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Why Don't "Black Books" Sell?
By Alan Donald
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“Why aren't there more mainstream titles that feature minority characters in prominent roles, and why don't "black books" sell??”
Bill Rosemann: "A tough but necessary question. Is it because most comic book writers are white males, often 'write what they know', and so they choose to make their protagonists white males like themselves? Is it because the characters that are popular today and star in the most books (i.e. the superheroes that have been around since the 50s and 60s) just happen to be great characters, no matter what the skin color is beneath their masks? Obviously, companies would love to publish series with minority main protagonists (i.e. DC's Steel and Milestone line, Marvel's Black Panther and The Crew), but time and again, readership hasn't been enough to keep them going. Basically, I don't have an easy answer...but if readers want to try a book with a black protagonist--that also generates plenty of great reviews--then I humbly suggest they give Negation a try! No matter what his race happens to be, Obregon Kaine is just a cool character, and ultimately that's what people want to read about."
Alan Grant: “Most comic heroes are minority characters. Batman is in a minority of guys whose parents were murdered before their eyes. Superman is in a minority of babies saved from exploding planets. Lobo is in a minority of maniacs who destroyed their own world. Judge Dredd is in a minority of people dedicated to justice.
I've no idea why "black books" don't sell. I've heard uncorroborated reports that DC's "black" line of the 90s folded as much because of editorial profligacy as disappointing sales. I'm pretty sure "black books" sell okay in Africa (Brian Bolland and Dave Gibbons began their careers working on Power Man for--I think--a Nigerian publisher).”
Terry Moore: “I can't answer that question, but I've also noticed most comic shops are owned by white people and comic book conventions attendees are predominantly white. There's a nice ethnic mix sure, but everywhere I go it's mostly white. I don't know about you, but when I'm in a room full of white people now it gives me the creeps... makes me feel like I'm at a Klan meeting or something. It's just wrong, y'know? It's not reality. So why doesn't Strangers In Paradise have more African-Americans in the cast? Because most of the book is a satirical attack on conservative America from within the ranks. I think the barbs sting more if they come from within the ranks and not across race lines.”
Professor William H. Foster III, Comic Book Historian: “’Why aren't there more mainstream titles that feature minority characters in prominent roles, and why don't "black books" sell?’
Actually these are two different questions so let me try to answer them one at a time, and as succinctly as possible.
The first questions asks why aren't there more... And as a comic book historian who specializes in the image of African American in comics, my next question is "More than what?"
What would be the magical number of people of color appearing in mainstream books to be properly "visible" or "enough"? I suppose it depends on your point of view. For comic book readers who have always seen some characters of colors in their reading, and for comic fans from the Silver and Bronze ages of comics, the answers are going to be totally different.
I have a very long view, and look at how much things have changed since the beginning of comics to the present day. With that view, the number of characters of color in comics is very large, very diverse and still increasing.
The problem sometimes appears to be what kind of characters have been presented in the past. If people of a particular race or ethnicity are all represented as one-dimensional stereotypes, that's a real problem. If all women are represented as brainless, helpless victims, all white men as kind-hearted and benevolent heroes and all black people as jive talking evil minded criminals, those are problems.
But in the various worlds created by comic creators where there are is a wide diversity of characters representing both positive and negative points of view, the numbers become less important. If there is only one black character in a comic book and he is a cowardly clown, I am quite naturally upset by that representation. But in a world where there are any number of characters presenting points of view pro and con, good and bad, intelligent and stupid, I don't have a problem.
And let's get real for a minute. Comic books aren't immune to the taint of institutional racism or prejudice any more than any other segment of American society. We want everyone to feel that we are treating everyone the same, when we know that we don't treat everyone the same. It is the cache 22 of racial politics. And yes, there are people who still think if we don't talk about the racial divide in this country, it will go away. Guess again.
There are people who look on any effort to expand the scope of the diversity of comic book characters as communist inspired, and those who feel that more can always be done to change things up a bit. Such is life -- get used to it.
And to answer the second question, actually black books do sell. I just received a message from a long-time African American comic book creator who sells almost exclusively at Black Cultural Fairs and he says he pushed an incredible number of units this past summer. And I have yet to appear at a venue where I am speaking about the history of Blacks in comic books without having a number of people stop me and ask where they can find the titles I spotlighted. My problem has been I can't always readily tell them where to look. Even I have to look very hard to find titles.
Back in the 1990s when Milestone and DC Comics teamed up to produce racially diverse titles, I was told by some of my friends who own comic shops that they weren't sure how to market the titles. So they do sell, it's just that, well, there are some problems to work out.
As I stated earlier, I am very optimistic about the variety of characters of color in today's mainstream comic books.”
Lee Dawson: “I think it's just a question of who's making the comics for who. Most comics creators are young (or not as young as they used to be!) white males. Most comics readers are young white males. I think if there were a more diverse creator base creating comics reflecting their unique experiences and perspectives then the audience might also reflect that diversity as well.”
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Only black superhero book out now that I really read aside from the BP series is Ant. But it comes out so few and far between it's ridiculous. I don't know what's up with Spawn.
if he bans you for annoying him I don't wanna hear you whine cause u got banned by the black mod...
