I was up really late last night. So much so that I'm still a little woozy this morning. What kept me up was a marvelous exchange of thoughts, opinions and heartfelt anguish being expressed by my fellow comic fans and Twitter buddies. It started with comic writer extraordinaire Gail Simone commenting that though few in number their were some racist comments being made concerning DC's relaunch. I haven't read any myself but what I have witnessed is a great many comic fans of color experiencing strong feelings about ethnic characters in comics.
As you can see from my profile picture I'm not white. I'm a blend of African-American, American Indian and Puerto Rican descent. I'm from the East Coast and my family was upper middle class. I often stay out of discussions of race because though I know racism exists my experiences are nowhere near those of others.
My mother embraced all cultures. From her "Indian" phase where she made god awful curry for a week and bough sari's for us to play dress up with, to the never ending stream of artists, professors, students and writers of all ages and races that graced our home I grew up immersed in diversity.
It's that foundation that opened a pathway to me to embrace books of all genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Comics and othergeneral geekiness. My first celebrity crushes where Billy Dee Williams and Roger Moore respectively. My father still teases me to this day about the day when I asked him if it was "OK" if I married Roger Moore when I grew up. Of course he said yes it was :).
So even though very few of the books and movies I loved as a child had characters that looked like me I still was able to enjoy them. When a female character or person of color was represented in my favorite genres well that just made it all the better!
I looked up the word racism for this piece.According to Webster's : racism: belief in innate superiority of particular race, antagonism towards members of a different race based on this belief.
For many the lack of diversity in a significant body of works ie: Movies, Comics, Books etc. can qualify as antagonism, and racism. I understand those feelings. I really do. I also understand my fellow geeks girls frustration over women in comics.
I was disappointed with everyone else on the fate of the most interesting X-man in The X-Men Origins movie. An attractive Black mutant with kick ass powers that never got to wear the yellow and black. I really wish that the "Angel" would of bit it instead ,but then again she was a female POCcharacter! Once again "splitting the baby"
So I'm going to state some opinions on this topic here:
1)A LACK OF DIVERSITY DOES NOT ALWAYS EQUAL RACISM
I honestly don't know if any of my favorite comic companies or creators are racists. Do any of us? Yes there is a wonderful diverse world that is not nearly portrayed in the comic book world. Do we take this lack as a deliberate racist act? Some do. I too want my favorite comics movies and TV shows to represent our diverse world, so my money will go to any creative team that puts out a entertaining diverse product.
2) YOUR ANGER WILL EFFECT LITTLE. YOUR VOICE? CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
Such high emotions the past couple of days. I've been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster with all the tweets and blog posts coming my way. A variety of responses: some have been anger filled rants others excitement, others cautious optimism. What ever your emotions I encourage every one to give voice to their heartfelt emotions in a way that can actually lead to change. Keep a list of companies that have diverse characters and a list of those who don't. TELL these companies what you like, what you don't like. Yes an anger filled rant FEELS GOOD. It's instant satisfaction and you will get a lot of people who share your anger and frustration but what does it change? Your emails, Tweets and Facebook comments can really make a difference. Fans unite all the time through social media and they are being heard.
The comic industry is a business. Businesses respond to sales. I put my money where my preferences are reflected. We also have to accept that our "two cents" sometimes won't change a thing. I used to love the New Avengers. But after several months of watching Marvel Girl's ass hanging out of her "costume" I had enough. Yes the writing was good , yes there was Luke Cage but I just couldn't take it anymore. Did my three dollars make a difference? No. the book is still going strong I can however use those saved fund to support an indie comic or buy Static Shock issue 1.
The immediate access of information is also a double edged sword. These press releases are stirring up a multitude of emotions. I'm now on wait and see mode. I'm hopeful though always hopeful.
As you can see from my profile picture I'm not white. I'm a blend of African-American, American Indian and Puerto Rican descent. I'm from the East Coast and my family was upper middle class. I often stay out of discussions of race because though I know racism exists my experiences are nowhere near those of others.
My mother embraced all cultures. From her "Indian" phase where she made god awful curry for a week and bough sari's for us to play dress up with, to the never ending stream of artists, professors, students and writers of all ages and races that graced our home I grew up immersed in diversity.
It's that foundation that opened a pathway to me to embrace books of all genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Comics and othergeneral geekiness. My first celebrity crushes where Billy Dee Williams and Roger Moore respectively. My father still teases me to this day about the day when I asked him if it was "OK" if I married Roger Moore when I grew up. Of course he said yes it was :).
So even though very few of the books and movies I loved as a child had characters that looked like me I still was able to enjoy them. When a female character or person of color was represented in my favorite genres well that just made it all the better!
I looked up the word racism for this piece.According to Webster's : racism: belief in innate superiority of particular race, antagonism towards members of a different race based on this belief.
For many the lack of diversity in a significant body of works ie: Movies, Comics, Books etc. can qualify as antagonism, and racism. I understand those feelings. I really do. I also understand my fellow geeks girls frustration over women in comics.
I was disappointed with everyone else on the fate of the most interesting X-man in The X-Men Origins movie. An attractive Black mutant with kick ass powers that never got to wear the yellow and black. I really wish that the "Angel" would of bit it instead ,but then again she was a female POCcharacter! Once again "splitting the baby"
So I'm going to state some opinions on this topic here:
1)A LACK OF DIVERSITY DOES NOT ALWAYS EQUAL RACISM
I honestly don't know if any of my favorite comic companies or creators are racists. Do any of us? Yes there is a wonderful diverse world that is not nearly portrayed in the comic book world. Do we take this lack as a deliberate racist act? Some do. I too want my favorite comics movies and TV shows to represent our diverse world, so my money will go to any creative team that puts out a entertaining diverse product.
2) YOUR ANGER WILL EFFECT LITTLE. YOUR VOICE? CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
Such high emotions the past couple of days. I've been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster with all the tweets and blog posts coming my way. A variety of responses: some have been anger filled rants others excitement, others cautious optimism. What ever your emotions I encourage every one to give voice to their heartfelt emotions in a way that can actually lead to change. Keep a list of companies that have diverse characters and a list of those who don't. TELL these companies what you like, what you don't like. Yes an anger filled rant FEELS GOOD. It's instant satisfaction and you will get a lot of people who share your anger and frustration but what does it change? Your emails, Tweets and Facebook comments can really make a difference. Fans unite all the time through social media and they are being heard.
The comic industry is a business. Businesses respond to sales. I put my money where my preferences are reflected. We also have to accept that our "two cents" sometimes won't change a thing. I used to love the New Avengers. But after several months of watching Marvel Girl's ass hanging out of her "costume" I had enough. Yes the writing was good , yes there was Luke Cage but I just couldn't take it anymore. Did my three dollars make a difference? No. the book is still going strong I can however use those saved fund to support an indie comic or buy Static Shock issue 1.
The immediate access of information is also a double edged sword. These press releases are stirring up a multitude of emotions. I'm now on wait and see mode. I'm hopeful though always hopeful.
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