Comic Book Resources

Why is this noteworthy? Brian Bendis and Grant Morrison have been black women for years.

By the way, and I’m sure Chad agrees on this point, it’s funny that the Advance Solicitations never seem to have the better covers for the month.

Seems to me that it isn’t a shock that DC is using black (see: Milestone) women (see: Gail Simone, others) as writers. It would be a shock if Marvel was using black women writers.

But if comic books are written by balding white dudes, how will the audience ever relate?

I kid, I kid. Lord knows the field can use the diversity and fresh voices.

The real question is… will Teen Titans get a steady cast for a while, and be fun to read? After Deathcrap, I’m a little wary of the franchise.

I wish Angela and Felicia the best of success and as little editorial interference as possible. Of course, I also wish they’d give Dwayne McDuffie a title of his own where he could tell the stories he wants to tell without editorial fingers up his back.

This is really going to destroy the skinny bald dude / fat guy with beard dichotomy.

Brian, those ARE some very mediocre covers.

I won’t be shocked until Marvel puts more than one black character on the Avengers or X-men at a time. (Yeah, Storm, you so don’t count, miss white hair, blue eyes)

None of those covers grab me either. I think the Superman line has lacked consistency as far as covers are concerned for awhile.

Brian, I’d argue that the far-and-way best covers are put out by Vertigo so we’ve never seen the better covers in advance.

Whoops, I thought Superman previews were featured at Newsarama. Must have been somewhere else. My apologies.

Fringe is a nerd TV show, and therefore a better draw for nerds.

Is DC’s thinking, I’m thinking.

“Why is this noteworthy? Brian Bendis and Grant Morrison have been black women for years.”

Better make that “bald black women”.

I’m still chafting at the lack of Desolation Jones, Fell, and Newuniversal from Ellis.

Is DC/Marvel ever gonna kick-start his butt or not?

I don’t care if who writes a comic is a purple hermaphrodite. As long as it’s good.

Until we reach a point where things like this just go unnoticed, racism will be prevalent. I don’t want to be political but why does Tiger Woods have to be a ‘black golfer’ ( actually he is of African and Asian descent )? it just doesn’t matter in the end. He knows who he is and where he comes from just as I’m sure these two writers do. It’s good to know but we really don’t need to keep making a point of declaring that so and so is a certain ethnic background or of a particular race. We as a society just need to let the cream rise to the top wherever it comes from and whatever it looks like.

Until we reach a point where things like this just go unnoticed, racism will be prevalent. I don’t want to be political but why does Tiger Woods have to be a ‘black golfer’ ( actually he is of African and Asian descent )? it just doesn’t matter in the end. He knows who he is and where he comes from just as I’m sure these two writers do. It’s good to know but we really don’t need to keep making a point of declaring that so and so is a certain ethnic background or of a particular race. We as a society just need to let the cream rise to the top wherever it comes from and whatever it looks like.

I totally agree with Danny, I don’t see why we have to congratulate DC for making their writing corps more diverse. All that should matter is whether the writers are good and that DC isn’t actively trying to EXCLUDE good minority and female writers based on their race and gender. I don’t see why it’s such a big deal to point out the race and gender of writers and congratulate companies because of this.

I agree completely with Danny and T.

Thanks Brian. If you didn’t point this out, then these other folks here wouldn’t be able to point out what shouldn’t have to have been pointed out.

this kind of stuff is interesting. the comics field is dominated by white men because that’s the majority of the audience. i, like many other people, have always judged people on their character, integrity, and abilities. but it really feels like corporate america no longer holds those ideals. because of affirmative action and the quotas that companies now need to fill, an extremely large portion of the unemployed are now white males. i personally have felt affronted by this system, as have a few people i know. i have a college degree and have always worked hard at any job i’ve held. but i have been skipped over for promotion twice in favor of a woman and an indian-american. in both situations i was more qualified for the management position than either of my colleagues, yet i lost out because of my gender and color. i understand that that history has been unfair towards women and minorities, by why do i have to pay for the mistakes of powerful, rich, white men?

and in this case, i really don’t care what a writers ethnicity or gender is as long as they can write. the reason why most women are not involved in comics, is because most women have no interest in the medium. of course there are exceptions, especially in indie comics, but most of the women i know don’t like nor care about superheroes. most men aren’t interested in fashion, but im sure there’s no conspiracy keeping men out of fashion magazines. its just that its not a field where there are many men.

Who cares about their race? Hopefully they’ll just be good writers. God knows DC needs that.

lso, “a co-executive producer for Fringe!” isn’t exactly the most useful information when you’re curious about a new writer like Henderson – why not mention her extensive history writing for television series, including multiple episodes of Gossip Girl – for someone writing Teen Titans, you’d figure that that experience would be on point, no?

Hey, Paul Cornell’s name didn’t even get a play on the front cover of the first Captain Britain trade, let alone that he wrote Doctor Who.
The only mention on the second trade is in a quote from a CBR review.
Why tout his name when you’re launching it out Secret Invasion?

The reason that it is important to note that women and minorities are being hired is that, as much as we would like to pretend that we are completely non-racist, it seems much more likely that we are all racist, at least to some degree. Studies still show that, absent any quota system, women and minorities are still less likely to get interviews or jobs. Even if this is subconscious racism, and it is likely subconscious, it is still racism. Until there are a proportionate number of women and minorities throughout the workplace, this subconscious racism will continue.

As for less women then men being interested in comics, I don’t think we can ignore what social pressures have influenced this situation. It seems likely to me that women would see an industry dominated by men and that would make them less interested in comics. As much as the number of women interested in comics affects the number of women in the comic industry, the number of women in the comic industry affects the number of women interested in comics.

Until we reach a point where things like this just go unnoticed, racism will be prevalent.

Obviously – but the question is, how do we get to that point? Until institutionalized inequities are recognized and addressed, racism will be prevalent.

Even if this is subconscious racism, and it is likely subconscious, it is still racism. Until there are a proportionate number of women and minorities throughout the workplace, this subconscious racism will continue.

Women are a different race?

Also, rather discriminatory of you to assume we are all white males reading/posting here!

Whew! thanks for the heads up! There’s no way in hell I’m gonna read a comic written by a woman! Especially a black one!

Hey, what’s all this social conscience doing in my annoucement of people I’ve never heard of writing a comic I don’t care about?!?!?!? I didn’t order that at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

all i know is that Joss Whedon writes better female characters than some women do!!

Hey, what’s all this social conscience doing in my annoucement of people I’ve never heard of writing a comic I don’t care about?!?!?!? I didn’t order that at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Racist!

Misogynist!

Obviously – but the question is, how do we get to that point? Until institutionalized inequities are recognized and addressed, racism will be prevalent.

Sez you. I disagree.

Harping on identifying and rectifying perceived institutional inequities is a surefire way to ensure racism stays alive if you ask me.

As for less women then men being interested in comics, I don’t think we can ignore what social pressures have influenced this situation. It seems likely to me that women would see an industry dominated by men and that would make them less interested in comics. As much as the number of women interested in comics affects the number of women in the comic industry, the number of women in the comic industry affects the number of women interested in comics.

Or maybe, just maybe, they just aren’t as interested and that’s all there is to it. Is it really such a crime to consider this may be the case?

There’s a severe dearth of straight men in the fashion magazine industry given their population numbers. There’s no one clamoring for this institutionalized inequity to be rectified, because many people understand a lot of straight men aren’t interested in that career. So why is it such a crime to consider the same thing may be at play for women in superhero comics?

oops, i just realized knivesinwest made same point I did about fashion magazines.

For everyone saying that there is no reason we should be pointing out two black women writing for DC Comics, you are completely missing the point. Of course, the only notable thing about a writer for DC should be the quality of his or her work. If DC had always had writers of various ethnicities and genders, then no one would feel compelled to mention this. But when one type of person has almost always been the ONLY type of person doing a certain job, then someone different doing that job is noteworthy. After it becomes the norm for a while, it is no longer noteworthy.

Thus, when Jackie Robinson began playing major league baseball, it was noteworthy. When Eminem became a high-selling and critically acclaimed rapper, it was noteworthy. These type of things are worthy of note when they are outside the norm. In that sense, it would be nice if this were NOT noteworthy, and maybe one day it won’t be. But for now, I think Brian made a great choice in choosing to highlight this.

I was saying boo-urns.

Harping on identifying and rectifying perceived institutional inequities is a surefire way to ensure racism stays alive if you ask me.

I would really like to hear you expand on this. To my ears, it sounds like ‘Don’t do anything, and it will all sort itself out’ which doesn’t seem like the most effective plan for social change. Apologies if that’s a horrible mischaracterizing your position.

Regarding knivesinwest11′s observations and their assertion that white American men are an extremely large portion of the unemployed, it’s important to remember that white American men are an extremely large portion of the population of the United States of America. A better picture of where things stand is by looking at unemployment rates for specific races and gender – which, thanks to the good folks at the United States Department of Labour, is as easy as opening a PDF file on their website which is updated monthly!

While the unemployment rate for white American males has risen dramatically over the last year from 4.2% to 9%, it’s proportional to the rise in unemployment for African-American males, 8.9% to 16.8%. Women’s unemployment rates break down by race as white American females 3.8% to 6.9% and African-American females 7.8% to 11.2%. And before folks start yelling about how women of any race obviously enjoy unfair advantages and have it better since their unemployment rate is lower we should remember gender-based pay gaps.

And I would definitely disagree with his characterization that diversification efforts are done to assuage institutional guilt or act as a consolation prize for the marginalized – it’s done to counter the effects of official and social discrimination that persist in our society.

The ‘Well, maybe there just aren’t a lot of women who want to work in the industry’ rationalization is just as specious as the ‘Well, maybe there just aren’t a lot of women who want to read superhero comics’ argument that comes up every now and again. Maybe there will never be a 1:1 gender ratio in the industry or fandom, but dismissing steps towards closing that gap seems pretty lame.

The ‘Well, maybe there just aren’t a lot of women who want to work in the industry’ rationalization is just as specious as the ‘Well, maybe there just aren’t a lot of women who want to read superhero comics’ argument that comes up every now and again.

Why exactly are either of these arguments “specious?” Not only are they not specious in my opinion, they are the most important arguments to consider. Because they tell us whether there is a real gap to begin with.

T: “they just aren’t as interested and that’s all there is to it.”

No. Everything exists for a reason. Every effect has a cause. I’m not saying social pressures are proven to be the cause, but until you show me are more likely cause I’m going to call it social pressures.

“that’s all there is to it.” to me says “I can’t be bothered to find the real cause so I’ll just say it’s a fundamental law of nature.” If you want to know why it is a “crime to consider this may be the case” I will tender Exhibit A: http://www.therawness.com/

I’m confused, what does my blog have to do with this?

Take “Why Do Women Expect Men To Be Mind Readers?” Do you stop to consider whether that might be due to social pressures? Or is it all just “Men are this way, women are this way, it has never changed and it can never change”? JS Mill said “Mankind is always predisposed to believe that any subjective feeling, not otherwise accounted for, is a revelation of some objective reality.” I am merely pointing you out as an example of someone taking subjective feelings (here about gender) and turning them into a evelation of objective reality.

I think they’re specious because they use the lack of diversity to rationalize itself and dismiss attempts at inclusiveness. They don’t tell us there is a gender gap in mainstream comics – that’s a fact as plain as the nose on my face – but they are used as justification for it.

I think they’re specious because they use the lack of diversity to rationalize itself and dismiss attempts at inclusiveness.

They don’t use lack of diversity to rationalize itself and dismiss attempts at inclusiveness, they use lack of interest level to explain the lack of diversity, which is a big difference. Unless there’s proof that talented interested women are to this day actively being kept out of comics, then that would be different.

Take “Why Do Women Expect Men To Be Mind Readers?” Do you stop to consider whether that might be due to social pressures? Or is it all just “Men are this way, women are this way, it has never changed and it can never change”?

I talk about social pressures all the time. But just like inherent genetic differences don’t account for everything, neither do social pressures. It’s silly to blame EVERY divergence in male and female differences on “social pressures.” There are some things men and women are more likely to gravitate toward even absent societal pressures.

They don’t use lack of diversity to rationalize itself and dismiss attempts at inclusiveness, they use lack of interest level to explain the lack of diversity, which is a big difference.

I think we’re going into chicken and egg territory (‘If there was more diversity, there’d be more interest!’ ‘If there was more interest, there’d be more diversity!’), so we’ll have to agree to disagree. That said, I’m still curious about your belief that diversification efforts contribute to racism.

I think diversification for the sake of diversification, where it’s crammed down people’s throats and told it’s good for them, causes a lot of resentment in the people who are being diversified and the people who are being used as the tokens. For example I am a black guy. If at any job I received, if I was paraded around by the company as being notable as a great stride forward in minority hiring rather than put forward as a great hire because of my work quality, I’d be resentful. Martin Luther King was against judging people over the color of their skin rather than the content of their character. Celebrating me because I’m black is a benign racism in my eyes because it’s still celebrating me for the color of my skin, although in a positive way. But in the end, it feels patronizing. I know there are other blacks out there who put their blackness before all their other traits and don’t mind such celebrating, but I have never liked it.

When you feel people are celebrating you for your color and how progressive it makes an institution look, you feel reduced to a gimmick and start to wonder if it is the primary reason for your hiring rather than your skill. You also feel it becomes more about the company and how progressive it makes them look, and the fans and how progressive it makes them look for congratulating the company for being progressive, than it is about you. I as a black man don’t want to be reduced to some PC prop white people use to make themselves feel good about their open-mindedness. Plus a lot of the regular white hires will also feel like you were promoted because of your race and tokenism, that you were hired primarily to make a statement, and that’s an assumption you’ll come in having to fight to disprove, kind of like a family hire will always be presumed to have been hired due to nepotism.

I’m all for breaking down barriers to diversity. And if anyone is deliberately fighting diversity by denying blacks and women opportunities they deserve, they should be publicly chastised and punished. But to actively celebrate them just for picking good talent of color is just as color conscious an attitude as denying someone an opportunity because of their color. It’s the opposite of color-blind thinking.

“There are some things men and women are more likely to gravitate toward even absent societal pressures.”

But is interest in comic books one of those things? The point that I was trying to make is that one can not merely report on culture without the risk of perpetuating it. By saying “more men like comics than women,” are you merely reporting what is the case, or are you MAKING it the case? The same question applies to many of your theories about gender.

I also have to ask what you mean by “deliberately fighting diversity.” Because I would have thought the main barrier to diversity was unconscious racism (and sexism). The problem with unconscious racism is that you can’t fight it by saying “racism is bad” because the unconscious racists don’t know they are racist, so they will merely agree with what you say and not believe they have to change.

As far as I can tell unconscious racism is due to the mind being irrationally conditioned by seeing almost all whites in corporate management, almost all whites in government and almost all whites in the media into thinking “non-white = bad”. I don’t know if there is any other way of reconditioning people’s minds other than by forcing non-whites into corporate management, government and the media. Absolutely it is tokenism, and absolutely people aren’t going to like it. But it may be the only way to create cultural change. Tokenism may well be a necessary evil.

And we can’t be colour-blind merely by willing it to be so. I don’t know if we can be colour-blind at all. Better to compensate for racism than pretend it isn’t there.