In further proving herself a one-trick storytelling pony, industry writer Magdalene Visaggio has revealed that she has yet again “transed a beloved character” for an upcoming, as-of-yet-unannounced comic book series based on a licensed IP.
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The Marvel’s Dazzler: X-Song Vol. 1 #1 and DC’s Eternity Girl Vol. 1 writer, a transgender individual herself, provided this tease into her future writing plans on December 8th via her personal Twitter account.
“I’m writing one of my all-time favorite IPs for a book dropping next year and just I wish SO HARD I could tell you,” divulged an excited Visaggio. “It’s an incredibly unexpected license and they’re letting me break and rebuilt it.”
In service of this de- and re-construction, the writer then proudly declared, “Yes, I transed a beloved character. No backsies.”
Following this announcement, Visaggio was met with not just praise from like-minded identity politicians, but also push back from audiences unimpressed with yet another ‘transing’ of an established character.
In arguably the most notable of this criticism, as it both came from a transgender individual and drew a reply from Visaggio, @AmberShade9 wrote, “Or here’s a thought. STOP changing established characters into something they’re not and just create NEW characters who are trans? As a transwoman, I’m sick of this happening in media.”
In turn, Visaggio wrote them off with a simple, “No.”
Faced with further criticism, the writer then followed-up her initial declaration by laughing, “Hahaha omg y’all are being so dramatic when you see it you’ll realize how zero a big deal this is, you’ll just go ooooooh that’s all?”
As of writing, no details or clues have been given by either Visaggio or any Western publisher as to what license it at the center of declaration.
However, per the writer herself, the IP is not just “the gayest s–t in the world”, but also “famously gay”.
As noted above, this is far from the first time Visaggio has sought to project their own gender identity upon a licensed character.
Earlier this year, Visaggio’s Chilling Adventures Presents…Strange Science one-shot reintroduced Archie Comics readers to Danni, a red-headed science geek who played a bit part in the five-issue, 1989-990 series Dilton’s Strange Science.
Originally a biological woman, this new incarnation of Dilton’s adventurous love-interest was instead depicted as a being a male-to-female transgender woman.
And though she was unsuccessful in the attempt, Visaggio also angled at writing a story for DC wherein she would have made “Conner Kent a trans girl” who subsequently took on the name ‘Connie’.
“Connie always reverts to the mean,” read her official pitch. “Connie found out she’s a Luthor, and the most that came of it was she shaved her head. She forged her own life on Gemworld only to end up right back on the farm. Whatever changes she tries to make in her life never stick. In other words, Connie has never faced herself square in the mirror and admitted the one thing that’s really bothering her.
“DC has every right to pursue their own direction with their own IP, and I wish them the best. No hard feelings whatsoever,” she elaborated of her failed attempt to ‘trans’ Superboy via Twitter. “But this is what I was setting up in Action Comics Vol. 1 #1057“.
“The whole 10-pager was designed to be a subtle overture to this direction,” said Visaggio. “Conner confronting what she actually does and doesn’t want out of life.”
Notably, remnants of Visaggio’s original ‘Connie Kent’ vision can still be seen in the published version of her story, “Super is as Super Does”, as featured in the aforementioned Action Comics issue.
Therein, Conner can be seen not only sporting brightly dyed hair and mulling over his ‘real identity’, both of which were core components of Visaggio’s pitch, but story even ends with his girlfriend, Miss Martian, referring to him as ‘Connie’.
