DC Africana Appreciation: Vol. 2

[J. D. Guy]

The audience for Lovecraft Country is very different from comic book audiences, which is what I assumed we were talking about. Slavery kinda is his whole shtick since literally everything about his lore is rooted in slavery. The nature of his powers, the important figures in his backstory, his most important item, etc.

But I can concede that a good enough writer would probably be able to not always pigeonhole Bloodwynd into stories revolving around his ancestry and slavery. I simply don't think DC has writers that'll do it justice without getting groans from black audiences and outrage from white ones so it'd be better long-term to just reinvent the character entirely. The character has potential from a visual standpoint alone, it's just the 90's name and tryhard slavery-based powers are impediments to his appeal.

For some people, perhaps. I'd argue they are a huge part of what makes him appealing, though.

[Midnight_v]

Wasn't he revealed to be J'onn?

Yep. LOL and I'm surprised it wasn't obvious to people who he was from the beginning.
Thing is they... dc. I mean... they kept the property around like ...

"No no! There really WAS/IS a bloodwynd he's trapped in the gem around The martian manhunters neck! He's compelling MM to imitate him and his powers!"

Oh d.c. https://screenrant.com/justice-leagu...ynd-explained/


Futures end Mr. Terrific I think is the way.

[SecretWarrior]

Bloodwynd's name and subject matter aren't for the happy meal crowd, but I can imagine an invested creative team doing something compelling with him.

[skyvolt2000]

Bloodwynd's name and subject matter aren't for the happy meal crowd, but I can imagine an invested creative team doing something compelling with him.

Bloodwyn would never be for the happy meal crew. He's grown folks stuff.


While the news of the day was Kwanza, Jamla Igle, Tim Smith and KharyRandolph's Black was signed to Warner Brothers for a movie with Bryan Hill already working on the script.

This was being floated around.

https://twitter.com/kharyrandolph/st...86864144629760

MSNBC's Dr James Johnson was on the news and behind him was a shelf. Black the book (I think the kickstarter edition) was there. Along with someone else....JOHN STEWART figure.

https://twitter.com/DrJasonJohnson/s...22434425999360

Johnson from 2018 showing off black hero books.

Miles Away (Star trek's Anthony Montgomery)
Black Lightning (tv show cover) trade
Icon's first trade

[Agent Z]

Re: Bloodwynd. There is certainly room for exploring how one's cultural and racial background affects their everyday lives. Of course, a poc character whose story doesn't necessarily revolve around that is equally valid and no two people from the same background will be entirely alike. Having such a character can normalize diversity as well.

Whatever origin they go with for Bloodwynd, whether the original one or a revised one, either would be fine.

[lemonpeace]

Re: Bloodwynd. There is certainly room for exploring how one's cultural and racial background affects their everyday lives. Of course, a poc character whose story doesn't necessarily revolve around that is equally valid and no two people from the same background will be entirely alike. Having such a character can normalize diversity as well.

Whatever origin they go with for Bloodwynd, whether the original one or a revised one, either would be fine.

if they bring back Bloodwynd, in this day and age, it would be a profound disservice to the character if they don't explore the merits of a superhero born of generational trauna. it would also be the most definitive evidence to the racial blindness and general incompetence of DC if they water him down. it's already a shame they watered down and buried the interesting racial dynamics of Tyroc. Get Out, Lovecraft Country, Watchmen; we are finally in an era where these stories are allowed to tap into these uncomfortable topics honestly and in a way where we're the heroes not just martyrs or victims.

[Agent Z]

if they bring back Bloodwynd, in this day and age, it would be a profound disservice to the character if they don't explore the merits of a superhero born of generational trauna. it would also be the most definitive evidence to the racial blindness and general incompetence of DC if they water him down. it's already a shame they watered down and buried the interesting racial dynamics of Tyroc. Get Out, Lovecraft Country, Watchmen; we are finally in an era where these stories are allowed to be turn these uncomfortable topics honestly and in a way where we're the heroes not just martyrs or victims.

I'm black and I found the original Tyroc way more racist than the "watered down" version. There is a smart way and a dumb way to address race in comics and Tyroc's origins were the latter. Hell, there is even some evidence the editor who created him was racist

https://www.cracked.com/article_1850...haracters.html

With Bloodwynd, you do have a point but I do think it all depends on how it is handled. I wouldn't even say it is incompetence if they ignore it because the original wasn't exactly handled well either.

[Shockingjustice]

Do you guys think DC is doing good on it's representations of PoC characters both in Comics and other media?

Comics is a little weird because of it being niche and most fans don't like buying comics they don't know or like. I believe we've had a couple of wins with Far Sector and Naomi. Black Lightning had a lead with Outsiders same with Mr. Terrific in Terrifics.
Personally I feel like animation is the strongest right now. We can have more than one black person in Young Justice and they can actually talk to each other. Cyborg was feature much in the Animated movies (though he was quite boring). New animated movie with Benjamin Turner. Vixen had a short mini series. Could we also state that DC had the first black superhero animated show static shock, though Milestone deserves credit as well.

Live action is a little rougher. Black Lightning is going strong where as most other CW black characters, while relatively important, goes with the black sidekick troop. Cyborg is pretty good in Doom Patrol, but a little to hardcore in the movies, not to mention the whole fiasco.

I have to admit I'm not too excited about a black Hawkman same with a black Black Canary. There is a nagging feeling to me that says DC and WB don't believe they have any good note black characters so it's best to race bend others. While Hawkman has an excuse he was never depicted as black in any animated media, live action media, or comic as far as I am aware.

[Redjack]

DC did not own Static or Static Shock. That was a deal between MILESTONE and Warner Bros. Milestone was an independent company until extremely recently and DC gets zero credit for its creation or for the existence of any Milestone hero.

Zero.

[lemonpeace]

DC did not own Static or Static Shock. That was a deal between MILESTONE and Warner Bros. Milestone was an independent company until extremely recently and DC gets zero credit for its creation or for the existence of any Milestone hero.

Zero.

I've been saying this for a minute. I'm a big advocate for Milestone staying a separate entity from the DC universe because I don't believe DC deserves any clout tokens for co-opting the hard work McDuffie and his team HAD to do because companies like DC wouldn't do it. I think people still lump them together (I'm guilty myself from time to time ngl) because if you subtract Milestone's roster, DC's catalog and treatment of characters of color has been pretty pathetic.

[Robanker]

Do you guys think DC is doing good on it's representations of PoC characters both in Comics and other media?

Comics is a little weird because of it being niche and most fans don't like buying comics they don't know or like. I believe we've had a couple of wins with Far Sector and Naomi. Black Lightning had a lead with Outsiders same with Mr. Terrific in Terrifics.
Personally I feel like animation is the strongest right now. We can have more than one black person in Young Justice and they can actually talk to each other. Cyborg was feature much in the Animated movies (though he was quite boring). New animated movie with Benjamin Turner. Vixen had a short mini series. Could we also state that DC had the first black superhero animated show static shock, though Milestone deserves credit as well.

Live action is a little rougher. Black Lightning is going strong where as most other CW black characters, while relatively important, goes with the black sidekick troop. Cyborg is pretty good in Doom Patrol, but a little to hardcore in the movies, not to mention the whole fiasco.

I have to admit I'm not too excited about a black Hawkman same with a black Black Canary. There is a nagging feeling to me that says DC and WB don't believe they have any good note black characters so it's best to race bend others. While Hawkman has an excuse he was never depicted as black in any animated media, live action media, or comic as far as I am aware.

My perspective on this is a bit limited (I'm white), but I'll say that Black Lightning having his own show that is going to have its fourth season starting up is a great step forward (not to mention it's the only watchable show from the CW). To my knowledge, BL is the first time since Static Shock that one of DC's black characters got their own media adaption, though to be fair until the CW it's been mostly Batman, Superman and Justice League since then, so it's not like The Metal Men got one in the interim.

I do think they're doing a bad job promoting their actual characters of color as opposed to racebending white ones with the hopes that it brings people in who will immediately have to adjust to every cool story with that character they now love having a white lead, especially the seminal runs that made them popular enough to have a movie to begin with (Simone's BoP, the Johns JSA/Hawkman). I can understand feeling like you were sold a false bill of goods in some respect if you're coming in hoping to read about cool black heroes if they're your gateway.

That said, Cyborg on Doom Patrol is absolutely the best he's ever been and an excellent addition to the show. He fits on that team so naturally I'd be fine if he joined in the books instead of a NTT reunion (not that he can't do both) just because the concept worked that well.

Currently, they aren't doing great at promoting their characters of color, but they are doing a bit better with representation than in the past. It's progress, if a bit rocky.

So what can be done?

A) Well, first and foremost, signal boost the stuff already happening. Mr Terrific has secretly been having a solid year with Strange Adventures (once he gets in there, he absolutely takes over every page he's in and I love every minute of it) and The Terrifics has been pretty fun all around. But nobody is really talking about either, save Strange Adventures, and even then it's pretty quiet all over the usual channels. So advertise, show some love on the official social media feeds and let people know what they're missing!

B) Use team books to your advantage. I'm a fan of a ton of characters that essentially exist as team characters, and that's probably the only place they get to live until they spin out. Use that to your advantage. Batman and the Outsiders absolutely should have been a shorter arc where Jeff is handed the team after Bruce helped set up the thing (and give it enough eyes on the opening arc to get fans invested). Characters like Power Girl only got a solo because she boomed in popularity after being reintroduced in JSA and rode that wave to mild success (and yes, I'm sure it was her... online popularity that helped). Get some characters of color on these teams and don't just make them wallpaper. Give them a plot centered around them or let them be one of the drivers for some arcs (if they don't have their own rogues gallery or some such). Let them shine. Being a team book character doesn't mean you're a joke. At worst it means you don't get solo adventures with them-- but you do get adventures with them. Agency matters. I actually very much enjoy Black Lightning and I feel like the DCU is poorer for his absence whenever he's missing for more than a few months.

C) Minis/Maxis. Not everything has to be an ongoing book and frankly few characters outside the main A list can hold a book for long. That doesn't mean mini or maxi series are some sort of demotion or admission of disinterest from the publisher. Mister Miracle was acclaimed and renewed a lot of interest for the character while giving him his own watershed title everyone can refer to and give to someone to read. Some characters sorely need this kind of seminal work, and sometimes we get minis for black characters (Vixen: Return of the Lion, Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands). I think this is a good model to follow for books you know will likely struggle to hold an ongoing anyway and allow for them to remain isolated from crossover crap that nobody actually wants anyway (the company can just do a one-shot for event tie-ins anyway).


Obviously more could be done, but that's a good place to start. If I'm being entirely honest, DC is mismanaging a lot of their IP by my estimate (which I realize doesn't amount to much), but it's better than it's been, which itself is pretty rough.

[kurenai24]

Do you guys think DC is doing good on it's representations of PoC characters both in Comics and other media?

No I do not.

List me an ongoing with a black lead? A black female lead? List me an ongoing with a Latino lead? List me an ongoing with an Asian lead? List me an ongoing with an Indigenous lead? Do you see any? Do they even have a token?

I would suggest minis and maxis but I'm over that. I've seen a lot of white characters get opportunity after opportunity, where's the generosity for the darker ones. Plus American comics take too long to do the bare minimum of publishing minis and maxis.

So no, DC are not even on the level they need to be for me to even attempt to think they're working towards improving on the comic side of things let alone other media tbh.

Comics is a little weird because of it being niche and most fans don't like buying comics they don't know or like. I believe we've had a couple of wins with Far Sector and Naomi. Black Lightning had a lead with Outsiders same with Mr. Terrific in Terrifics.

Personally I feel like animation is the strongest right now. We can have more than one black person in Young Justice and they can actually talk to each other. Cyborg was feature much in the Animated movies (though he was quite boring). New animated movie with Benjamin Turner. Vixen had a short mini series. Could we also state that DC had the first black superhero animated show static shock, though Milestone deserves credit as well.

Animation is usually where DC thrives in representation but I'm tired of giving them points for that. Where's the synergy? I know people dislike that word, but I need synergy when it comes to the characters.

The old animated series built up an audience, did the Green Lantern movie or the comics take advantage of that?

The Young Justice series was and is popular and featured Milestone characters, where was the comics for that? Where is the new Halo?

DC Superhero Girls are a thing, where is Bumblebee?

What is the point in showing these characters if you're not gonna feature them in the forms of media they came from.

For all the talk about wanting new readers and new fans from the movie sphere or animation sphere to read comics, they have done nothing to help. They don't even have a lot of diverse characters to appeal to the diverse audience they so desperately wish and need for sales, or rather, there's a 50/50 chance that new fans coming into comics won't find the character that piqued their interest b/c there is no type of synergy or effort from DC to promote half of the characters that appear in animation.

Also of note, Static and the series Static Shock doesn't belong to DC and DC shouldn't get credit for that popular animated show and character, they did nothing but reap the rewards ...which is what I think is gonna happen again, with the added bonus of DC thinking they don't need to do anything with their black characters since they're publishing Milestone.

Live action is a little rougher. Black Lightning is going strong where as most other CW black characters, while relatively important, goes with the black sidekick troop. Cyborg is pretty good in Doom Patrol, but a little to hardcore in the movies, not to mention the whole fiasco.

I have to admit I'm not too excited about a black Hawkman same with a black Black Canary. There is a nagging feeling to me that says DC and WB don't believe they have any good note black characters so it's best to race bend others. While Hawkman has an excuse he was never depicted as black in any animated media, live action media, or comic as far as I am aware.

You're too kind with the sidekick comment.

But since this is getting long already, I'll just say we have yet to have a character of color lead or co-lead in a movie and despite all the "diversity" in animation or live action, it has not translated to the comics in any way to show permanency.

[9th.]

Poor Bumblebee gets no love comic side, hopefully that changes after The Other History.

[lemonpeace]

some fan art of Aldris Hodge as Hawkman. look yall, i'ma be honest, I'm definitely manifesting a new black reincarnation in the comics. it's a long shot but crazier things have happened, ya know? anyway, came across these on tumblr, thought they were pretty cool.



by rymslm



by celsoricardouniverse

[Robanker]

some fan art of Aldris Hodge as Hawkman. look yall, i'ma be honest, I'm definitely manifesting a new black reincarnation in the comics. it's a long shot but crazier things have happened, ya know? anyway, came across these on tumblr, thought they were pretty cool.



by rymslm



by celsoricardouniverse

The whole point of the Venditti run is to end the reincarnations, though. They're done. They don't get anymore. They were given one last life as a reward, but when they die, that's it. At this point the only way to do it is to say it's a reincarnation that was in the future, but that complicates the Hawks again.

Just make a new Hawkman at this point. They finally fixed it after 80 years. I'm more than happy to have another Hawkman but I think Venditti's run has been so good I want it to actually stick.

Dope artwork, by the way.

I'll add one I found on Twitter. Art by Dan Hipp.

EjPTZHFVcAAL49V.jpg

It's a fun style and I dig the pauldron. I could go for an animated show about the Hawks in this style, though the first one you posted would be ideal if they were trying to appeal to a wider age range.

Found it on Tim Board (probably the world's most devout Hawkfan)'s twitter where he posted this repository of artwork regarding a black Hawkman following the casting announcement.

https://flytohawkworld.blogspot.com/...s-hawkman.html

I can't wait to see Aldis Hodge as Hawkman. I never thought I'd live to see Aquaman on the silver screen, let alone Hawkman. What a time to be alive. Hodge is going to be great if they give him the material to work with.