Marvel's Black & Minority Characters: Roundtable Discussion

[hippy fascist]

I know a good one myself about a man, an ostrich and a cat.

That joke is awful

 

[Xofenroht]

Hahaha

 

[Kitsune]

I just know a few curse words in Spanish.

Me too. I took 2 years of Spanish 1.

 

[Xofenroht]

I have a question and I'm sure it's been asked before, but...

Do you feel that race should even be taken into account for a character?

At first I once believed that it shouldn't even be addressed, but as I get older and have my own experiences with bigotry and racism I began to think differently. It'd be great to see race not matter so much to some characters while being very important for others. Marvel IS known for its realism afterall.

So...should race even matter in comics?

 

[Anubis]

I've heard this joke before from a commedian by the name of Michael Colyer...

Yup

 

[Tropico]

besa me cula

"Besa mi culo" or how you would probably hear it instead of a literal translation: "besame el culo!"

 

[Shockdingo]

I have a question and I'm sure it's been asked before, but...

Do you feel that race should even be taken into account for a character?

At first I once believed that it shouldn't even be addressed, but as I get older and have my own experiences with bigotry and racism I began to think differently. It'd be great to see race not matter so much to some characters while being very important for others. Marvel IS known for its realism afterall.

So...should race even matter in comics?

I think if it's relavant, such as if the character's existance relies on that(for example a character who has been driven into the fight for justice due to bigotry; parents/family killed due to racist gangs, oraganizations, cults or such). Backstory and origin is very important.

I don't think someone, when brainstorming for a character, should start off saying "I want a ___ person!" and then trying to build off of that in a flimsy manner. I think a person should focus on the concept, powers and main intent and then craft things around that, race can then possibly enhance that which has been created.
I'd rather have a strong character than just a character who's made to conform to a particular group and suffers as a result.

 

[Harlekin]

I've always been of the mind that people should just create everything about a character except ethnicity. Then, having a whole bunch of nameless, faceless characters, assign race randomly. It sounds kind of odd, I know.

 

[Xofenroht]

I always thought it should strictly depend on how the creator envisions the character in their mind. Sometimes, when I create a character, they have a certain image as soon as the idea first appears in my mind. I go with that one, because I just can't envision the character in any other form.

 

[Zoken]

taking advantage of my lisence...

a guy walks into a bar with a pair of jumper cables, and sits down and orders a drink. the bartender looks at him skeptically and finally says, "okay, I'll serve you, but don't start anything."

 

[Anubis]

"Besa mi culo" or how you would probably hear it instead of a literal translation: "besame el culo!"

How do you say kiss my hairy, dimpled, ebony ass in Spanish?

 

[Zoken]

"Anubis"

 

[jim lee's bat]

I think race should be taken into account for the sake of diversification, but should not be forced like blue beetle and the atom replacing one character just so they can say hey we have an asian superhero, nor should they be generalized example: because he's black he must where baggy jeans. but like I said there should be more non white superheroes because a it reflects real life (especially in New York where you can find almost any race) and I personally feel proud when a Puerto Rican achieves something of note, so to give that opportunity to all races I think would be great.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

"Anubis"

That was effing brilliant. t:

 

[Zoken]

I try

 

[deemar325]

Wassup all!

The Dee is back

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

The Dee is back

...and black!

 

[Tropico]

How do you say kiss my hairy, dimpled, ebony ass in Spanish?

The dimpled thing is what makes the whole thing complicated and mostly not worth including it. Here you have it anyway: "Besa mi culo negro, peludo y con hoyuelos." Literally translated to English it would go "Kiss my ass that's black, hairy and with dimples (or has little holes)." We have dimple (hoyuelo) as a noun but not as an adjective.

In regards to the character creation subject, I agree with most of the people here. When I was younger and had some of the DC or Marvel RPG's I would create characters and sometimes use race/sex/upbringing/ etc. as a starting point when I felt all the characters I was making where "too much of the same".

I remember that I made up a group of characters in my first college years and they all revolved around going against hero stereotypes. I had a guy that was a speedster and was very large in height and width. There was a strongwoman instead of man. I had a black kid that was about 10 years old and had invulnerability; he didn't have superstrength and wasn't much of a fighter so he had to be creative about how to attack people. Like following them and then dropping down on them from rooftops and stuff like that. The "mentor" of the group was an old Asian man that was good at martial arts but was mostly a mystic that hated using his magic or doing anything for that matter. It was all a hassle to him. I don't know what I was thinking with that guy.

I'd love to see more heroes that are latino, but not at the cost of them being stereotypes or being known only for their ethnicity. That's the catch 22, I'd love to see stuff and say "Hey, that's just like here (where I live). Tha't so true!" but then it doesn't really matter much if it's a shallow character.

 

[deemar325]

...and black!

Sho-Nuff!

 

[Varient]

On Topic:

One thing I hope they do,.. is Expand On Black Lightnings powers.
How does he fly? Does he still have his force field?

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

So I read the new issue of Black Panther--featuring the so-called battle between Storm and Clor.



That's all I have to say.

 

[kainedamo]

Really? But it looked so cool in the preview.

 

[Darthphere]

You know, I think this is as good a place as any to bring it up. Over at CBR, theres a column called the Buy Pile, and its written by hannibal Tabu, a black man. I know this because he makes sure you know he's black, for example, during Kwanzaa he included a tidbit about each day in his other column the Comic Book Reel. And he does this on other important days in black history. I really don't care. But I find it curious that every month when BP comes out, he puts it in the must buy pile. I mean, the book couldve gotten better for all I know, but a must buy? I find that hard to believe.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/?column=22

 

[32CAGE]

Marvel's black heroes have waaaay more characterization and depth than anything DC has created. And people identify with theirs better too.

In my opinion.

Marvel were the first and there is good characterization with the characters. But in fairness to DC, they have allowed their black heroes to be more powerful in the likes of Specter, Jon Stewart, etc. Marvel still tend to keep most of their minority heroes at street level.

 

[Zoken]

Well, 32, that is a difference overal in Marvel and DC's characters. Most of DC's heroes become highly powered. If memory serves correctly they have very few "street level" heroes. Marvel, currently, has kept things mostly on earth in street level situations, they are trying to balance things out with Anhilation, but most of their heroes are still street level heroes, not just their black ones.