The big news at DC is The New 52, a complete relaunch of the superhero line, with each title returning to #1. Like many folks, I’ve become a little disenfranchised with mainstream superhero stories, but I’m cautiously optimistic. However, I find the constant reminders that DC is committed to Diversity somewhat curious.
For the record, I’m pro-diversity. What I don’t understand is: Why the hype?
DC has been trying to reflect the diversity of the real world for years, to varying degrees of success. And keep in mind that diversity can mean race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, ideology—any number of factors.
What I find suspect is that DC’s idea of diversity is to cast a minority character into an existing comic legacy; in other words, to give them a hand-me-down.
When I was a kid, I recieved a lot of clothing in the form of hand-me-downs. As an adult I realize this was a way for my parents to save some much-needed funds in order to take care of me and my three siblings. I understand, and I’m thankful.
But as a kid, it kinda sucked. “I got you some new clothes!” becomes less fun when you realize said clothes are in a garbage bag filled by an older kid at church (or, more likely, his mother).
And that’s how I feel about some of the recent doings at DC. Don’t see what I mean? Let’s take a look at the examples of diversity that have been touted lately, by both DC and the attendant media.
The Atom: Perhaps the most recent news about The New 52 is Jim Lee’s veiled admission that Ryan Choi will be returning as The Atom. Choi is of Asian descent, and is apparently meant to represent diversity in that respect. But what is gained by simply casting an Asian into the role?
Truth be told, I don’t really care for either character; I’d much rather see someone new and exciting than simply the fourth guy to be calledThe Atom.
Blue Beetle: Similar situation. The previous Blue Beetle (but again, not the original), Ted Kord, was killed in 2005’s OMAC Project, making way for Jaime Reyes to inherit the name in Infinite Crisis as the third Blue Beetle in early 2006.
And just to head you off at the pass—yes, I did like Ted Kord, but this isn’t an angry rant about his death. Ted went out like a champ. His death Mattered.
But again—why is the name so important? Unlike Ryan Choi (who seems to be all but identical to Ray Palmer as far as lifestyle), Jaime Reyes is actually a very different character—a teenager living in my native state of Texas. He even uses the alien scarab technology where his predecessor did not. So why not, at the very least, give him his own moniker (The Scarab)?
Batwing: I can’t sum this up any better than DC’s own blog, The Source:
This September, join with us in this historic moment when the first black character to wear the Batman mantle will be the first to star in his own ongoing series.
This may shock you to learn, but I’m not black. I can’t speak to how a black person feels about this statement. I don’t have a problem with him being in the Bat-family, but it seems weird to say “Hey, look—a black guy dressed like Batman!”
I happen to like Mr. Terrific, and if DC made it a point to say a white guy was going to be dressing like him, well…that would just be weird, quite honestly.
Batwoman: As DC’s first openly gay superhero, Kate Kane’s debut in 52 was much-discussed, as is her return as a solo title in The New 52’sBatwoman #1. Again, no problem with Kate being in the Bat-family—it’s a huge group already, and there’s room for a couple more—but what I find odd is that this is the only place for a lesbian superhero in The New 52. Even Renee Montoya (the only other lesbian character that comes to mind) is notably absent.
[Renee is another victim of the hand-me-down. Having fought her way up through the ranks of the GCPD, Montoya was uniquely positioned to become an original, diverse character; instead, she simply inherits the mantle of The Question in 52.]
If anything, it seems disrespectful to simply put a minority character in an established set of spandex. Is it so hard to come up with an original, diverse character?
The one original yet diverse character that’s front and center with The New 52 is Cyborg, who will appear inJustice League of America #1 and seems to be Geoff Johns’ latest pet project.
“He’s a character I really see as the modern-day, 21st-century superhero,” Johns says of Cyborg. “He represents all of us in a lot of ways. If we have a cellphone and we’re texting on it, we are a cyborg — that’s what a cyborg is, using technology as an extension of ourselves.”
—Geoff Johns to USA Today
Well that’s a great point, Geoff—so if I become a cyborg by using my cell phone, why does Vic Stone have to look like the Terminator?
As this is a huge relaunch, shouldn’t he be closer to T-1000 or Commander Data by now? Being in the 21st century doesn’t make Cyborg more relevant; it makes him less so, doesn’t it?
I tend to equate Cyborg with Aquaman; he’s been around for a long time, but he’ll never be cool. I also find it ironic that his being part of the JLA is supposed to make him an A-lister; the One Year Later reboot of the JLA featured Black Lightning in a similar move, but as of the relaunch he’s nowhere to be found.
So where are the diverse characters who are actually original creations?
Weirdly enough, there are several in Justice League International,which is getting almost ZERO press. JLI has Fire (from Brazil), Rocket Red (a hardcore Communist from Russia—depending on which version), August General in Iron (Communist hero from China), and Vixen (originated in Africa). Why aren’t these guys in the spotlight?
Other characters have been given a hand-me-down, but have made it their own. Mr. Terrific, while technically the second of the name, bears little resemblance to his Golden Age counterpart. In fact, creator John Ostrander went to great lengths to show that Michael Holt was inspired by the original, but went on to develop his own style, character, and powers. In contrast, the alien scarab basically falls on Jaime Reyes, and Ryan Choi just stumbles across his predecessor’s gear.
At any rate, I’m looking forward to seeing Michael Holt make the well-deserved jump to a solo title in Mr. Terrific #1.
Similar things can be said of John Stewart. He’s shown alongside other Green Lanterns Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, and Kyle Rayner (who I just learned is supposed to be Hispanic)—just guys of different ethnicities doing the same job. This is what I like to call a Duh moment. Sure, they’re all Green Lanterns—and none of these the original Green Lantern, by the way—but it mirrors a real-life situation.
So where’s Steel? Amanda Waller? Hell, almost anyone from Checkmate? Largely absent. Aside from those I’ve mentioned, only Static Shock, Apollo, and Midnighter are original characters that would be considered diverse, and all three were acquired from other imprints or companies—not DC proper.
I guess what bothers me is that what’s being touted as new and diverse relaunch is essentially not much of either. The hand-me-down situation seems to be getting worse rather than better, yet DC is still shoving characters like Aquaman and Captain Atom at us and praying that someone will finally like them.
All of this is symptomatic of the heavy resistance to change that is so pervasive in comics. It’s tough to reconcile new ideas when the heroes of the 1930’s are still in their prime. If this is an all-new DC Universe, why does each character have a name that can be traced back to the 70’s? Do we really need another iteration of OMAC? Will DC Comics fail as a company without a character named Atom, or are we afraid to get off this ferris wheel of nomenclature?
And by the way, this isn’t intended to be a teardown of DC—it’s just a part of the larger conversation. Those are my thoughts on the situation. What do YOU think?
