How do you feel about switching the race of characters?

I feel it's unfair to the black community to palm off old white characters and make them black just because they don't want to sit down and make a new character, or just exploit the fact that more blacks will watch a movie if a black person is put in it assuming the role of a previously white character. Your thoughts?

Could you please not refer to them as "blacks"? Not due to offensiveness (though it can be, to some people in my area) but ever since I watched this video, it's been quite unsettling to hear them being called "black" every time.

All of my friends who are black say " we're black" I'm not typing African American every time I mention them, it's not offensive. We are called whites, we don't have the luxury or being called Caucasian American. It's not a racial slur they say black even on the news " a black man was last seen..." it's not racist to say black, they are black and proud

If you are not black, you have no right to complain about what you think they view as unfair.

I think it is great that there is a character that is black that calls himself Spider-Man. I support Marvel for it.

I'm happy that DC has made John Stewart a Green Lantern. These things affect people. They show that the companies are willing to try to show that they're willing to change, and paint a picture that is more reminiscent of this world. It is 2012, and the companies are just now trying to broaden to a wider audience. Blue Beetle hasn't been interesting to me until the scarab merged with Jaime Reyes.

You can't say what you think black people think is unfair.

@Twentyfive said:

If you are not black, you have no right to complain about what you think they view as unfair.

I think it is great that there is a character that is black that calls himself Spider-Man. I support Marvel for it.

I'm happy that DC has made John Stewart a Green Lantern. These things affect people. They show that the companies are willing to try to show that they're willing to change, and paint a picture that is more reminiscent of this world. It is 2012, and the companies are just now trying to broaden to a wider audience. Blue Beetle hasn't been interesting to me until the scarab merged with Jaime Reyes.

You can't say what you think black people think is unfair.

True.

@Bane_of_sith said:

All of my friends who are black say " we're black" I'm not typing African American every time I mention them, it's not offensive. We are called whites, we don't have the luxury or being called Caucasian American. It's not a racial slur they say black even on the news " a black man was last seen..." it's not racist to say black, they are black and proud

We're hardly called "whites", at least in my area.

I know its not racist, but it can be offensive.

I said "I think it's unfair" not black people think its unfair. I feel it's just lazy to palm off an old character instead of giving them a fresh new character to identify with. And I've had many discussions with a friend who is black who shares this very opinion which is why I posted it. He too thinks its messed up to just palm off an old character instead of giving life to a new one. I think there should be more black heroes not just revamped white ones

Where are you from? I've live in PA and were whites, When I lived in Nevada I was white, when I work in New York I'm called white, In Minnesota I was called white. I've been in over a dozen states and never called anything but white. And also Montreal, Quebec, and Dominican republic I was white, I was never offended

@Bane_of_sith: I understand that last comment. But to combat that, all I can say is that comic books with black leads, as history will tell you, have rarely been successes, unless the character is in the shadow of some other character. The only two black characters in either house presently with their own books are versions of other characters. Ultimate-Spider-Man is Miles, who is literally in the shadow of Peter Parker, and Batwing is not only a black Batman, but his book can't survive without him or Nightwing or some other Bat family in it. But this is honestly better than nothing. Your comment has a harsh truth to it, but at the same time, if this is the only way black-led books can survive, I think it is better than nothing. I am honestly quite surprised Blue Beetle has survived this long, given how much Spanish they put into it. But yeah, Bane. The industry has a long, LONG way to go.

Read my post it clearly states I THINK IT'S UNFAIR and last time I checked white people can have an opinion on a topic that involves black people unless that's changed, I'm saying there should be more black heroes how is this a bad thing?

@Bane_of_sith: It isn't a bad thing. And yes you can make your post about whatever. What I said is that the market won't care for new heroes, and that is why they make black versions.

SIGH... I AGREE MY RACE AND OTHER RACES COULD USE SOME MORE SIGHT IN COMICS, BUT NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHERS. <-NOT EVEN MAD

This country is pretty sad...I think it's cool that miles is catching on but I would genuinely like to see a black character with all new ideas for his abilities not just a black spiderman or black batman.. T'challa is cool and original, we need more heroes for the black community in comics not just revamps or spin offs that's all. I don't want to come off as racist now cause I said black that's just the way it is where I'm from,,,and trust me some of the people I live near in PA are much worse, but I work in manhattan a lot and no one has ever been offended when I say black

@Bane_of_sith said:

This country is pretty sad...I think it's cool that miles is catching on but I would genuinely like to see a black character with all new ideas for his abilities not just a black spiderman or black batman.. T'challa is cool and original, we need more heroes for the black community in comics not just revamps or spin offs that's all. I don't want to come off as racist now cause I said black that's just the way it is where I'm from,,,and trust me some of the people I live near in PA are much worse, but I work in manhattan a lot and no one has ever been offended when I say black

QFT. By the way, I agree that we need more original heroes of (every) color, but comic books, and comic readers don't want to broaden their horizons by making or reading about new, or black/hispanic characters. Sad indeed. I do what I can by trying best to support the ones we have, and writing to publishers. Bot every time DC comes out with a "New Wave" of comics, they add something Batman related. The next is a Robin team book. How lame is that?

You should read the first few issues of Batwing. It takes blace in Africa, and the story is really compelling. Even though he is a black Batman, the story does not exploit that fact too much...........until the end of the first arc.

Cool! I never got into it cause I figured it would be a lame spin off

I remember when I was young, I read a black panther comic and thought he was so cool, not just his powers and cool claws but the fact that he was African royalty from wakanda and all the cool stories behind him...it was totally unlike anything else going on in comics, indent see why more characters haven't come out, to me it seems they don't even try

I hate it... I much prefer that if they wanted a black Nick Fury they just made a new character who was exactly like him other than race and name. Btw to the first poster Not all black ppl are Afro american and prefer to be simply called black . It's not offensive overall it's just a personal thing.

@Bane_of_sith said:

Where are you from? I've live in PA and were whites, When I lived in Nevada I was white, when I work in New York I'm called white, In Minnesota I was called white. I've been in over a dozen states and never called anything but white. And also Montreal, Quebec, and Dominican republic I was white, I was never offended

Oh. Sydney, Australia.

People don't really call us Whites from where we are.....

@Bane_of_sith said:

This country is pretty sad...I think it's cool that miles is catching on but I would genuinely like to see a black character with all new ideas for his abilities not just a black spiderman or black batman.. T'challa is cool and original, we need more heroes for the black community in comics not just revamps or spin offs that's all. I don't want to come off as racist now cause I said black that's just the way it is where I'm from,,,and trust me some of the people I live near in PA are much worse, but I work in manhattan a lot and no one has ever been offended when I say black

I would agree.

I would love to visit Australia it has been one of my top 3 places to see before I die! Your very lucky to live in such an amazing environment

@Bane_of_sith said:

I would love to visit Australia it has been one of my top 3 places to see before I die! Your very lucky to live in such an amazing environment

So what are your top three places?

What are you referring to by "amazing environment"? Well, if you mean some spectacles, Australia has quite a few.

Japan, Australia, India. By environment I mean geological surroundings, there are soooo many beautiful places I've seen on tv from deserts to mountains and gorgeous beaches it's an amazing country with a very interesting history....and a little off topic I love quigley down under lol

@Bane_of_sith said:

Japan, Australia, India. By environment I mean geological surroundings, there are soooo many beautiful places I've seen on tv from deserts to mountains and gorgeous beaches it's an amazing country with a very interesting history....and a little off topic I love quigley down under lol

Our history is mysterious.... there's some rock paintings and so speaking of an incredibly civilized race existing here prior to the Aboriginals...... and so many people thought the Aboriginals were the first civilization here.

LOL at Quigley Down Under.

I'd love to see Uluru and mt.augustus in the flesh and the Ningaloo reef too many to list

@Bane_of_sith said:

I'd love to see Uluru and mt.augustus in the flesh and the Ningaloo reef too many to list

Just went to the Blue Mountains and saw the Three Sisters a few days ago.

I love exploring,,,I've visited many states as a child and always loved seeing new things. Australia is an explorers dream come true, but you've got to have your wits about you, it has some very dangerous areas...I once got lost in the Nevada desert it sucked lol don't wanna get lost down under all they will find is sun bleached bones

I wrote a blog about this a couple years ago. I'm not a fan of changing race just for the sake of it.

I feel that it's a cop out to just change a character into a minority. It's offensive. Not because they're minorities but because it's lazy. As a reader I am insulted that this is all the effort these companies think I, and all other fans are worth.

Not a fan of the marvel NOW nick fury jr it reek's of laziness and look's and feel's like a cheap ploy to have a black/african american nick fury in the 616 universe to tie in with the movies.

Ultimate nick fury on the other hand is great. I cant wait for marvel to introduce Nicola fury in a new alt U.

Good character is good character no matter what the race of that character may be, besides it's 2012 can we please move on from race? 

@ShootingNova said:

Could you please not refer to them as "blacks"?

lol white people being sensitive about black people

Hahaha, off topic but.. Why do people think we get so offeneded when you say black? Black is completely acceptable... Please don't go around callin every black person you see "African American" either. Not everyone whos black is African American.(People don't seem to think of that.)

I just found out theres a black Spidey, and honestly that makes me more interested.

until i know everyone belong to the human race, what varies is the skin tone, no the race

I'm Black and I agree that there is a huge need for characters that are not "legacy heroes." I actually do appreciate the sentiment behind creating such heroes, but in the end, it's a deleterious practice. You see this is a bilateral problem, we have companies that are unwilling to risk making original black heroes and consumers that are unwilling to give them a chance. The companies don't make them, becausse they feel that they will inevitably fail and the consumers don't want to partake in them because they feel like they'll be c anceled quickly anyway-creating a paradox; another reason consumers do not try to give black heroes a chance because they perceive them as BLACK heroes, someone that they are unable to relate to. When the consumers realize that a great character like the Blue Marvel can be just as interesting and relatable in his own special way, then this industry can move forward. I'm also going to throw out the huge lack of asian, hispanic, native american, indian, and middle eastern heroes.

i only hate it because i feel like they are just doing it for money purposes and trying to make more people buy their comics,not for the character or the people or anything like that.That is why i didn't like whe they made alan scott gay,i don't really care,but i just didn't like that they did it for money,not the character or the people.

@ShootingNova said:

Could you please not refer to them as "blacks"?

This is one of those situations where somebody tries to make someone feel bad for using a term which pretty much offend nobody. All this political correctness does nothing but make more words "bad words." Over time, the words which are found offensive become larger and larger because as soon as the liberals hear that one person is offended by a term, nobody is allowed to use it without their disapproval.

Anyway, regarding the use of the word black, I will only consent that it has a negative connotation if you are willing to condemn BET as racist against blacks.

In regards to political correctness in general, stop deciding that words are offensive. Homosexuals are gays, people with IQs less than 70 are retarded, and really short people are midgets. It's not offensive, it is simply the meaning of the words.

People are way to sensitive. I mean come on, now "Black" is offensive? Give me a break. I get called "White" by other people and I could care less. Maybe I should start my own channel called "WET" for White Entertainment. Hell there is a channel called BET, you know Black Entertainment. I guess nobody has a problem with that. I'm just sick of all of this political correct BS. People need to get thicker skin and stop being so damn sensitive.

@Batnandez: Not really, its not offensiveness. Just that I know some people get offended by it. I prefer to call people "Black people" rather than just "Blacks" because it sounds weird.

@cyberninja said:

Good character is good character no matter what the race of that character may be, besides it's 2012 can we please move on from race?

Agreed

New characters in general rarely ever catch on so them latching on to proven franchises is the best way for them to succeed. If comic fans were open to Marvel and DC pushing new and original characters, we wouldn't have this problem.

@Twentyfive said:

If you are not black, you have no right to complain about what you think they view as unfair.

I think it is great that there is a character that is black that calls himself Spider-Man. I support Marvel for it.

I'm happy that DC has made John Stewart a Green Lantern. These things affect people. They show that the companies are willing to try to show that they're willing to change, and paint a picture that is more reminiscent of this world. It is 2012, and the companies are just now trying to broaden to a wider audience. Blue Beetle hasn't been interesting to me until the scarab merged with Jaime Reyes.

You can't say what you think black people think is unfair.

This

I believe Whitewashing is a serious issue that affects everyone.

I could do without it.

It really depends on the character.

@Xanni15 said:

I believe Whitewashing is a serious issue that affects everyone.

QFT. Shame on DC.

Marvel to a lesser extent, but them too.

@Nova`Prime` said:

It really depends on the character.

Pretty much this. Generally i don't like change just for the sake of change but sometime, like in film, it works well. I really enjoyed Michael Clark Duncan as the Kingpin. The guy was awesome in the role and I can't imagine somebody could've played it better. On the other hand I though Idris Elba as Hiemdallr was stupid. Elba was a good actor but I think there's any number of people who could've been placed in that role. It was change just for the sake of change. I felt like they were trying to make a statement with his casting as opposed to, "OMG OMG ELBA IS PERFECT FOR THIS ROLE. NO ONE ELSE CAN PLAY IT LIKE HIM."

i would love to see more minorities leading solo book.

i wish they give

blue marvel,

storm

shang chi,

luke cage,

cloak & dagger,

cyborg,

vixen,

blade,

aqualad,

blue bettle,

static

black lighting

a chance, but until the fans become opened-minded minorities characters won't be able to succeed like the a-list. which what marvel & DC only cares about.

@Mega_spidey01:

I understand what you're saying but I also don't think it's only on the fans. Black Panther seems to be a very popular comic book character, as does Storm (too popular judging by some here lol) and possibly Nick Fury with Sam Jackson's portrayal in the films so maybe it's on those in charge to come up with characters worth following, and promote those characters. It's a bit of an insult if a company just comes out with a minority character for the express purpose of appealing to minorities, or for the WOW factor. Just make characters that are interesting, I believe most fans are open minded that they won't care what skin color they are as long as the story is awesome. Of course, the a- listers as you put already have a devoted following and head-start but it can change.

I've never read any of his comics but Black Panther seems like a very cool character, one who should have a feature film. I know there's an animated one with him which is a start.

Some good points made here guys, thanks for responding!!

@Bane_of_sith:

No problem. :]

@Lone_Wolf_and_Cub: @PsychoKnights said:

@ShootingNova said:

Could you please not refer to them as "blacks"?

This is one of those situations where somebody tries to make someone feel bad for using a term which pretty much offend nobody. All this political correctness does nothing but make more words "bad words." Over time, the words which are found offensive become larger and larger because as soon as the liberals hear that one person is offended by a term, nobody is allowed to use it without their disapproval.

Anyway, regarding the use of the word black, I will only consent that it has a negative connotation if you are willing to condemn BET as racist against blacks.

In regards to political correctness in general, stop deciding that words are offensive. Homosexuals are gays, people with IQs less than 70 are retarded, and really short people are midgets. It's not offensive, it is simply the meaning of the words.

You're missing the point of what he was asking, @ShootingNova was referring to using the phrase "blacks" to refer to black people. No one in this thread is taking offense to using black to refer to Americans of African emigrate decent. But discarding the people part while discussing "blacks" (or "gays, Jews, and cripples") is dehumanizing. Those words have other connotations than simply their dictionary definition, so why call someone something they don't want to be called? Also, your kneejerk reaction to instantly lambast liberals is fairly childish. And BET is abominable.

@KnightRise: Dehumanizing? Why so sensitive?

@KnightRise said:

@Lone_Wolf_and_Cub: @PsychoKnights said:

@ShootingNova said:

Could you please not refer to them as "blacks"?

This is one of those situations where somebody tries to make someone feel bad for using a term which pretty much offend nobody. All this political correctness does nothing but make more words "bad words." Over time, the words which are found offensive become larger and larger because as soon as the liberals hear that one person is offended by a term, nobody is allowed to use it without their disapproval.

Anyway, regarding the use of the word black, I will only consent that it has a negative connotation if you are willing to condemn BET as racist against blacks.

In regards to political correctness in general, stop deciding that words are offensive. Homosexuals are gays, people with IQs less than 70 are retarded, and really short people are midgets. It's not offensive, it is simply the meaning of the words.

You're missing the point of what he was asking, @ShootingNova was referring to using the phrase "blacks" to refer to black people. No one in this thread is taking offense to using black to refer to Americans of African emigrate decent. But discarding the people part while discussing "blacks" (or "gays, Jews, and cripples") is dehumanizing. Those words have other connotations than simply their dictionary definition, so why call someone something they don't want to be called? Also, your kneejerk reaction to instantly lambast liberals is fairly childish. And BET is abominable.

So saying black people is okay, but saying blacks is not? Sure, that is not an arbitrary distinction at all. Everybody knows that blacks, whites, Jews, and any other name of an ethnic group is referring to a group of people. I would say it is those that think that the term black is a bad thing which have race issues.

I hear black people call each other black all the time. I don't think I've ever heard a black guy telling a story say, "I saw an African-American gentleman..." No, they say, "There was this black guy..."

There is nothing childish about pointing out that liberals constantly come up with new terms to prohibit seemingly thinking that you can change people's attitudes by changing their language. However, new terms come into being which come to mean the same thing, and then the liberals just have to prohibit new terms. I find those that are childish are usually those that resort to name calling rather than addressing people's argumentative points. Of course, that is just my experience.