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  1. #1
    duke's casettetape lemonpeace's Avatar
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    Question DC: Diverse or Dumb?

    There is often the idea that Marvel (especially in recent years) does diverse characters better than DC, I want to see if that's true. So, what are the all-time best stories/runs/titles from DC featuring/focusing on diverse characters, particularlly characters of color and LGBT+ characters?

    Essential Reading

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    Last edited by lemonpeace; 10-28-2019 at 05:52 AM.
    THE SIGNAL (Duke Thomas) is DC's secret shonen protagonist so I made him a fandom wiki

    also, check out "The Signal Tape" a Duke Thomas fan project.

    currently following:
    • DC: Red Hood: The Hill
    • Marvel: TBD
    • Manga (Shonen/Seinen): One Piece, My Hero, Dandadan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Kaiju No. 8, Reincarnation of The Veteran Soldier, Oblivion Rouge, ORDEAL, The Breaker: Eternal Force

    "power does not corrupt, power always reveals."

  2. #2
    The Professional Marvell2100's Avatar
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    Black Panther
    Luke Cage, Hero For Hire -later to become Powerman and Iron Fist.
    Miles Morales, Spider-Man
    Iron Man(Jim Rhodes wore the armor)
    Last edited by Marvell2100; 10-27-2019 at 12:40 PM.

  3. #3
    duke's casettetape lemonpeace's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Marvell2100 View Post
    Black Panther
    Luke Cage, Hero For Hire -later to become Powerman and Iron Fist.
    Miles Morales, Spider-Man
    Iron Man(Jim Rhodes wore the armor)
    maybe I should've clarified, I'm looking for DC'S all-time best featuring characters of color, LGBT+ characters, etc
    THE SIGNAL (Duke Thomas) is DC's secret shonen protagonist so I made him a fandom wiki

    also, check out "The Signal Tape" a Duke Thomas fan project.

    currently following:
    • DC: Red Hood: The Hill
    • Marvel: TBD
    • Manga (Shonen/Seinen): One Piece, My Hero, Dandadan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Kaiju No. 8, Reincarnation of The Veteran Soldier, Oblivion Rouge, ORDEAL, The Breaker: Eternal Force

    "power does not corrupt, power always reveals."

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    The Professional Marvell2100's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lemonpeace View Post
    maybe I should've clarified, I'm looking for DC'S all-time best featuring characters of color, LGBT+ characters, etc
    Are you looking for solos or can the person have a great run as part of a team?

    If so, Bronze Tiger in Suicide Squad.

  5. #5
    Sector 2814 poroto678's Avatar
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    I really liked when Cassie Cain was Batgirl.

    Also, the Authority! Amazing book. And Orlando's Midnighter. Really good.
    - We were the BEST, Richard. No matter what anyone thinks. - Damian Wayne.

    Green Lantern Spanish Fan Site HERE

  6. #6
    Astonishing Member dkrook's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lemonpeace View Post
    maybe I should've clarified, I'm looking for DC'S all-time best featuring characters of color, LGBT+ characters, etc
    Not much more to see, D.C. buries its black characters in favor of the white classic ones. Cyborg has literally been regressed for only God knows why when Walker was evolving has look and give him potential to be a better, higher profile character. This being said there are no good runs for black characters.

  7. #7
    duke's casettetape lemonpeace's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dkrook View Post
    Not much more to see, D.C. buries its black characters in favor of the white classic ones. Cyborg has literally been regressed for only God knows why when Walker was evolving has look and give him potential to be a better, higher profile character. This being said there are no good runs for black characters.
    I'm sure there are some good runs for black characters, I mean by your own admission Walker must have been doing something right with Cyborg if you feel the character has been regressed. even still, are there any good LGBT runs? latinx led runs? pacific islander, asian, Arab, etc. led runs?

    Quote Originally Posted by Marvell2100 View Post
    Are you looking for solos or can the person have a great run as part of a team?

    If so, Bronze Tiger in Suicide Squad.
    they can be solo or team runs, as many you can think of
    Last edited by lemonpeace; 10-27-2019 at 02:07 PM.
    THE SIGNAL (Duke Thomas) is DC's secret shonen protagonist so I made him a fandom wiki

    also, check out "The Signal Tape" a Duke Thomas fan project.

    currently following:
    • DC: Red Hood: The Hill
    • Marvel: TBD
    • Manga (Shonen/Seinen): One Piece, My Hero, Dandadan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Kaiju No. 8, Reincarnation of The Veteran Soldier, Oblivion Rouge, ORDEAL, The Breaker: Eternal Force

    "power does not corrupt, power always reveals."

  8. #8
    Constable of Continuity Gero4568's Avatar
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    Tony Isabella's various stints on Black Lightning
    J.H Williams III on Batwoman
    Pull List: Detective Comics, Batman, Flash, Justice League, Future State

    The government wants the truth. I want the truth. And one way or another, we're all going to get it

    -Donna Troy

  9. #9
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    DC has really made an effort for diversity when the New 52 came out. Unfortunately readers were not hooked and DC has made less of an effort to be diverse. Let's face it most people don't give a damn about superhero comics. So many Marvel titles get cancelled less than a year. Yes they have more diversity led comics but it all gets cancelled quick. Only the big and small screen is saving the industry. Cape comics is a dead industry if it only relied on sales.

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    Swampthing, milligans shade the changing man, 2nd series doom patrol, the extremist, enigma, and for bright and breezy fun sebastion o.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Colossus1980 View Post
    DC has really made an effort for diversity when the New 52 came out. Unfortunately readers were not hooked and DC has made less of an effort to be diverse. Let's face it most people don't give a damn about superhero comics. So many Marvel titles get cancelled less than a year. Yes they have more diversity led comics but it all gets cancelled quick. Only the big and small screen is saving the industry. Cape comics is a dead industry if it only relied on sales.
    They still got made.
    They was an effort made with them.
    Other companies have had short run books and no one is the different.

    It's not that folks don't give a damn it's getting to a point of more variety is needed. Variety does not mean everybody gets an ongoing. Minis and one shots and OGN are FINE.

    In fact the main issue for those books are comic book stores. Maybe taking that pout of the equation will fix things and that is when you look at OGNs. See Raven & Beast Boy.

    Scalped from Vertigo is a better book at 60 issues than others that had longer runs.
    Jaime Reyes's first Blue Beetle run is another good one at 36 issues.
    Shade the Changling Girl/Woman runs were good.
    Man of War Grave Digger (70s run)
    Unknown Solider (last run that took place in Africa)
    Young Animal Doom Patrol
    Millennium Fever (vertigo)
    American Way





    There is often the idea that Marvel (especially in recent years) does diverse characters better than DC, I want to see if that's true.
    I think the reason for that is ACCESS. A lot of books with POC at DC are NOT in trades now.

    Marvel with the exception of a few due to books like Marvel 2 in 1-don't have that issue. Miles, Patriot (both), Riri, Moon Girl & Prodigy are the only black ones with every appearance in someone's trades.

    DC-Duke, Luke Fox, Wallace & Silencer are it. Cyborg might have 1-2 things not in trade. Vixen & John have a ton since most of Action Comics Weekly is not in trade. Steel has an entire run.

    Dc Showcase 93-95 did a good job. Sadly none of that is in trade.

  12. #12
    Incredible Member Ulysses's Avatar
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    Wasn't there a gay supporting character in Andreyko's Manhunter? I remember that being a beloved run.
    Kate Kane is gay and she's had lots of good stories.
    “To the future or to the past. To a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone - to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone: from the age of uniformity, from the age of solitude, from the age of Big Brother, from the age of doublethink - greetings!" - Winston Smith

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by lemonpeace View Post
    I'm sure there are some good runs for black characters, I mean by your own admission Walker must have been doing something right with Cyborg if you feel the character has been regressed. even still, are there any good LGBT runs? latinx led runs? pacific islander, asian, Arab, etc. led runs?



    they can be solo or team runs, as many you can think of
    Rebirth's Green Lanterns during the 1st half as written by Sam Humphries. Not so much after he left, but it was excellent prior. It did wonders for both Lebanese-American Simon Baz and Hispanic-American Jessica Cruz, as heroes, as a duo and on personal. familial levels. Simon's New 52 origin and backstory was also well done.

    People cite David Walker's DCYou run on Cyborg, but I also extend that into John Semper Jr.'s run in Rebirth. Both writers provided things for Cyborg that he needed, in spite of any constraints they likely had while doing so. I'd say the definitive version of modern Cyborg lies between the culmination of these two runs (and maybe early Justice League: Odyssey). Honorable mention to Kevin Grevioux's short 2-something issue contribution.

    We Are Robin for Duke and his compatriots (of their team of 5 throughout the majority of its run, there were 3 different persons of color), and Batman and the Signal for Duke in particular, as short-lived as the latter was.

    New-Superman, and by extension, its natural evolution of New-Superman and the Justice League of China. This book written by Gene Luen Yang was superb. It lasted for a time compared to some of its contemporaries, but it was still most certainly short-lived. It deserved to be a perpetual mainstay, as far as I am concerned, doing its thing and expanding the team's influence and resume.

    Jaime Reyes' Blue Beetle. I found something to enjoy in most of his runs, and his first, pre-Flashpoint one is often remembered fondly for how it fleshed out Jaime and his immediately family and friendgroup (Paco and Brenda).

    The New 52's Firestorm Nuclear Men, prior to the re-tool halfway that "went more traditional), was excellent in my eyes. It was adding to the Firestorm mythos while being excellent studies for both Jason and Ronnie. Jason was at his peak then; he was superbly smart and studious, but he was proactive (not passive, though he still had his doubts and worries) and didn't take mess from anyone, not even Ronnie in his more "jock-ier" moments (young man was woke). It helped that both could become their own Firestorm, again, before the re-tool.

    While also short-lived and not some kind of explicit study on diversity, I loved Scott Lobdell's Doomed, which featured a lead of color (never did have the time to explore Reiser's ethnic background), along with a subplot with his roommate who was gay and was dealing with a superpowered form he couldn't control of his own. Then there was Reiser's love interest, who we couldn't delve into as far as her true role was concerned.

    These are what come to mind for me for now, but there were other series that were diverse in their leads and stories that I enjoyed (Midnighter was fun, and I loved Batman and Robin: Eternal, for a couple of quick examples). If more come to mind, I'll probably post them then.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by skyvolt2000 View Post
    They still got made.
    They was an effort made with them.
    Other companies have had short run books and no one is the different.

    It's not that folks don't give a damn it's getting to a point of more variety is needed. Variety does not mean everybody gets an ongoing. Minis and one shots and OGN are FINE.

    In fact the main issue for those books are comic book stores. Maybe taking that pout of the equation will fix things and that is when you look at OGNs. See Raven & Beast Boy.

    Scalped from Vertigo is a better book at 60 issues than others that had longer runs.
    Jaime Reyes's first Blue Beetle run is another good one at 36 issues.
    Shade the Changling Girl/Woman runs were good.
    Man of War Grave Digger (70s run)
    Unknown Solider (last run that took place in Africa)
    Young Animal Doom Patrol
    Millennium Fever (vertigo)
    American Way
    Comic books stores will buy a book if they see a demand for a book.

    I don't know why do you think it is necessary to eliminate them.

  15. #15
    Astonishing Member batnbreakfast's Avatar
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    Seconding Suicide Squad (by John Ostrander) and Scalped. Adding Gotham Central with its diverse cast (Crispus, Montoya, Akins etc.).

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