The Importance of Having A Black Hero
While we’ve been seeing some growth of positive representation of PoC in mainstream media, it’s nowhere near where it should be. PoC characters still tend to be the second choice for mainstream publishers. Black characters in comic books have primarily dealt with the unfair share of being sidekicks to the white main characters. Although the number of characters on screen and the pages of comic books has grown, PoC characters still struggle to take the role of the main characters. It took years before Black Panther got his own comics — and many more before his own movie adaptation. Falcon was Captain America’s side-man, and even Storm, an iconic pop-culture figure, never really got to shine on her own.
Audiences, on the other hand, are becoming more aware and educated on why representation is important — and why it should be implemented across all media. In an era where the internet and social media can empower creators and fans to be vocal about the issues of diversity, the comic book industry has room to grow — as long as it listens. As of April 2019, 53% of Black Americans said that we need more characters that represent Black people in superhero movies. Right now, we’re clearly not doing a very good job at proper representation.
Undoubtedly, comics still have a lot of diversity milestones to pass, and some serious issues they have to address. In the current climate, they hold even more power in telling the right stories and standing on the right side of history. Today we see many great Black creators, with great stories to tell. Even so, diversity remains one of the primary concerns in the comics industry. In 2016, only 6% of the creators at Marvel were Black — far from idealistic for such a leading corporation.
The truth is, white people can write about Black characters — but it might be an entirely different account than if a Black creator were to write it. Employing Black creatives is important in celebrating Black culture. If comic books choose to profit from art forms, experiences, and aesthetics largely created by black people, black creatives should also naturally be hired in the process. The absence of black writers and artists in mainstream publishing has to be addressed and then combatted, to achieve the much-needed change in diversity.
It’s important to note that comics have often reflected the sociopolitical attitudes of the creators and the surrounding audience. Representation has been based on cultural norms, expectations, and often stereotypes. The creation of many Black characters that defy stereotypes appeared during the Civil Rights Movement and right after; many of the racial and social dynamics of American society was embedded into comics. Positive inclusion means recognizing the Black community as part of society and writing POC characters that defy stereotypes. Black characters must be written in a realistic and in-depth manner, without imitating white storylines, being deprived of character development, or be presented with elements of tokenism. Stereotypes are harmful as they foster negativity towards the Black community. Hence why having black creators is hugely important — telling stories from their experience, and allowing them to create truly representative characters, allows for positive representation, where Black voices can be uplifted.
The Black community and other PoC are getting more recognition for their contribution to great storytelling and art, and the medium of comics can emulate that. With comics playing such a big narrative in pop-culture, it is greatly progressive to see Black Panther on the big screen, Falcon becoming the next Captain America, and a plethora of creators writing their own digital stories. Looking back on the first comic book with a Black protagonist, Lobo (Dec. 1995), in comparison to the current state of comics, the medium has had a long journey towards positive representation. The uplifting of Black voices remains the main concern — and should be a priority — for the comics industry.
In light of supporting the #BlackLivesMatter movement, through this article, we want to reiterate the importance of positive representation by highlighting the journey of black comics creators and characters that helped pave the way. We would also like to highlight the mainstream characters in a positive light, while still acknowledging the institutional prejudice the Big Two have taken part in the past.
The Rise of The Black Superhero
Let’s dive into the past of comics. There were many issues of perception in the early representations of the Black community. They were illustrated as foolish, and their physical features were exaggerated for comedic purposes. The older comics portrayed these racial and ethnic stereotypes for a few years, feeding into harmful narratives. This was apparent in Mandrake the Magician in the 1930s, in which Lothar, Prince of Seven Nations, was portrayed as Mandrake’s illiterate assistant. His appearance, almost like a caricature, and the use of his broken English, fed into negative stereotypes about specifically African men. The leopard print tribal wear he wore in his first appearance, could be seen as a way of “othering” him compared to Mandrake. There was a revamp of his character in the 1960s, with slightly less racially charged elements. Other Black characters were not present in the two major publishing houses, Marvel and DC, until the 1960s.
Unlike bigger publishing houses, smaller publishers — Dell and Entertainment Comics included — had a more significant initiative in inclusiveness. For instance, All-Negro Comics (1947) was a comic issue created by a group of African-American writers and artists, with the intention of inspiring black people’s pride in their heritage. Black creators taking their rightful place in the comics industry at a time when the number of Black main characters were a handful, stands for all of the changes that are taking place within the industry to this day.
Comic censorship was one of the reasons why Black characters were not as prevalent in the past. In the 1950s, the Comics Code Authority censored pretty much anything thought to be corrupting young audiences. It tried censoring the issue “Judgment Day” created by a publisher called Entertaining Comics, for having a black main character. The story was centered around a Black astronaut finding a planet with robots as they were both discriminated against for their color. The issue was censored solely because critics did not want the astronaut to be Black, and thought the topic of race should be avoided. Despite that, Gaines — the creator, chose to reprint the original story, which caused the end of his career.
All of these developments, including Black creators making their own comics, pushed the mainstream to go forward with creating Black characters that challenged stereotypes. In 1966, Black Panther, the comic about T’Challa, King of Wakanda was born. At Marvel, there was an internal debate about how the introduction of a black main character would commercially affect the comics. When he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52, Black Panther’s wealth and power were questioned by the Fantastic Four members. This suspicion of his status was indicative of white Americans’ prejudice towards Africa during the 1960s; the image they had of Africa did not fit that of abundant wealth. Dismissing Africa as a less abundant place is exactly the type of stereotype that was, and continues to be, detrimental to the Black community in the U.S and beyond, because of the way it belittles an entire race.
Black Panther’s creation is significant in itself because of the historical context of the time he was created, with the Civil Rights and Black-power movements in full force. Here he was going from an African king to a member of the all-American team, The Avengers. To put things into perspective, Black Panther was the first Black character hat was not a sidekick to a white superhero. Black Panther is his own superhero — to talk about him is to talk about him only, in no relation to other main characters. To have a character that grappled with that sense of power — wealth, the ability to fight, be a good king, and rule a nation with super rare resources all at once — leaves young Black generations with the idea that they should be proud, and strong, as they are no less than anyone. A story that also allowed for a full-black cast, Black Panther was the catalyst for change in the mainstream — allowing the creation of more racially and ethnically diverse characters in the mainstream, as well as the inclusion of more stories revolving around black people. The Black Panther comics give positive, proud representation to a complex culture that had often been misrepresented in the media.
Today, comic to movie adaptations are one of the most popular movie genres; the movie adaptation of Black Panther remains globally the highest-grossing solo superhero movie.
Companies like Marvel realized that they could invest more in creating Black characters, without commercially compromising their comics. The movie turned into a phenomenon, changing the way superhero movies will be seen and produced in the future — Marvel is already taking note, as they have announced that The Falcon will be taking over as Captain America. The biggest producers in the world are finally noticing that having a Black main character, stories centered around Black characters and communities, have an incredible amount of cultural value as well as commercial.
The creation of Black Panther also allowed for further Black superheroes — The Falcon, known as the first African-American superhero in mainstream comics, was further introduced in 1969. As a patriotic American superhero and a Black character, The Falcon is seen as an icon in comic book history. Reminding Black audiences that they are capable of great things, and do not have to be in supporting roles, speaks volumes of the influence the creation of such characters has. Again, the impact of a character like this can be felt today not only in the comics industry — but in film — as it’s changing representation on screen and giving a higher voice to the Black community. When audiences can see a Black superhero exhibiting the same traits, and power, as Captain America, it aids public opinion.
Other mainstream characters like Spawn (Image Comics, 1992), Green Lantern (DC Comics, 1971), and Luke Cage (Marvel, 1972) also changed history. Spawn is one of the most notable black characters in history; his series was adapted into a movie in 1997 when comic book movie adaptations were on the rise. John Stewart as Green Lantern was one of the first and few predominant black characters from DC comics. Luke Cage’s character and story have a distinct place not only in Marvel but in American pop culture and society. Acting as a symbol for American society in 1972, the moment Luke Cage breaks through the prison walls he had been confined in, he metaphorically breaks away from any racial barriers.
Black Characters in Independent Publications
Non-fiction comics during the 50s and 60s combated the lack of black characters on the pages of mainstream comic strips. Most notably, Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story by the Fellowship of Reconciliation was a profoundly impactful piece that still holds relevance today. Centered around Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and the Montgomery bus boycott, the publication was an effort to use comic books to educate and inspire younger generations. The idea behind creating it was that comics were more reachable for young people, and would thus reach wider audiences, serving as a way to spread the message of the nonviolent protests.
As the comic was widely distributed amongst civil rights groups, it inspired peaceful protests in the United States — and further changed public opinion during the Civil Rights movement. This sort of representation was all about communities being there for each other, and the importance of positive representation; using it for education purposes to this day.
There’s no doubt that mainstream comics have had their fair share of mishaps when it comes to representation of black people. Indie or independent comics have sometimes been light years ahead of the mainstream, in allowing black people to occupy the rightful space without conforming to stereotypes. This has further empowered independent creators to create characters that emulate their experience.
Towards the end of the 1980s, and throughout the 1990s, indie comics took matters into their own hands. Individual creators started establishing their private companies to tell their stories. The first apparition of Brotherman Comics was created by comic enthusiasts Dawud Anyabwile, and his brothers in 1989. The comic paved its way into comic book history by creating Antonio Valora, a vigilante fighting injustice for Big City’s community. Published through their independently established company — Big City Inc., the series has been recently respawned into a full-color graphic novel.
Brotherman was created by Black creators who were frustrated about the lack of resemblance with existing superheroes. Valor’s character shook the comic world; although he lacked superpowers, he still dedicated his life to his community. His character was meant to outplay the representation of Black men as deadbeats, and assert that men like Antonio Valor, who is loving and vigilant also exists.
The creators sold the comic at Black comic book expos, conventions and also launched the Black Comic Book movement; the aim was to help contribute and inspire the Black community.
Breaking Down Barriers
With the rise of comics online and platforms like Kickstarter allowing comics to grow, Black and POC creators are even more empowered to write their own stories.
In 2016, Black was created as a Kickstarter project during Black History Month by a team of former big publisher creators. The Kickstarter synopsis, created by Kwanza Osajyefo, states:
“In a world that already fears and hates them — what if only Black people had superpowers?”
Like other creators, Osajyefo also created this story because he thought it was significant amid the lack of diversity he saw. The story of “BLACK” serves at the very least to portray the phenomenon of police brutality, amongst other imbued social commentary on Black Americans. The project also looks to address issues of race and superhero narratives, challenging pop culture, and the primarily white scene of mainstream comics. BLACK certainly exhibits how different the Black community is represented in the mainstream, as opposed to outside of it, highlighting the years-long battle to write stories like these.
It’s no doubt that the world is a better place when it is inclusive. The importance of positive representation stems from years of the mainstream neglecting communities — and pushing them to come together to tell their stories.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate the Black creators and characters that have shaken the industry into understanding inclusivity, and the importance of people of color. Let’s continue to uplift Black creators and characters to come, and celebrate those that are changing the comic industry for the better.
Last but not least, our team recommends the following comics available online that do a great job at positive representation.
In part 2, we will discuss the trailblazing black female comic characters who paved the way for positive representation and dive into how digital comics today are positively changing storytelling.
