Teen Titans Rebirth: Diversity and The White Gaze
Pop Culture Uncovered.com ran an article about the recent TeenTitans issue featuring DamianWayne and his experience with aggressively offensive imagery.
The writer had issues with a part middle Eastern would be Suicide bomber.
https://popcultureuncovered.com/2019...354X-4U8l0D068
Can't comment on intent but it is unfortunate that the writer who did the most to show Damian as of Middle Eastern descent. The writer to write him as identifying as or embarrassing that part of him should also be the one to write him doing this.
It was not in character and not the best choice.
Also guessing Bruce never told the family about Damian dying a 2nd time in RSOB? Come to think of it might explain why the kid has little qualms threatening to blow himself up. He doesn't take dying as serious as he should because he's been able to come back with little effort on his part.
I'll be honest I didn't like the bomb part because it doesn't seem like something Damian would do however I didn't find it offensive . I didn't even make the connections to the characterisation/image being a harmful stereotype. It never registered until I saw this article then I remembered oh shit yeah Damian is part Middle Eastern.
Dubious choice in light of the Special. I still don't find it offensive but I get how some might if they always see him as the Middle Eastern Robin.
It actually does make sense that Death has lost a lot of it's gravitas for Damian. "Tis but a scratch"
Last edited by dietrich; 02-03-2019 at 07:47 AM.
"the bomb" had absolutely nothing to do with Damian's ethnicity. It was to do with his mindset, showing how desperate he is, how he did anticipate losing to Jason and had a back-up plan, hoping to trick Jason with it. It wasn't even real as he had no intention of really blowing himself or anyone up... People are way too sensitive... So what, writers should never ever show a character of Middle-Eastern ethnicity with a suicide-bomb just because they are part Middle-Eastern? That is crazy. Simply put, anyone who didn't know of Damian one bit and who just happened to read this comic book would not be thinking "here is yet another Middle-eastern with a suicide bomb", because there was absolutely no reference at all to Damian's ethnicity in this issue. If the comic book did seem to make such an association than, yes, there was something to criticize. But this isn't so...
Deathstroke has a couple of great Variants with Damian. I love this one from the Batman vs Deathnstroke arc