Race Representation Within The Comic Book Industry

It was a good read to see how black characters in superhero comics have changed and evolved. From the origins of the Comics Code and blaxpoitation movies to black characters receiving their own regular ongoing series as the lead instead of as a sidekick such as Falcon.

Even though the conversation between Michael and Eric (two Jamaican-Canadian 14-year-olds) that Brown takes note of may be funny at times, it brings up many important issues that don’t seem highly discussed. Though they may be hotter topics in the current day, I’d say that even 15 years ago, comic book fans in general didn’t bring up issues of race everyday as much as they would with a new costume change or a twist ending in a popular storyline. Are the popular black superheroes only popular because they are just a reshaping or retelling of existing iconic superheroes? Do black superheroes get scrutinized in terms of whether they “act black” enough? Are there more limitations placed on black characters than on white characters? Why does it matter if Superman is of another race? Can a well-known, well-loved character get a race change without it being completely criticized or causing a riot?

I’ve thought of these issues a lot before and I still think we don’t have many popular black superheroes even today. I could argue that the popular heroes could be counted on less than ten fingers: Luke Cage, Black Panther, Falcon, Bishop, Blade, War Machine. I’m probably in the minority but I don’t mind seeing popular characters get their race changed to bring in a wider variety of backgrounds to comics. I don’t mind seeing Nick Fury or Kingpin or Green Lantern changed into black men in the comics and in the Daredevil and Iron Man movies. I’ve discussed with friends whether it hinders creativity or if it’s a lazy way of getting more minorities in the forefront. If the black characters that are original creations don’t make an impact on the comic reading audience then they could get more exposure as reimagined iconic characters. Because the superheroes that are seen as the cream of the crop are mostly, if not all, white. I don’t think it’s a lazy way of bringing up race issues either. Changing the race of such characters might start a dialogue among fans about the need for a wider representation of races in comics, especially in the more mainstream or top-selling titles. To me, there is still not a major representation. If these characters change race, they might fuel future artists and writers to create original characters that resonate with a large audience instead of relying on “token” characters or relegating them to sidekick roles. Maybe future comic book creators will the slow evolution of black and other minority superheroes and will feel the need to affect change.