Minorities and Other Issues in Comics Thread/Community III

[Ballard Blues]

I'm curious as to what you guys think about this quote:

"... In other words, superhero comics represent[ed] every fantastic race possible, as a means of ignoring real ones."

- Marc Singer, The "Heroic" Exchange

I think it means that writers and the audiences are more willing to accept or delve into social prejudices or the ideal of other races and minorities through a fictionalized lens. I've always got the feeling that the countless races created in science fiction, their particular skin pigmentation or physical attributes, made it easier for a lot of people to deal with the "other" or the transgressions brought against actual races/minorities as opposed to dealing with it outright, perhaps because they control the perimeters the culture, personality and the pros and cons that go with it.

[Moose100]

YOu said it better than I could. THe movie Pandora came to mind..

I think it means that writers and the audiences are more willing to accept or delve into social prejudices or the ideal of other races and minorities through a fictionalized lens. I've always got the feeling that the countless races created in science fiction, their particular skin pigmentation or physical attributes, made it easier for a lot of people to deal with the "other" or the transgressions brought against actual races/minorities as opposed to dealing with it outright, perhaps because they control the perimeters the culture, personality and the pros and cons that go with it.

[Ballard Blues]

YOu said it better than I could. THe movie Pandora came to mind..

Thanks :). Did yo mean James Cameron's Avatar? Or is there an actual film called "Pandora"?

[Genki Sudo]

And can someone PLEASE ask him what he means by that?

Like, how much does networking come into play, or are you willing to check any published work? How personally subjective is it, or do you look towards the acclaim of others? Which mediums are looked at, do people working within the WB conglomerate have better odds than anyone else? Does WB have an influence? What rates these people's work?

A black New 52 fan then asked what characters or stories have come from the creators trying to address the issue of diversity.

“When I was asked to redo the Teen Titans I looked at their membership and it occurred to me that over 30 years there hasn’t been a gay teenage superhero,” said Lobdell.

Krul then pointed to Solstice from his run on “Teen Titans” as his chance to bring in diversity into the DCU, Fialkov adding, “The best way to show the powers to be that you want more diverse characters is to buy the books.”

Cunningham then gave the fan a retailer variant copy of “Action Comics” #1.

Man they didn't answer shit and after the fiasco that was Static Shock this is some serious Tom Foolery, I am pissed

[Moose100]

Thanks :). Did yo mean James Cameron's Avatar? Or is there an actual film called "Pandora"?

Lol yes I did

I asked Budweiser to help refresh my memory.....

[Jabare]

Oh my god if I have to read someone say that Static Shock was not a successful cartoon or Milestone was an unsuccessful company again I'm going to lose it.

[Froggy]

Oh my god if I have to read someone say that Static Shock was not a successful cartoon or Milestone was an unsuccessful company again I'm going to lose it.

haters gonna hate bruh

[SilverZeal]

Originally Posted by AgPhoenix

After following the conversation in this thread, I have a question that I've been wanting to ask for a long time. I just want everyone to understand that I am asking this question not to antagonize, but to understand and possibly open up avenues of thought that haven't been cultivated yet.

Do you think Black Fans and Creators (particularly African America ones) fall into the trap of thinking that the Superhero Genre pretty much equals Comic Books?

From where I sit, I think we do. Maybe my view is a bit distorted, but after going to comic-cons for the past couple of years, sitting in panels focusing on the Black comic book experience, having conversations with fellow Black fans in the New York Comic Book Stores (and on Forums), along with unscientifically observing the buying habits of Black fans and getting a glimpse of what's being published from all avenues, I have to wonder if we're doing ourselves a grave disservice by limiting our perceptions of the type of story the medium can host.

Now, this isn't to say that Marvel and DC get a pass for the way they portray black people (or any other minority in the grand majority of their their mass market comics), nor is it to say that we should stop bringing these unfortunate truths to life in the discussions we have about comics. However, I have to wonder if our path to seeing more stories told from our perspectives (along with having those stories becoming financially successful) is to focus on other genres like the creators of Vescell have.

How can we do our part to get people to change their views?

As for everyone else who posts on this thread and isn't black, what about your racial, cultural, sexual or even gender designations? Is the first question in this post true for people along those lines of classification and if so, what can we do to get people to open up their viewpoints?

Here's to hoping we get a good discussion going?

If u r interestd...we hv taken gr8 effort 2 2 find several really gd buks dat r non- DC & non-Marvel many of hich we hv postd on dis very board conutless times.

If u r interestd u could holla @ us & we'll post u d links & titles.

i think there is quite a bit of merit to this post. I also think the further you get away from the big two the more inclined you are to be able to find books that not only reflect real diversity, but also actually deal with social issues in a responsible non-patriarchal manner.

Agreed!

FanboyStranger:

I know I've brought it up before, specifically mentioning Vescell. There's a tendency in most fans on these forums to primarily speak about superhero comics, so I don't think it's all that unusual that it would be the primary concern about comics here.

There's this great statement from Kyle Baker in his preface to Nat Turner:

I originally chose to publish Nat Turner myself, rather than through the comic book publishers I usually work for (the two largest). I liked that one of my first books as an independent publisher would be about a self-freed slave. I knew nothing about publishing, having only worked as an artist before. In the tradition of my hero, Nat Turner, I went out and found books about being a publisher. I learned how to start a business, get printing, and distribution. I found books about sales and marketing.

I always wonder how many people have read Nat Turner as opposed to Deadpool MAX.

I'm a white, heterosexual male that feels that the topic of diversity in the comics industry is extremely important. Comic books, no matter how fantastic, should resemble actual life in certain regards, and that means representation of people of all colors, orientations, creeds, etc.

Couldnt agree with u more, ese.

[Brandon McKinnis]

I'm curious as to what you guys think about this quote:

"... In other words, superhero comics represent[ed] every fantastic race possible, as a means of ignoring real ones."

- Marc Singer, The "Heroic" Exchange

This reminds me of how stupid it is when posters say things like "There are less minorities because that's how America is in the real world." Really? How many fucking aliens, cat people, and robots are walking around in the real world?

[Kasper Cole]

This reminds me of how stupid it is when posters say things like "There are less minorities because that's how America is in the real world." Really? How many fucking aliens, cat people, and robots are walking around in the real world?

Some of those same people will even reach to count aliens, Cat people, and robots as minorities....

[afropolo]

Some of those same people will even reach to count aliens, Cat people, and robots as minorities....

Ah yes! The so called lovers of logic! The ones who always walk around unable to see anything else actually happening because they have stat sheets in front of them.

[afropolo]

I'm curious as to what you guys think about this quote:

"... In other words, superhero comics represent[ed] every fantastic race possible, as a means of ignoring real ones."

- Marc Singer, The "Heroic" Exchange

Oh 'Flo!! Where do I begin with that succulent morsel!?! I think it is better answered in response to Ballard Blues glorious post.

[afropolo]

I think it means that writers and the audiences are more willing to accept or delve into social prejudices or the ideal of other races and minorities through a fictionalized lens. I've always got the feeling that the countless races created in science fiction, their particular skin pigmentation or physical attributes, made it easier for a lot of people to deal with the "other" or the transgressions brought against actual races/minorities as opposed to dealing with it outright, perhaps because they control the perimeters the culture, personality and the pros and cons that go with it.

YES!!! Someone gets it!! All my ceaseless moaning in the BP thread is validated by your post. Comics allow the masses to face real world issues without the guilt. I swear if BP were from a planet called Wakanda where everyone was various shades of purple and could turn INTO actual panthers he would have been a star by now. But an actual brother with THAT name? ACTUALLY in Africa? The political correctness brigade sweats bullets at the thought. Guilt and realism free is how they want it! Even though said realism is what gets readers to identify WITH characters in the first place. They can read about ALIEN holocausts and MUTANT slavery without feeling like they actually have to do anything about it. We are all still good people after Dark Phoenix and Galactus destroy billions of lives in the 616. They are a great distraction from Syria and Sudan.

[afropolo]

Oh Yeah. In all my ranting I forgot to mention I am new to this thread. Cheers!!

[Moose100]

Oh Yeah. In all my ranting I forgot to mention I am new to this thread. Cheers!!

Sup Polo! I'm always over here and you can be too!