Racist Spider-Man comics

[Reubin]

I am doing a school project on the representation of race in popular superhero comics and need help finding the most notorious examples of racism. Thanks!

[Michael Watkins]

I don't know that there's enough material for your project. they tried to keep that stuff out of Spider-man's book. only minor controversy I can think of was the depiction of a black person in the Spider-man: Fever book. it was a little on the nose to have a gold chain hat turned sideways black guy freak out because Spider-man called the police on someone else. but it didn't bother me, honestly.

[Michael Watkins]

i'm pretty sure that the alternate universe spidey's racism is part of the joke; in a "look how out of touch he is" kind of way.

[Spidey5640]

If anything, I think Spidey and comics in general have been ahead of the curve in combatting racism. I think of ASM 96-99 and how it proclaimed drugs weren't just a black problem.

[Mistah K88]

If anything, I think Spidey and comics in general have been ahead of the curve in combatting racism. I think of ASM 96-99 and how it proclaimed drugs weren't just a black problem.

Yeah I agree, I think coming into existence around the civil rights movement made things more conscious. So it may be a little harder to find racism in the Spidey comics than it would for characters like say Wonder Woman...

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I am doing a school project on the representation of race in popular superhero comics and need help finding the most notorious examples of racism. Thanks!

I strongly suggest you look at Amazing Spider-Man #91-92 (and actually #87-90 since it picks up stuff from there) for your smoking gun. In that issue, Spider-Man's first girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, volunteers for a white nationalist politician and his campaign solely so he can hunt down Spider-Man. Said character is openly compared to Hitler by both Peter Parker and Robbie Robertson, the most important African-American character in the comics, and yet Gwen Stacy's flirtations with white nationalism are painted as innocent naivete and never once judged or held against her both in those issues, and the ones after that, and later on.

Spider-Man has always been very popular with African-Americans and other minorities. Because Spider-Man was disliked by the newsmedia, hounded by the police, scapegoated and had his reputation constantly run through the grinder much like the case happened to African American men and women of that time, and later. So that led Peter Parker and Spider-Man to become a figure of identification for the marginalized and oppressed in a manner not different from the X-Men, except that the X-Men eventually did have actual POC and minority figures as heroes, while Peter and his world by and large remained white.

ASM #91-92 shows Peter Parker and Robbie Robertson having their interests aligned against Sam Bullitt, this authoritarian DA who has a "law and order" campaign. In ''The Night Gwen Stacy Died'' when the evil Norman Osborn murders and more or less lords his impunity, the only character Spider-Man can turn to for help is Robbie Robertson, editor of the Daily Bugle and substitute father figure.

Of course because Spider-Man is a corporate mascot and so on, Peter doesn't take explicit Pro-Civil Rights stances in that time and later, and only does so after it becomes consensus and non-controversial. So in later issues Aunt May campaigns for civil rights, and Mary Jane becomes concerned over the plight of undocumented immigrants.

[WebSlingWonder]

I strongly suggest you look at Amazing Spider-Man #91-92 (and actually #87-90 since it picks up stuff from there) for your smoking gun. In that issue, Spider-Man's first girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, volunteers for a white nationalist politician and his campaign solely so he can hunt down Spider-Man. Said character is openly compared to Hitler by both Peter Parker and Robbie Robertson, the most important African-American character in the comics, and yet Gwen Stacy's flirtations with white nationalism are painted as innocent naivete and never once judged or held against her both in those issues, and the ones after that, and later on.

Spider-Man has always been very popular with African-Americans and other minorities. Because Spider-Man was disliked by the newsmedia, hounded by the police, scapegoated and had his reputation constantly run through the grinder much like the case happened to African American men and women of that time, and later. So that led Peter Parker and Spider-Man to become a figure of identification for the marginalized and oppressed in a manner not different from the X-Men, except that the X-Men eventually did have actual POC and minority figures as heroes, while Peter and his world by and large remained white.

ASM #91-92 shows Peter Parker and Robbie Robertson having their interests aligned against Sam Bullitt, this authoritarian DA who has a "law and order" campaign. In ''The Night Gwen Stacy Died'' when the evil Norman Osborn murders and more or less lords his impunity, the only character Spider-Man can turn to for help is Robbie Robertson, editor of the Daily Bugle and substitute father figure.

Of course because Spider-Man is a corporate mascot and so on, Peter doesn't take explicit Pro-Civil Rights stances in that time and later, and only does so after it becomes consensus and non-controversial. So in later issues Aunt May campaigns for civil rights, and Mary Jane becomes concerned over the plight of undocumented immigrants.

As a black man myself, I agree: Spider-Man felt like a kindred spirit. It's what first got me into the character.

And that last point you made actually made it into the PS4 game!

[Revolutionary_Jack]

As a black man myself, I agree: Spider-Man felt like a kindred spirit. It's what first got me into the character.

And that last point you made actually made it into the PS4 game!

https://www.cbr.com/spider-man-immig...an-contra/amp/

It happened in comics too. Also Mary Jane's wedding dress was designed by Willi Smith a gay African American fashion designer who died of AIDS two months before the Annual. He appears in page. And that costume was the last thing he did. So typical that Marvel deleted an original contribution to Spider-Man history by an African American man

[Vortex85]

https://www.cbr.com/spider-man-immig...an-contra/amp/

It happened in comics too. Also Mary Jane's wedding dress was designed by Willi Smith a gay African American fashion designer who died of AIDS two months before the Annual. He appears in page. And that costume was the last thing he did. So typical that Marvel deleted an original contribution to Spider-Man history by an African American man

Lol, how did Marvel do erase his contribution? Did they invade everyone’s homes and burn their copies of ASM annual 21 and photoshop a new dress on MJ on all images across the internet?

Also, wasn’t she wearing the same dress in OMIT?

[Snoop Dogg]

why has no one mentioned the extremely progressive first hobie/prowler story that tackled racism in the workplace

[Mister Mets]

If you're trying to show that older comics are racist, the main thing in Spider-Man comics would be the absence of any African-American characters early on.

But there are much better examples elsewhere.

http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-shocki...erhero-comics/

[WebLurker]

Not sure the ASM #108 - 109 story about a group of Vietnamese mystics Flash encountered during the Vietnam War coming back to haunt him in the States has aged very well. That was the story where Sha-Shan was introduced. In any event, I remember thinking that the Spectacular's cartoons re-imagining her as a stronger-willed Vietnamese-American high-schooler was an improvement.

[boots]

Lol, how did Marvel do erase his contribution? Did they invade everyone’s homes and burn their copies of ASM annual 21 and photoshop a new dress on MJ on all images across the internet?

Also, wasn’t she wearing the same dress in OMIT?

erasure in this case just means dismissing or ignoring the contribution of a sub group/member

it’s common practise, but people are pushing back these days

[boots]

I don't know that there's enough material for your project. they tried to keep that stuff out of Spider-man's book. only minor controversy I can think of was the depiction of a black person in the Spider-man: Fever book. it was a little on the nose to have a gold chain hat turned sideways black guy freak out because Spider-man called the police on someone else. but it didn't bother me, honestly.

however this was interpreted by readers in its day, it could be seen in modern terms as understandable fear of the police from a minority

[Michael Watkins]

however this was interpreted by readers in its day, it could be seen in modern terms as understandable fear of the police from a minority

every minority in the story is a criminal wrongdoer. he's scared because he's a criminal. you're supposed to assume that from the sideways turned hat and bling.