The Minority Report! Diversity In The MU.

[aja_christopher]

"Marvel Visual Effects Leader Pushes For More Women, Tells Newcomers ‘Fill The Gap’’

"Victoria Alonso, Marvel Studios’ exuberant EVP of visual effects and post production, told a roomful of VFX industry leaders this morning that it needs to invite more women into the industry, and onto the stage. And for entertainment industry newcomers trying to find their way into the business, she had simple advice: “fill the gap.”

“I love the fact that you allowed a woman to talk to you this early in the morning,” Alonso told the mostly male audience. “It’s better when the room is 50-50 (male-female). It’s okay to let the ladies enter. They bring a balance.”

Alonso was speaking in a Q&A before more than 150 people at the Visual Effects Society’s VES Summit on Saturday morning. The summit, being live-streamed online to VES’s membership around the world, urged young women considering careers as digital artists to make it happen, but said one reason she always agrees to speak at events such as the summit, San Diego Comic-Con and elsewhere is that young women need role models in notable positions. For her life, seeing (and eventually meeting) pioneering female producers such as Kathleen Kennedy made a huge difference in her career choices.

“I used to look up to Kathy Kennedy,” Alonso said. “I didn’t know who she was, but I knew she produced E.T. and Schindler’s List. When I had lunch with her, I told everyone in the office. I was like a dork. I was a mess. But she had tears in her eyes (when I told her), ‘There are hundreds of thousands of little girls out there who think you’re the bomb.'”

For newcomers trying to break in, Alonso advised that they look for the role in an organization that’s not being filled, whatever it is, and even if it’s not exactly what the person wants to do. Her first chance at VFX house Digital Domain came when the executive assistant to a company executive had broken her leg and the fax machine was too far away.

“Fill the gap,” Alonso said repeatedly. “I made a career of filling the gap. You will be what you’re supposed to be...”

http://deadline.com/2014/10/marvel-v...n-jobs-854447/

[aja_christopher]

"BIG HERO 6 - Meet The Team"

[aja_christopher]

"THE TORCH has been passed, but the flame still burns bright for Marvel’s Ghost Rider.

Perhaps the blazing spring debut of “All-New Ghost Rider” flew under your fanboy radar with so many other major events happening at Marvel this year (female Thor, black Captain America), but there’s no denying that Roberto “Robbie” Reyes — the young Hispanic California teen who now wields the power of the Spirit of Vengeance — is a major part of Marvel’s continued plans to ensure that its superheroes (and antiheroes) remain as diverse as Marvel’s loyal readership.

“All-New Ghost Rider” came to be when Marvel editor Mark Paniccia reached out to Felipe Smith and asked whether the writer/artist would be interested in writing a new take on Ghost Rider. There were, however, stipulations: The series would feature a younger protagonist who wouldn’t ride a motorcycle like the Ghost Riders before him, but would instead drive a flamed-out muscle car.

Smith was instantly attracted to the new approach.

Robbie Reyes “is a completely new character not associated with any previous incarnations of” Ghost Rider, Smith told The Post’s Comic Riffs from his home in Los Angeles.

“It would make sense, if you were going to introduce a new character into the Marvel universe as a Ghost Rider, that he would actually be new in more than one way,” Smith says. “I was given freedom to determine what the background of the character was, the location, which until now had been more of the East Coast and the Midwest. I was in Los Angeles and I wanted to have the story take place here, and make it even more of a different character...

The fact that Marvel again took the mantle of a well-known character and passed it on to a person of color (Miles Morales/Spider-Man, Sam Wilson/Captain America, Kamala Khan/Miss Marvel) could also have come across as forced. But Smith says the move felt natural for him.

“I think diversity is very important,” said Smith, whose father is from Jamaica and whose mother is from Argentina. “I kind of grew up in a situation where diversity was kind of a norm, and being able to write about a Hispanic character, and maybe bring a little bit of that culture into the story, is pretty important.

“Also, one of the things about the U.S., especially a city like Los Angeles — there’s so many different backgrounds within the city; there’s pockets of different cultures that you can visit on a daily basis,” said Smith, who was born in Akron, Ohio, and who moved with his famil to Buenos Aires when he was 5. “I think it’d be a shame not to reflect that in the story, if it’s a story taking place in the city of L.A. So yeah, I’m pretty excited to do that.

Smith says he’s also pleased that Marvel is on board. “They seem to really like all the ideas we’ve been giving them so far,” he said. “The reception from the readers has been encouraging, so I’m really glad to bring a little bit of variety to the Marvel universe, and hopefully a story that’s within the margins of a superhero story and still has heart to it, and definitely a personal side to it."


rider.jpg

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/c...-of-vengeance/

[Tiamatty]

A shame they couldn't have done that article 6 months ago. All-New Ghost Rider's sales aren't very strong, and I suspect it won't be too much longer before it gets cancelled. I hope I'm wrong, though. It's a really good book. Smith and Moore are a great team. Robbie's really cool, and his relationship with Gabe is sweet.

[Mr MajestiK]

Using as an example Garth Ennis' wet dream of Punisher slaughtering the Marvel Universe kinda ruins the argument.

Except that that was not the only example ExcelsiorPrime used.

[Kieran_Frost]

A shame they couldn't have done that article 6 months ago. All-New Ghost Rider's sales aren't very strong, and I suspect it won't be too much longer before it gets cancelled. I hope I'm wrong, though. It's a really good book. Smith and Moore are a great team. Robbie's really cool, and his relationship with Gabe is sweet.

I think the story could be stronger, but the characters are awesome (love Robbie). Has he got his epic white streak back?

[skyvolt2000]

And Steve McQueen won an Oscar for Best Picture last year -- does that mean that we now have equal representation in film both in front of and behind the camera?

No it does not. Excluding the ones of color who choose not to interview for Marvel or DC-how many are actually being considered?

And yes there is a LEGIT question of how can writers/artist of color get their feet in the door when we keep seeing the SAME set of white writers gets gigs. Especially those who keep having failed run after failed run.

Matt Wayne said it after McDuffie died-look at McDuffie's resume and Justice League was his FIRST regular series run where he did it by himself? Yet we can all name a lot of white writers who have had horrible runs and low rated books by keep getting gigs. (See Teen Titans after McKeever left-notice who is not working at DC now-the lone minority writer Felicia Henderson).

How can you justify a white writer male with runs that don't last 8-10 issues?

Yet the minority/female/LGBT writer whose run might last 8-10 issues but got great reviews and awards can't sniff another book?

Or those who have PROVED themselves. Hudlin/Priest made BP work for 10 years. Maybe one of them can do that for Captain Marvel or Moon Knight.

What other book is Ms Marvel's writer doing? What could she do with say Eli Bradley? Hazmat?

The teams behind Watson & Holmes, Cartoon Life of Chuck Clayton & Concrete Park should at least warrant a call from Marvel.

Lets see what Brandon Eastman can do with say Ironfist & Luke Cage? Erika Alexander handle Storm or the Runways.

And if you are scared to hire POC/LGBT because of FANS-just SAY IT. That puts pressure on fans to look at themselves and decided on what do we really want.

[Jumpoff AKA JohnnyBlazed]

A shame they couldn't have done that article 6 months ago. All-New Ghost Rider's sales aren't very strong, and I suspect it won't be too much longer before it gets cancelled. I hope I'm wrong, though. It's a really good book. Smith and Moore are a great team. Robbie's really cool, and his relationship with Gabe is sweet.

Hopefully they can relaunch it with either blaze or ketch!!! Because this is the series I have to act doesn't exist.

[Tiamatty]

Hopefully they can relaunch it with either blaze or ketch!!! Because this is the series I have to act doesn't exist.

Yeah! Let's get rid of the Latino guy, and bring back the white dudes! I mean, come on, a Latino Ghost Rider? Does Marvel really expect us to believe that? Everyone knows that only white guys are allowed to be the Ghost Rider. After all, straight white men are the group who has the most to avenge. Why would a Spirit of Vengeance attach itself to a Latino? That's just ridiculous! The Spirit of Vengeance is exclusively the domain of white guys, and any attempt to have anyone who isn't a straight white man fill the role is downright wrong!

Or, to be briefer: I disagree.

[Venomous Mask]

The big problem that I have with the new Ghost Rider is the design. The skull face should be white all around, not white with black in the back as it makes him look like a mime. I do love the cybernetic edge.

[ExcelsiorPrime]

Except that that was not the only example ExcelsiorPrime used.

I dont get why there is a problem with a minority laying a smack down PHYSICALLY on a villain. I know its rare to see..I just didn't expect so much push-back against it.

I am tired of noble victories after a minority character was shown getting beat up for pages...Really, why should I settle for one punch and speechifying?

When white heroes get to beat up their villains and speechify.







Its like the diversity quotient when a reader says Book X should be more diverse and add an Asian character..and the go to retort is---book X is ALREADY diverse it has an LBGT on the team and a robot.

Lets switch the argument--if a Gay person would like to see more diversity on a team by adding an LBGT character, and I said..why??? the team is already diverse it has one Black person and a robot Eskimo on the team.

[Jumpoff AKA JohnnyBlazed]

Yeah! Let's get rid of the Latino guy, and bring back the white dudes! I mean, come on, a Latino Ghost Rider? Does Marvel really expect us to believe that? Everyone knows that only white guys are allowed to be the Ghost Rider. After all, straight white men are the group who has the most to avenge. Why would a Spirit of Vengeance attach itself to a Latino? That's just ridiculous! The Spirit of Vengeance is exclusively the domain of white guys, and any attempt to have anyone who isn't a straight white man fill the role is downright wrong!

Or, to be briefer: I disagree.

I could careless that he's Hispanic , there was not a need for another host, instead of fixing the ghost rider continuity they add yet another unneeded layer. They could have made the new host black and I would have said the same thing, but I ain't trippin' the ride is almost over.

[Venomous Mask]

Well my ideal team of Devil Dinosaur, Rocket Racoon, Cosmo the Space Hound, Broo, Venom and Vengeance would be as diverse as they come.

[Smoov-E]

That unneeded layer got me to buy and read a Ghost Rider comic when I wasn't before

[Jumpoff AKA JohnnyBlazed]

That unneeded layer got me to buy and read a Ghost Rider comic when I wasn't before

That's good for you , but that uneeded got me not buy and read a ghost rider comic lol seriously he's the only Reason I still read comics.