Will Shetterly's Blog, page 54

The first black superhero in comics: Lion-Man or the Black Phantom?

I side with the people who say Lion-Man, who appeared in 1947 in All-Negro Comics, is the first black superhero, but I see the problems with that claim. He didn't wear a mask and he didn't have superpowers. Still, he meets two of my requirements: he goes into action using a fantastical name instead of his legal one, and he was published in color. Lion-Man at Public Domain Super Heroes 

Forgotten superheroes of color: the Red Mask, the first black masked hero or a white man who passed as black?

(via) Some readers argue that the Red Mask, a dark-skinned man who was clearly inspired by the Phantom, was the first black comic book superhero. Some insist he was a white man who acquired a dark tan after staying in Africa. The mystery of his identity had not been revealed when his newspaper strip was cancelled in 1936. He is Schrodinger's black masked hero. But even if the writer

Forgotten comics heroes of color: the Red Mask, the first black masked hero or a white man who passed as black?

(via) Some readers argue that the Red Mask, a dark-skinned man who was clearly inspired by the Phantom, was the first black comic book superhero. Some insist he was a white man who acquired a dark tan after staying in Africa. The mystery of his identity had not been revealed when his newspaper strip was cancelled in 1936. He is Schrodinger's black masked hero. But even if the writer

Forgotten superheroes of color: Moon Girl, the superwoman from Samarkand

I want to visit the universe where Michelle Yeoh starred in a Moon Girl movie. More Moon Girl's origin: EC's only superhero(ine) Moon Girl vs Satana: Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine Look, it's Wonder Woman errr Moon Girl - Dr Hermes MORE RETRO-SCANS Moon Girl | Public Domain Super Heroes Moon Girl (EC Comics) - Wikipedia An incomplete collection of Moon Girl cover art

Forgotten comics heroes of color: Moon Girl, the superhero from Samarkand

I want to visit the universe where Michelle Yeoh starred in a Moon Girl movie. More Moon Girl's origin: EC's only superhero(ine) Moon Girl vs Satana: Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine Look, it's Wonder Woman errr Moon Girl - Dr Hermes MORE RETRO-SCANS Moon Girl | Public Domain Super Heroes Moon Girl (EC Comics) - Wikipedia An incomplete collection of Moon Girl cover art

Forgotten superheroes of color: Freezum, the Inuit master of cold

Contemporary comics creators who want to revive public domain heroes are mostly stuck with white characters. One way to get some diversity, of course, is to reinterpret old characters rather than revive them. I tend to prefer that; see Dear DC, Please Keep Captain Marvel Black! But if you want to be faithful to the Golden Age comics, you can still include some superheroes of color. Freezum is

Forgotten comics heroes of color: Freezum, the Inuit master of cold

Contemporary comics creators who want to revive public domain heroes are mostly stuck with white characters. One way to get some diversity, of course, is to reinterpret old characters rather than revive them. I tend to prefer that; see Dear DC, Please Keep Captain Marvel Black! But if you want to be faithful to the Golden Age comics, you can still include some superheroes of color. Freezum is

Two examples of black identitarians mocking poor white people

On Facebook, I said, Many identitarians feel entitled to speak disdainfully of poor white people because, in their ideology, poor whites have white privilege and therefore must be responsible for their poverty. I can't remember when I first noticed how common "classism" is among well-off identitarians—maybe in the '90s. But in the FB discussion, Victor Jones provided a couple of examples.

Obama, Derrick Bell, and the race reductionism of Critical Race Theory

A history of neoliberalism and identitarianism should include this moment: And data from this: How Obama Destroyed Black Wealth. And, of course, Adolph Reed's observation about Obama in 1996. Relevant: The Man Who Changed Middle-Class Feminism, or Derrick Bell and Critical Race Theory, Where Racism and Anti-Racism Intersect ETA: "Barack Obama's speech on April 5, 2006 at the launch of The

Amber A'Lee Frost summarizes socialist feminism

"The whole point of the socialist project with regards to feminism is to create the material conditions under which women can regard male bullshit as an avoidable trifle, where every man is an option, and if they're unappealing, you can sashay away to greener pastures." —Amber A'Lee Frost