Black People? Women? Gay?

[SILLYSHIP--pirate eye--]

I'm curious. I have an interest in the fact that most of the comic readers have always been on the so called fringe but still mostly white males. As far as I can tell, most of us are tolerant, whether so called lliberal or conserative, but still tolerant if not outright pro, like me, of the belief that all people are equal, especially in this estranged genre. I am currently becoming fascinated by Women, black people, gays and non U.S.A humans in comics. I really hope no one takes offense to my questions and to begin the disclosure with myslef I am
38
White/Hispanic Sephardic Turkish Cuban jew
straight

From what I know of comics

All negro #1 is obviously the first African American created/featuring African Americans and drawn by African Americans

http://www.zipcon.net/~tkc/allnegro.html

And according to this issue ( I have no info debating or coraborating, this info) "Probably the next time a black appeared in a comic book was Spiderman 18, November 1964, where a black cop is depicted."
HEY CG, (someone send him this, never mind I will)

" There were exceptions to prove the rule: some romance comics with photo covers used occasional pictures of relatively darker girls, but with straight hair and generally caucasian features, and there’s a solitary black on a mid 1950s Charlton cover about the time they reprinted Negro Romances "

Homosexuality

As far as gay people go, we all know that the first gay person to come out in a major comic is Northstar in Alpha Flight #106.
I still remember many undergrounds and such titles as "The Black Kiss" that had homosexuality.

I find this quote's last sentence interesting.
"Hints to his true sexuality were implied throughout the run of ALPHA FLIGHT during John Byrne's initial run, perhaps as early as UXM #121 in which Northstar gives Cyclops a telling look, and even after though a later storyline which revealed Northstar to be an actual other dimensional "fairy" proved embarrassing and is pretty much ignored. Finally, in issue #106, he "came out" as a gay man to the public after finding an abandoned child with AIDS. It should be mentioned that the following is noted under Northstar's listing in the OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE #9: "After the Beaubier siblings had a particularly intense quarrel over Jean-Paul's sexual attitudes, however, Northstar ceased to work with the team on a regular basis."

http://www.gayleague.com/gay/characters/display.php?id=1

Women

Well there's Wonder Woman
http://typolad.livejournal.com/

And...... Any woman here? And what's up with this whole Wonder Woman was just another woman in bondage/male fantasy. I have heard some really weird stuff about the creator of WW. By the way, what is with the whole 1950's women in bondage thing. I mean I love it, not the idea of really tying women up, I'm not into S&M, but I do think the covers are funny. Every Schomburg seems to have a woman danglng somewhere tied up, hanging out of nowhere.

And as far as NON WHITE/NON U.S.A. PEOPLE go, all you have to do is to look at schomburg covers.

Ok, I'm done, and I hope I have not offended anyone, I am not in any way a sexist/racist/Nationalist/homophobe, I'm just a person who feels on the fringes and interested in those areas in comics. A question I have .... Where are the comics that deal with the poor, by choice, who just can't be a part of capitallist society we live in. There is no easy way to soundbite how these people relate to this double plus good world we live in? Where are those people, that I am one of, in this comic world?

[stupidman]

I'm curious. I have an interest in the fact that most of the comic readers have always been on the so called fringe but still mostly white males. As far as I can tell, most of us are tolerant, whether so called lliberal or conserative, but still tolerant if not outright pro, like me, of the belief that all people are equal, especially in this estranged genre. I am currently becoming fascinated by Women, black people, gays and non U.S.A humans in comics. I really hope no one takes offense to my questions and to begin the disclosure with myslef I am
38
White/Hispanic Sephardic Turkish Cuban jew
straight

From what I know of comics

All negro #1 is obviously the first African American created/featuring African Americans and drawn by African Americans

http://www.zipcon.net/~tkc/allnegro.html

And according to this issue ( I have no info debating or coraborating, this info) "Probably the next time a black appeared in a comic book was Spiderman 18, November 1964, where a black cop is depicted."
HEY CG, (someone send him this, never mind I will)

" There were exceptions to prove the rule: some romance comics with photo covers used occasional pictures of relatively darker girls, but with straight hair and generally caucasian features, and there’s a solitary black on a mid 1950s Charlton cover about the time they reprinted Negro Romances "

There are several EC stories that feature black characters. I'd have to check but I think Shock Suspenstories # 2 is one of them. SSS usually had the "Preachies". I remember one where a black soldier is coming home from serving in World War II. The small hick town is torn between hating him for his skin color and loving him for his brave service in the War. Weird Fantasy # 18 has a story called "Judgement Day" that is heralded as a classic, and explores race relations throughoout the galaxy. The story works because one of the main characters is black.


Homosexuality

As far as gay people go, we all know that the first gay person to come out in a major comic is Northstar in Alpha Flight #106.
I still remember many undergrounds and such titles as "The Black Kiss" that had homosexuality.

I find this quote's last sentence interesting.
"Hints to his true sexuality were implied throughout the run of ALPHA FLIGHT during John Byrne's initial run, perhaps as early as UXM #121 in which Northstar gives Cyclops a telling look, and even after though a later storyline which revealed Northstar to be an actual other dimensional "fairy" proved embarrassing and is pretty much ignored. Finally, in issue #106, he "came out" as a gay man to the public after finding an abandoned child with AIDS. It should be mentioned that the following is noted under Northstar's listing in the OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE #9: "After the Beaubier siblings had a particularly intense quarrel over Jean-Paul's sexual attitudes, however, Northstar ceased to work with the team on a regular basis."

http://www.gayleague.com/gay/characters/display.php?id=1

Check this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_comic_book_characters

[Evil Parsnip]

I believe a number of other comics also featured black characters including a number of WWII themed comics and some by ACG.

Also blacks often were featured as servants and other functionaries in some books that I recall. If you can wait another year or so I'll dig out references when I get home.

[SILLYSHIP--pirate eye--]

I can wait 366 days if you wish? Functionaries? Hmmmmm.

Thanks for the info STU.

[SILLYSHIP--pirate eye--]

This is one from the site that STU posted that I have to look into. It just sounds like a really funny situation.

"Tefé Holland - Swamp Thing; daughter of Swamp Thing, John Constantine and Abigail Arcane Cable Holland. (Swamp Thing possessed John to use his body for the conception.) Formerly a flesh elemental, now just a human girl. (bisexual)"

Here's another
"Electro - Marvel Comics' supervillain, who in Marvel Knights Spiderman #2 reveals that in jail he'd found a new side to himself, heavily implying prison homosexuality. (implied bisexual)"
Yeah, that makes sense.

Didn't even hint at this in the movie
"Jamie Madrox - of X-Factor (comics). (bisexual or pansexual)"

Here we go, an official first, or is it?????
"Renee Montoya - Gotham Central and other Batman comic books (lesbian). First DC Comics character to actually say she is a lesbian."

It may not be the first
"Josiah Power - DC Comics' Power Company (gay) He and his partner Rupert were portrayed as a social unit in Power Company, and Josiah was officially outed in Manhunter. Technically, this may make Josiah the first gay title character in DC Comics' history, since "Power Company" was named after Josiah."

With little blurps like this is it no wonder that I can't wait to start reading the Hellblazer series?
""Zed", AKA Mary - Hellblazer; former girlfriend of John Constantine and Marj. She was raised to become a vessel for a new Christ-child, but rebels and runs a pagan travelling group instead. (bisexual)"

[SILLYSHIP--pirate eye--]

Where are you now EP? What the hell is a parsnip? I've heard of them but I don't think I've ever eaten one.

[oxbladder]

Well, hmmm, I am not quite sure you are asking here. I find that comics are getting more diverse in character content now and I think it is just a reflection of the times. Most media forms have gone through the same sort of growth and transitions.

Like I commented in another thread the content of the books largley reflects who the main readership is. Where I live and most of the people I know that are into comics are (straight) white males so it is no surprise to me that (straight) white male characters dominate and that white females are the next most common. Clearly prejudice has played a part in dipictions of races and sexes over the years but as this has changed so to have the comics.

I personally do not know if comics will ever completely represent our diverse world but who knows. There are still quite a number of fears and prejudices that we must overcome in general before our media changes.

I would like to comment that the one thing that I am glad has not really invaded the comics is politically correctness. Not that I completely oppose such attitudes but often they do nothing to counter the poor behaviours they are designed to correct. In many ways PC often acts as some form of censorship (take some of the reaction to the gore in Heores for example). If people fear how they are going to be taken for stating their mind then what good is PC? How can those people ever find out if their belief is harmful or harmless? I have often seen people's words and actions twisted and have them end out looking like some bigot when they really are not.

Anyway, that is about all I have to say and I hope it contributed in some way since I wasn't quite sure what you were asking.

[SILLYSHIP--pirate eye--]

Really nicely stated OX. I have no problem with political correctness, because in reality all it is a new wave of "politeness". The kind that always seems to end up looking over zealous and ridiculous in the end. For instance I just read "Pride and Prejudice" and that book is filled with the PC of the times.

[fulltimer56]

Well, I'm a 50 year old woman who happens to be White/Native American with no telling what else and straight and married. Back when I got into reading/collecting there were very few females in comics both as readers and characters in the books. There was Wonder Woman of course and Supergirl and The She-Hulk in the 70's but not much else.

That is one of the things I like about comics today, that they are so much more diverse today, more up with the times.

Linda

[chaosus]

Don't forget "EBONY" the Spirit's sidekick was black and prominently featured in the strip from it's inception in about 1941.

I'm pretty sure the Black Panther was the first Black Marvel Super hero. Luke Cage was the first to get his own book. DC had the Black Racer i the New Gods and Black Lightning.

There was tons of homosexuality depicted in the early underground comics of the 1970's.

The Conan Story "RED NAILS" that ran in Savage Tales in the 70's has very strong lesbian undertones, as did the original story by Robert E. Howard in the 1930's.

Alpha Flight 106 was the first mainstream hero I remember being presented as "GAY".

Gary

[rowand]

I assume that we are ignoring the Grey Hulk stories in this discussion. I seem to remember that Bruce Banner was renamed Robert because the name Bruce was just too gay for the "forces that be" in early Marvel comics. Bob Banner was once chased by a group of guys staying at the local YMCA (in the years before the Village People sang together) who wanted him more for recreational purposes than to rob him. Bruce went cold inside but the implied threat didn't Hulk him up.

An artist should write what he knows. The white, male, Jewish owners of comic publishing companies treated their employees very poorly and most of those who continued to work for them did so because they had wives and families to support. (Mickey Spillaine aside!) They were paid little and had much demanded of them. Check out the tale behind the first Human Torch - Sub-Mariner fight in Marvel Mystery Comics 9 and 10.

Since the writers were predominately White Straight Males, for reasons fair or foul, what should they write about? Should they portray the plight of 60's Black Persons? Stan and Jack did include the Black Panther and many Wakandans in the FF. Was this good or ill? Was their inclusion of Native American, Wyatt Winghead, as bad an idea as the Chief that cheers for the Baseball team?

Vigilante and the Blackhawks had Pacific Rim comic sidekicks in Stuff and Chop Chop! Were DC and Quality remiss in not including a Pacific Rim writer to cover the dialogue and portrayal involved with these characters. I can't offhand think of a more diverse group than the Blackhawks: a Pole, a Frenchman, a Swede, a Chinese national, and so on. Other than Lady Blackhawk I don't think a single on of them was American. However, they were all what the Census Bureau would expect to mark Caucasian (save one)!

Kirby switched to DC and revived the Newsboy Legion, adding Scuba-Duba to their number, a black character. In addition to the Black Racer, Kirby's New Gods had an earth-friendly character named Vikan, the Black, who was! The Legion of Super-Heroes had Tyroc, a Black Sonic Super-Hero, briefly. The Teen Titans had Bumble Bee and Mal/New Guardian/Trumpeter when they briefly revived. Marvel had Black Goliath!