Notes of a Native Son of Krypton

[samedietc]

For a break from my reading on Sunday I went to a library or bookstore, and there read an Elseworlds from DC Comics (that's their imprint for "what if" or sometimes "what about" books): Red Son asks the question, what if Superman fell on Russia instead of Kansas. I don't want to ruin it for anyone who wants to read it, but the ending does bear

Comments

[elahadrun]

I'm pretty sure what usually happens with black people in comic books is that they have superhero names with "black" in them. Possibilities include "Superblack" and "Blackman." You ain't got a lot to work with with superman. also there will be an original backstory that everyone tries to avoid acknowledging about how he was a tribal god in darkest africa before he found the u.s.

also, I fucking love superman. he is the best. the only thing that would make superman better is if he was wonder woman.

a disjointed montage about the situation of race in today's comics.

[dr_smith]

Notable examples (of "Superblack")include Black Lightning and The Black Racer. I don't really count The Black Panther 'cause a black panther is a thing already. Black Bolt is not black (in fact, he's Inhuman). The Black Canary and Black Cat are both white girls. If I recall, The White Tiger was the first latino superhero (figure that one out

Re: a disjointed montage about the situation of race in today's comics.

[drenormous]

Cyborg's back, too, thanks largely to the Teen Titans animated series. Granted, he's about 1/2 to 2/3 robot, but still. Cloak was black, before getting transformed into a living portal to a hellish pocket dimension ruled by a demon.

(and from the black women files: Flint from Stormwatch).

--MkB

Re: a disjointed montage about the situation of race in today's comics.

[unsi_sempai]

I wish Storm had been in the X-men movies.

No, that wan't Storm. There is no fucking way that that was Storm.

Re: a disjointed montage about the situation of race in today's comics.

[elahadrun]

serious.

Re: a disjointed montage about the situation of race in today's comics.

[samedietc]

remind me: after the death of Superman, there were four possible-supermen, yes? who were they?

and, to get back to our fiction-based counter-factual, what if Superman were black? Where would Clark Kent live in Metropolis? What sort of job would he have, and how would he get there? What would his work as a journalist be like? Would he have some issues of race solidarity to his superheroics (like in Astro City, whatshername, that says to whatshisface that she would protect a woman before protecting a man, all over things being equal)? Would he use his powers against racism? (Does he, as a white man, ever take on racists?) What would Lex's reaction be?

Re: a disjointed montage about the situation of race in today's comics.

[tragic_ohara]

Oh, lessee. Steel (theoretically imbued with Superman's spirit, or something); the little kid Superman (theoretically a clone); the half-cyborg reanimated Superman (theoretically a half-cyborg reanimated Superman); and the Man of Tomorrow dork-ass sunglasses guy (I forget the theory. Alternate universe? just another Kryptonian sent as a replacement?). I had the issue where they were all introduced, but didn't follow the story to its conclusion, so I still don't really know what happened

Re: a disjointed montage about the situation of race in today's comics.

[dr_smith]

The first openly gay mainstream superhero was Northstar of Alpha Flight.

Re: a disjointed montage about the situation of race in today's comics.

[tragic_ohara]

Right, I'd heard that before and forgotten it. I can always count on my friends to renerdulate my useless-knowledge base. When it, uh. Lacks nerdulence.

-R.

Re: a disjointed montage about the situation of race in today's comics.

[dr_smith]

Nerdulated.