COMICS: Say Hello to Kid Quick, The New Non-Binary Superhero of Colour in the DC Comics Universe

Set to to make their DC debut as a Teen Justice member in the upcoming DC’s Very Merry Multiverse holiday special, Kid Quick is the comic book publisher’s first explicitly non-binary superhero of colour.

According to the character’s creator, Ivan Cohen, the inspiration for Kid Quick came from thinking about how DC’s alternate universe, Earth-11, is inherently queer in that it is a space where characters’ genders are usually swapped.

“If someone has a non-gendered superhero name, like Kid Flash in the main DC Universe, or Kid Quick here, why not try something more modern?” Cohen asked in an interview with them. “Not every superhero has to be male or female, or white, just because DC characters created in the golden and silver ages of comics pretty much all were.”

Cohen also maintained that Jess Chambers aka Kid Quick’s debut won’t centre around their identity: “[Their identity] isn’t something the other heroes ‘tolerate,’ it’s just part of who the character is. And not only do none of Jess' teammates have any issue with it, they really don't give it a second thought.”

After DC’s Very Merry Multiverse (released 8 December 2020), Kid Quick will be cast in the adult role of The Flash in Future State: Justice League, a miniseries, which is expected to be released in January 2021.