Black Spider Man Follow Up

You know, sometimes I just do stuff without really thinking it all the way through.

Take for instance, photoshopping a J. Scott Campbell pic to make Spider-Man/Peter Parker black. I thought I was doing something that would be enlightening...in some ways I think it succeeded, and in others, failed miserably.

Based off some of the negative reaction I witnessed on this topic, I think I have a relatively good idea of what is going on here.


The image in question is of Spider-Man kissing Black Cat, while MJ looks on, shocked.
Gut reaction: Tense love triangle. I feel bad for MJ, I dislike Black Cat and Spidey's actions.


But once Peter Parker becomes black, the image takes on a whole new level of meaning. If we considered ourselves truly unbiased, colourblind individuals, then when we see the second image, we shouldn't have any change in our gut reactions.

But we do. Why?

Nothings changed. It's still a tense love triangle scene. But now when we see MJ's shocked look, instead of feeling bad for her, we feel confused, repulsed, offended. Instead of interpreting her reaction as just a hurt lover, we now see a manipulative edit I did to associate her feelings of hurt and shock with Peter Parker being black.

But I didn't make that association. I just changed his skin colour.




There is no such thing as a "colourblind, unprejudiced person." Colour matters, differences are real. Accept that people are different. Embrace those differences. Love those differences. Only then will those differences disappear.


More Comix 365 articles:  

Black Spider Woman

Good Girl Art Terry Dodson

Spidey Super Stories # 11

Writer: Jean Thomas

Artists: Winslow Mortimer, Mike Esposito, and T. Mortellaro

Publisher: Marvel

Published: 1975

With the new Spidey film in works, there has been a call for Donald Glover to audition. The debate has been whether Peter Parker/Spider-Man can be black...this whole debate kinda reminds me of todays issue.

After having one of Peter Parker Spidey bindle webs fall into Valerie's hands, she gets the idea to be a superhero!

And after a few training sessions, The Sensational Spider-Woman is born!

Spidey seems ok with this...

Then trouble strikes! The Vulture! Good thing Valerie is there!

And after Valerie's wall suction cups fall off, Spider Woman is no more. The End?

This is a fascinating story. It has a black Spider-Woman, but the fact Valerie is black has no bearing on the story. Valerie's a down on her luck gal, who has her luck turn around when she dons the costume of Spider-Man. And then in the end, she returns to just Valerie, while the real Spider-Man continues his adventures.

This tale has certain elements that are surprisingly similar to the plight of Don Glover and his quest to don the mask of Spider-Man. He's wants to have some of the fun as it were, be a hero. And as much as internet fans photoshop him into the costume, at the end of the day, he'll most likely not be the next Spider-Man. But, unlike Valerie's story in this issue, where she did become Spider-Woman and happened to be black, Don Glover will not be Spider-Man because he is black.

Call me jaded, but the proofs in the pudding. Take for instance the up-and-coming movie The Last Airbender, where 3 of the 4 lead actors are white and are dressed to look Asian/Inuit. If Hollywood won't even cast Asians/Inuit to play originally intended Asian/Inuit characters, they sure as hell won't cast a Black actor to play a White Peter Parker/Spider-Man. (Note: I am not comparing skin colours, but actors to character roles).

But, I'm ambivalent on the issue. Part of me wouldn't want a black actor to be cast as Spider-Man because it would be a gimmick at best. However, another part says yes to a black Spider-Man because characters of such resonance shouldn't be determined by what colour their skin is. Another part of me says why should there be a black Spider-Man when they're are so many other great characters who were written as black. Then again, when I close my eyes and think of Spider-Man and other heroes I enjoy reading, they are always white; my own mind is "white washed" - maybe a simple change of colour could shakes things up for the better?

As a thought experiment on the debate, I photoshopped this image together. Sorry to J. Scott Campbell!

I don't know about you guys, but after looking at this image, I think a world of fresh, controversial, and exciting stories could be culled from making Peter Parker/Spider-Man black.

*****Update*****

So I added this photo to a comic site and the responses I got were awful, and then it opened up the doors for really bad comments. I don't get it. This image wasn't created as a form of blackface. It's trying to imagine what a world would be like where Peter Parker/Spider-Man is black. And as the image suggests, just because Peter's black, doesn't mean his supporting cast would be black as well. I think that is what would be so awesome about a black Spider-Man - he'd tackle racial politics. So this image can be taken a number of ways. Is MJ shocked at Peter cheating, or is she shocked at a black man and a white woman kissing, or both? What exactly would happen if Spider-Man was black?

On a related note: Years ago I saw Joey Jeremiah (Pat Mastroianni) and Snake (Stefan Brogren) do a live show where they talked about their experiences growing up filming Degrassi. One of the stories that stood out was when Degrassi started airing down in the States, their biggest complaints they received weren't the episodes where they tackled child abuse, abortion, drugs, suicide, etc, but the episode where BLT (black) and Michelle (white) kissed. Wow. Living in Canada, where we embrace (or at least pretend to) our differences, I find this to be perplexing. Colour is just that - colour. It makes our world brighter, better, and beautiful.

So either people are offended by this rendition because it's photoshopped, or they immediately think it's a blackface, or they are offended at the potential racial politics therein. I don't know. Any thoughts?

Check out my follow up!



More Comix 365 articles:  

Solo: Mike Allred

The Goon #8

Spider-Man the Manga # 3

Writer/Artist: Ryoichi Ikegami
Translators: Mutsumi Masuda & C.B. Cebulski
Publisher: Marvel
Published: January 1998

The manga version of Spider-Man is pretty cool. It sticks fairly close to the Spider-man ethos. Peter Parker is Yu Komari. In issue # 3 Komari is lamenting his latest defeat at the electric hands of Electro. Meanwhile, Electro is realizing that his lust for money carries a larger price tag then he could ever imagine.


Classic Peter Parker Manga style:
Electro paying the impossible price:
Classic Spider-Man Remorse:

At my old job I met a customer named Peter Parker. When I asked his name he said his first name no problem, but then slightly mumbled his last name. I never said a word. After we were done talking, I kinda felt bad for the guy. He has to live with the name of one of the most famous fictional characters in comic history. However, unlike his comic alter ego, this guy doesn't get to be Spider-Man on the side, swinging from building to building, saving lives, and bringing joy to people. Oh well, I'm sure at the end of the day he'll be alright. Hell, maybe his nickname is Spidey. I can see this guy being good on the bb court. He'd be blasting through defenses, rebounding like a mad nun, and scoring 3 pointers left right and center, all the while, the crowd is shouting: "Go Spidey! Go Spidey!" Yeah, this Peter Parker will be alright.

Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness # 2 of 5

Writer: John Layman
Artist/Colorist: Fabiano Neves/June Chung
Cover: Arthur Suydam
Publisher: Marvel/Dynamite Entertainment
Published: June 2007

90 seconds starting now!

Ash is in the Marvel Universe where zombies have taken over. He meets Spider-Man and the Punisher. The Punisher punishes people. Ash then saves Dazzler, and is impressed by her. They decide to go to visit Dr. Strange to get the Necronomicon to stop the zombies. the zombies are winning, and Ash is running out of one liners...or is he?

Oh and Howard the duck makes a very special guest appearance. A pretty good comic considering it's just capitalizing on the zombie madness. Time!






More Comix 365 articles:  

Mantra

Uncanny X-Men #268

Spider-Man Fairy Tales # 1

Writers: C.B. Cebulski, David Sexton
Artist: Ricardo Tercio
Publisher: Marvel
Published: May 2007

Holy hell did I ever some nightmares about spiders the other night. Fuck I hate spiders...creepiest little things ever...anyway, speaking of spiders, here's another of Spidey's fairy tale issues. This one is pretty cool. It's *ahem* a spin on Red Riding Hood starring Mary Jane. The issue sticks pretty true to the original tale, less the eating of grandma or Mary Jane by the wolf...well, I guess it doesn't stick that close after all..but like the tale's evolution over the years, this one just evolved to fit - THE APPROVED COMIC CODE!!!

Spider-Man's Tangled Web # 15

Writer/Artist: Paul Pope
Publisher: Marvel
Published: August 2002

Yet again, another Paul Pope comic finds its way onto COMIX 3 6 5! No, folks this isn't bordering on obsession,..well maybe a little, but trust me, partly the reason is because I'm right tired and I have some of his comics pre-scanned from an earlier post. But the rest is obsession.

Tangled Web 15 has Spidey only appearing for about 4 or 5 pages, with the rest about a daughter finding out her dad is not the man she thought he was. As always the art looks great.

Fantastic Four # 543

Writers: Dwayne McDuffie, Stan Lee, Paul Pope
Artists: Mike McKone, Nick Dragotta, Mike Allred, Paul Pope, Andy Lanning & Cam Smith
Publisher: Marvel
Published: January 2007

Another Paul Pope entry today. I figure I got's to just get all my Pope comics on this beast so I can start focusing on other comics.

Fantastic Four 543 has 3 tales. The only one I was really concerned with was Pope's (of course). The story is a classic grudge match between ol' Spidey and Flame Brain. One of the greatest dynamics to come out of the Marvel Universe was the rival between the spoiled Human Torch and everyman Spider-Man. The two of them can really get at each others nerves, and Pope delivers on this front.

The other stories involve Stan Lee, Mole Man, and a retrospective of the FF via candid interviews with Marvel Heroes. What I don't quite get was when Stan Lee became less and less of a creator and more and more of a comic character? He's almost Robert Crumbish in his utmost desire to be depicted as a character in the world he helped create (less the fetishes, sex, and bizarre confessions). I suppose he has the absolute right to do this, and he is somewhat of a comic book character in his interviews, so I guess I should just shut my mouth before some Marvel Acolyte starts pasting my blog with hate...

Spidey Super Stories # 33

Writer: Jim Salicrup
Artists: Win Mortimer, Don Perlin, Mike Esposito
Publisher: Marvel & The Electric Company
Published: April 1978

Today's issue has The Friendly Neighbor Hood Spider-Man battling it out with Hulk, The Kangaroo, and the Schemer.

The first tale has Peter Parker and Mary Jane attending the local carnival. Hulk is nearby and he hears laughing. Thinking he is getting laughed at, he storms the carnival. Good thing Spidey is there to take care of things! He ends up dousing Hulk in laughing gas as Hulk looks at himself in a fun house mirror, which causes Hulk to think he is laughing at himself. Once he realizes 'the joke' the Hulk bounds off.

The second tale has Peter Parker getting his ass handed to him by The Kangaroo. The Kangaroo is an Ozzy who hated life in normal civilization, so he intergrated himself in the Kangaroo society. He ate what they ate, jumped like they jump, and so on...The story ends with the Kangaroo knocking out Spidey, then mentioning that all his life he has been a loser, and then getting knocked out by a guitar being smashed over his head. He ends up living in the Zoo with other kangaroos...he's still a loser, but he's happy. There's a moral there...

Finally the last tale has Peter Parker and Aunt May on vacation in the Grand Canyon. Only problem is that the Grand Canyon has been turned into a trash dump, and giant postcards are hiding the trash. The Schemer is the cause of this dastardly, (dare I say) scheme. Spidey has to clean things up by knocking the Schemer's giant sized fly shaped helicopter out of the sky with a giant fly swatter.

Good times.

Spider-Man Fairy Tales # 3

Writer: C.B. Cebulski
Artist: Kei Kobayashi
Colorist: Christina Strain
Publisher: Marvel
Published: September 2007

I really dig these fairy tale spins on the Marvel universe. So far I've got all the Avengers Fairy tales, Spider-Man fairy tales, and some of the X-Men fairy tales. What I dig most is that Marvel is not just placing their characters into the traditional tales, but actually merging the original character into the fairy tale. Take for instance issue 3 of the Spider-Man run.

Peter Parker is Izumi and he is in the care of his grandparents, Aunt Satsuki and Uncle Masaru. His parents were killed by the Yokai, the evil spirits, and they live outside the village. The leader spirit is a Venom inspired monster. Izumi takes it upon himself to avenge his parents, but finds his efforts thwarted as the evil spirits invade his home, capture Aunt Satsuki, and kill his uncle. These themes sound familiar?

Izumi ends up getting infected by the spirits venom, and morphs into a demon spider spirit, but the only difference is that Izumi still has his heart to give him guidance, and he defies his "brother" spirits to save his aunt. He defeats the poison in his heart, and with the assistance of his Aunt, finds the ability to live with his curse. The End.

Spider-Man's Tangled Web #21: 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas

Writers/Artists: Darwyn Cooke, Jay Bone
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Publisher: Marvel
Published: February 2003

Today's issue is probably one of the best Christmas comics from Marvel I've read yet. Cooke and Bone are firing on all cylinders in this issue. Peter Parker is shopping for J. Jonah Jameson's wife (cause Jameson is an a-hole) and Mary Jane, trying to get them the perfects gifts. Meanwhile, Sue from the FF, is also shopping with Crystal. Little do they all know that a diabolical crook is planning on robbing the store they are all in. Oh, and Medusa appears and starts to go haywire on everyone, while Flash Thompson is posing as Spider-Man for a mall attraction. So in a nutcracker's nutshell, we gots the makin's of one helluva issue, but don't take my word for it....instead take a look at the scans!

X-Men and Spider-Man # 2 of 4

Writer: Christos Gage
Artist: Mario Alberti
Publisher: Marvel
Published: December 2008

This is probably the best looking comic for a team up that I have ever read. I've never heard of Mario Alberti, but now that I have, I wish I had knew of him earlier, because his style is just fantastic. His mastery of the graphic design is staggering....I think I'm in love...

Issue two has Spider-Man (in his awesome black suit) rifling through the files of the now dead Kraven, and finding info on some shady dealings between Kraven and Mr. Sinister. Spidy heads over to visit the X-Men to advise them of this. At this point in the series, the X-Men are in knee deep with stopping the Marauders. For all you non X-Men folk, the Marauders are a group of mutants who were hired to capture individuals for Mr. Sinister's experiments. At this point the issue pretty much turns into one kick ass fight sequence, that includes Wolverine getting all beserker on Sabertooth. Also for any of the folks not in the know, Wolvie and Sabertooth don't get along too well...as for thee reasons why, not too sure, as it keeps changing with Wolvies ever expanding history. The last I remember, and this is going back a few issues, is that Sabertooth killed Silver Fox, Wolvies lover. Now, I'm not too sure if that is the case, as I also think that whole Silver Fox thing may have been a mental implant...oh I can't keep up...I'll have to wik it up later. Not tonight though...gotta gets sleep and dream dreams of dreamland...

Anyway, this series is pretty much sliding under the radar, which is too bad, because folks need to buy these issues just so that Marvel will keep hiring Alberti.

Fuck Alberti rocks!

Next up some issues centered on Bats and Betty Page.

Same Bat Time
Same Bat Channel

Ultimate Spider-Man # 12

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Mark Bagley
Publisher: Marvel
Published: October 2001

U is for Ultimate Power with Ultimate Responsibility.

Two Spider-Man reviews in a week. I know - amazing...but not spectacular. Issue 12 has Spider-Man infiltrating Kingpins headquarters to retrieve some recorded video of a recent murder. During the daring heist, Spider-man is forced to take out Electro and the Enforcers, and ultimately, the Kingpin.

See what I did there...I wrote a review in less than 30 seconds. It's my ode to the 30 second review. That, and I got plans tonight. Getting drunk tonight! Kidding...I take that back.