Comments on: Drawing Black Characters Black http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/ Comic Book Resources Presents... Comics Should Be Good! Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:27:45 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Howl Pepper http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-688350 Howl Pepper Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:34:38 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-688350 Being a teenager, the question of what my peers think is a big factor. I am currently working on a project for my Language Arts class in which I am going to draw Huck Finn and Jim from the novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". While sketching various facial features for Jim, a Black man, I find myself worrying if they look too exaggerated, ape-like, or if a Black friend would be offended by the image. I really wouldn't want to make a fool of myself by drawing a character offensively. So... I don't know if it's just me, but I think it's worrying about what a Black person would think when viewing the image. Being a teenager, the question of what my peers think is a big factor. I am currently working on a project for my Language Arts class in which I am going to draw Huck Finn and Jim from the novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". While sketching various facial features for Jim, a Black man, I find myself worrying if they look too exaggerated, ape-like, or if a Black friend would be offended by the image. I really wouldn't want to make a fool of myself by drawing a character offensively. So... I don't know if it's just me, but I think it's worrying about what a Black person would think when viewing the image.

]]> By: Nina http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-684929 Nina Sun, 21 Sep 2008 16:41:59 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-684929 As an artist who happens to be a black women myself , I would say that to be honest sometime it's hard to draw black or any other ethnic characters that actually look good without taking up to much time and effort, (Not Saying It's Not Possible Though) also people cry racist for everything these days so someone will most likely find something to complain about . As an artist who happens to be a black women myself , I would say that to be honest sometime it's hard to draw black or any other ethnic characters that actually look good without taking up to much time and effort, (Not Saying It's Not Possible Though) also people cry racist for everything these days so someone will most likely find something to complain about .

]]> By: E-man http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-607124 E-man Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:26:35 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-607124 I'm a white artist who is working on a graphic novel with many races I never realy gave much tought to drawling the diffrent races or appearing racist. If I have a black character I draw him black. It's quite simple for me. I use magazines, the internet and real people as guides. I take the character and make him look cool. It seems to me if I think he looks realy cool then there should be no problem. But there are people who are going to be affended no matter what. To those people I wish them well because it seems they have a rotten life and look for things to complain about. I will say that, for me, asian people are the hardest to draw. The GN I am currently working on has mainly white and asian along with black and hispanic. Some days they just look white, scrap it and draw it again. I think that all the races give this world character and depth. I think it would be quite boring if we all looked alike. I'm a white artist who is working on a graphic novel with many races I never realy gave much tought to drawling the diffrent races or appearing racist. If I have a black character I draw him black. It's quite simple for me. I use magazines, the internet and real people as guides. I take the character and make him look cool. It seems to me if I think he looks realy cool then there should be no problem. But there are people who are going to be affended no matter what. To those people I wish them well because it seems they have a rotten life and look for things to complain about. I will say that, for me, asian people are the hardest to draw. The GN I am currently working on has mainly white and asian along with black and hispanic. Some days they just look white, scrap it and draw it again. I think that all the races give this world character and depth. I think it would be quite boring if we all looked alike.

]]> By: loho http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-570287 loho Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:30:20 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-570287 John Byrne is a White artist that draws Black people very well, and not in a stereotypical way, either. John Byrne is a White artist that draws Black people very well, and not in a stereotypical way, either.

]]> By: Joe Rice http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-569817 Joe Rice Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:04:08 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-569817 As for the question at hand, it's definitely a combination of things. Most superhero artists can't really draw any people. AND people tend to draw what they know/want to know. AND the race guilt keeps them away from anything that can be even remotely construed as racial charicature. As for the question at hand, it's definitely a combination of things. Most superhero artists can't really draw any people. AND people tend to draw what they know/want to know. AND the race guilt keeps them away from anything that can be even remotely construed as racial charicature.

]]> By: Joe Rice http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-569763 Joe Rice Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:34:33 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-569763 I'll have to check this out . . .always liked Stroman's work. Loren, your grudge is showing. I'll have to check this out . . .always liked Stroman's work.

Loren, your grudge is showing.

]]> By: Mike http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-569727 Mike Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:03:04 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-569727 <blockquote>What?!</blockquote> ¡Qué?

What?!

¡Qué?

]]> By: Loren http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-569578 Loren Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:11:59 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-569578 <blockquote>Like Chuck Austen’s story about Nightcrawler’s birth,</blockquote> You mean "The Draco"? Wasn't that story <a href="http://www.thexaxis.com/uncannyxmen/uncannyxmen433.htm" rel="nofollow">remarkably terrible</a> on several levels? So if the implication is that Hudlin's writing evidences the same level of quality and internal logic as Austen's Draco ("Utterly dreadful. If you like this comic, you are objectively wrong. I can prove it with graphs."), then I can live with that.

Like Chuck Austen’s story about Nightcrawler’s birth,

You mean "The Draco"? Wasn't that story remarkably terrible on several levels?

So if the implication is that Hudlin's writing evidences the same level of quality and internal logic as Austen's Draco ("Utterly dreadful. If you like this comic, you are objectively wrong. I can prove it with graphs."), then I can live with that.

]]> By: Brian Cronin http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-568808 Brian Cronin Fri, 29 Feb 2008 04:54:45 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-568808 <blockquote>So when the caption box explicitly says “several decades from now,” it means “two decades from now”?</blockquote> Probably! Like Chuck Austen's story about Nightcrawler's birth, and the caption said "20 years ago," when that wasn't Austen's intent in the story. So here, we'd go by Hudlin's intent, which is clearly that the story is 20ish years from now (as Danielle Cage is a young woman).

So when the caption box explicitly says “several decades from now,” it means “two decades from now”?

Probably!

Like Chuck Austen's story about Nightcrawler's birth, and the caption said "20 years ago," when that wasn't Austen's intent in the story.

So here, we'd go by Hudlin's intent, which is clearly that the story is 20ish years from now (as Danielle Cage is a young woman).

]]> By: Loren http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-568800 Loren Fri, 29 Feb 2008 04:49:06 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-568800 So when the caption box explicitly says "several decades from now," it means "two decades from now"? It's a stand-alone story set in the future. There's no reason to intentionally exaggerate how far into the future. For instance, when Kurt Busiek set part of "Camelot Falls" in the future, he didn't claim it was an unreasonably far-off future. Or Batman #666, where Morrison's future was stated as being a reasonable and expected 15 years off. So when the caption box explicitly says "several decades from now," it means "two decades from now"?

It's a stand-alone story set in the future. There's no reason to intentionally exaggerate how far into the future. For instance, when Kurt Busiek set part of "Camelot Falls" in the future, he didn't claim it was an unreasonably far-off future. Or Batman #666, where Morrison's future was stated as being a reasonable and expected 15 years off.

]]> By: Brian Cronin http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-568650 Brian Cronin Fri, 29 Feb 2008 03:25:56 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-568650 I think it's meant to be a nod to comic time. Just like the comics are currently set in 2007, even though clearly 46 years haven't passed since FF #1, another 50 years only results in about 20 or so years of Marvel time passing. I think it's meant to be a nod to comic time. Just like the comics are currently set in 2007, even though clearly 46 years haven't passed since FF #1, another 50 years only results in about 20 or so years of Marvel time passing.

]]> By: Loren http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-568644 Loren Fri, 29 Feb 2008 03:19:49 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-568644 Hmm. On second thought, I suppose you're right. I guess this just means I'm rather unimpressed with Stroman's artwork. (And for a story set "several decades from now," 2057 according to the solicit, nobody seems to have aged much in the interim.) Hmm. On second thought, I suppose you're right. I guess this just means I'm rather unimpressed with Stroman's artwork.

(And for a story set "several decades from now," 2057 according to the solicit, nobody seems to have aged much in the interim.)

]]> By: Brian Cronin http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-568389 Brian Cronin Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:47:43 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-568389 I am pretty positive it's the other way around, Loren. Lashley on the flashbacks, Stroman on the main story. Stroman's character designs are fairly unique. But just to make sure, I checked, and yes, this <a href="http://www.comicon.com/pulse/images_07a/1ropa3.jpg">here</a> is a Stroman original page. I am pretty positive it's the other way around, Loren. Lashley on the flashbacks, Stroman on the main story. Stroman's character designs are fairly unique.

But just to make sure, I checked, and yes, this here is a Stroman original page.

]]> By: Loren http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-568373 Loren Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:39:43 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-568373 <i>Yeah, Loren, but none of them really seem to have all that many clear shots of black characters, so I didn’t post them here.</i> Yeah, they're Stroman's pages, or yeah, they're Lashley's? 'Cause I just finished reading the issue, and I'm pretty sure most (if not all) of the pages I linked to were pencilled by Ken Lashley. I think Stroman's contribution might've been limited to the slavery flashback. Yeah, Loren, but none of them really seem to have all that many clear shots of black characters, so I didn’t post them here.

Yeah, they're Stroman's pages, or yeah, they're Lashley's?

'Cause I just finished reading the issue, and I'm pretty sure most (if not all) of the pages I linked to were pencilled by Ken Lashley. I think Stroman's contribution might've been limited to the slavery flashback.

]]> By: h3yd http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-568123 h3yd Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:34:37 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-568123 Fun Fact: I don't do a great job of following DC, but I did read the latest relaunch of the Justice League. I honestly didn't think Vixen was black. I figured she was some variety of dark-skinned human, but...the only name I ever saw for her was Mari, and her features being not remotely African, I just figured she was Hispanic. I didn't know any better! Fun Fact: I don't do a great job of following DC, but I did read the latest relaunch of the Justice League. I honestly didn't think Vixen was black. I figured she was some variety of dark-skinned human, but...the only name I ever saw for her was Mari, and her features being not remotely African, I just figured she was Hispanic. I didn't know any better!

]]> By: Doug Atkinson http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-567977 Doug Atkinson Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:38:58 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-567977 It could be worse; I picked up an issue of the Gold Key "Star Trek" series yesterday in which Uhura a) was called "Uhuru" throughout, b) had completely unrecognizable facial features (including an aquiline nose in one profile shot), and c) was colored as white. (Many of the panels were composed to show only the back of her head; the artist was clearly uncomfortable when diverging from reference shots for the secondary characters.) It could be worse; I picked up an issue of the Gold Key "Star Trek" series yesterday in which Uhura a) was called "Uhuru" throughout, b) had completely unrecognizable facial features (including an aquiline nose in one profile shot), and c) was colored as white. (Many of the panels were composed to show only the back of her head; the artist was clearly uncomfortable when diverging from reference shots for the secondary characters.)

]]> By: Lawrence http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-567801 Lawrence Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:28:21 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-567801 I agree with Mike's point. I've always thought Jim Lee's women had supermodel bodies with an asian head pasted on them. They all have round faces, high cheekbones, and slender eyes. All pretty traditional asian features (Or at least of Korean women). I agree with Mike's point. I've always thought Jim Lee's women had supermodel bodies with an asian head pasted on them. They all have round faces, high cheekbones, and slender eyes. All pretty traditional asian features (Or at least of Korean women).

]]> By: Imraith Nimphais http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-567796 Imraith Nimphais Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:23:33 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-567796 I'm a bit confused. Is it that you guys want to see black characters portayed as stereotypical black? i.e. dark-chocolate skin, wide/flat noses, large, full lips and tightly curled "nappy" hair? not that there is anything wrong with that particular portrayal..there is not... it's just that in this day and age where there is so much mixing of the races...(and I know a thing or ten about this beacause I am a child of said mixing, what exactly is "White-looking" "Black-looking" and "Asian_looking" unless you plan to fall back on the afore-mentioned stereotypical images, which I think is an absolute shame in and of itself, indicative of an artist with very limited talent and imagination. Granted, the both parents of Storm, Black Panther and Vixen are black, should they then be more "black-looking"? As you ponder this, please keep in mind that not all the Negroes of Africa (and I am referring to the ENTIRE continent here)fall into any pre-supposed, stereotypical "look". They, as a people, as an Ethnic race, are as diversified in their appearance as the tribe, country, religious and cultural backgrounds and societies in which they live. I'm a bit confused. Is it that you guys want to see black characters portayed as stereotypical black? i.e. dark-chocolate skin, wide/flat noses, large, full lips and tightly curled "nappy" hair? not that there is anything wrong with that particular portrayal..there is not... it's just that in this day and age where there is so much mixing of the races...(and I know a thing or ten about this beacause I am a child of said mixing, what exactly is "White-looking" "Black-looking" and "Asian_looking" unless you plan to fall back on the afore-mentioned stereotypical images, which I think is an absolute shame in and of itself, indicative of an artist with very limited talent and imagination. Granted, the both parents of Storm, Black Panther and Vixen are black, should they then be more "black-looking"? As you ponder this, please keep in mind that not all the Negroes of Africa (and I am referring to the ENTIRE continent here)fall into any pre-supposed, stereotypical "look". They, as a people, as an Ethnic race, are as diversified in their appearance as the tribe, country, religious and cultural backgrounds and societies in which they live.

]]> By: Mike http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-567557 Mike Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:00:07 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-567557 Let me add: How are the nymphettes in Paul Dini's animated superhero series, including the Dana Delany Lois Lane, not drawn Asian but with red, blonde, and brunette hair? Let me add: How are the nymphettes in Paul Dini's animated superhero series, including the Dana Delany Lois Lane, not drawn Asian but with red, blonde, and brunette hair?

]]> By: Arnold Normalpants http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/comment-page-1/#comment-567553 Arnold Normalpants Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:57:08 +0000 http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/02/27/drawing-black-characters-black/#comment-567553 Mike said: "most Playboy models nowadays have Asian features." What?! Mike said: "most Playboy models nowadays have Asian features."

What?!

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