If we look back at the
history of the most famous comic book industries in the United States, we
quickly notice that the action packed stories are dominated by white
characters. Although in our modern era this quick observation may cause an
uproar, there could be a reasonable justification for the modern controversy.
If we date back to 1939 when the first Marvel Comic Book featured, we notice
that America was nowhere near politically equal or diverse as it is today. In
fact, America was struggling, finishing its final era of the Great Depression, and entering its early stages of World War 2. The American Spirit was at a low
point, and faith in the American System was beginning to fade away. The authors
of early comics were American, and targeting a white audience at such a
difficult period of time seems logical and full of good intentions.
Many people want to shoot down and attack the early authors as racist and
ignorant, but we should take into account the time period of early comics. Many people
use “reverse racism” and attack white folks with “proper reasons”. Let’s take a
look at things in a different perspective. After all, if we want to say
something about different races, we should be open minded.
Race + Identity in
Comics: http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/01/11/261449394/who-gets-to-be-a-superhero-race-and-identity-in-comics
Graph: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=comic+books+race+ratio&view=detailv2&&id=1A5EFAEB204E40AE75C3B7AF3288C27B122C055E&selectedIndex=0&ccid=hOy%2bVYHC&simid=608003619883977400&thid=JN.IwEhunWA51zN8JUyQSrxKw&ajaxhist=0
Fabian Munoz: My name is Fabian Javier Munoz. My name speaks and quickly tells you that I am a
Hispanic and I will personally tell you that I am a first generation American. What I am about to
write is not from a Caucasian perspective but from a Chicano that is tired of hearing and seeing
all this “reverse racism” unfold before us. The sad reality is that many people believe that since
this type of racism is directed toward the majority or the “dominant race”, it’s more than okay
to commit such act. I am also writing this post during a time where “reverse racism” and racism
in general is a hot topic. With the recent deaths of African Americans to the hands of White
Police Officers and Donald Trump’s run for the Presidency, it’s time we shine some light and
prove reasonable justification for an ongoing talk among comic book fans.
It is believed by many that first generation comic book writers were merely white racist.
Throughout this post I will closely refer to the two giants of American comics which include
Marvel and DC Comics (just because they are the most popular and have lasted throughout the
ages.) To begin with these two giants were founded circa 1930’s-1940’s. This was a delicate
time for the regular American. This was around the end of the Great Depression and the start of
World War II. It is no mystery that if Americans were struggling so were the minorities in the
country but many of the early comics were used as propaganda and uplifting stories targeted
for the American population. If the authors of these stories used White American heroes, it
would not only bring in a healthy revenue but would also fulfill its purpose. Most of the early
comics also portrayed real life issues like Batman that fought a city full of crime, and Gotham
representing New York in the stages of the American Depression.
When America entered the war so did the comic book giants. Used as propaganda and
hope comics began to portray and tackle the issues of war. Most notably Captain America was
created to fulfill a tremendous propaganda project to inspire young Americans to join the
cause. This is obviously why Captain was a White American, because the targeted audience was
young whites. Even though some African Americans and Mexican Americans among other
minority races joined the cause the majority of the population at the time was White
Americans. It’s a very well developed propaganda strategy. Yes, it is true that some of the
comics that were released during this time period included racist comments full of stereotypes
but let’s put ourselves in an American perspective. American’s were attacked first hand by the
Japanese Empire and this only started an overwhelming pride for the American Spirit and
resentment towards Asians in General. Yes, it is ethically and morally wrong but if you think
about it the American’s did not know how to justify the Japanese’s actions when they
attempted to avoid the war as much as they could have. When they were attacked this
obviously left scars that did not satisfy Americans.
White women were also included in the early comics. When women began to hit the
labor force and fulfill manly duties it was no surprise that they were portrayed as heroes.
Wonder Women quickly came into the picture and inspired young women. She even became a
successful character that has lasted through the ages and keep in mind that even though
women had their voting rights they weren’t necessarily on top of the food chain.
These are just a couple among the other examples of American’s just being Americans in
comics. America has shifted and changed drastically over time. Its politics includes diversity, so
in modern time there is no reasonable justification if new comics for these two giants include
nothing but whites. Some of the new writers for the industries come from racially diverse
backgrounds. We should just accept the fact that most of these comics targeted an American
Audience, just like if a Hispanic were writing for a Mexican Audience it would be wise for him to
include Mexican heroes. In today’s world with today’s ideology I repeat that there is no
justification for a race supremacy, with the different talents and mindsets it should be almost
impossible. We have seen this shift in Marvel and DC movies that include a range of different
races as cast members, some famous examples are the X-Men and Fantastic Four that have
implemented different races even though the original stories portray whites.
In reality it’s sad and terrifying that White American’s cannot be proud of being so
anymore. They are called many things among racist and Nazis. If we see an African American or
Hispanic being proud of his heritage, he is quickly praised and recognized but if a White
American does it he is quickly judged and looked down upon. The truth is just because they are
proud of being who they are does not make them racist, and just like the early writers of
comics, they were not necessarily being racist, they were just being American. “Reverse
Racism” does not exist, if you believe that you have good intentions for putting down a White
American because of their culture and history then in reality you are being racist too. Let them
be proud of who they are just like you are of who you are because if you begin to judge them
for doing that, by your own definition you are racist too.
Kirill Korsakov: My name is Kirill Korsakov, and I’m here to help you delve deeper into the world of superheroes and villains to discover the true influence of the World Wars on the rise of the comic book industry. The year is 1938. The planet is on the brink of entering its Second World War. Men, women, and children of America cling to the promises of neutrality from the United States government. As the years slowly go by, an attack on American soil quickly strikes feelings of doubt, insecurity, and fear into the population, but also ignites a fire hungry for revenge. Although, at this point in time, comic books have already existed for several years, this stew of heated emotions and warring superpowers created a perfect environment for the comic book ‘golden age.’ Comic books provided soldiers and children alike with a relatively cheap source of entertainment and morale. The, now classic, image of an American Superman lifting cars over his head with feats of unimaginable strength must have sent adrenaline pumping into the young men and women of the time. This image produced not only entertainment, but it subconsciously provided morale and spirit to the younger generation. Was race as much of a social issue to the writers of such comics as it is today? Unlikely. But it doesn’t take super-intelligence to see why the majority of superheroes of the time, such as Superman, Mr. America, and Vigilante had such a strong white American background.
Claudia Mercado: Claudia’s: My name is Claudia Mercado. Many people will argue that there isn't much diversity in comic books and superheroes. I will have to agree with this but even though American comics are mostly white superheroes I believe that there are many good reasons as to why this is. Comics were first release around the 1940's and this was a completely different time period as it is now. For example many African American were still treated differently than Whites were and racial discrimination towards African Americans relegated them to lower paying jobs. So if the majority of the working class were Whites then one of the reason I believe that the authors of comics were targeting the attention of Whites was because they were the ones who could afford to buy them. In business in order to sell your product successfully you want to connect to the consumer which is what I think companies selling comic books were doing. I would also like to point out that there isn't many female superheroes which many people would believe to be sexist. But once again we are in a different time period where women still weren't considered equivalent to men. During the 1940's women weren't depicted as strong, independent or superior which is probably why authors of these comics wouldn't want to portray women as these strong superheroes and cause controversy which would had most likely caused sales of comic books to decrease. So there are many reasons to justify why comic books didn't have much diversity back when they were first released but I can’t say the same for today. We are now living in times where we all are supposed to be treated equal because we do live in the United States which is known for freedom and equality. Fabian Munoz: My name is Fabian Javier Munoz. My name speaks and quickly tells you that I am a
Hispanic and I will personally tell you that I am a first generation American. What I am about to
write is not from a Caucasian perspective but from a Chicano that is tired of hearing and seeing
all this “reverse racism” unfold before us. The sad reality is that many people believe that since
this type of racism is directed toward the majority or the “dominant race”, it’s more than okay
to commit such act. I am also writing this post during a time where “reverse racism” and racism
in general is a hot topic. With the recent deaths of African Americans to the hands of White
Police Officers and Donald Trump’s run for the Presidency, it’s time we shine some light and
prove reasonable justification for an ongoing talk among comic book fans.
It is believed by many that first generation comic book writers were merely white racist.
Throughout this post I will closely refer to the two giants of American comics which include
Marvel and DC Comics (just because they are the most popular and have lasted throughout the
ages.) To begin with these two giants were founded circa 1930’s-1940’s. This was a delicate
time for the regular American. This was around the end of the Great Depression and the start of
World War II. It is no mystery that if Americans were struggling so were the minorities in the
country but many of the early comics were used as propaganda and uplifting stories targeted
for the American population. If the authors of these stories used White American heroes, it
would not only bring in a healthy revenue but would also fulfill its purpose. Most of the early
comics also portrayed real life issues like Batman that fought a city full of crime, and Gotham
representing New York in the stages of the American Depression.
When America entered the war so did the comic book giants. Used as propaganda and
hope comics began to portray and tackle the issues of war. Most notably Captain America was
created to fulfill a tremendous propaganda project to inspire young Americans to join the
cause. This is obviously why Captain was a White American, because the targeted audience was
young whites. Even though some African Americans and Mexican Americans among other
minority races joined the cause the majority of the population at the time was White
Americans. It’s a very well developed propaganda strategy. Yes, it is true that some of the
comics that were released during this time period included racist comments full of stereotypes
but let’s put ourselves in an American perspective. American’s were attacked first hand by the
Japanese Empire and this only started an overwhelming pride for the American Spirit and
resentment towards Asians in General. Yes, it is ethically and morally wrong but if you think
about it the American’s did not know how to justify the Japanese’s actions when they
attempted to avoid the war as much as they could have. When they were attacked this
obviously left scars that did not satisfy Americans.
White women were also included in the early comics. When women began to hit the
labor force and fulfill manly duties it was no surprise that they were portrayed as heroes.
Wonder Women quickly came into the picture and inspired young women. She even became a
successful character that has lasted through the ages and keep in mind that even though
women had their voting rights they weren’t necessarily on top of the food chain.
These are just a couple among the other examples of American’s just being Americans in
comics. America has shifted and changed drastically over time. Its politics includes diversity, so
in modern time there is no reasonable justification if new comics for these two giants include
nothing but whites. Some of the new writers for the industries come from racially diverse
backgrounds. We should just accept the fact that most of these comics targeted an American
Audience, just like if a Hispanic were writing for a Mexican Audience it would be wise for him to
include Mexican heroes. In today’s world with today’s ideology I repeat that there is no
justification for a race supremacy, with the different talents and mindsets it should be almost
impossible. We have seen this shift in Marvel and DC movies that include a range of different
races as cast members, some famous examples are the X-Men and Fantastic Four that have
implemented different races even though the original stories portray whites.
In reality it’s sad and terrifying that White American’s cannot be proud of being so
anymore. They are called many things among racist and Nazis. If we see an African American or
Hispanic being proud of his heritage, he is quickly praised and recognized but if a White
American does it he is quickly judged and looked down upon. The truth is just because they are
proud of being who they are does not make them racist, and just like the early writers of
comics, they were not necessarily being racist, they were just being American. “Reverse
Racism” does not exist, if you believe that you have good intentions for putting down a White
American because of their culture and history then in reality you are being racist too. Let them
be proud of who they are just like you are of who you are because if you begin to judge them
for doing that, by your own definition you are racist too.
Kirill Korsakov: My name is Kirill Korsakov, and I’m here to help you delve deeper into the world of superheroes and villains to discover the true influence of the World Wars on the rise of the comic book industry. The year is 1938. The planet is on the brink of entering its Second World War. Men, women, and children of America cling to the promises of neutrality from the United States government. As the years slowly go by, an attack on American soil quickly strikes feelings of doubt, insecurity, and fear into the population, but also ignites a fire hungry for revenge. Although, at this point in time, comic books have already existed for several years, this stew of heated emotions and warring superpowers created a perfect environment for the comic book ‘golden age.’ Comic books provided soldiers and children alike with a relatively cheap source of entertainment and morale. The, now classic, image of an American Superman lifting cars over his head with feats of unimaginable strength must have sent adrenaline pumping into the young men and women of the time. This image produced not only entertainment, but it subconsciously provided morale and spirit to the younger generation. Was race as much of a social issue to the writers of such comics as it is today? Unlikely. But it doesn’t take super-intelligence to see why the majority of superheroes of the time, such as Superman, Mr. America, and Vigilante had such a strong white American background.
Joseph Lopez: Hello! My name is Joseph Lopez. It is important to understand the many different perspectives as to why the majority of comic book characters are predominantly white. Because of this, I am going to approach this view from a propaganda perspective. This topic is very interesting to me and I choose to pursue it because of the vast amount of propaganda used in comics at the beginning and during World War 2. Without propaganda, there probably wouldn’t have been a surge in volunteer rates for the military. Without propaganda, children wouldn’t have believed the Nazis were bad. Straight to the point, I should be trusted since I am familiar with the time period surrounding World War 2. I am passionate about this topic because it is important to know that even though comic characters were predominantly white, they were for specific justifications. People should care because comics are the entertainment to comic fans and children alike. It is important to understand this trend that has been happening for many years.
No comments:
Post a Comment