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.

Three Sources

Hello guys! Today I will be evaluating three new sources that have to do with the justification of racism in comic books.

 The first source I will be evaluating is, "Propaganda in Comics", by Cord Scott.

Scott is a reliable author because his credentials are shown in his article. He has written several encyclopedias and academic journals. He also has a Doctorate in American History from the University of Chicago. The URL shows that it is a hosted by nonprofit. This article was posted in 2008 so it is not the best source to choose since it is seven years old. I believe that the intended audience is anyone who is looking to inform themselves about comic books and how they were used as propaganda especially for the war. This a scholarly source because there is a bibliography documenting the works cited by the author in the source. 

The second source I chose to evaluate is, "How the Government Turned Comic Books into Propaganda", by Greg Beato. This article was published on February 28, 2013 which is fairly recent. Greg Beato is a contributing editor of Reason magazine which makes him a reliable source. Throughout his article he has links to other articles which help readers follow along and understand what he is talking about. I believe the intended audience is for adults because it is a more heavy topic about comic books that kids wouldn't really comprehend. Beato also uses many quotes throughout his article which shows others perspectives of other people about his topic. 

 The third source I will evaluate is, "Comic books and World War II: Buying Into the War", by R.T. Johnson. There isn't any credentials shown within this article for Johnson making him an unreliable source. Although Johnson does use other references within his article which makes his work very informative. The intended audience for this article would be for young adults who are interested learning about comic books and their role within the war. The URL is hosted by a commercial site. There also isn't a date which shows when this article was published which makes this an unreliable source since we can't determine if the article is outdated or not. 

Three New Sources!

Hey guys! I’m back with three new sources that will help with the topic of predominantly white characters being justifiable in comics. I included three paragraphs that offers why it is reliable and answered questions that evaluate the source.

1. Who Gets To Be A Superhero? Race and Identity In Comics (Web Source)

• The author is poised at discussing how race, ethnicity, and culture play out in people’s lives, communities, and how it shifts. There are citations in the text that can be clicked on, which will lead to related material. The intended audience are for those who are interested in comics. It is a mixture of both opinion and fact, although the opinion is very minimal while there is a lot of facts. The facts are supported by quotes and by clickable citations that will lead to the information. Personally, I feel there isn’t much evidence in this source but enough to make it sufficient to use. The language seems to be both objective and a bit emotional. There are broad generalizations that oversimplify the matter. The author of this site does use a more primary sources than secondary sources. Although the source is a bit of opinion, it happens toward the end of the site. Gene Demby does take a stance. I would say that he is questionably reputable for that he is a journalist that I have not heard of.  The source isn’t that far back in time. It was published January 11, 2014. The information can be found in different web sites. There are no vague or sweeping generalizations that aren’t backed with evidence. Lastly, the journalist provides two sides to the argument. Overall, this source is reliable as it gives me information to support why predominant white characters were okay and not racist for early comics.

• Demby, Gene. "Who Gets To Be A Superhero? Race And Identity In Comics." NPR. NPR, 11 Jan. 2014. Web. 9 Nov. 2015

2). Comic Book Nation: The Transformation Of Youth Culture In America (Academic Source)

• The author, Bradford W. Wright, is poised at talking about how propaganda projected/transferred into youth culture. In this text, there is a lot of references to other works within the text in order for the reader to look it up for more information relating to the topic. The intended audience is for those who are interested in comics and how comics have become a part of the daily lives of others and what their affects would be. This source is an academic source, so it is filled with many facts and very minimal to no opinions. The facts are supported by quotes, references, and examples that are littered throughout the text. There is a plentiful amount of evidence in this source. The language is objective with no emotion. The author uses primarily primary sources but there are a few secondary sources in there. There are no opinions. It is a reputable source for that I got it from Google Scholar and that the author is an associate professor with the University of Maryland University College-European. This book was published on March 22, 2001. It may be 14 year old information, but it provides enough information from the years before 2001. There are no sweeping or vague generalizations. Lastly, for the most part, the author provides both arguments. Overall, this source is helpful as it provides me with the information about how propaganda transferred into youth culture.
• Wright, Bradford W. Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 2001. Print.

3). The Colors Of Good Vs. Evil: Comic Book Color Palettes [Info graphics] (Web Site)

• The preface by the author, Caleb Goellner, talks about the distribution of colors in comics. The author describes how color is distributed in the comics and how they relate to color theory. In this website, there is a reference to another site, ColourLovers, which includes more info graphs. The intended audience is for those who are interested in how color is being used in the comics of the past to now. This is a website source; it is stated that the information is based on color theory. There are plenty of info graphs to aid in comprehending and supporting color theory in my essay. It seems like the author of this website has used only one main primary source, with secondary sources going along the primary source. There are no opinions. The information is mostly objective because of its academic view of colors. It is hard to tell if it is reputable because it has a reference and the author is unknown to me. The website was published on September 16, 2011; it is only 4 years old, which isn’t that bad and would be considered recent. The author does make the information seem like vague and sweeping generalizations. However, that is how color theory works (and color symbolism). Lastly, this website does not include any arguments; it is only an informational website about colors and the use of color theory and symbolism in comics. Overall, this source is helpful for that it gives me information to help describe how color symbolism and color theory relate to why predominant white characters in comics in the past were justifiable.

• Goellner, Caleb. "Good Versus Evil in the Superhero Comic Color Palette [Infographic]." Comics Alliance. 16 Sept. 2011. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.

Creativity

Come check out our Powerpoint Presentation on the justification of racism in comic books.