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This
Week:
The
Museum of Black Superheroes
The
most common image we have of the comic-book superhero is of a strapping,
white male with a nice haircut and a predilection for swishy blue capes.
It says perhaps too much about our society that we see our heroes in only
one color. Historically, when African American characters appeared at
all in comic books, they were usually relegated to the same roles they
played in the movies: as stereotypical comic relief or as stereotypical
threats. While that prejudice began to change in the late '60s/early '70s
with the creation of black superheroes and independent black publishers,
it's still difficult for an African American comic-book reader to find
characters to relate to. In many ways, the progress of blacks in comics
mirrors our society's larger racial issues–a point well made by Omar
Bilal at his Museum
of Black Superheroes. From his "bat cave" in Bowie, Maryland, this
graphic designer has created the Web's one and only site devoted to the
history and art of the black superhero.
When
did you first start reading superhero comics?
What were your favorites, and how did you relate to them?
I
grew up experiencing cartoons on television more than actually reading
books. I remember things like Spaceghost, Frankenstein Jr.,
and large doses of Speed Racer, Marine Boy, etc. Let's not
forget MAD Magazine. I think times were different then, before
the advent of video games. You had to use your imagination a lot more
when it came to entertainment. I'm certain the fact that there weren't
any African Americans in these cartoons has a bit to do with why the museum
exists today.
As
a child comics-reader, did you notice the lack of black superheroes vs.
white superheroes?
As
a child I didn't really notice it. But I did realize there was a problem
when, as I got older, I had problems drawing characters with African American
features. On the website I tell the story about how at one point I had
done a drawing of Superman and colored his skin brown. Every kid in my
class thought it was a joke. More than anything, that made me wonder why
a black man couldn't be Superman.
As
you grew older, how did your tastes in comics change?
What are your favorites today?
I
probably got into comic books a bit around age 10, more for the art than
the stories. At that point, I began to take note of the Black Panther
and Falcon and liked both of those characters. I think the independent
comics like Brotherman, Heru, Captain Africa and
others that came out in the early '90s really got me into reading and
collecting comic books. And in the midst of this momentum, Milestone hit…
Those books went a long way in putting black superheroes on the map. That
being said, I don't consider myself a big "collector." I have books but
don't feel the need to keep them in pristine condition, etc. I'd much
rather loan them to my kid and let him grow up with characters that look
like him. I think a few dog-eared comics are a small price to pay.
Give
us a capsule history of the black superhero genre…
It's
hard to name the first black superhero was because not every character
that shows up in a comic is defined as a superhero. One of the first true
superheroes had to be the Black Panther who appeared as an adversary of
the Fantastic Four in 1966. This doesn't mean there weren't black characters
in comics before that... In the early 1940s, a book titled Young Allies
included a character named "Whitewash" who contained every stereotype
one would expect for a book drawn at that time in America's history. There
were a slew of Tarzan-themed books like Lorna, the Jungle Queen,
which featured grossly stereotyped, big lipped, cook-you-in-a-pot, Africans.
The first "black" comic (actually produced by black publishers) was a
book called All Negro Comics #1, which was actually published in
Philadelphia in 1947. It should be noted that most of these books centered
on popular black athletes at the time.
How
have black superheroes evolved over the years?
It's
a process and the characters are constantly evolving. I think we have
a long way to go since there's still not one black character that has
the same marketability as say Superman or Batman… I'm sure it'll
happen one day.
What's
the current state of the industry for black superheroes?
It's
hard to say since I'm not actually publishing books. The great thing about
the Internet is that you get to seeing many more ideas explored even if
many of them don't ever get published.
Is
the audience for black superheroes underserved?
That's
a difficult question because I really don't think we can define what the
audience for black superheroes is. To this day, many African Americans
like Spiderman or Superman… so we really can't even define the audience
for a white superhero. That being said, the black image is still being
under-represented in all forms of media though we are slowly making strides
in that direction.
How
much of an effort do the major publishers make?
I
think they're coming along slowly. I think Marvel is still way ahead of
DC in this area. Joe Quesada seems to have raised the bar and allowed
for more creative freedom at Marvel and this in theory could lead to some
good characters/comics being created.
How
good are indie publishers at filling the gap?
As
I stated earlier, the Internet has been most helpful in getting indie
publishers' names out there. If you're into indie books, it's much easier
now to get them and I believe that does fill in some of the gaps. The
comics industry would be well served to tap into the raw talent and of
independent publishers on a grander scale.
How
did blacksuperhero.com come about?
It
started in 1997 when I noticed my collection of books was mostly centered
around black characters.
Do
black superheroes get much coverage in mainstream comics media?
I
think interest is growing in this regard. This is evident in the number
of published articles on the subject in the last couple of years. Now,
with the success of the Blade motion picture, maybe they'll be
even more.
Was
it difficult to find information on older black superheroes?
In
the past I've taken trips to the Library of Congress, or University of
Michigan's archive, but the Internet has made trips like that less frequent.
Also, the museum of black superheroes is set up so other people send in
information and I simply post it.
What
was, in your opinion, the silliest/most offensive black superhero character?
Did
I mention "Whitewash"? Also "Ebony" the little black sidekick from Will
Eisner's The Spirit simply because I always hear people say, "Yeah,
but he was always portrayed as the witty one." And I'd be amiss if I didn't
mention "Pootie Tang." Thanks, Chris Rock.
Which
character do you think is the best example of the genre–in both art
and writing?
In
my opinion, Brotherman, Blackjack, and some of the Milestone books still
have the wrap on "this is how you do it." It's early, but recently I've
been into a book called Witchdoctor, which is making a strong bid
to be included in that group.
What
would you like to do with your website in the future?
I
eventually want to add a black superhero theater that will premiere works
of different creators. It's recently been suggested to me that I could
use the site as an avenue to raise funds to help promote black publishers.
I feel like that is definitely the way to go… since nothing helps
promote a cause like the dolla' bill.
Know
of a cool pop culture website? Tell us all about
it!
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