Philip Schweier on Biracial Ultimate Spider-Man and Black Perry White

Philip Schweier is a long-time writer for the Comic Book Bin, penning the column "Phil's Bubble" on a regular basis. Schweier also writes about comic book history and pop culture.  His latest installment of Phil's Bubble is "Losing the Race" in which he discusses changing the skin color of  comic book characters.  He writes:

In some instances, race is germaine to a character’s personality; Luke Cage, for instance. But for the most part, race, in a fictional context, should not be an issue. These are make-believe characters who do not exist in the real world.

Schweier uses the recent announcement that Laurence Fishburne will play Perry White in the Superman film franchise reboot, The Man of Steel (2013) and Marvel's new Black and Latino Spider-Man in the publisher's Ultimate Spider-Man comic book series.

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I've noticed that the change in a character's gender, ethnicity, or skin color is most controversial with comic book fans when the change is from White character to Black.  I think this has less to do with the conservatism of comic book fans, who are often notoriously against change, and more to do with the straight-up racism of some of them.

I think that is reflective of the industry in general.  DC Comics is relaunching and launching 52 different comic book titles from the end of August through September.  None of those series has an African-American writer, including the three series that will star Black characters.

Marvel is the same.  President Barack Obama has made several appearances in various Marvel comic books, but there are currently no African-American writers working on an ongoing series for Marvel.  Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King are often brought up when discussing the X-Men, yet in 50 years of publication, the African character, Storm, is the only regular character of color in the X-Men.  There have been a smattering of others here and there, but it's been pitiful.

I Reads You Review: HELLBOY: THE FURY #1

HELLBOY: THE FURY #1 OF 3 (Series #55)
DARK HORSE COMICS

STORY: Mike Mignola
ART: Duncan Fegredo
COLORS: Dave Stewart
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Mike Mignola with Dave Stewart (Alternate cover by Francesco Francavilla)
32pp, Color, $2.99

I read the second issue of the new three-issue Hellboy miniseries, Hellboy: The Fury, before I read the first. Since then, Dark Horse Comics provided PDF copies of all three issues. I enjoyed the second issue a lot, but was somewhat lost. Now, after reading the first issue, the story all makes sense, and the storyline pleases me even more than the first time I read it.

Hellboy: The Fury is the conclusion the union of Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo, the Hellboy artist for the past few years. The Fury also brings an end to the story arc that began in Hellboy: Darkness Calls (2008) and continued in The Wild Hunt (2008-2009) and The Storm (2010).

In Hellboy: The Fury #1, Hellboy takes on Nimue, the Queen of Witches, who now calls herself Badhbh Macha Mor-Rioghain, the Goddess of War. Meanwhile, Alice Monaghan, Hellboy’s new lady friend, learns the story of George Washbrook, a World War I vet about to play a pivotal and fantastic role in the war between Nimue and her forces and Hellboy, who by the way is a descendant of King Arthur and is therefore the King of Britain.

I had fun reading this. It’s been years since I read a Hellboy series (about 9 years in fact). The mixture of Mignola’s moody, imaginative storytelling and Duncan Fegredo sterling graphics and pictures creates an arcane fantasy epic full of Kirbyesque crackling energy and out of this world creatures and beings. The special effects and CGI wizards of 21st century cinema could not surpass the visions here. Hellboy: The Fury is, right out of the gate, a wild ride and I want on this ride.

A

"The Art of Vampire Knight" Coming in September

VIZ MEDIA DEBUTS THE ART OF VAMPIRE KNIGHT

New Hardcover Edition Features Captivating Artwork From The Bestselling Manga Series By Matsuri Hino

VIZ Media invites fans to savor the lavish, gothic-inspired illustrations of manga (graphic novel) creator Matsuri Hino in THE ART OF VAMPIRE KNIGHT, scheduled for release on September 6th. The new hardcover edition will carry an MSRP of $24.99 U.S./$28.99 CAN.

THE ART OF VAMPIRE KNIGHT is an ideal companion to the bestselling manga series, and contains your favorite images in color plus never-before-seen artwork in the United States. The new book features an extensive character gallery with author comments, a how-to tutorial, and an exclusive full-color VAMPIRE KNIGHT poster.

Cross over into this mysterious and dangerous world of vampires with the lush artwork of Matsuri Hino. VAMPIRE KNIGHT takes readers to Cross Academy, which is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorms, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy’s dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!

VAMPIRE KNIGHT (rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens) was created by Matsuri Hino, who burst onto the manga scene with her debut title, When This Dream Is Over, in LaLa DX magazine. With the success of subsequent series such as CAPTIVE HEARTS and MERU PURI (both published in the U.S. by VIZ Media), Hino has established herself as a major force in the world of shojo manga. VAMPIRE KNIGHT is currently serialized in LaLa magazine. VIZ Media also offers the VAMPIRE KNIGHT anime series on DVD and episodes are available online through its innovative video streaming web destination at VIZAnime.com.

For more information on the VAMPIRE KNIGHT manga and to read free manga previews online, please visit http://www.shojobeat.com/.

Itsuwaribito: The Boss's True Identity

I read Itsuwaribito , Vol. 3

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

Finder: Body Chase, Unobtainable, DNA in Love

I read Finder Volume 2: Cage in the View Finder (Yaoi)

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

Leroy Douresseaux on DAMAGED #1

DAMAGED #1 (OF 6)
RADICAL PUBLISHING

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Sam Worthington
CREATORS: Michael Schwarz and John Schwarz
WRITER: David Lapham
ARTIST: Leonardo Manco
COLORS: Kinsun Loh, Jerry Choo, Sansan Saw
LETTERS: Todd Klein
COVER: Alex Maleev
ALTERNATE COVERS: Leonardo Manco with Kinsun Loh (Cover B) and Leonardo Manco (Incentive Cover)
32pp, Color, $3.99

Actor Sam Worthington, whose career exploded a few years ago after appearing in Terminator: Salvation and Avatar, is now in the comic book game. Worthington and his friends, Michael Schwarz and John Schwarz, have formed a graphic novel and intellectual property company called Full Clip Productions.

Michael and John have created the venture’s first comic book, Damaged. This crime comic book from Radical Publishing is written by David Lapham (Stray Bullets) and drawn by Leonardo Manco (Driver for the Dead). Damaged focuses on two brothers committed to justice in different ways. One is a commander with the San Francisco Police Department and works inside the law. The other is a vigilante who works violently beyond it.

In Damaged #1, Captain Frank Lincoln is three weeks from retirement, and the powers that be in San Fran have already appointed his successor as head of the Special Task Force on Organized Crime, a youngster named Lt. Jack Cassidy. A massacre at the home of Dimitri Oloaf, the most powerful man in the Russian mafiya, brings Lincoln and Cassidy together. Frank immediately recognizes that the crime scene relates to his past, and now he has to clean up the past without Cassidy or the rest of the SFPD finding out.

I am annoyed that Damaged seems to be in part a non-Marvel Punisher comic book. Half of the comic book is literally a police drama and the other half is The Punisher, complete with a grizzled veteran cop (the drama) and a scarred, rampaging maniac slash one-man army (The Punisher).

But I like this. I think the story’s strength will lie in a kind of love/hate triangle. There is Frank trying to fend off his by-the-book successor, Jack. Frank will also have to deal with Henry, which will be a hot mess. Henry will likely have to take on the SFPD, especially Jack. Hopefully, it turns out that way, because this does have a lot of potential.

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for August 27 2011

DC COMICS

MAY110282 99 DAYS HC (RES) (MR) $19.99

JUN110220 BATMAN #713 $2.99

JUN110265 DC COMICS PRESENTS TEEN TITANS #1 $7.99

JUN110209 DC RETROACTIVE BATMAN THE 90S #1 $4.99

JUN110217 DC RETROACTIVE THE FLASH THE 90S #1 $4.99

JUN110213 DC RETROACTIVE WONDER WOMAN THE 90S #1 $4.99

JUN110201 DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #14 $2.99

JUN110347 DMZ #68 (MR) $2.99

JUN110344 FABLES #108 (MR) $2.99

APR110244 FABLES DELUXE EDITION HC VOL 03 (MR) $29.99

JUN110184 FLASHPOINT ABIN SUR THE GREEN LANTERN #3 (OF 3) $2.99

JUN110192 FLASHPOINT LEGION OF DOOM #3 (OF 3) $2.99

APR110266 FLASHPOINT SER 1 BATMAN AF PI

APR110263 FLASHPOINT SER 1 CYBORG AF PI

APR110264 FLASHPOINT SER 1 THE FLASH AF PI

APR110265 FLASHPOINT SER 1 WONDER WOMAN AF PI

JUN110194 FLASHPOINT THE OUTSIDER #3 (OF 3) $2.99

JUN110190 FLASHPOINT WONDER WOMAN AND THE FURIES #3 (OF 3) $2.99

MAY110283 FOGTOWN TP (MR) $12.99

APR110200 GOTHAM CITY SIRENS HC VOL 03 STRANGE FRUIT $22.99

JUN110170 GREEN LANTERN CORPS #63 $2.99

MAR110415 GREEN LANTERN EMERALD KNIGHTS DVD SINESTRO MAQUETTE $99.99

JUN110349 HELLBLAZER #282 (MR) $2.99

APR110249 HELLBLAZER BLOODY CARNATIONS TP (MR) $19.99

JUN110202 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #60 $2.99

JUN110248 LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #16 $2.99

APR110210 OUTSIDERS THE GREAT DIVIDE TP $17.99

JUN110255 POWER GIRL #27 $2.99

MAY110278 RESIDENT EVIL TP (MR) $19.99

APR110209 SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER VILLAINS HC $39.99

JUN110242 SUPERBOY #11 $2.99

JUN110243 SUPERGIRL #67 $2.99

JUN110244 SUPERMAN BATMAN #87 $2.99

MAY110252 SUPERMAN BATMAN NIGHT AND DAY TP $17.99

MAR110346 TALES OF THE BATMAN GENE COLAN HC VOL 01 $39.99

JUN110330 TINY TITANS #43 $2.99

JUN110260 TITANS #38 $2.99

MAY110296 TRANSMETROPOLITAN TP VOL 10 ONE MORE TIME NEW ED (MR) $19.99

NOV100305 TRUE BLOOD TRUE LOVE BILL AND SOOKIE STATUE (RES) $195.00

FEB110270 WE 3 DELUXE EDITION HC (MR) $24.99

JUN110262 ZATANNA #16 $2.99