Let's Talk About the Shift

In the next few years DC and Marvel will be introducing new films, with new faces. Particularly faces that are not white. The two comic book giants will include African American heroes on the big screen for their next blockbusters. The Black Panther(Marvel) and Cyborg(DC) are set to be released in the next few years but what does this tell us about the shift in comic diversity? Well join me so we can learn more about it together in this blog. In my previous post, I talked about how keeping a character white keeps the originality but now lets talk about the effects of adding the change in race. The following article talks a bit about the upcoming events in the cinematic universe and how the experience for the African American Director has been. (Black Panther)

I just think we should take a second and applaud Marvel and DC for taking the time to make these films and another second to recap. In the past few years the topic has become more controversial but this issue dates back decades. That there simply is not enough diversity in the books or on the screen. I think the screen takes a harder hit, simply because you won't be able to change a classic tale in the books but on the screen you can add some twist in race if they won't alter the story significantly. But I think we have given the issue to much fire for no reason. Of course some might object that the problem is starting to improve. Although I concede that it has taken some time, I still maintain that there is a justification. We talked in our first blog about how there were some justifications with the story's and use of language and preference but how there is none today. And now we are seeing the shift. New comic book have been introduced. The writers themselves are part of the melting pot. I just think we had to be a little more patient, rather than bashing and violent about the situation. Many Americans assume that nothing is being done but  "DC, Cyborg, who is black, is starring in his own series (and a film in 2020)." Look at that, an African American entire series as a hero. It's 2015 but we don't stop to realizing that the comic industry has almost a century since its impact on society. There are a lot of orginals that are set on a certain time and date but we could not avoid the change in diversity so why did we make a big deal? We should leave the old characters as they are because that's what keeps them memorable and embrace the new heroes that will rock our cores when we are old and excited to see the comics we read as teens on the big screen. The author argues that "...Marvel was “an intimate part of my childhood and, at this point, part of my adulthood,”..."  when he saw African Americans in comics. That is how should feel today when we read the new comics and see all the new faces. Just like the old comics, we were not born in circa 1940's so we really should not feel that connection like we should in our new comics and films that are yet to be relaesed. On the one hand the situation might have taken a long time to arise or overcome it's past but on the other hand "Diversity — in characters and creators — is a drumbeat to which the comic book industry is increasingly trying to march." This might be something we could all agree on or argue but take a look around you everything is changing even the comic book world, we should not argue about the lack of change so much and be patient. If you do want to argue, ask yourself how different would the Black Panther story be if he was white. It probably would not be the Black Panther, think of this when you see the other heroes.