I found what I believe to be one of the most important popular culture artifacts in my local comic book store. Having seen this I immediately grabbed it off the shelf and ran home to read it.
About halfway through it my roommate came home and I began to rattle off how amazing, important, and what a game changer this was for out modern societal values.
About 15 minutes in she got that far off look in her eye which means that she either stopped listening or was contemplating how she could kill me without staining the carpet with blood so she could still get our security deposit back.
I like to think that she was taking a moment to bask in the radiance of the idea. In the end however she just walked away mumbling about how she cant believe I still read Spider-Man comics
Thats right, Spider-Man is this amazing game changer and not just in the world of comics but as we see ourselves and our heroes in modern America.
Why you ask? Because hes half black half hispanic and all around amazing.
The Spider-Man reboot came out just two years ago, September 2011, with the advent of the death of the original Spider-Man Peter Parker. After Peter Parker was killed Miles Morales having been bitten by a spider much like the one that gave Parker his power took up the mantel of Spider-Man. Although not much is known about Miles Morales, the new Spider-Man only being in its 24th issue, one thing is for sure and that this is a massive leap forward for all of us.
You saw those numbers right though. Started in 2011 but only on its 24th issue. This is mainly because the writer, Brian Michael Bendis, was flushing out the story. In the meantime however all the racist pricks in the world came out ranting about how this was an outrage. But the fact that Bendis went along with it anyway, Marvel backed him, and tons of people buy that series every month shows that for once the loud assholes dont always win.
But before we go any further I want to tell you why this is such a leap forward. The first is kind of obvious, its that Miles is the first mainstream big name ethnic superhero. Hes not some back shelf character or sidekick. Hes the MOTHER. FUCKING. SPIDER-MAN.
The second is that, believe it or not, our comic book superheroes reflect who we want to be and uphold the values in society that we believe in. About now youre giving me that same look my roommate did. But trust me on this one, I have proof.
The proof is that when the Tea Party first started to make headlines Captain America, you may have heard of him, made a comment that they were racist. The writer and artist had to make a public apology about this. Why? Because the Tea Party freaked out! They were appalled and worried about what the rest of the U.S. would think about them if the hero that literally represents America thought they were racists pricks
The second bit of proof is that the death of Superman was reported on the news. Not the local news or some indy paper THE WORLD NEWS. Thats how important he is to us.
Do you see it now? Main stream superheroes uphold and represent the ideas and values of our society. This is also why that, sadly, up until now all non-white superheroes were marginalized as second string characters kept in the background many without their own comics. It was not until the release of the new Ultimate line that we have a superhero in main stream popular culture that is not white. It is also of note that Spider-Man is known for being the most relatable superhero. He is the one that most people feel like they can actually identify with. This shows a progress in popular culture that has never been seen before, it shows a movement past superhero stereotypes which could possibly lead to tackling new ideas in society from a fresh characters perspective.
Where as Parker was more a privileged white kid, Morales is an African American living in an intercity area of Brooklyn, New York. The comic even features Morales family and himself attending the school lottery to see if Morales will be chosen, at random, to attend a better school outside of his neighborhood. Although not widely talked about in American society anymore racism still exists and by Marvels choice to create and intercity superhero we see another step in the right direction to braking down the walls of race. He is something we have never seen before and represents a move forward in American popular culture never before attempted.
Ill leave you with a quote from Italian artist Sara Pichelli, who was integral in designing the new Spider-Mans look, says, Maybe sooner or later a black or gay or both hero will be considered something absolutely normal.
About halfway through it my roommate came home and I began to rattle off how amazing, important, and what a game changer this was for out modern societal values.
About 15 minutes in she got that far off look in her eye which means that she either stopped listening or was contemplating how she could kill me without staining the carpet with blood so she could still get our security deposit back.
I like to think that she was taking a moment to bask in the radiance of the idea. In the end however she just walked away mumbling about how she cant believe I still read Spider-Man comics
Thats right, Spider-Man is this amazing game changer and not just in the world of comics but as we see ourselves and our heroes in modern America.
Why you ask? Because hes half black half hispanic and all around amazing.
The Spider-Man reboot came out just two years ago, September 2011, with the advent of the death of the original Spider-Man Peter Parker. After Peter Parker was killed Miles Morales having been bitten by a spider much like the one that gave Parker his power took up the mantel of Spider-Man. Although not much is known about Miles Morales, the new Spider-Man only being in its 24th issue, one thing is for sure and that this is a massive leap forward for all of us.
You saw those numbers right though. Started in 2011 but only on its 24th issue. This is mainly because the writer, Brian Michael Bendis, was flushing out the story. In the meantime however all the racist pricks in the world came out ranting about how this was an outrage. But the fact that Bendis went along with it anyway, Marvel backed him, and tons of people buy that series every month shows that for once the loud assholes dont always win.
But before we go any further I want to tell you why this is such a leap forward. The first is kind of obvious, its that Miles is the first mainstream big name ethnic superhero. Hes not some back shelf character or sidekick. Hes the MOTHER. FUCKING. SPIDER-MAN.
The second is that, believe it or not, our comic book superheroes reflect who we want to be and uphold the values in society that we believe in. About now youre giving me that same look my roommate did. But trust me on this one, I have proof.
The proof is that when the Tea Party first started to make headlines Captain America, you may have heard of him, made a comment that they were racist. The writer and artist had to make a public apology about this. Why? Because the Tea Party freaked out! They were appalled and worried about what the rest of the U.S. would think about them if the hero that literally represents America thought they were racists pricks
The second bit of proof is that the death of Superman was reported on the news. Not the local news or some indy paper THE WORLD NEWS. Thats how important he is to us.
Do you see it now? Main stream superheroes uphold and represent the ideas and values of our society. This is also why that, sadly, up until now all non-white superheroes were marginalized as second string characters kept in the background many without their own comics. It was not until the release of the new Ultimate line that we have a superhero in main stream popular culture that is not white. It is also of note that Spider-Man is known for being the most relatable superhero. He is the one that most people feel like they can actually identify with. This shows a progress in popular culture that has never been seen before, it shows a movement past superhero stereotypes which could possibly lead to tackling new ideas in society from a fresh characters perspective.
Where as Parker was more a privileged white kid, Morales is an African American living in an intercity area of Brooklyn, New York. The comic even features Morales family and himself attending the school lottery to see if Morales will be chosen, at random, to attend a better school outside of his neighborhood. Although not widely talked about in American society anymore racism still exists and by Marvels choice to create and intercity superhero we see another step in the right direction to braking down the walls of race. He is something we have never seen before and represents a move forward in American popular culture never before attempted.
Ill leave you with a quote from Italian artist Sara Pichelli, who was integral in designing the new Spider-Mans look, says, Maybe sooner or later a black or gay or both hero will be considered something absolutely normal.
It's always interesting to read about the things that people I've met here are interested in, and you've offered some interesting analysis for a person who has never really been into comic books.
How have things with you been these days?