Wrap Up!

Hey guys, sadly this blog is coming to an end. Before this blog I didn't really think about why characters in comic book were mostly white. It wasn't a topic that I really cared for but after doing this blog I have learned so much. I learned the reasons as to why artists of such comic books did use white characters and why there was a lack of diversity. Although comic book characters were dominantly white in the past, today there has been some effort to bring more diversity into comic books and comic movies. Well I like to say thank you for reading my posts and hopefully you guys have learned a thing or two about the justification of racism in comic books. Goodbye for now. 

The Road Ends

Guys. It is time to say that our blog post is coming to an end. However, I want to leave you guys, the followers, what I learned about my topic and want to leave some thoughts for the followers. Before doing this blog, I was with the many people who were arguing that comic books lacked diversity in comics and comic book based movies. I was ignorant at the time and because of this blog topic I have learned so much. I was able to look at the views of those who were against the change in comics and comic book based movies. It’s not because they are racist, but because the people who have been reading comic books pre-2000 grew up with comic characters who were predominantly white. There are reasons as to why comic characters were predominantly white. I learned that comic books used the same formula of color to represent the good guys as light skinned and bad guys as a darker color. This is heavily seen in World War 2 comics. Because of this, comic book characters post World War Two have been predominantly white. The use of color makes the reader associate the Superhero as the good guy for that white, using Molley Bang’s color symbolism, gives the reader the sense of safety. Researching this topic was very fun and I learned a lot. I can see both sides of the diversity issue in comics.

            As the blog comes to a close, I want to leave you guys a thought. The views traditional comic book readers have for modern comics and views that people that want more diversity will affect comic books in the future. There might be more diversity in comic books and comic book based movies or there will be more predominantly white characters. It isn’t racist that they are predominantly white. You have to see why it isn’t by researching the topic. Goodbye friends. J

Forms of Art

When you first glance at a comic book, the popping images and colors instantly grab your attention. On top of that, the artistic style, one of realism merged with exaggerated features included to provide the audience with a specific thought or emotion, is one of the main reasons comic books ever became so popular. Nowadays, there are so many different forms of art, it is hard to keep track of each individual style, and individual elements often are mixed or merged to make up an artist's aesthetic identity. However, back in the 1940- 50's, unlike our modern variety, artist's were just beginning to wrestle with the confines of reality in their artwork. Abstract expressionism was developed, and it communicated unique messages of emotion, more than imagery. Artists like Jackson Pollock, who utilized aggressive techniques like splatter and pouring paint, and Mark Rothko, who used contrast and horizontal lines to express subliminal feelings, created a new era for art.

Now imagine if the comic books of that age were reinvented by these artists, how would they look?



Let's take a moment to examine this profile of Superman. Immediately, when looking upon this painting, we recognize Superman. His outfit is obviously the most obvious pointer, but there are many other examples of how this image registers as Superman to us. The square shape of his head and body are similar, and provide a sense of stablity, as Molly Bang mentions in her book, "Picture This." Also, the colors, orientation, and muscularity are emphasized to communicate to us that this strange being, is, in fact, our beloved Superman.


How do the rest of these photos relate to the superhero, and what abstract styles and features do they use? Do they have the same effect as regular comics do?

Remix.

How would readers feel if Batman was Asian? Would artists feel like he was more relatable towards their audiences? I don't believe Batman would have the same affect towards readers like the way the original Batman does. Just by looking in the cover above you see how Batman isn't very masculine. He doesn't make readers want to be just like him. If Batman were to be Asian and was sold in America I would highly believe their sales would have dropped dramatically just because back in the 1940's it was white dominate. So we can see why it is justifiable for the comic book heroes to be white since most of their readers were white and this would make the comics more relatable. 

Remix

Hey guys! Here is a remix of the Batman comic that'll help add insight to our groups topic.

The Year is 2049. Japan beat the U.S. in World War 5. Japan's comic industry left the propaganda trend and resettled into regular comic distribution. Japan’s first comic issue of the Japanese version of Batman is released. Here is a part of it.

Batman: There he is. The dirty white guy with the suit. The tall one.

Robin: From what I can tell, he has some secret documents. Is he a spy?

Batman: Seems like it. Look at him. All ugly and thinks he acts like he owns these streets.

Robin: I know. Damn fat Americans. They are a dirty type of people. Its no wonder they lost. They are getting desperate.

Batman: Yeah. Anything else you see?

Robin: He’s armed with a Taser and is wearing a bulletproof vest. Should we take him?

Batman: Yeah. For Japan.

Robin: Yeah, let’s get his ass.

See? As you can see, during World War 2, American propaganda made the Japanese look subhuman and it was okay. This carried on into later comics. The use of colors and descriptions made the Japanese people look subhuman and evil. In this imagined Japanese perspective, the U.S. is subhuman. They are viewed as fat, ugly, and desperate. Because the imagined war is over, they are using what they used for war propaganda into  regular comics. By bringing in another perspective of racism in comics, we can see the justification of racism in comics. 

Creativity...

https://flipagram.com/f/fgx41aO4Ug

Come check out this slideshow I did of comic book covers that show how comics were used as a form of propaganda for the war. Hope you enjoy!

Additional Resources

Today I will be presenting new sources which develop the ties between World Wars and comic books

1. Lenthall, Bruce. "Outside the Panel--Race in America's Popular Imagination: Comic Strips Before and After World War II." Journal of American Studies 32.1 (1998): 39-61. Web. 11 Nov. 2015. <http://www.jstor.org/>.

This publication is a scholarly work published to Cambridge University. The title reflects my topic of comics and the world wars directly. Since it was published after the war, the comic is relevant to my discussion, however some research and facts may be outdated, as it was written 17 years ago. The length of this article extensively covers the research material, and includes many references from different authors. The Journal of American Studies is a British publication which includes many topics relating to American history. The main focus of this work is to reveal the differences between comic books before and after the war, and to open the eyes of the audience to influencing factors behind these differences. Early in the work, Lenthall addresses the issues of race and culture clashes in comic books, which further relates to the topic of this blog.

     2. Mahmutovic, Adnan. "Comics, War, and Ordinary Miracles." World Literature Today. 1 May 2015. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

The second resource I have found unveils a personal account of war influencing comic books and daily life. The authors' stories of their childhoods during the Balkan Wars illustrate the inherent prejudice and hate towards comic books. The legitimacy of the authors is supported by their publisher: World Literature Today, which is a non- profit organization which explores many types of literary works. The language used in the piece is casual, indicating that it is not a scholarly work. However, despite that fact, it bears much weight to the driving force behind propaganda in comics and how it is used effectively. Alternatively, the article also focuses on the media being a way to escape everyday problems, and it sheds light on the reasons the graphic novels may have been published in the first place, and why their perspective on race is the way it is.

    3. "Feature The Golden Age Of Comics." PBS. Oregon Public Broadcasting, 2014. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.

This final source is short, but it contains much information about the background of comic books during the times of the war. This time period is known as the Golden Age, and the article discusses the relevance and significance of the era. The URL indicates that the website is non- profit, and since it is public broadcasting, the source has been reviewed and has solid information. Since it was published in 2014, the information used is current, and the research is just about as cutting edge as possible in such a niche area of study. Along with this article, the website features many other useful sources which relate to the time period, social context, and current events surrounding my topic of race and war's influence on it in comic books.