I started reading comics around 1980, give or take. Prior to that, my exposure to superheroes came from cartoons. As a young Black boy, I was thrilled to see Black Vulcan on the Super Friends! (But even then, I hated when they shortened the legs on his costume...ugh!!!) It just meant a lot to me that a character with my skin tone could be seen working alongside legends like Supes, Bats and WW as a peer.
As I began to get into comics, the first title I gravitated towards was The Avengers...probably because they were an assembly of heroes like I'd seen on Super Friends. I've always liked the concept of a superhero team. I keyed in on one character in particular, though...the Black Panther. THIS guy was cool! The all-black costume...the fighting skills...the acrobatics...and wait, he's Black??? He looks like me??? Not only that, but he's king of an entire nation??? To top it off, he had a hot girlfriend? I was sold...I wanted to be T'Challa when I grew up!
My point is, as a young African-American male, it was encouraging to me whenever I could look at tv/movie/literary heroes that shared my ethnicity. People of all racial backgrounds should be able to do so: Black, Latino, Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander, whatever. The world is a diverse place, and that should be reflected in fictional works.
