Comic book superheroes getting more diverse
CVK
(Thanks to Brad for the tips!) There’s been a lot of discussion lately in the media and blogosphere about the increasing diversity among comic book superheroes. The New York Times did a huge article about Marvel and DC Comics’ recent attempts at introducing more gay and lesbian characters, people of color, and interracial couples (find a reprint of the article here). Not all of the new characters are commendable though, check out reappropriate’s take on The Great Ten just reinforce old Yellow Peril stereotypes.)
And Jeff Yang just wrote an excellent column about the intersection of Asians and comics, whether it’s the emergence of Asian characters in comic books, or the many Asians who work behind the scenes. Check out a hilarous quote from Phil Yu, the man behind Angry Asian Man, asking why Quick Kick, the Asian martial arts specialist from the GI Joe series, always had to be barefoot and shirtless, even in the snow? “Seems to me that’s pretty impractical when going into battle.”
But why does it matter? They’re just comics, right? Jeff has a compelling answer to that question:
Though some people might find under-representation in comic books a silly issue to be concerned about, the reality is that comics have a deep and abiding impact on our culture. The icons of the comic world have extended their reach far beyond their books’ flimsy four-color pages, stamping our collective unconscious with heroic archetypes that are arguably as influential today as those of Greek mythology and the Old Testament. (If you want proof, grab a random kid and ask him to pick a favorite legendary strongman from the following trio: Hercules, Samson and Superman. See?)
…As a result, diversifying the ranks of superheroes isn’t just about pop-cultural social justice — it’s about providing minority kids with a narrative around which to shape their identities and build a sense of self-worth, even if they feel excluded, different or disconnected.
“Comics have always been a refuge for kids who are shy or socially unconfident,” says Chow. “The storylines of many titles, like ‘Spiderman,’ are all about outcasts who are also heroes. For many Asian Americans, the parallels with a title like ‘X-Men’ are really strong: You grow up in an all-white neighborhood, you feel like an outsider, and then when you go away to school, you meet other people like yourself, you discover your secret heritage, this thing inside you that makes you special. Even if you can’t shoot lasers out of your eyes.
Gandalf Mantooth wrote:
DC comics was always behind the Marvel on representation, especially appropriate representations, they tended to be corny. Minority characters always had to pay tribute to their ethnicity back in the day. BLACK Panther. SAMURAI. I think the incarnations of Iron Man and Green Lantern (black men jumping into the suits) were the first ethnic characters that didn’t have to wear their ethnicity like a symbol (I know about Luke Cage, you comic geeks, but still he had to represent the ghetto).
Posted 21 Jun 2006 at 10:36 am ¶
Adrianna wrote:
I’m happy that they are doing this as a young child my favorite super hero was Storm, I wanted to be her. She was the only black female super hero and that was really cool!!!
Posted 21 Jun 2006 at 11:51 pm ¶
justin wrote:
Gandalph, are you confusing Iron Man and John Henry Irons ?
Posted 22 Jun 2006 at 3:32 am ¶
tmk wrote:
I was just watching an episode of In Living Color where there is a conference among the superheros that they need to have more diversity in racial representation.
Posted 22 Jun 2006 at 7:29 am ¶
Gandalf Mantooth wrote:
I dunno, am I?
Posted 22 Jun 2006 at 12:05 pm ¶
Gandalf Mantooth wrote:
Oh, wait, I was being silly until I realized you were talking about STEEL. Uh, no, I am not. I was talking about Eddie March. Bone up, fan boy!
Posted 22 Jun 2006 at 12:09 pm ¶
brad wrote:
Justin,
James Rhodes became Iron Man when Tony Stark’s alcoholism became too great for him to handle. Later, Rhodes became War Machine using another suit of armor.
One of the new DC character I think is offensive is Mother of Champions whose super power is to birth a litter of super-powered warriors. It’s a very sexist and demeaning characteristic: broodmare.
Posted 22 Jun 2006 at 9:16 pm ¶
justin wrote:
I’m not so good with Marvel gospel, thought I was still reading somthing about DC.
The Comic industry was heavily regulated, it’s sort of the victim of media effects studies. Scott McCloud’s Reinventing comics is a good book about that subject. Most superheroes are just left overs of the status quo ( if that’s not redundant) and most super heroes are politically correct, regardless of their ethnicity, depending on your politics.
I don’t like what I’ve seen of minoriteam or that south park episode with the super best friends, but the Harvey Birdman with Apache chief was good . . .
Posted 23 Jun 2006 at 1:21 pm ¶
jlnli wrote:
Did anyone else read the latest of Garth Ennis’s “Kev” stories in “The Authority” - there’s a multi-page joke in there where Shen sings about being the token “Asian chick” and that it’s not enough that two of the others are gay.
It was too, too funny (and Ennis is the only writer to get anything good out of “The Authority” since Warren Ellis left - but that’s OT).
Posted 29 Jun 2006 at 1:19 pm ¶
Ajax wrote:
There was also Jim Rhodes who jumped in the Iron Man suit for a while, then he became War machine.
Posted 29 Jun 2006 at 4:21 pm ¶