Reflecting the changing political climate, the representation of racial and ethnic minorities in comic books have also evolved over time. This article is intended to document and discuss historical and contemporary racial and ethnic stereotypes in the medium of mainstream comics. This article is about race as an intraspecies classification. ... An ethnic group is a group of people who identify with one another, or are so identified by others, on the basis of a boundary that distinguishes them from other groups. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... In modern usage, a stereotype is a simplified mental picture of an individual or group of people who share a certain characteristic (or stereotypical) qualities. ...

Sociopolitical Impact of Comics

Throughout history, comics have reflected the sociopolitical attitudes of their writers and readers. In America, early comics consisted primarily of short, humorous comic strips printed in newspapers. In the 1930s, comics evolved into longer, action-oriented storylines and transitioned into the comic medium format. It began addressing important contemporary political issues. For example, some have suggested that the Wonder Woman character and title evolved as a vehicle to communicate pro-American attitudes during World War II. ^[1] X-men creator, Stan Lee has frequently cited the Civil Rights Movement as the inspiration for his mutant team of superheroes, and has translated many of the tensions of majority-minority race politics into the X-men title. Politics is a process by which collective decisions are made within groups. ... This article discusses humour in terms of comedy and laughter. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Action movies usually involve a fairly straightforward story of good guys versus bad guys, where most disputes are resolved by using physical force. ... Wonder Woman is a fictional DC Comics superheroine co-created by William Moulton Marston and wife Elizabeth Holloway Marston. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... The X-Men are a group of comic book superheroes featured in Marvel Comics. ... Stan Lee at the 1973 San Diego comic con Stan The Man Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber on December 28, 1922, New York, New York) is an American writer, editor, Chairman Emeritus of Marvel Comics and memoirist, who — with several artist co-creators, especially Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko — introduced...

Nonetheless, for many years, beloved comic book characters noticeably lacked racial and ethnic diversity. Comics writer and artist, Kevin Sutherland, said "...when you look at the shelves and see half the titles on sale are characters like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man - dammit, these characters weren't even allowed to be Jewish like their creators, let alone be black." ^[2] Recognizing the influence of comics on popular culture, some members of ethnic and racial communities have focused their attention on stereotypes within comics, and have begun lobbying to change them. This is accomplished in many ways, frequently by either writing new character of colour or "trans-racializing" existing characters from Whites to racial or ethnic minorities (e.g. the changing of Karate Kid's race from White to Asian). Kevin Sutherland (born July 4, 1964) is an American professional golfer. ... Popular culture, or pop culture, (literally: the culture of the people) consists of the cultural elements that prevail (at least numerically) in any given society, mainly using the more popular media, in that societys vernacular language and/or an established lingua franca. ... The Karate Kid is a 1984 movie Karate Kid (comics) is a fictional superhero who was a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. ...

Given the recent popularity of injecting characters of colour into popular comic titles, a new concern has arisen regarding possible tokenism, and many writers advocate not just the inclusion of characters of colour into predominantly White casts of characters, but that these minority characters defy the racial and ethnic stereotypes so prevalent in the history of comics, as well as maintaining the high standard of comic book writing. Daley Osiyemi, creator of Brodie's Law and co-founder of Pulp Theatre Entertainment said, "...we don't just want black characters or superheroes in comics as mere tokens, they have to be strong characters in their on right and have strong stories built around them." ^[3] It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with token character. ...

Black

See also: History of Black Superheroes

The first Black character to be incorporated into a syndicated comic strip was Lothar who appeared in Mandrake the Magician in the 1930's. He was Mandrake's sidekick: the circus strongman, who wore a Tarzan-style costume, was drawn in the Sambo-style of the time (see below) and was poor, and uneducated. ^{[4] [5]}Since the introduction of Lothar, Black characters have a received a variety of treatments in comics, and not all of them positive. William H. Foster III, associate professor of English at Naugatuck Valley Community College said, "they were comic foils, ignorant natives or brutal savages or cannibals." ^[6] Mandrake the Magician is a U.S. comic strip created in 1934 by Lee Falk (also creator of The Phantom) and mainly appearing in syndication in newspapers. ...

Physical Caricatures

An example of a caricature of African Americans in DC's Wonder Woman.

Early graphic art of all kinds often depicted Black characters in a stylized fashion, emphasizing certain physical features to form a recognizable racial caricature of Black faces. These features often included long unkempt hair, broad noses, enormous, red-tinted lips, dark skin and ragged clothing reminiscent of those worn by Black slaves. These characters were also depicted as speaking accented English. In early 20th century America, these kinds of representations were seen frequently in newspaper comic strips and political cartoons, as well as in later comic magazines, and were also present in early cartoons by Disney and Looney Tunes. In comics, nameless Black bystanders (see right) and even some notable heroes and villains were developed in this style, including The Spirit's sidekick, Ebony White (see below). To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This early political cartoon by Ben Franklin was originally written for the French and Indian War, but was later recycled during the Revolutionary War An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is an illustration or comic strip containing a political or social message. ... Disney may refer to: The Walt Disney Company and its divisions, including Walt Disney Pictures. ... Looney Tunes opening title Looney Tunes is a Warner Brothers animated cartoon series which ran in many movie theatres from 1930 to 1969. ... The Spirit (real name Denny Colt) is a fictional American masked crime-fighter, created by Will Eisner in 1940, who starred in a Sunday-newspaper comic-book insert. ... Ebony White is a character from the comics series The Spirit, created by Will Eisner. ...

Ebony White

Writer-artist Will Eisner is sometimes criticized for his depiction of Ebony White, the young African American sidekick of Eisner's 1940s and 1950s character The Spirit. Eisner later admitted to consciously stereotyping the character, but said he tried to do so with "responsibility", and argued that "at the time humor consisted in our society of bad English and physical difference in identity". ^[7] The character developed beyond the stereotype as the series progressed, and Eisner also introduced black characters (such as the plain-speaking Detective Grey) who defied popular stereotypes. The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... Look up artist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... William Erwin Eisner (March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an acclaimed American comics writer, artist and entrepreneur. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Don Quixote and Sancho Panza unsuccessfully confront windmills. ... // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... The 1950s was the decade spanning the years 1950 to 1959. ...

In a 1966 New York Herald Tribune feature by his former office manager-turned-journalist, Marilyn Mercer wrote, "Ebony never drew criticism from Negro groups (in fact, Eisner was commended by some for using him), perhaps because, although his speech pattern was early Minstrel Show, he himself derived from another literary tradition: he was a combination of Tom Sawyer and Penrod, with a touch of Horatio Alger hero, and color didn't really come into it".^[8] The New York Herald Tribune was a newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald. ... Detail from cover of The Celebrated Negro Melodies, as Sung by the Virginia Minstrels, 1843. ... Tom Sawyer is the title character of the Mark Twain novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. ... Horatio Alger, Jr. ...

Savages

See also: African characters in comics

Critics of the portrayal of early Black characters note the frequency with which Black characters were shown as uncivilized savages, frequently shown with bones in their ears, noses, and hair. ^[9] // History American Comics Lothar, was formerly Prince of the Seven Nations, a mighty federation of jungle tribes, but passed on the chance to become king and instead followed Mandrake on his world travels, fighting crime and villains from all over the world (and the rest of the universe as well). ...

Tintin in the Congo

Main article: Ideology of Tintin

The artist Hergé received much criticism for his first comics. Tintin in the Congo, from 1930, presented the typical colonial view Belgians had about the people in Congo, including the missionary bringing civilization to the uneducated blacks. According to reviewers, "the Africans are portrayed as primitive, simple-minded folk".^[10] Hergé, 23 years old at the time, defended himself as being naïve instead of intentionally racist. Nevertheless, the album wasn't translated into English until very recently, due to those concerns. Comments about Hergé and ideology. ... Georges Remi (May 22, 1907 – March 3, 1983), better known by the pen name Hergé, was a Belgian comics writer and artist. ... English-edition cover Tintin in the Congo (Tintin au Congo) is one of a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ... A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ...

Animals

Following the disappearance of overtly racialized African caricatures in American humour magazines and comic books, comic book writers were forced to "de-raciate" Black stereotypes to maintain widespread appeal. What followed was the introduction of a number of anthropomorphic animal characters who Ian Gordon, author of Comic Strips and Consumer Culture, 1890-1945, describe as "owe[ing] something to stereotypes of African Americans". Examples of such characters include Krazy Kat and Mickey Mouse. ^[11] Anthropomorphism, also referred to as personification or prosopopeia, is the attribution of human characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, forces of nature, and others. ... Detail of a Sunday page in which Ignatz, disguised as a painting, hurls a brick at Krazy Kat, who interprets it as an expression of love. ... MichaelMickey Mouse is a comic animal cartoon character who has become a symbol for The Walt Disney Company. ...

Blaxploitation Era

See also: List of black superheroes

In the late-1960s and throughout the 1970s, several African-American heroes were created in the vein of Blaxploitation-era movie protagonists, and seemed to be a direct response to the notable Black Nationalist movement. These (predominantly male) heroes were often martial artists, came from the ghetto, and were politically motivated. They were frequently pitted against White villains, representing the Black struggle against 'The Man': a catch-all phrase popularized during the Civil Rights movement to represent the White power structure. However, as much as the Blaxploitation era superheroes contrasted earlier racial caricatures of Blacks in comics, one attribute remained common: hypersexuality; many Blaxploitation heroes were still highly masculinized, reminiscent of the Mandingo stereotype, and were frequently seen sexually dominating White female characters. Examples of such Blaxploitation characters include Luke Cage, Misty Knight, Bronze Tiger and Black Lightning. ^{[12] [13]} Over the years the American comic medium has delivered a diverse but stereotypical sampling of minority characters. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (Melvin Van Peebles 1971) Blaxploitation is a film genre that emerged in the United States in the early 1970s when many exploitation films were made that targeted the urban African American audience; the word itself is a combination of the words black and exploitation. Blaxploitation... Black nationalism is a political and social movement prominent in the 1960s and early 70s among African Americans in the United States. ... A ghetto is an area where people from a specific racial or ethnic background or united in a given culture or religion live as a group, voluntarily or involuntarily, in milder or stricter seclusion. ... Mandingo may mean: Mandinka, a people of West Africa Mandingo, a bestselling novel originally published in 1957 Mandingo, a 1975 film based on the novel This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Luke Cage, born Carl Lucas and once called Power Man, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero. ... Misty Knight is a fictional character in Marvel Comics Marvel Universe. ... Bronze Tiger (Ben Turner) is a fictional character in the DC Universe. ... For references to Black Lightning in the work of William Golding see Pincher Martin. ...

Women

Very few Black female characters were present in comics until after the Civil Rights Movement, when several notable Black female characters were added to the ranks of beloved superhero teams. One of the most notable Black female character in comics is the X-men's Storm (the first character of colour to join the X-men), aka Ororo Munroe, an African princess and mutant who possesses the power to control the weather. However, some have criticized Black female characters in comics as being one-dimensional and perpetuating several stereotypes, including that of the mythical superwoman and the hyper-emotional, overly aggressive Black woman. ^[14] A roll cloud associated with a heavy or severe thunderstorm over Enschede, Netherlands A storm is any disturbed state of a planets atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather. ...

Anime/Manga

In Japanese anime or manga, Black characters (particularly Black male characters) are frequently drawn in a style reminiscent to racist caricatures popularized in America with comics during the early twentieth century. These characters are usually tall, well-muscled, and have protruding lips and eyes. One example of such a character is the escaped African slave in Ishinomori Shoutarou's 1963 manga, Cyborg 009. ^[15]. The Pokémon Jynx is an example of a blackface caricature. The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) Anime ) (IPA pronunciation: in Japanese, but typically or in English) is an abbreviation of the word animation. Outside Japan, the term most popularly refers to animation... 2nd English edition of InuYasha Vol. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Cyborg 009 (サイボーグ００９) is a manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori and serialized in the manga magazine Shonen Magazine and Shōjo Comic in Japan. ... The official Pokémon logo. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and the Pokémon Collaborative Projects article style, this Pokémon-related article or section may require cleanup. ...

Asian

Yellow Peril

Many Asian characters were pitted against White American protagonists in early American comics, capturing America's real-world frustrations and political distrust of foreign Asian powers. Symbolizing America's "phobia of the 'yellow peril' ^[16], these characters were frequently of foreign nationality (usually Chinese) and often possessed a stereotypically Asian appearance (for example, a long wispy moustache and yellow-tinted skin). They were often highly intelligent or in possession of a powerful, supernatural ability and generally occupied themselves with elaborate plans for world domination, although they were usually thwarted by the American heroes of their time. While usually serious threats, one somewhat humorous Yellow Peril villain was DC's Egg Fu, a giant Communist egg with facial features and a prehensile moustache. Egg Fu is a villain who has battled Wonder Woman. ...

Fu Manchu

In the early 20th century, author Sax Rohmer published a series of novels focusing on the wildly popular Chinese villain, Dr. Fu Manchu. Attempting to capitalize on this success, DC Comics and Marvel Comics both published comic books featuring Chinese villains physically resembling Fu Manchu and possessing the same personality, sexual ambiguity, and ambitions for war domination. Because neither publisher possessed a license for the Fu Manchu character, these early Chinese comic book villains were either unnamed or had a different name than Fu Manchu. Examples include Marvel's Yellow Claw and the Mandarin, and DC's Red Dragon. Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward (February 15, 1883 - June 1, 1959), better known as Sax Rohmer, was a prolific English novelist. ... This article is about the fictional literature character. ... DC Comics is one of the largest American companies in comic book and related media publishing. ... Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Entertainment, Inc. ... The Yellow Claw #2, cover art by John Severin. ... The Mandarin can refer to: a cartoon character a hotel in Hong Kong, now known as the Mandarin Oriental hotel, and the founding member of the Mandarin Oriental hotel group, a part of Jardines. ... Red Dragon is a mystery thriller novel written by Thomas Harris featuring the brilliant psychiatrist and serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter. ...

In 1938, DC Comics obtained the license for Sax Rohmer's character, and subsequent titles featured Fu Manchu as a recurring villain [1]. Marvel Comics obtained the rights for Fu Manchu in 1972, and he was notably introduced as the father of Marvel's Shang-Chi, protagonist of the Masters of Kung-Fu title. Shang-Chi (Chinese: ; pinyin: shàng qì; literally rising of the spirit) is a Marvel Comics character, often called the Master of Kung Fu. He was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin. ...

Although both DC and Marvel have since declined to renew their license for the Fu Manchu character, Fu Manchu has made brief appearances in modern comics, usually referred to merely as 'The Doctor' (as in Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Alan Moore (born November 18, 1953, in Northampton) is an English writer most famous for his work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels, Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. ... Promotional still for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin ONeill, published under the Americas Best Comics imprint of DC Comics. ...

Coolie

Several early characters of Asian descent were introduced as the clumsy, foolish and bumbling sidekicks of White male superheroes. These characters were frequently caricatures of the Chinese coolie, appearing short in stature, sporting bucked teeth and a queue, and spoke pidgin English. These characters often served as comedy relief or as a convenient hostage for the villain of the day. Examples of such characters include the controversial Chop-Chop (aka Wu Cheng) of DC's BlackHawks team (see below) and the Crimson Avenger's sidekick Wing-How. In providing services in computer science, transport, and operations research a queue (pronounced kyew) is a buffer where various entities such as data, objects, persons, or events are stored and waiting to be processed. ... A pidgin, or contact language, is the name given to any language created, usually spontaneously, out of a mixture of other languages as a means of communication between speakers of different tongues. ... Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character or scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. ... Blackhawk #12 (Autumn, 1946), Quality Comics. ... The Crimson Avenger is the name of three separate fictional characters, superheroes who exist in the DC Comics universe. ...

Chop-Chop

Chop Chop's appearance in early comics.

Chop-Chop was the youngest member of the BlackHawks team created by Will Eisner for Quality Comics during World War II. Resembling other Chinese caricatures typical of the era, Chop-Chop was short with bright yellow skin, bucked teeth, and a queue. His primary role seemed to be as the chef of the BlackHawks team. Strangely, Chop-Chop was also the only member of the BlackHawks not allowed to wear the BlackHawks uniform; instead, he wore a traditional Chinese shirt and pants. William Erwin Eisner (March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an acclaimed American comics writer, artist and entrepreneur. ... Crack Comics #1 (May, 1940), featuring the Clock, previously introduced as the first masked comic book superhero. ...

Many members of the Asian American community found the character of Chop-Chop to be highly controversial and offensive. Addressing the disparity of Asian American characters in the comic industry and the stereotypical images of early characters, noted Asian American comics writer Larry Hama said, "Many companies were still colouring Asians bright yellow... In the '40s and '50s, the character Chop Chop in the 'Blackhawks' had big buck teeth, a long pigtail and lots of cleavers. It wasn't until sometime in the '60s that he evolved into a short slim guy who was a jaundiced shade of orange." ^[17] Larry Hama (June 7, 1949 - ) is a Japanese American writer, artist, actor and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1970s. ...

After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Chop-Chop's image was altered to a less offensive depiction, and he no longer sported bucked teeth or extremely jaundiced skin. He was also shown wearing the BlackHawks uniform like his fellow teammates. Stereotypical, pre-Crisis representations were explained as a comic-book-within-a-comic-book and the post-Crisis Chop-Chop expresses indignation toward them. Crisis on Infinite Earths was a 12-issue comic book limited series (identified as a 12 part maxi-series) and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 in order to simplify their fifty-year-old continuity. ...

Martial Arts Master

Nearly all Asian characters in mainstream American comics are capable of martial arts, and for several Asian characters, this is their only skill or ability. An overwhelming number of Asian characters, particularly those of Japanese descent, are portrayed as masters of ninjutsu or the ways of the samurai, and are frequently introduced as teachers of non-Asian protagonists. Examples include Marvel's Shang-Chi, Psylocke, and Silver Samurai, and DC's Katana, Lady Shiva, and Cassandra Cain. Frequently, martial arts masters are associated with Asian religions, such as Buddhism, and a common archetype is that of the elderly, wise monk. Ninjutsu (忍術) is a collection of techniques originally practiced for espionage purposes. ... Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s. ... Shang-Chi (Chinese: ; pinyin: shàng qì; literally rising of the spirit) is a Marvel Comics character, often called the Master of Kung Fu. He was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin. ... Psylocke (Elisabeth Betsy Braddock, sometimes Elizabeth) is a Marvel Comics superheroine, associated with Captain Britain and the X-Men. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Katana is a fictional character in the DC Universe of comics. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this comics-related article or section may require cleanup. ... Cassandra Cain, is a fictional character in the DC Universe, and was the most recent Batgirl. ... A replica of an ancient statue of Gautama Buddha, found in Sarnath, near Varanasi. ... A monk is a person who practices asceticism, the conditioning of mind and body in favor of the spirit. ...

Dragon Lady

Female Asian characters in comics are frequently depicted as hypersexualized, cold-blooded and untrustworthy, in a racial caricature frequently referred to as the dragon lady.^[18] This stereotype references the popular villainess of the same name who first appeared in the vintage comic strip, Terry and the Pirates. ^[19][20], and was later popularized in film by roles such as that of Anna May Wong's title character in the film, The Daughter of the Dragon. In comics, examples of the dragon lady stereotype include Marvel's Fah Lo Suee (see below), the daughter of Fu Manchu ^[21]. Terry and the Pirates is the title of: a comic strip created by Milton Caniff; see: Terry and the Pirates (comic strip) a radio serial, based on the comic strip; see: Terry and the Pirates (radio serial) a television series, also based on the comic strip; see: Terry and the... Anna May Wong in Princess Turandot, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1937 Anna May Wong (January 3, 1905 – February 3, 1961) was the first truly notable Chinese American Hollywood actress. ... This article is about the fictional literature character. ...

Fah Lo Suee

Fah Lo Suee was a character in Sax Rohmer's series of pulp novels featuring Dr. Fu Manchu. Fah Lo Suee's name meant "Sweet Perfume", and she was Fu Manchu's daughter. In Marvel comics, Fah Lo Suee was Shang-Chi's sister, and a hypersexualized temptress with the power of hypnosis. Her loyalties lay only with her own ambitions, and she was willing to turn on anyone, including her own father, if it would benefit her. She eventually joined MI6, a top-secret British intelligence agency, where she became a high-ranking official, although she did this only in further pursuit of power for herself. The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), more commonly known as MI6 (originally Military Intelligence Section 6), or the Secret Service, is the United Kingdom external security agency. ...

Middle Eastern

Middle Easterners have suffered especially in American comic book portrayals due to ignorance, fear, politics, and their relatively weak voice of dissension in America. Middle Eastern characters often fall under the blanket classification of Arab and are subjected to the stereotypes Arabs are afflicted with. Jack Shaheen, professor emeritus of mass communications at Southern Illinois University has written extensively on the plight of Arabs in the American mass media. He wrote that due to ignorance, fear, and political beliefs, Arabs are rarely portrayed as anything but villains. Those few positive portrayals are often passive, neither taking the limelight away from the most often Caucasian protagonists, nor overshadowing the active role of the evil Arabs in the book ^[22]. Examples include Marvel's Fasaud and the Arabian Knight. The Arabs (Arabic: عرب) are a heterogenous ethnic group who are predominantly speakers of the Arabic language, mainly found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... Southern Illinois University is a university in southern Illinois with two institutions and multiple campuses. ... Sheikh Farouk Al-Fasaud, also known simply as Fasaud, is a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain, an adversary of the Fantastic Four. ... The Arabian Knight (real name Abdul Qamar) is a Saudi Arabian super hero in the Marvel Comics universe who debuted in The Incredible Hulk #257. ...

The terrorist

The Arab as a terrorist is probably the most common portrayal in popular fiction. As far back as 1953, in an issue of John Wayne Adventure Comics, John Wayne captures an Arab who is attempting to drive American oil companies out by launching a terrorist campaign.^[23]. In these portrayals, the American superhero is pitted against the evil Arab extremist. An "us versus them" mentality pervades these stories, which perpetuate themes of Arab anti-Americanism, fanaticism, and sub-humanity. John Wayne (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), popularly known as The Duke, [1] was an Academy Award winning, American film actor whose career began in silent movies in the 1920s. ...

One example of the fanatical Arab terrorist stereotype is found in Batman: A Death in the Family. In this story Batman comes to blows with the Joker, who is trying to sell Lebanese extremists a nuclear weapon. Batman follows the Joker, who escapes to Iran. There the Joker meets Ayatollah Khomeini who appoints him Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations. The Joker addresses the United Nations General Assembly, saying he and the "country's current leaders... have a lot in common," referring to their supposedly shared psychosis. Then he gases the audience.^[22] Batman: A Death in the Family is a Batman comic book story arc first published in the late 1980s which gave fans the ability to influence the story through voting with a 900 number. ... Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still sometimes as the Batman) is a DC Comics fictional superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. ... The Joker is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain widely considered to be Batmans archenemy. ... Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini founded the Islamic Republic of Iran Imam/Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini ( ) (Persian: روح الله موسوي خمینی Arabic: روح الله الموسوي الخميني) (May 17, 1900?[1] – June 3, 1989) was a Shi`i Muslim cleric and marja, and the political leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran which saw the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, and social equity. ... The United Nations General Assembly (GA) is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations. ...

Interracial Relationships

With the increased visibility of racial and ethnic minority characters in comics, there has also been an increase in interracial pairings between comic book characters. As noted above, Blaxploitation characters are often depicted romantically involved with White women, which has been suggested to be furthering the implicit stereotype that Blacks are more racially open-minded while Whites are the only people who can be racist or close-minded. ^[24]

See also

• Asian superheroes
• Asian supervillains
• Black superheroes
• Black supervillains
• Hispanic superheroes
• Japanese superheroes
• Native American superheroes

Footnotes

1. ^ Emad, M.C. "Reading Wonder Woman’s Body: Mythologies of Gender & Nation. The Journal of Popular Culture, 2004 (Author notes: Reading Wonder Woman’s Body: "This is a preprint of an article accepted for publication in The Journal of Popular Culture, copyright 2004 Blackwell Publishing.)
2. ^ Black Couples in Comics, SilverBulletComics.com panel discussion
3. ^ Ibid.
4. ^ Hogan, Eric. AFROS, ICONS, AND SPANDEX: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN SUPERHERO, ComicBookResources.com. 2004.
5. ^ Dotinga, Randy. Coloring the Comic Books, Wired News. 2003.
6. ^ Ibid.
7. ^ Time.com (Sept. 19, 2003): Will Eisner interview
8. ^ Mercer, Marilyn, "The Only Real Middle-Class Crimefighter", New York (Sunday supplement, New York Herald Tribune), Jan. 9, 1966; reprinted Alter Ego #48 (see under References below)
9. ^ Dotinga, Randy. Coloring the Comic Books, Wired News. 2003.
10. ^ Amazon editorial review
11. ^ Gordon, Ian. Comic Strips and Consumer Culture, 1890-1945. (Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press 2002)
12. ^ Griffin, Rupert. Fanzing 32, March 2001: Black Power or Blaxploitation? Accessed June 29, 2006
13. ^ Singer, Marc. "Black Skins" and White Masks: Comic books and the secret of race (African American Review 2002)
14. ^ Johnson, Lynne D., Bearing the Black Female Body as Witness in Sci-Fi, PopMatters.com. 2003.
15. ^ Izawa, Eri. Cyborg 009 (Ex-Manga)
16. ^ Ma, Sheng-Mei. The Deathly Embrace: Orientalism and Asian American Identity, (University of Minnesota Press, 2000)
17. ^ SFGate.com (June 1, 2006): ASIAN POP / Look ... Up in the sky! It's Asian Man! (archived)
18. ^ Prasso, Sheridan. The Asian Mystique: Dragon Ladies, Geisha Girls, & Our Fantasies of the Exotic Orient. (2005 Public Affairs)
19. ^ Restrictive Portrayals of Asians in the Media and How to Balance Them, MANAA
20. ^ Prasso, Sheridan 2005
21. ^ Restrictive Portrayals of Asians in the Media and How to Balance Them, MANAA
22. ^ ^a b Shaheen, Jack (November - December, 1991). The Comic Book Arab. The Link. AMEU. Retrieved on 29 June 2006.
23. ^ Wright, Bradford (2001). Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-6514-X
24. ^ Black Couples in Comics, SilverBulletComics.com panel discussion

The New York Herald Tribune was a newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald. ... June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Sax Rohmer and Fu Manchu - the comics
• Alter Ego #48 (May 2005), pp. 7-25: Will Eisner interview (offline)