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Posts Tagged 'black superheroes'

‘Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’ Bears Striking Similarities to ‘Fight Like a Girl’

Published November 25, 2015 Comics , Race in Comics , Women in Comics Leave a Comment
Tags: Action Lab, black superheroes, Marvel comics, superheroes of color, superheroines, women in comics, women of color in comics

Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1 by Brandon Montclare, Amy Reeder, and Natacha Bustos hits stands today. While I’m always excited by more diversity on the page and behind the scenes (Lunella, aka Moon Girl, is a new young woman of color character and the book boasts three women creators including Reeder as co-writer, Bustos on art, and Tamra Bonvillain providing colors), I’m rather concerned about Lunella’s visual similarities to Fight Like a Girl’s Amarosa. Continue reading ‘‘Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’ Bears Striking Similarities to ‘Fight Like a Girl’’

Star Wars, Solidarity, and ‘Feeding Trolls’

Published November 16, 2015 Race in Comics 1 Comment
Tags: black superheroes, Star Wars, superheroes of color

I’d like to take a minute to talk about #BoycottStarWarsVII and the conventional “wisdom” of not feeding the trolls.

Now that it’s “over,” we know that #BoycottStarWarsVII was created and promoted by a relatively small number of racist bigots. This then snowballed once rational people started using the hashtag to call out the bigots. Essentially, the hashtag started trending not because of its use by bigots, but rather by sensible people who knew that casting people of color in a movie was not “white genocide.”

Once this fact was discovered, media reporting (and to an extent public opinion) started to shift. Continue reading ‘Star Wars, Solidarity, and ‘Feeding Trolls’’

Jordan’s Human Torch and Representation: Multicultural Casting vs Color-Blind Casting

Published February 25, 2014 Comics , Race in Comics 5 Comments
Tags: black superheroes, diversity in comics, Fantastic Four, Marvel heroes, minority superheroes, superheroes of color

A new report that Michael B. Jordan will be playing Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, in Fox’s upcoming Fantastic Four reboot has once again sparked heated debate. Many are praising the color-blind casting choice as a sign of progress, while others espouse racism under the guise of upholding the ever-sacred source material (which is itself a product of 1950’s racism).

I’m not going to bother directly addressing all the racist arguments because they’ve already been discussed and discredited ad nauseam. (If you need that discussion, allow me to recommend starting with The 5 Most Insulting Defenses of Nerd Racism.)

However, I would like to take this opportunity to discuss the alleged progressiveness of color-blind casting. Is color-blind casting inherently a form of positive representation?

No, not inherently. Continue reading ‘Jordan’s Human Torch and Representation: Multicultural Casting vs Color-Blind Casting’

Black History Month Giveaway: ‘Captain America: Truth’

Published February 5, 2014 Comics , Race in Comics Leave a Comment
Tags: black superheroes, comic books, diversity in comics, Marvel comics, Marvel heroes, minority superheroes, superheroes of color

In celebration of Black History Month, I’m giving away copies of two of my favorite comics on the Journey Into Awesome Facebook page! First up is a new hardcover copy of Captain America: Truth (originally published as Truth: Red, White & Black) by Robert Morales (Captain America) and Kyle Baker (Why I Hate Saturn).

A blatant reference to the horrific real world Tuskegee Study, Truth is the tragic tale of a group of African American soldiers involuntarily subjected to an experimental version of the Super-Soldier Serum by the U.S. government. Continue reading ‘Black History Month Giveaway: ‘Captain America: Truth’’

2012 Superhero Census Update

Published May 16, 2013 Comics , Gender in Comics , Race in Comics , Women in Comics Leave a Comment
Tags: Avengers, black superheroes, comic books, DC comics, diversity in comics, female comic book characters, gender in comics, gender studies, Justice League, LGBTQ superheroes, Marvel comics, Marvel heroes, minority superheroes, superheroes, superheroes of color, superheroines, women in comics, women of color in comics, X-Men

I just want to give a quick update on the status of my 2012 Superhero Census.

All of the raw data has been collected. It’s a massive amount and information and includes roughly 250 characters that appear across more than 300 individual comics.

Right now, I’m having a few associates proof the collected sex, race, and sexual orientation of all the characters. I’m also working out the best way to display the data. Once I get all the finer points ironed out I’ll publish a series of post examining the results so make sure to stay tune!

Rick Remender, the Mutant Oppression Metaphor, and the ‘M-Word’

Published April 10, 2013 Comics , Race in Comics 19 Comments
Tags: Avengers, black superheroes, comic books, diversity in comics, gender in comics, Marvel comics, Marvel heroes, minority superheroes, superheroes of color, X-Men

In Uncanny Avengers #5, writer Rick Remender included a speech advocating cultural assimilation and the abandonment of a minority’s cultural identity. Needless to say, this has caused a bit of an uproar.

Before we get to the speech, here’s a little background.

For decades, mutants have served as an oppression metaphor in Marvel comics. The term “mutant,” unlike the derogatory “mutie” or “freak,” is the culturally accepted term used to refer to an individual who naturally develops (i.e. is born with) active or latent superhuman abilities. These individuals are largely marginalized and discriminated against. Continue reading ‘Rick Remender, the Mutant Oppression Metaphor, and the ‘M-Word’’

Black History Month Superhero Spotlight: Butterfly

Published February 25, 2013 Comics , Race in Comics , Women in Comics 2 Comments
Tags: black superheroes, comic books, diversity in comics, female comic book characters, gender in comics, minority superheroes, superheroes, superheroes of color, superheroines, women in comics, women of color in comics

Nearly four years before the debut of Marvel’s Storm in May 1975, and almost six years before DC’s Bumblebee first appeared in June 1977, there was the Butterfly, the first black female superhero.

Butterfly first appeared in a back-up feature in Hell-Rider #1, published in August 1971 by Skywald. The feature was written by Gary Friedrich (Ghost Rider), penciled by Ross Andru (The Amazing Spider-Man, Wonder Woman), and inked by Jack Abel (Superman) and Mike Esposito (The Amazing Spider-Man, Wonder Woman). Continue reading ‘Black History Month Superhero Spotlight: Butterfly’

Black History Month Superhero Spotlight: Falcon

Published February 18, 2013 Comics , Race in Comics 3 Comments
Tags: black superheroes, comic books, diversity in comics, Marvel comics, Marvel heroes, minority superheroes, superheroes, superheroes of color

As I discussed last week, the Black Panther debuted as the first black superhero in July 1966. However, it would be three years until the introduction of the first African-American superhero in comics: Samuel Wilson, the Falcon. Created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan, Wilson first appeared in Captain America #117 in September 1969.

When a group of men on an unnamed tropical island put out an ad for a falconer, Wilson, a social worker from Harlem, responds with his falcon, Redwing. Continue reading ‘Black History Month Superhero Spotlight: Falcon’

Black History Month Superhero Spotlight: Black Panther

Published February 11, 2013 Comics , Race in Comics 1 Comment
Tags: black superheroes, comic books, diversity in comics, Marvel comics, minority superheroes, superheroes, superheroes of color

In observance of Black History Month, I’d like to take a little time to talk about the first black superhero.

Ascertaining the first black superhero is tricky thanks to the ambiguous nature of the term “superhero.” In 1941, the horribly offensive Whitewash Jones was fighting Nazis alongside Bucky in the pages of The Young Allies; in 1954, Waku, Prince of the Bantu, starred in his own feature in Jungle Tales; in 1963, Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos introduced us to Gabe Jones; and in 1965, Lobo briefly starred in his own series. Continue reading ‘Black History Month Superhero Spotlight: Black Panther’

Black History Month Superhero Spotlight: Lobo

Published February 4, 2013 Comics , Race in Comics 4 Comments
Tags: black superheroes, comic books, diversity in comics, minority superheroes, superheroes, superheroes of color

As promised, in honor of Black History Month, I’m back to spotlight the first black hero to star in his own comic: Lobo.

This western hero, created by writer D.J. Arneson and illustrated by Tony Tallarico, made his debut in Lobo (1965), published by Dell Comics.

In the series, Lobo is a former Union soldier who heads west after the the Civil War. Upon being wrongfully accused of murder, Lobo sets out on a mission to fight injustice and to clear his name. Continue reading ‘Black History Month Superhero Spotlight: Lobo’

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