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Black History Month 2011: Marvel Interlude

February 19th, 2011 by | Tags: , ,

I had something pretty cool planned for this one, but those plans fell through for whatever (wack) reason. That’s given me a chance to hook up something else I’m doing this month that you might have missed–two Black History posts on Marvel.com. Here’s the first, which goes from Gabe Jones to Storm.

A couple guys at Marvel asked me to pitch something, so I gave it some thought, got distracted, and started looking at a Black History timeline. I see the Tuskeegee Experiments ended/were revealed in 1972… the same year Luke Cage was created. Cage, of course, is the product of (probably unethical) experiments on black men in jail, which is at least a slight parallel. It stuck with me, so I spot-checked a few other days for significant or interesting comics/life links. I found some good ones, and that sent me thinking, and bam, I had a pitch.

Marvel’s had such success with its black characters, over and beyond what DC has managed, for a few reasons. One, they had people who were willing to be like, “Yeah, dude is black, whatcha gonna do about it?” (I imagine that Stan Lee was the dude saying this, while Jack Kirby stood behind him with his arms crossed, cigar in his mouth, and a scowl on his face at whoever was giving them grief). Two, they had a bunch of black dudes who weren’t just sidekicks and knock-offs wearing somebody else’s costume. And three, they managed to tap into the mood of the day, sometimes unintentionally, sometimes intentionally but with results they couldn’t have possibly intended, so actual black people could look at these cats and relate.

Give it a read, tell me what you think. There’s one more coming, which will bring us from the ’80s into the modern day. Look for that on Friday.

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Posted in Black History Month, black history month '11 by david brothers |

5 comments to “Black History Month 2011: Marvel Interlude”

  1. (I imagine that Stan Lee was the dude saying this, while Jack Kirby stood behind him with his arms crossed, cigar in his mouth, and a scowl on his face at whoever was giving them grief)

    I think I’ve figured out a way you can incorporate me into your next con panel.

         by Gavok February 19th, 2011 at 11:40 --replyReply to this comment

  2. I can’t say it enough: thanks for this series, which is always a high point of the Internet year.

         by P.B. February 19th, 2011 at 12:02 --replyReply to this comment

  3. Didn’t Misty Knight appear in 1972’s Marvel Team-Up #1 as the woman who Spidey and the Human Torch rescue on Christmas Eve?
    (In point of fact, Misty says so herself, in MTU #64!)
    So, if you count the first appearance of Henry Pym in Tales to Astonish #27 as the first Ant-Man appearance (even though there was no intention of bringing him back when the story was written), why isn’t Misty listed as debuting in 1972? http://www.4thletter.net/wp-content/plugins/smilies-themer/SAEmoticons/emot-raise.gif

         by Atomic Kommie Comics February 19th, 2011 at 13:09 --replyReply to this comment

  4. @P.B.: Thanks, I really appreciate that.

         by david brothers February 19th, 2011 at 21:12 --replyReply to this comment

  5. @Atomic Kommie Comics: She didn’t have a name in that issue, which makes her not Misty Knight. She barely even talked, and there’s nothing specifically Misty Knight about her, other than being black and having an afro. On top of that, despite being a cop, she suggests that Spider-Man let some crooks go. The later issue was a retcon, and a dumb one. Misty had her debut in 1975.

    C’mon, son. I know what I’m talking about here.

         by david brothers February 19th, 2011 at 22:21 --replyReply to this comment