What's wrong with a super hero? part 3-White and Nerdy
Since the beginnings of comics, pretty much all the super heroes you saw were white. Now this is understandable since at the time they were being done previously, the industry as well as the general feeling in society, wasn't hip to seeing people of color saving other people. Hell the people that the heroes were saving where all white. You really didn't see anyone who wasn't white unless it was something that needed to be shown or it was a plot device or they where a villain. Way ta go boys. But over time more and more people of color were showing up, and sometimes they helped to make a commentary on the subject of lack of POC in comics.
One of the best examples of that was Denny O'neil and Neil Adams run on the Green Lantern featuring The Green Arrow. In most of the series, Green Arrow was a heavily liberal iconoclast and was showing the fundamental lawman Green Lantern what was going on with the normal people. But what really hit in was an issue in which an elderly black man came up to GL and said 'I been readin' about you.. How work for the blue skins... And how on a planet someplace you helped the orange skins... And you done considerable for the purple skins! Only there's skins you never bothered with--the Black skins! I want to know... How come? Come on answer me THAT Mr. Green Lantern!' In response, Hal Jordan, the Green lantern said he couldn't answer. That represented a certain awareness that Denny O'neil and Neil Adams always went for in their work. But what was still only a black man asking why a hero didn't help all of his own people when he's helped entire planets. That's a good idea, but it didn't give enough for POC as they are still in the sidelines or in the stands and in danger of the crossfire of heroes and villains.
DC eventually started to get more Heroes of Color, in Black Lightning, John Stewart a black green lantern, and putting a later version of Mr. Terrific as a black man, Katana an Japanese super heroeine (albiet stereotypical of an asian hero both in name and look), Grace a super strong asian woman, Thunder a black woman who can alter her density and some others that aren't as prominent or really make much of an impact in the DC universe.
Now on the other side in Marvel, there was boom of Heroes of Color. Blade and The Black Panther are both on the head for first black super hero, but it's unclear to me now which really was. But beyond those two, in the mutant community in the Marvel universe its rich with other cultures. Though they haven't all been represented the best they are far more abundant than in the DC universe. Though still, they are mostly mutants and prone to be in the x-men. And while Professor Xavier and Magneto were both homages to Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X respectively, they do fall a bit short of what could have been if they were written by men who didn't have a veiled view on the civil rights movement. It's not to say that the creators didn't try, its that they couldn't have known the full scope of the movement from their stand point.
And while now in current comics there are more HOC about, there are more black and asian of most types around, but there is still a lack of Latin American(central and southern) as well as Indian and Middle Eastern in nature. So those groups don't have anyone really to look to as a hero for them.
Aside from race, there are more female heroes coming about, and that is refreshing as well. Or ones that have been around are getting more show. Though I still say, Wonder Woman needs to kick more ass than they've made her do over the years. I'm not talkin' about victories, I'm talkin' about how she handles a fight. But that's another thing all together. Still it's nice to see that more female heroes, as well as them being Women of Color are being able to handle their own and sometimes go beyond their male peers.
But from all of this, what do I have to say about that we should do in comics? What am I trying to say when it comes to making it a more PC comic world? Am I trying to do that? Or am I simply trying to give the lush and large worlds of comics, more culture in having more Heroes of Color? I'll be giving an answer for these in the next part, as well as an idea for what can bring all three parts together. Oh yeah, it's all comin' togetha.
One of the best examples of that was Denny O'neil and Neil Adams run on the Green Lantern featuring The Green Arrow. In most of the series, Green Arrow was a heavily liberal iconoclast and was showing the fundamental lawman Green Lantern what was going on with the normal people. But what really hit in was an issue in which an elderly black man came up to GL and said 'I been readin' about you.. How work for the blue skins... And how on a planet someplace you helped the orange skins... And you done considerable for the purple skins! Only there's skins you never bothered with--the Black skins! I want to know... How come? Come on answer me THAT Mr. Green Lantern!' In response, Hal Jordan, the Green lantern said he couldn't answer. That represented a certain awareness that Denny O'neil and Neil Adams always went for in their work. But what was still only a black man asking why a hero didn't help all of his own people when he's helped entire planets. That's a good idea, but it didn't give enough for POC as they are still in the sidelines or in the stands and in danger of the crossfire of heroes and villains.
DC eventually started to get more Heroes of Color, in Black Lightning, John Stewart a black green lantern, and putting a later version of Mr. Terrific as a black man, Katana an Japanese super heroeine (albiet stereotypical of an asian hero both in name and look), Grace a super strong asian woman, Thunder a black woman who can alter her density and some others that aren't as prominent or really make much of an impact in the DC universe.
Now on the other side in Marvel, there was boom of Heroes of Color. Blade and The Black Panther are both on the head for first black super hero, but it's unclear to me now which really was. But beyond those two, in the mutant community in the Marvel universe its rich with other cultures. Though they haven't all been represented the best they are far more abundant than in the DC universe. Though still, they are mostly mutants and prone to be in the x-men. And while Professor Xavier and Magneto were both homages to Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X respectively, they do fall a bit short of what could have been if they were written by men who didn't have a veiled view on the civil rights movement. It's not to say that the creators didn't try, its that they couldn't have known the full scope of the movement from their stand point.
And while now in current comics there are more HOC about, there are more black and asian of most types around, but there is still a lack of Latin American(central and southern) as well as Indian and Middle Eastern in nature. So those groups don't have anyone really to look to as a hero for them.
Aside from race, there are more female heroes coming about, and that is refreshing as well. Or ones that have been around are getting more show. Though I still say, Wonder Woman needs to kick more ass than they've made her do over the years. I'm not talkin' about victories, I'm talkin' about how she handles a fight. But that's another thing all together. Still it's nice to see that more female heroes, as well as them being Women of Color are being able to handle their own and sometimes go beyond their male peers.
But from all of this, what do I have to say about that we should do in comics? What am I trying to say when it comes to making it a more PC comic world? Am I trying to do that? Or am I simply trying to give the lush and large worlds of comics, more culture in having more Heroes of Color? I'll be giving an answer for these in the next part, as well as an idea for what can bring all three parts together. Oh yeah, it's all comin' togetha.