The Lack of Black Creators: Boycotting Comics

[Ice]

This is an interesting topic to talk about. This article writer is boycotting Marvel because of the lack of black creators and gay lead characters.

What are everyone's thoughts on this?

Why I'm Boycotting Marvel Comics

 

[wyokid]

Hercules is straight in 616, this is the only hint of bisexuality shown and as such can be seen as experimenting with a well known gay superhero.

As a bisexual I really don't care, I don't know their sexuality, but if they are straight why do they care? Stop speaking for me and stop speaking for black people, you're white! My black friends are stoked for Ultimates and Spider-Man. Minorities, written by white people, because at the end of the day theyd rather have a good story, they don't care what ethnicity the writer is and, while this may not apply to all black people, they get uncomfortable when you try to push black characters and creators on them because to them that says all you see them for is their race. Again, I don't speak for black people, but I know I don't want to be seen for my race or my sexuality and I'd imagine they feel the same. Because to me it doesn't matter, it has nothing to do with who I am as a person.

Then theres the issue of them using the word Gamergate, which should have never been a thing in the first place and gave rise to the SJWs that are now attacking Marvel who is pandering to them. Ugh. I hate modern America.

Lastly, holy hell is this really what CA has turned into? I used to go on there every day but then I moved and forgot about it. Damn shame.

 

[E]

at the end of the day theyd rather have a good story, they don't care what ethnicity the writer is and, while this may not apply to all black people, they get uncomfortable when you try to push black characters and creators on them because to them that says all you see them for is their race.

I come at it from a little different angle but I agree. For me, I'm more interested in my kids (ESPECIALLY my girls) seeing diversity in the stories they see and read. I don't want them to see a show or a comic with a black character and think, "oh, they finally included a black character." I grew up around a bit of racism and it has affected me to the point where I'm conscious of things like that and I wish I weren't.

This kind of push for minority creators, characters, or anything else only makes that worse.

 

[wyokid]

Just to add to this

http://www.newsarama.com/25496-priest-looks-back-at-black-panther.html

The main thing preventing Black Panther from fulfilling that Batman niche for Marvel is, frankly, Marvel. Whether knowingly or subliminally, Marvel marketing--if not Marvel editorial--sees Panther in a racial context and, thus, as a less "pure" character than, say, Drax the Destroyer or the Sub-Mariner. I don't mean racism so much as a level of sensitivity and concern for the reader's ability to identify with and/or respond to these issues.

For example: a line was cut from my contribution to the recent Deadpool marriage issue because Marvel was concerned black readers might be offended. I assured them black fans would not be offended by the line, but I was overruled. Which troubled me because I was an actual black person assuring them black people really aren't as thin skinned as they (or the corporate hedgehog above Marvel editorial) may think.

Black people have a sense of humor. Deadpool, the character, busts on everybody. It was a violation of his character for him to start pulling his punches just because he was talking to a black person.

Marvel and DC should stop being afraid of letters, afraid of email. The incident struck me as a little silly, that Marvel wasn't so worried about their black fans as they were perhaps worried about offending the sensibilities of their white fans and/or of 'Pool coming across as racist.

It wasn't a racist line. It was, however, the funniest line in the story and they cut it, despite having an actual black person assure them. If they actually understood humor (or black people), they could have run one of those old Stan Lee asterisk captions; *We were assured, by an actual black person, that this line was okay --Ed.

This is what I mean by a creatively compromised environment. This wouldn't happen at, say, Milestone. They'd say either the line was funny or it wasn't, Either 'Pool was in character or out of character, and that would be the only criteria they would use. Larry Hama, my mentor, taught me that humor involves risk. There was rarely an issue of Crazy Magazine we published without being convinced we would be fired for it. Everybody, of every ethnicity, was fair game.

 

[imleppybioch]

You can't boycott marvel for this. They aren't the writers they are just the publishers. Neither can you boycott the writers they are protected under the first amendment freedom of press and speech. If someone is going to write a comic with a homosexual lead then they will anyone has the freedom to write what they want and you can't make someone write something they don't want to so this boycott is stupid. If you really want a gay lead or a black lead get your ass up and go write the book yourself don't get all pissy because someone isn't expressing what you want to see in a comic in their on work. Sorry for the rant I just don't understand the stupidity of the people in this world.

 

[E]

You can't boycott marvel for this. They aren't the writers they are just the publishers. Neither can you boycott the writers they are protected under the first amendment freedom of press and speech. If someone is going to write a comic with a homosexual lead then they will anyone has the freedom to write what they want and you can't make someone write something they don't want to so this boycott is stupid. If you really want a gay lead or a black lead get your ass up and go write the book yourself don't get all pissy because someone isn't expressing what you want to see in a comic in their on work. Sorry for the rant I just don't understand the stupidity of the people in this world.

Welcome.

Marvel is the publisher, and that is who employs the writers. They pick who writes what. The issue being brought up is that they aren't hiring enough minority writers.

First amendment/freedom of speech has nothing to do with this matter.

 

[imleppybioch]

Welcome.

Marvel is the publisher, and that is who employs the writers. They pick who writes what. The issue being brought up is that they aren't hiring enough minority writers.

First amendment/freedom of speech has nothing to do with this matter.

So your saying there isn't enough gay or black lead characters in the stories or there isn't enough gay or black writers?

 

[Ice]

So your saying there isn't enough gay or black lead characters in the stories or there isn't enough gay or black writers?

That's what the article writer is saying.

 

[imleppybioch]

That's what the article writer is saying.

In the title is says black or gay "creators" and in his message it says "characters" so all I'm trying to figure out which he means or both. And I already said what I had to say about the "characters" aspect.

 

[E]

So your saying there isn't enough gay or black lead characters in the stories or there isn't enough gay or black writers?

I, personally, am not saying anything. The person doing the boycott is complaining that there aren't enough gay/black creators - writers and artists - OR characters, so both.

My problem with this is that this person is suggesting racism or homophobia - which, you know, whatever - but complaining specifically about the lack of black characters is just as racist. Why isn't s/he calling Marvel out for a lack of Asian or Hispanic characters. How is it less racist to say, "I'm not reading your books because too many white people made them"?

And the opening argument was that white writers are writing a black character. So what? By that logic, even if they hired more black writers they should only be allowed to write black characters.

If the writer of that article had called for more minority writers and characters then yeah, fine. Totally behind that, no problem. But s/he isn't.