Ethnic stereotypes in comics
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Ethnic stereotypes in comics (the representation of
Sociopolitical impact of comics
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Throughout history, comics have reflected the
Nonetheless, for many years, comic book characters noticeably lacked racial and ethnic diversity. Diversity in comics first started during the 1940s but persisted during the decades.
Given the recent popularity of injecting characters of color into popular comic titles,[citation needed] a new concern has arisen regarding possible tokenism, and many writers advocate not just the inclusion of characters of color into predominantly White casts of characters, but that these minority characters defy the racial and ethnic stereotypes so prevalent in the history of comics, as well as maintaining the high standard of comic book writing. Daley Osiyemi, creator of Brodie's Law and co-founder of Pulp Theatre Entertainment said, "...we don't just want black characters or superheroes in comics as mere tokens, they have to be strong characters in their own right and have strong stories built around them".[3]
In 2007 the scholarly journal MELUS (publication of
Arabs
On the other hand,
The terrorist
As far back as 1953, in an issue of John Wayne Adventure Comics, John Wayne captures an Arab who is attempting to drive American oil companies out by launching a terrorist campaign.[5]
Black
An early black character to be incorporated into a syndicated comic strip was Lothar, who appeared in Mandrake the Magician in the 1930s. He was Mandrake's sidekick: the circus strongman, who wore a Tarzan-style costume and was poor, and uneducated.[6][7] Since the introduction of Lothar, black characters have received a variety of treatments in comics, and not all of them positive.
Physical caricatures
Early graphic art of all kinds often depicted Black characters in a stylized fashion, emphasizing certain physical features to form a recognizable racial
Ebony White
In a 1966
"Savages"
Critics of the portrayal of early Black characters note the frequency with which Black characters were shown as "savages", frequently shown with bones in their ears, noses, and hair, or depicted as cannibals.[7]
Tintin in the Congo
The artist Hergé received much criticism[10] for his first comics. Tintin in the Congo, first serialized beginning in 1930, presented the typical colonial view Belgians had about the people in Belgian Congo, including the missionary bringing civilization to the uneducated blacks. According to one reviewer, "the Africans are portrayed as primitive, simple-minded folk".[11] Hergé, 23 years old when he began the album, defended himself as being naïve instead of intentionally racist.[12] Nevertheless, the album was not translated into English until 1991—more than 50 years after its initial release—due to those concerns.[12]
Animals
The historian
Blaxploitation era
In the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, several African-American heroes were created in the vein of
Black proteges
In the 1970s, several African American heroes were created and paired with established white heroes as sidekicks and black proteges.
East Asian
Yellow Peril
Many Asian characters were pitted against White American protagonists in early American comics, capturing America's real-world frustrations and political distrust of foreign Asian powers. Symbolizing America's "phobia of the "Yellow Peril",[16] these characters were frequently of foreign nationality (usually Chinese) and often possessed a stereotypically Asian appearance (for example, a long wispy moustache and yellow-tinted skin). They were often highly intelligent or in possession of a powerful, supernatural ability and generally occupied themselves with elaborate plans for world domination, although they were usually thwarted by the American heroes of their time. While usually serious threats, one somewhat humorous Yellow Peril villain was DC's Egg Fu, a giant Communist egg with facial features and a prehensile moustache.
Fu Manchu
In the early 20th century, author
In 1938, DC Comics obtained the license for Sax Rohmer's character, and subsequent titles featured Fu Manchu as a recurring villain.[18] Marvel Comics obtained the rights for Fu Manchu in 1972, and he was notably introduced as the father of Marvel's Shang-Chi, protagonist of the Master of Kung Fu title.
Although both DC and Marvel have since declined to renew their license for the Fu Manchu character, Fu Manchu has made brief appearances in modern comics, As the result of Marvel Comics later losing the rights to the Fu Manchu name, his later appearances give him the real name of
Coolie
Several early characters of Asian descent were introduced as the clumsy, foolish and bumbling sidekicks of White male superheroes. These characters were frequently caricatures of the Chinese
Chop-Chop
Chop-Chop was the youngest member of the Blackhawk team created by
Many members of the
In the next revival of the Blackhawks (with issue #244, Jan–Feb 1976), Chop-Chop got a new name, Chopper, and was treated pretty much like all the other members of the team. He was no longer an ethnic caricature and the decades of his portrayal as one were simply ignored as if they had never happened.[21] It took a third revival of the title in 1982 (Blackhawk #251) to finally address that issue. Writer Mark Evanier and artist Dan Spiegle avoided all the racial and ethnic stereotypes that had previously defined Chop-Chop's character except one. They put him back in the coolie outfit that the character had worn for a large part of his existence. This was a deliberate move so they could examine why Chop-Chop was not treated like a full member of the team in a story titled "What's the Matter with Chop-Chop?" (#265, December 1983). The story has the other Blackhawks examine their attitudes and feelings and, at the end, Wu Cheng gets respect and a uniform.[21]
Howard Chaykin's 1987 Blackhawk limited series explains the earlier stereotypical representations as a comic-book-within-a-comic-book and the Chop-Chop of that team expresses indignation toward them.
Martial arts master
Nearly all Asian characters in mainstream American comics are capable of martial arts, and for several Asian characters, this is their only skill or ability. An overwhelming number of Asian characters, particularly those of Japanese descent, are portrayed as masters of
Dragon Lady
Female Asian characters in comics are frequently depicted as hypersexualized, cold-blooded and untrustworthy, in a racial caricature frequently referred to as the dragon lady.
Fah Lo Suee
See also
- List of black superheroes
- List of Latino superheroes
- List of Asian superheroes
- List of Native American superheroes
References
Notes
- ^ Emad, M.C. "Reading Wonder Woman’s Body: Mythologies of Gender & Nation Archived 2006-05-14 at the Wayback Machine. The Journal of Popular Culture, 2004 (Author notes: Reading Wonder Woman’s Body: "This is a preprint of an article accepted for publication in The Journal of Popular Culture, copyright 2004 Blackwell Publishing).
- ^ "Superhero Diversity". www.qualitycomix.com. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ a b Redington, James (26 May 2006). "Black couples in comics". comicsbulletin.com. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2008.
We don't just want black characters or superheroes in comics as mere tokens.
- ^ Shaheen, Jack (November–December 1991). "The Comic Book Arab". The Link. AMEU. Archived from the original on 29 June 2006. Retrieved 29 June 2006.
- ISBN 0-8018-6514-X
- ^ Hogan, Eric (5 February 2004). "Afros, Icons, and Spandex: A Brief History of the African American Superhero". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 16 March 2004. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ a b Dotinga, Randy (19 July 2003). "Coloring the Comic Books". Wired. Archived from the original on 18 September 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ Time.com (Sept. 19, 2003): Will Eisner interview Archived 2011-03-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Mercer, Marilyn, "The Only Real Middle-Class Crimefighter", New York (Sunday supplement, New York Herald Tribune), Jan. 9, 1966; reprinted Alter Ego #48
- ^ Cendrowicz, Leo (4 May 2010). "Tintin: Heroic Boy Reporter or Sinister Racist?". Time. New York City. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ^ Horiuchi, David. Amazon.com Editorial Review. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7195-5522-0, p. 22.
- ^ Gordon, Ian. Comic Strips and Consumer Culture, 1890-1945. (Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press 2002)
- ^ Griffin, Rupert. Fanzing 32, March 2001: Black Power or Blaxploitation? Archived March 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Accessed 29 June 2006.
- JSTOR 2903369. Archived from the original on 21 March 2005. Retrieved 23 September 2022 – via LookSmart's FindArticles.
- ^ Ma, Sheng-Mei. The Deathly Embrace: Orientalism and Asian American Identity, (University of Minnesota Press, 2000)
- ^ "Don Markstein's Toonopedia: The Yellow Claw". www.toonopedia.com. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ "Shang-Chi Creator Doesn't Want Fu Manchu". ScreenRant. 2019-07-19. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ "Benson Unleashes Shang-Chi's "Deadly Hands of Kung Fu"". CBR. 2014-04-04. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ "Dr Fu Manchu". www.internationalhero.co.uk. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d Zimmerman, Carla B. "From Chop-Chop to Wu Cheng: The Evolution of the Chinese Character in Blackhawk Comic Books", in Ethnic Images in the Comics, edited by Charles Hardy and Gail F. Stern (The Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies, 1986) pp. 37–42.
- ^ SFGate.com (June 1, 2006): Asian pop (archived)
- ^ Prasso, Sheridan. The Asian Mystique: Dragon Ladies, Geisha Girls, & Our Fantasies of the Exotic Orient (2005 Public Affairs)
- ^ Restrictive Portrayals of Asians in the Media and How to Balance Them Archived 2006-08-06 at the Wayback Machine,
- ^ Prasso, Sheridan, 2005
- ^ a b Cronin, Brian (2021-09-25). "Why Shang-Chi's Sister Had to Change for the Marvel Cinematic Universe". CBR. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
- ISBN 978-1-58648-394-4.
- ^ Restrictive Portrayals of Asians in the Media and How to Balance Them Archived 2006-08-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Blogging Marvel's Master of Kung Fu, Part Ten – Black Gate". Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- ^ a b c "Fah Lo Suee (Daughter of Fu Manchu)". The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
Sources consulted
- MELUS journal and backissues
- Sax Rohmer and Fu Manchu - the comics
- Shaw, Scott. "All-Negro Comics, No. 1", Oddball Comics #1148, February 25, 2007. Archive.org archive.
- Will Eisner interview, Alter Ego #48, May 2005, pp. 7–25