Weekly Update 7/28/19

cw: discussion of real-world violence against minorities

There's a transformation going on at Marvel comics, and we're definitely going to get to all of it in our episodes and in these weekly updates. But today I wanted to talk about how our personal context we bring to the comics can matter. As you'll hear in the episode, I loved the Luke Cage comics. I continued and read the whole series just for fun. But I do have some mixed feelings about it. While the comics feature a strong, black protagonist whose fights and daily concerns often mirror the real strife of African Americans at the time, there is also a level of discomfort to a team of solely white creators working in a genre far outside their experiences (a huge topic for another day).

On one hand, I can praise Luke Cage for integrating real adversity and struggles into its stories, while on the other I can be suspect of a jive-talking semi-stereotypical black man from the ghetto who ends up fighting mostly black criminals. No matter where you fall in your opinions, I think it's hard to disagree there is a lot to chew on here.

So, when I say that personal context matters, I feel like when I've been discussing Luke Cage, I've done my best to widen my lens and see the comic from outside just my own experience as a white man in 2019, and (smugly) kind of thought I had done a decent job of it. Until I read this blurb about Luke Cage's powers, from Adilifu Nama, professor of African American Studies at Loyola Marymount University:

"It's extremely relevant but also problematic. There's a way in which - at a time when black men in particular are experiencing this confrontation with the lethal force of policing - where they have proven that they are not bulletproof. To have a black man, where that is his calling card,  in some ways is a two sided representation. I see Luke Cage and I wish  Trayvon Martin was Luke Cage ... I wish Tamir Rice had bulletproof skin ... but it is also problematic because it reaffirms the notion of the black body and the black man as being over-powered, over-determined ... having to in fact be  something to be afraid of..."

I haven't formed a strong opinion about this yet, I need to think more on it. It seems valid to
me, as studies have shown people tend to view black children as "less innocent" than their white counterparts, But my point is that this viewpoint, despite being central to the character, had never crossed my mind. And I think it's a great example of why, while reading with these comics or engaging with any media, it's important to try to keep an open mind and seek out other perspectives. Not only does it make you a more engaged and responsible consumer of media, but this is a pleasure in finding the nuance of a work.

I'd love to continue this conversation, both in the comments and in the Slack!

This week's episode is Marvel Year Eleven: 1972 Pt. 2, out tomorrow 7/29/19. Please get any 1972 feedback for us to discuss on our next Variant Cover episode by 8/6/19. You can send it to mymarvelousyear@gmail.com

THE COMICS COVERED FOR 1972, PT. 1 ARE:

Marvel Team-Up #1
Shanna the She-Devil #1
Amazing Adventures #11-12
Marvel Premiere #1
Tomb of Dracula #1-2
Fantastic Four #122-123
Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1
Avengers #95-97

 THE COMICS COVERED FOR 1972, PT. 2 ARE:
Avengers #102-104
Marvel Spotlight #2-5
Defenders #1-3
Amazing Spider-Man #113-115

In addition, $3+ Patrons will get access to Extra Issues, the bonus newsletter that fleshes out each year's readings.

Extra Issues: 1971 will cover T'challa's origin, Red Wolf, Red Skull vs. Dr Doom, and more! The plan is to have it out sometime this week!

EXTRA ISSUES 1971:

Captain America # 134
Astonishing Tales #4-5
Avengers #87
Savage Tales #1
Captain America # 139
Marvel Spotlight #1
Daredevil #81

UPCOMING PODCAST SCHEDULE:

July 29: Marvel Year Eleven: 1972 Pt. 1
August 5: Marvel Year Eleven: 1972 Pt. 2
August 6: Feedback for 1972's Variant Cover Due
August 12: Marvel Year Eleven: 1972 Variant Cover
August 19: Marvel Year Twelve: 1973 Pt. 1
August 26:  Marvel Year Twelve: 1973 Pt. 2

Come chat with us in the Slack channel (available to $5+ patrons), and find us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
You can find all the My Marvelous Year reading lists here and check out the rest of what Comic Book Herald has to offer here.
Thanks for joining us on this journey through Marvel comics!