Remove Some Stereotype, Improve a Character

[T Hedge Coke]

Some stereotyping or characterizing shorthand is functional, perhaps necessary, when building a base identity or atmosphere for a fictional character, to establish their operational parameters and make them readily identifiable. Once the character's parameters are in place, their identity and setting and relationships, are secure, those stereotypical elements, those shorthand caricature moments, stick out and grate.

What are some of those elements, which you feel particular DCU characters would benefit from having shed and forgotten?

Batman isn't a loner and probably shouldn't be picking on whatever local vigilante is currently on his harassment radar. It's not only old, it's silly and toothless when they don't (Huntress) quit, or leave (Huntress) Gotham for a (Huntress) really long time if at all, while forgiving and working with people (Bane) who (Azrael) actually (Two-Face) assaulted him.

Aquaman has a culture and society, and there's actual history and development there. It does not all circulate around fish puns or visual gags, or shouldn't, because that just doesn't make much sense.

Wonder Woman is not a virgin mother icon whom you can't get the point across to.

Manitou Dawn and Raven could use less face paint and pseudo-ethnic artifacts in their daily wear. It could only help.

Ted Kord, Blue Beetle was never a screw-up no-nothing whom other heroes didn't have time for, and he shouldn't be one in retrospect.

Huntress is Catholic. Every thought she has that isn't directly reminding us of her Catholicism, should not be directly reminding us she's a straight woman interested in men.

Steel is hella smart and educated. He is not a poor-man's super-engineer.

Black Canary could probably stand not to become newly ignorant or to lose whole skillsets every time it benefits the characterization of whatever male characters are nearby.

The dodgier stereotypes in the revived Club of Heroes just weren't that funny. Red-face/drunk Indian doctor conversation, in particular, though you may have a favorite failed humor moment of your own, there.

[WorstThingUS]

There are stereotypes and there are archetypes and there's just flat out bad writing you've mixed them all up here. There's not one stereotype and most of it is just flat out bad writing. You're reading some bad books to come up with this list (clearly The Huntress Year One as opposed to Cry For Blood or any of Gail Simone's work). Removing a stereotype is stop having every black character having some ghetto tie or every Asian knowing martial arts.

[T Hedge Coke]

WorstThingUS, it may be poorly phrased, but most of what I listed are directly attributable to the characters' gender or ethnicity (except Batman, I guess). Either of those Manitou character's wouldn't have the gear they have on, makeup or costuming, if it wasn't meant to Indianize them, and Huntress being reduced to Catholicism or woman is pretty much the same. Call it "remove characterization shorthand" if you like.

[JumpingJupiter]

Oh my God yes! I so wish Batman would leave Huntress alone! And Batman is sooo arrogant and petulant!

Oh sorry, I thought his was the "I don't like Batman" thread.

[WorstThingUS]

WorstThingUS, it may be poorly phrased, but most of what I listed are directly attributable to the characters' gender or ethnicity (except Batman, I guess). Either of those Manitou character's wouldn't have the gear they have on, makeup or costuming, if it wasn't meant to Indianize them, and Huntress being reduced to Catholicism or woman is pretty much the same. Call it "remove characterization shorthand" if you like.

Again, I think you've just read some really bad books and it's staining your viewpoint. Only Ivory Madison's horrible Year One mini had The Huntress you describe. That's also not any Aquaman that's been seen in decades outside of TV. That's not the Wonder Woman that Gail Simone is writing currently. The horrible treatment of Ted Kord just before he died was widely criticized as out of character and clearly contrived to insure his death. Priest's Steel was what you wanted and everyone is bothered by the current treatment of Black Canary after her stellar role in Birds of Prey.

And Manitou was a thousand year old shaman. Exactly what should he be wearing? It's stereotypical that the only Native American character you see be a shaman, not how he looked.

Your post isn't a complaint about stereotypes so much as it for some really bad writing that's stuck with you. Here's how you cleanse your palate: trades.

The Huntress - Cry For Blood
Aquaman - Time and Tide
Black Canary - pretty much any Birds of Prey trade
Batman - the underrated Batman Family mini-series which isn't in trade
Steel - Sadly, the Priest version isn't collected yet either
Blue Beetle - broken record, as the Len Wein run isn't in trade either

Anyone else have recommendations for our friend here?

[JumpingJupiter]

Again, I think you've just read some really bad books and it's staining your viewpoint. Only Ivory Madison's horrible Year One mini had The Huntress you describe.


Some of us liked that Mini. Nothing is horrible. Just not to your liking. Be nice, it's profitable. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influence_People)

[WorstThingUS]

Some of us liked that Mini. Nothing is horrible. Just not to your liking. Be nice, it's profitable. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influence_People)

Okay, some liked it, but he clearly didn't as that's The Huntress he's describing.

[Forth World]

Aquaman is a mighty prince and all-powerful wonder-worker when he's underwater. But he's just another working-class hero on the surface world - the orphaned son of a lighthouse maintenance man. You have to write both to make the character work.

[Mister Blisterfists]

Impulse/Kid Flash/Bart Allen is not retarded or slow. He is, in fact one of the smartest, and most talented members of the Flash Family.

[pad]

There are stereotypes and there are archetypes and there's just flat out bad writing you've mixed them all up here. There's not one stereotype and most of it is just flat out bad writing. You're reading some bad books to come up with this list (clearly The Huntress Year One as opposed to Cry For Blood or any of Gail Simone's work). Removing a stereotype is stop having every black character having some ghetto tie or every Asian knowing martial arts.

The recent black stereotype in comics is that all black men must have shaved heads. Exceptions: I'm glad Black Lightning has hair again and Static isn't bald.

[Ceridwen]

And Manitou was a thousand year old shaman. Exactly what should he be wearing?
Well, if he has to be a thousand year old shaman (which, as you admit, is somewhat problematic), it would help if his regalia were actually that of an Apache man. The character is a mish-mash of cliches that make no sense together, none of which come from the Apache nation he's supposed to be from, and contrary to popular belief, Native people happen to not only really exist, but are fairly easy to research.

Seriously, it's like if Captain America wore a Canadian Maple Leaf on chest, carried a red-white-and-blue shield, and wore a luchador mask. Hey, it's all from the same continent, right? Who would know?

[Global Honored]

The Joker as a clown. Everyone hates clowns. They're frightening. Maybe if Joker weren't such a clown, people would get to know him more, appreciate his charm and extroverted personality. Why can't he be a happy clown?

That and Black Lightning smoking Kools is a little much.

[carabas]

Steel is hella smart and educated. He is not a poor-man's super-engineer.I don't understand this one. Super-engineers are hella smart and educated.

[T Hedge Coke]

I don't understand this one. Super-engineers are hella smart and educated.

It's the "poor man's" that I think can go, not the rest of it.

Which, in retrospect, is probably more related to audience-perception than to creative-intent, at this point.