Comics and graphic novels are going boldly going places with gay storylines and characters that many mainstream media outlets are afraid to travel and have never gone before. Case in point the latest issue of Marvel’s Astonishing X-Men.

Immigration enforcement in the comic world is just the same as in the real world it seems and doesn’t care if X-Man Northstar saves American lives for a living; he’s a Canadian citizen and his recent same-sex marriage to American Kyle Jinadu does nothing to change that fact. And thanks to DOMA, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages ICE (Immigration and Custom Officials) come knocking on his door one day when he’s out saving the world.

I applaud Marvel for doing this. Not only because it incorporates gay characters and their lives into storylines but also because it’s a perfect educational tool. Sort of like a “DOMA issues for Dummies” primer for young adult readers of comics. Where they become exposed to the problems facing us that they are unlikely to hear about any other way.