a huff.

Love Unlimted Infinity Comic #67, 2023

[audhd-nightwing]

GUYS GUYS OH MY GOD

GWENPOOL IS CONFIRMED AROACE

[lisamarie-vee]

[jeremywhitley]

Love Unlimited #45 with Gwenpool! Come for the romance, stay for Julie Power's giant plate of vegan nachos!

[bailiesartblog]

Part 5 of Gwenpool Love Unlimited is out today! This one may evoke some ~feelings~

[scarlet--wiccan]

Idk if you care/already knew but the infinity comic focusing on the newer captain America (I think love unlimited, may have been voices) had a small Tommy (and David) cameo. It was kind of cute and funny but also a little weird. I have so many questions about their relationship that I would love to have answers for (what I wouldn’t give for an arc of that very comic explaining how they got together!)

It's Love Unlimited. The current run is focused on Aaron Fischer, a character who was created for United States of Captain America in 2021. As far as I can tell, this is his first significant storyline since his debut. I'm not really familiar with the character, but I'm enjoying the series so far-- the art's really nice, and Trujillo seems to have found his stride with the vertical format. His Hulkling & Wiccan comics were a huge disappointment, so this is a pleasant surprise.

Anyway, yeah, Tommy and David were in the first episode. They appear in a crowd of LGBT superheroes who turn out of the opening of... some kind of community center? It's not clear. Anyways, Aaron decides to try his luck with some of the guys, and Tommy seems like he's ready to flirt back until David... scolds him like a misbehaving dog.

It's a weird moment, for several reasons. Tommy, as a character, is so often reduced to being hyperactive, goofy, destructive, and horny-- like a flanderized Bart Allen with a bad-boy streak. He barely has any appearances outside of bit-part cameos, so this is like the only treatment he ever receives, and I'm a little tired of it, especially when it comes to his dynamic with David.

I just don't think this sort of non-committal situationship works in comics book. Maybe if they had recurring roles in an ongoing series, they could tease out a slow-burn romance, or even negotiate the particularities of an open relationship. That's not what's happening here, though. There's no momentum, and Tommy only ever shows up the be the butt of the joke. I don't want to get into X-Factor, but I think we can agree that Williams did not do either of these characters any favors, and it was a really poor foundation for their canon relationship.

You want to know what really bothered me in this issue, though? America's conversation with Aaron was super out of character. Why is she being dismissive of a homeless gay kid who chooses to "reclaim" Captain America imagery when that was, like, her whole deal for years-- not to mention the way that she shuts him down because he doesn't have powers. America, your best friend is Hawkeye!!!!

[arojenniferwalters]

Canon AroAces 240/?: Gwendolyn "Gwen" Poole/ Gwenpool in Marvel Love Unlimited #46 (2023) 1/ 3

@aggressivelyarospec week 2023

[scarletwitchpanels]

Love Unlimited Infinity Comic #25

[tsukushicakes]

PRIDE MONTH 23 | vivcj, a little walk

Next is Viv and CJ! If you’re wondering in who in the world CJ is, she was introduced back in Love Unlimited not to long ago back in Issue 7. (Which you should check it out btw!) Let’s just say since then, these two have been dating ever since. As for Viv, I love her outfit that she had in Scarlet Witch vol 3 issue 2, so why not I draw it here. Also because I like it more than her other ensembles she had. Also take a small peek into the colors of the those tiny hearts, what do they remind you of…?? I hope we see more of CJ in the future, she’s just so cool of a character and I want to know her more!

This week I give you VivCJ, next week? Who knows…