Diversity in Comics

Welcome Back to another edition of Comic Relief! where we talk about all the goings on in the world of nerd!

Today I’m going to be talking about something that I feel pretty strongly about. While it may not be “breaking news” I do feel that it is something that needs to be addressed. In the comic industry there is a lot of division: DC vs MARVEL, Batman vs Superman, Iron Man vs Captain America. In a way the industry thrives on these conflicts, pushing itself to be better. However, there has been a topic of division that I feel has only hurt the industry of late and that is the topic of diversity in comics. Since 2011, the big comic companies have been pushing forward a more diverse roster of heroes. However, with this came a forced agenda that attached itself to the books, and it gave way to the rise of some pretty serious critics. The topic of the day is what about diversity in comics? is it really the scourge  to the industry like some claim?

In his review of the wedding issue of Batman, Richard Meyer, creator of the youtube channel Diversity and Comics and probably the leading detractor to the current state of the industry, said something that I very much agreed with.

This is a part of American Culture and myth

While Mr Meyer was talking specifically about Batman, this holds true for all comics and so on this fact we are both in agreement. Mythic heroes of old were meant to espouse the virtues that were cornerstones to their respective cultures. They were meant to serve as inspiration for the young to look up to and try to emulate. The comic book superhero isno different. Standing for moral platitudes of truth and justice, the comic book superhero is an embodiment of what we strive to be as a society.

In the building of its cultural identity, America became known as a melting pot of culture. Diverse culture, points of view all of it are integral to the American identity and therefore should be a core element to comics. This country has been a beacon for people from all walks of life. The initial settlers of this nation were political and religious refugees looking to start something of their own where they wouldn't face the persecution of the old world. When those colonies were established, the promise of the American frontier, of land ownership that would allow one to rise above such humble beginnings set in place by the "old world's" ancien regime, drew people from all over. Even the slave trade, horrible as it was, brought culture that became ingrained in our society. So if comics are in fact the embodiment of the American myth, they should be inclusive.

With all that being said, there is a standard that must be upheld, and sadly this has not been the case, and it shows across the board. There are two main contributions to this. The biggest problem is the laziness behind these characters. What made the silver age of comics great? It was all these brand new ideas. Every issue there was something, someone new. It was a comic book renaissance where some of the most iconic heroes of today were created. Sadly, the time of that innovation seems to be over. I get that it's difficult to come up with something new, however, if you want to make more diverse heroes, then you HAVE to. There is no reason why we should be race swapping, gender swapping, or even turning characters with years of backstory a different sexual orientation. Frankly it's insulting, not just to those who created these characters in the first place, but to every person of a different background looking for a hero of their own to look up to. The fact that the writers of the industry have evidently deemed it too hard to go back and create completely new characters to represent these many cultures is a sad insult. Even some of the better diverse characters don't even carry their own identity, they are riding the success of legacy rather than making one of their own.

The second big issue is that these characters should have much more than their diversity to bring to the table. In an interview back in 2012 famed Game of Thrones writer, George R. R. Martin, talked about character writing and said the following:

The main thing is empathy, it's saying "okay, how would I feel?" because the character is still a person, there is still this basis of common humanity, and that's true when writing about women, or writing about a dwarf, or writing about anyone. You have to start with the basis "they're more like me then they are unlike me," they have some special condition, that they have a different set of genitals than I do, but it's still the same old story. A fight for love and glory

Writing a superhero is no different. It's still the same old story, but treat the characters with respect and don't make their diversity a crutch that is being used to beat the audience over the head with. So many times a diverse character is introduced nowadays, we have to have that diversity shoved down our throats as readers. The moment that diversity, whether it's their race, their orientation, or whatever becomes the only asset they bring to a series, is the moment the character has been ruined. I am not saying that these things shouldn't be a part of the story. The struggles a character may face because of their identity is integral. Just look at the X men. However, character development should alway be the primary focus of any story.

They are heroes, or they are villains. They fight to protect the innocent, or they want the world to bend the knee to their will. The driving forces of this is what makes them right or wrong. A good man like prof. Xavier erased the minds of his students for his own gains and " the good of mankind" and magneto created an ethnocentric terrorist group cause he saw his people being murdered and prosecuted when they were clearly more powerful and showing restraint in the face of violence. these two juxtapositions of a good guy in Xavier and a bad guy in magneto made them COMPLEX and RELATABLE. you could both agree and disagree with both justifications.this made 2-dimensional people richer and better.

What we don't need is a black character that is constantly talking about BET, we don't need an LGBT character whose sole purpose is to complain about their love life or lack thereof. We need heroes, not reality tv. These concepts are not just identitarian, but they are in and of themselves stereotypes. These are flat and boring. But worst of all lazy and insulting. All black people don't watch BET as their sole source of all things. and LGBTQ people don't have horrible love lives.

There is a golden opportunity for a new silver age of comic books. We should not be settling for the lackluster parade of  legacy characters, and race swapping of old characters. This is not something we should be celebrating because the generation of tomorrow deserves better than that. Since the first story was told around a campfire, it has served to inspire the youth of a generation to be great and reach to the stars. Superheroes are just the latest chapter in that method of storytelling. I believe that every kid should have a character they connect with or relate to. They deserve characters that don’t just feel like after thoughts, they deserve characters that stand on their own, no matter how hard it may be to create them.

This is has been another edition of Comic Relief! if you enjoyed the piece be sure to follow us on the blog, facebook, and twitter. If you want to pitch in your own opinions on the issue feel free to comment!