Arts & Entertainment
Marvel introduces mutant drag queen Shade
The mutant is a part of the X-Men
For the first time in the history of Marvel, there is a drag queen superhero.
Shade, a mutant who is part of the X-Men, was introduced in the fourth installment of Marvel’s “Iceman” comic. She has the power of teleportation and can create “pocket voids” through her handheld fan. Shade makes her first appearance at the Mutant Pride Parade.
“‘Ello Manhattan! It’s your emcee, Shade,” she says.
“And I got none to throw at Dazzler’s set!” Shade says about another mutant’s performance
There's a Drag Queen mutant now and I am here for it. Iceman #4@SinaGrace pic.twitter.com/S6vZ9Hhpeu
— Best of Marvel/DC (@BestOfComiics) December 20, 2018
Shade was the brain child of out writer Sina Grace and artist Nathan Stockman.
“I really wanted this series to push readers to new and better stories about the whole queer experience and how it applies to
Grace also told NewNowNext that his inspiration for Shade came from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestants Shea Couleé, Monét X Change, The Vixen
Shade returns in the fifth issue of “Iceman” (available now) and in “X-Men: Winter’s End,” which will be released in February.
Celebrity News
Madonna announces release date for new album
‘Confessions II’ marks return to the dance floor
Pop icon Madonna on Wednesday announced that her 15th studio album will be released on July 3.
Titled “Confessions II,” the new album is a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” an Abba and disco-infused hit.
The new album reunites Madonna with producer Stuart Price, who also helmed the original “Confessions” album. It’s her first album of new material since 2019’s “Madame X.”
“We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies,” Madonna said in a press release. “These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people,” continued the statement. “Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions. Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”
Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI
‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’
By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.
Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.
“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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