Re: Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam... I've got an 8 year old at home, who's just lovin' the book. I took one look at all the code-cracking involved and rolled my eyes, thinking, "What a hassle!" but she just ate it up and kept working away at it long after lights out. Too cool! Between this book and "Tiny Titans", she's hooked.
murr
Just so you get some kind of response: I thought your take on the Spiegelman sketchbook was right on!
Moronic twats. Man this site needs some serious DDoSing.
I have a nine-year-old and a five year old, and both boys loved Billy Batson--the older one worked on the codes as we read the comic together. Between the density of the layouts and the exuberance of the cartooning, I think I may get a bigger kick out of this than the Smith mini-series, to be honest.
I'd would *almost* be tempted to think the Magical Negro in Batman is so ridiculous that it has to be a knowing parody of the concept--except I remember that the Boy material was the most embarrassing, awkward part of Invisibles.
While there have been a few good issues or sequences, Morrison's Batman is one case where I don't have a lot of faith that these disjointed, dissatisfying comics will be rehabilitated by the finish.
Morrison (like many Europeans) seems to have a view of American race relations that's just a bit retrograde to us. He's definitely using the Magical Negro in Batman #678 w/o irony. And remember also James Highwater, the Native American in "Animal Man."
And I haven't seen anyone comment on how the New Gods' & Monitors' "mortal shells" in "Mister Miracle" & "Final Crisis" are black Americans (except Turpin, & that's not done yet). Anyone care to explore this? I'd love to read a thoughtful analysis.
I'm glad to hear you speak up about Morrison's representation of African-Americans. I wasn't sure anyone was paying attention. You've given me new faith, Douglas!
Having just read Seven Soldiers, I was appalled at the way he handled Shilo Norman. It was just one cliche after the next; he clearly only knows African-Americans from MTV. This social and artistic mediocrity is all the more distressing because Morrison's concepts in that series were so great otherwise.
The Al Sharpton send up in FC doesn't improve the picture. When you add it all up, Morrison looks like a great storyteller who REALLY needs to think harder about his perceptions of race.
(Which hasn't stopped me from reading FC yet, and completely appreciating your annotations!)
"he clearly only knows African-Americans from MTV"
Wasn't all that stuff deliberate? Wasn't it supposed to be read as a component of the Anti-Life Equation? Worldy corruption blinding Shiloh to the majesty of Teh Spiritual And Infinite?
//Oo/\
Hmm. I mean clearly Honor Jackson is a black, homeless man - a magical presence, in fact, because he is dead - but I'd hardly consider this irony-absent given he killed himself with $100 of broon bought with money billionaire Bruce Wayne, the Batman, gave him in part one of RIP.
In fact, Honor's race is almost entirely irrelevant (certainly, writers will use African-Americans as a shorthand for the abjectly poor, but I think there just may be some reality basis for this) - not a fan of the term 'magical negro', really; I discovered it recently immersing myself in coverage of the current American election which we Euros like to be so proscriptive about, but it does seem like a bit of a shortcut round thinking, generally. In this review, as with say Steven Shaviro's coverage of Election 2008, what exactly is the reader supposed to draw: a phrase, which leads to disapproving chin-stroking? Mmm, mmm, it's terrible, yes. What about that No-Beard, who taught the Manhattan Guardian some valuable lessons about life below the pavement, too? Mmm, yes, it's quite bad, isn't it?
And, actually, Jog excuses the issue of the label you appear to be gumming on, Douglas, given its liminal milieu; surely between the worlds of life and death ALL negroes are magical?
Matthew-
I'd have an easier time accepting that it is ironic if Morrison sometimes portrayed black people without the cliche. But he just seems so consistent to me, so predictable on race; it's more likely an unconscious thing, I think.
I for one find the 'magical negro' is a common narrative device; I also think there are ways to portray poverty or the spirtuality of black people that aren't so rote. This is also true of the portrayal of the spiritual isolation of Shilo Norman, which I believe such a creative writer as Morrison could accomplish with more than just rehashed hip-hop images.
He relies on very plastic, artificial tropes when it comes to black characters. If he doesn't mean it, he really ought to give us a clearer indication of that. Furthermore, even if he doesn't mean it, would it really be OK to only portray black people ironically?!
Plastic! As in Plastic People! One of the Kirbyisms repurposed for Morrison's Mr.M!
...ahem.
I mean, sure. I haven't given this much thought. Here, I'm defending the series, rather than the creator. And I don't want to go through Morrison's back catalogue to pick out the "good" examples - mostly because that feels worse, somehow.
I will say this: that I liked Jake Jordan's family from Manhattan Guardian - especially the Stan Lee-esque patriarch. (I liked TMG so much that the thought of them bringing back dusty ol' Jim Harper makes me a bit angry. Sucha strong concept. Such an opportunity to do something novel and multimedia-y.)
But even Jake Jordan's origin involves the shooting of an innocent black child. So...yeah.
//Oo/\
"I for one find the 'magical negro' is a common narrative device;"
Stripping out the word negro and making it the 'magical other' demonstrates how common it really is. I mean, how many 'magical Indians' have there been or 'magical asians'? The non-white person with the deeper spiritual understanding and mysterious wisdom has been a cliche for a long time. The term 'magical negro' seems to spring from a period where there was a bunch of Bagger Vance-like stories with a white guy and his enigmatic black friend all out at the same time.
Mike
Aaron: I think Morrison's use of black characters in Mister Miracle and Final Crisis is far more complex than the Magic Negro caricature in Batman. Their presence as the godly aliens' "human shells" seems like a variation on the Afro-Futurism that Sun Ra and George Clinton invoked, flipping the exoticization of gifted minorities into a mythology of black people as hyper-advanced beings. The aboriginal material in FC #1 could be an extension of this theme, and I don't think it's coincidental that Darkseid is the sole exception who takes root in a stodgy old white guy...
Of course I could be peering at something that isn't there, but Morrison has occasionally used this "Afronaut" theme before (e.g. Jim Crow's black-power appropriation of Doctor Who in The Invisibles) so I think it's worth discussing. Morrison might also be hurtling towards dodgy exoticization himself - he's certainly done THAT before as well - but so far Final Crisis is leading me to expect otherwise. The next few issues should provide an answer...hopefully I'll get around to expanding this into an actual post by then...
And now "Batman: RIP" is officially less intelligible than FINAL CRISIS.
There's an Al Sharpton send-up in Final Crisis? Wow, I've already forgotten that character, and it's only been two issues. Three cheers for beer! Hooray!
Also: whatever's going on with that lady's face is unpleasant and making my head feel weird. Three cheers for beer! Hooray!
As regards American entertainment, "magical Indian" is redundant.
I recall (was it in Anarchy for the Masses? I forget) Morrison saying he wrote Boy out of THE INVISIBLES because he got sick of black people telling him he didn't know how to write black characters. He's always struck me as being somewhat club-footed in that arena. But, hey, points for trying! Or something.
Duncan, I'd say the magical negro stock character is the shortcut around thinking (about character, about race); the phrase is just a useful means of identifying it. Don't shoot the messenger. I wonder if your inclination to do so might confirm Aaron's assessment about European views of American race relations: not retrograde, necessarily, but definitely at arm's length.
That said, I don't think Shilo Norman or Jake Jordan qualify, nor do any of the various mentor figures they meet; one of the hallmarks of the magical negro is that he/she exists purely to further a white protagonist's spiritual development, and that goes out the window when the protagonist is also black. Nonwhite characters aren't just spiritual cheerleaders in Seven Soldiers, they're the heroes, and the spiritual guides are just as likely to be white supporting characters like Ed Stargard. (Ali ka-Zoom might be another matter, but I'm willing to credit the Seven Soldiers project as a whole for its diverse group of protagonists.)
I just re-read this issue of Batman (celebratin' freedom, don't you know). I still don't think that Morrison is treating the Magical Negro/Other as much more than a cliched archetype. Marc is right on: it's Bruce's story, Honor is just a mystical facilitator whose race is either mooted or shorthand for Mystical Connection.
But their crosstown adventure has the simple ironic pleasures of a Eisner-penned "Spirit." See especially the silent panel of them skeedaddling with a shopping cart. Imagine Denny Colt with temporary amnesia, it'd probably play out this way too (aside from the Bat-Radia weirdness).
I don't see how you can fault "Seven Soldiers" on diversity (esp. the Guardian's family), gender-wise as well. "Mr. Miracle" played Norman's spiritual journey against a view of American celebrity epitomized by mainstream hip-hop. Not always gracefully, but to effective & (I think) honorable ends.
Chris, thanks for the Mothership Connection! I'll keep my eye out for your thoughts on Morrison's Afro-Futurism. I think you may be on to something.
Duncan, I'd say the magical negro stock character is the shortcut around thinking (about character, about race); the phrase is just a useful means of identifying it. Don't shoot the messenger. I wonder if your inclination to do so might confirm Aaron's assessment about European views of American race relations: not retrograde, necessarily, but definitely at arm's length.
That said, I don't think Shilo Norman or Jake Jordan qualify, nor do any of the various mentor figures they meet; one of the hallmarks of the magical negro is that he/she exists purely to further a white protagonist's spiritual development, and that goes out the window when the protagonist is also black.
I wouldn't like to be a stand-in for all Europeans understanding of African-Americans media portrayals, of course, but you make some fair points, Marc and of course I do love your blog (do some blog! Generation Kill starts next week) and the vast majority of Douglas' work - being irked is hardly shooting teh messanger; I'm irked because really this was a glib review of a comic I found pretty terrif and I don't think having a character perform the same, effectively, functions as No-Beard or Tom O'Bedlam if you want to go back - but with generally less magic, etc. - constitutes a pernicious archetype.
What insights does Honor offer Bruce Wayne, really? 1. The view's nice under the bridge, at the bottom of Gotham Town, at sunset. 2. Here is how to acquire money to buy Horse, and where to buy it. 3. Here is an item (which may be magical or you may see it as such with yr smackbrain.) None of these functions are race-dependent or race-typed* or even terribly useful so far; if one were to say Grant Morrison is guilty of valorising the homeless, then probably, yes. Someone has to besides David Simon.
*However, it is perhaps somewhat noteworthy that both black characters in Morrison's Bat-run have been the only ones to highlight Bruce's irresponsibility with his vast finances.
Stepping aside from the "magic Negro" question, I wanted to raise an issue about "Batman: RIP" that I haven't seen on any blog I've read. It actually pertains to the previous issue of the storyline, which I only read recently. Did no one else notice the striking change to Bruce Wayne's biography that Morrison made? I'm not referring to the possibility that Bruce's parents had a sordid past, that Thomas Wayne faked his own death, or even that Alfred is Bruce's father. I'm talking about the fact that those claims purportedly come from the files of a detective hired by Martha Wayne's parents following her death. In other words, Bruce, who we've always been led to believe had no close living relatives following his parents' deaths - otherwise why was he raised by the family butler (I'm going to ignore the "Mrs. Chilton" stuff) - actually had living grandparents!
I realize the allegations of the Waynes' illicit activities may well be disinformation from the Black Glove (and I sure hope they are). But for that disinformation to work, it must have a plausible "cover story" - and part of that story is the existence of Martha Wayne's (then) living parents.
There are certainly ways to retroactively explain why Bruce's grandparents didn't raise him: perhaps they died not long after his parents did, perhaps there were legal issues surrounding the custody, etc. But as of right now, a rather stunning change in Bruce's life story seems to have slipped by in a couple of lines of dialogue.
Duncan, my "shooting the messenger" comment was aimed more at your derision for the entire concept of the magical negro--Steven Shaviro may be glib and superficial (as always) when he cites it but the stereotype is out there and has become especially prevalent in the last decade or so.
I also think you misinterpret the role and function of the magical negro: the insights they offer the protagonist don't have to be race-dependent or race-typed (Morpheus and the Oracle teach Neo "there is no spoon"; Whoopi Goldberg helps Demi Moore shack up with her ghost husband; Bagger Vance teaches Matt Damon golf), the role itself is the racial type, trading on stereotypes about black spirituality and centuries-old romanticizations of the nonwhite noble savage. "Honor Jackson" plugs into that role (Christ, look at his name--identifying the character as a moral signpost and little else) regardless of what specific insights he offers Bruce Wayne. Plus, giving Wayne a new perspective on the world and guiding him through a symbolic initiation of death and rebirth is not exactly the road not taken for this stock type.
As for your comparisons, neither one applies. Tom O'Bedlam mentors a character of the same race, in a story populated almost entirely by characters of the same race; he neither taps into preexisting stereotypes about whites, nor does he become an essentializing stand-in for an entire race. The number and variety of white characters in The Invisibles (and in western culture in general) free Tom from that burden.
I would say the same is true for No-Beard and Jake Jordan, but really--does No-Beard even teach Jordan anything? (Hint: "I don't care who you people are...") He just offers the Guardian a ride when he needs one; any lessons are strictly negative examples imparted by the grisly results of the character's greed and insecurity, and the Guardian isn't around to witness them. Jordan's already got his mentors in Larry Marcus and Ed Stargard, and the cast is diverse enough that L-Mar doesn't have to play the token negro, magical or otherwise. He's one black character among many and his advice is pretty grounded in the here and now. I think you're reading the magical negro too broadly as a general mentor archetype, when in fact it's a pretty well-defined stereotype that perpetuates a nasty binary of black spirituality and white rationality and always subordinates the black guide to the white hero.
since when can niggers do magic?
haha you morons. (im black myself)
I guess you win Marc - this time!! Nah, it's been enlightening; I'm still somewhat dubious on a few items - whether Honor imparts terribly much of a spiritual nature, whether No-Beard was as negatory an example as you believe, and you know - blah, blah, colour-blind, blah - how important it need be that Tom O'Bedlam is white and Honor black (to a large extent I'm of the belief that race issues = class issues, but I am not, as you know, an American and don't know, say, percentiles of white/nonwhite homeless in the US and whether black/impoverished is a completely legitimate shorthand or not) and why it is that that should make all the difference. I do still think that fact that Bruceman is directly culpable for the character's death does undercut things rather, but I'm also quite happy to cop to not wanting to spoil my enjoyment of the comic, so.
Jog's summary - "Bruce then encounters Honor Jackson, a character last seen back in part 1 who veers perilously close to "magical negro" territory, although at least Morrison has the courtesy to frame him as a sort of spirit guide through the underworld (albeit one who got to be a spirit through his misuse of Batman's unwitting act of kindness from a few issues ago... which does complicate things even more).", in an admittedly much longer and more fulsome review, seems to mark the line - the third way, you might say, that I'm inclined to take. But I may be heeldragging, clearly.
"to a large extent I'm of the belief that race issues = class issues, but I am not, as you know, an American and don't know, say, percentiles of white/nonwhite homeless in the US and whether black/impoverished is a completely legitimate shorthand or not"
Actually, it's one much beloved by our racists. Just so you know.
This is that arm's-length view of race coming into play again. Not just in the too-neat equation of race and class; I think most appeals to colorblindness are both unreflective and unearned, minimizing very real differences in racial opportunities and racial representations because it's easier or more comforting than thinking about the persistence of racism and racial stereotypes.
But hell, plenty of Americans do that too. (And we tend to be as willfully, conveniently ignorant of class differences as some foreigners are about racial differences; I point no fingers.) To ground this in specifics, I would love to know what those "blah blahs" are eliding, but no, stock character types are not colorblind, and yes, it does make a difference that Tom is a white character mentoring another white character in a story filled with them and Honor is a black character mentoring a white character in a story with only one other black character. (And that Tom is generally a much more rounded, well-developed character.) Tom doesn't conform to a longstanding stereotype about nonwhite, nonrational moral/mystical insight and he doesn't carry the same burden of potentially standing in for an entire race.
Nobody can look at Tom O'Bedlam in the context of The Invisibles and find confirmation that most Englishmen are impoverished, irrational, mentally ill but spiritually wise homeless people--obviously the same is not true of Honor Jackson.
Do you mind if I blog this, Marc? I do feel a bit like I'm continually weeing on Douglas reviews and I'm, ah, struggling for quick cont... no, I really do find this instructive - there's a lot of interest to delve into - but if you don't mind being editorialised all over, etc. and coming to MindlessOnes to further this, that would be smashing.
Be my guest. (Or would that be the other way around?)
I'll be your host. Prolly about 5 or so hours from now.
Did I see a magical negro when I read the Honor Jackson character? No, but then i'm not as cynical, jaded, and colored by race as some people out there. Honestly, cliche or not, it affected me or my enjoyment of the story as a whole NONE.
Kinda like bitchin' about the floormats of your new Benz.
Maybe closer to 7-8, just getting underway. I never handed in an essay early in my life either.
I'm glad you enjoyed the comic, C##. That says nothing about whether the character is a stereotype or not--though your defensive comments here certainly say something about you.
Marc, anyone else interested; follow this for one of the web's finest volte-faces.
Duncan, you're totally welcome to disagree with anything I post, of course--I welcome responses!
C##'s basic comment was one I wanted to make, but refrained from. People commenting here have a much greater emotional investment in the issue they perceive than I do. I think the "racist' judgement of Grant here is wrong, but I do agree about some of the evidence presented. I am aware of the "mystical negro" concept, and have been bothered by it before (perhaps my favorite movie, "O Brother Were Art Thou" , has just such a character [the blind oracle on the hand-powered railroad car] that I totally wince about.)
I didn't pick up on Honor Jackson being anything more than a homeless guy who helps Wayne and turns out to be dead. I live in San Francisco, and maybe our poly-ethnic social environment here has effected me. We have homeless people of all ethnicities and wealthy people of all ethnicities. The character of Honor Jackson is one man, so can only be one ethnicity. I didn't see choosing that he be Black as a statement of any kind.
(I do think it's true that Grant has a history of connecting his few non-white characters with myth and the supernatural. It's true that many people interpret every nuance of his work as having meaning/intent, and that he cultivates this interpretation. So maybe people outraged by Honor Jackson being a black man are right on target.)
However, since I didn't notice this "problem", I have to agree with C##'s basic statement: that the angered folks brought their own spin to the table.
I was really annoyed by Marc's response to C##. Particularly after reading Marc earlier:
"it does make a difference that Tom is a white character mentoring another white character in a story filled with them and Honor is a black character mentoring a white character in a story with only one other black character" (Marc)
As I see it, in both storylines, the "mentoring" character is the only fully-developed homeless-guy character. And their homeless-guy life is what grounds their character. Tom O'Bedlam never mentions race, nor does Honor Jackson. Nor does Grant Morrison, but Marc does.
Maybe Grant is clueless or rascist. Or maybe you're getting way too PC with your own agendas. If we follow through on the thought-line of Grant's depictions equalling racism, we can get to him being racist for making the wealthy financier who backs The Invisibles cell NOT be a Black man. Any choice he made to depict someone as a particular ethnicity can be seen as a comment about ethnicity. That is, if the reader is searching for comments about ethnicity. Creators paying constant attention to such issues stifles their creativity and is effectively a form of censorship.
It occurs to me that if DC ever put a Black kid in the Robin costume, people thinking like Marc would be terribly outraged: a (Black) youth who is being supervised, educated, and rescued constantly by a (White) father-figure. What would DC be saying! Concerns about such public outcry would interfere with DC's freedom to tell stories of a Black Robin.
Marc, D
Seth, there's a pretty huge leap from "this character is a stereotype" to "this author is a racist," and that's a leap I haven't made. Implying that I have is entirely too convenient. It provides a great excuse to get your dander up and fume about PC agendas and censorship and all those other vintage early 90s cliches, but it's not what I said.
"Tom O'Bedlam never mentions race, nor does Honor Jackson. Nor does Grant Morrison, but Marc does."
And as I commented to Duncan a while back, mentioning race isn't what makes the magical negro a magical negro (I don't believe Morpheus or the Oracle ever mention it, either); it's their role in the story, their relationship to the protagonist, and their token minority status. Honor Jackson fits the bill and Tom O'Bedlam doesn't. Neither do some of Morrison's other mentor characters like Larry Marcus, Ed Stargard, or the mortalized Metron of Seven Soldiers. This isn't a judgment on Grant Morrison's values, it's a criticism of one character who fits the traits of the magical negro so perfectly that I have to regard some of the denials--especially the kind that come packed in straw men, slippery-slope arguments, and personal attacks--as willfully ignorant.
But at this point I'm just rehashing things I've already said. I recommend that you read Duncan's post for a much more detailed discussion of why Honor Jackson fits the stereotype (and a comment that I hope clarfies my own feelings on the type of argument you seem to think I'm making).
Does Batgirl still have a stitchy mouth-mask?
//Oo/\
It occurs to me that if DC ever put a Black kid in the Robin costume, people thinking like Marc would be terribly outraged: a (Black) youth who is being supervised, educated, and rescued constantly by a (White) father-figure. What would DC be saying! Concerns about such public outcry would interfere with DC's freedom to tell stories of a Black Robin.
Sean, honestly, this is total rubbish; the power relationship you've described (he said hesitantly) is hardly a well-turned cliche. I mean, I've seen the trailer for Finding Forrester and angrily shouting snatches of classic lit does look awesome, but. You know. Really? It's Marc's fault there is no black Robin? (no-one ever mentions it, btw, but isn't Damien half-Arabian?)
Morrison's failing and one I, in my fannish ardour, followed him in making was in uncritically regurgitating a cliche which has confining and trite racial connotations. I honestly believe it was done with the best intent possible (that of creating a haunting backdrop with urban poor, etc.,) better intent certainly than mine or yours in defending our right to enjoy our entertainments untainted, and it doesn't make a huge dent in my esteem of him as a writer (still #1) - he fucked up in overlooking these things; after all, I fucked up in my various denials. He is an elaborate writer and doubtless an elaborate defence can be concocted, (yours is not it,) but I can't honestly - on reflection - make one I believe in.
Thanks for basically enunciating my 'blah-blahs' of earlier, though, which are essentially "but, my friend, it is YOU who is emphasising racial difference"; the fact is we all know our history and while it might feel nicer to hide that away, it just won't do. Legacy, unfortunately, won't just disappear no matter how hard you ignore it.
Marc-
First: I see now that HaloScan cut off my final paragraph: It pretty much said we ALL say something about ourselves when we respond to art/writing. And that your vehemently expressed take on Grant's work leaves you in a glass house when you throw the stone of "your defensive comments here certainly say something about you" at others. And that there is room in internet comment chains for all our opinions. I wish HaloScan didn't have length constraints cause I'm mighty long-winded.
I pretty much agree with everything you say in your reply to my rant. I suppose I did make the "pretty huge leap" , that it was my take on your statements and not yours.
But with statements like:
"the magical negro stock character is the shortcut around thinking (about character, about race)" (and) "a pretty well-defined stereotype that perpetuates a nasty binary of black spirituality and white rationality and always subordinates the black guide to the white hero." , I think I was reasonable in thinking you were headed in the direction I took you.
I did follow the link to Duncan's post/page and read both his essay and your response and understood both. And you do have Honor Jackson identified correctly by your lights.
Duncan- It's not Marc's fault personally that there's no Black Robin, but I'm sure that writer's and editors live in fear of character traits that bring the attention of "special interest groups". I really don't think Morrison thought twice about making Honor Jackson Black, but in doing so he exposed himself to criticism. Criticism he wouldn't be exposed to if he just stuck to White guys. To include a Black character, or a gay character, or handicapped character (to name just a few) in your work is to risk criticism for the depiction of or actions of the character. And that's an intimidating prospect.
Before I post this I'm gonna copy it in case part gets cut off!
Marvel has had a ton of handicapped characters for 40 years - I think it's not "special interest groups" that work as a preventative to having more multiracial/sexual characters so much as bigots and a market that won't purchase products featuring them.
No, no, Duncan, it's those mean liberals' fault for criticizing.
Seth/Anonymous, I don't think my take on Morrison's work was at all vehement (reread my comments, please!), but my response to your and others' personal attacks was and I make no apologies for that. The two lines you cite are both about the stereotype, not about the writers who use them (often, I suspect, without any conscious intent or knowledge that they're tapping into a stereotype).
Marc: Yes, your comments are about the stereotype of the "magical negro" and not about the users of the depiction.
When I'm bothered by the "magical negro" depiction and similar phenomona, it's because I see the conscious use of it as racism. The user is choosing to depict "Others" in shallow shorthand rather than as fully fleshed out as the non-"others" in the book/movie/whatever.
I think that, if the "magical negro" doesn't carry this sort of hurtful baggage, it is merely a harmless "trope", not a "stereotype". In other words, I think/was taught that stereotyping equals racism.
I guess this can be all about semantics, but semantics are how we communicate our thoughts...
What is your particular reason for/interest in identifying and having feelings about the usage of the "magical negro" trope/stereotype?
Took me a while to figure out what you meant by "Seth/Anonymous". I may never get a firm grip on this damn HaloScan... Hope my name shows up on this one. I filled in the fields!
It's certainly a shorthand, Seth, but that may just mean the authors aren't thinking about the implications of the formulas and stock characters they use. In fact, some kind of lack of reflection is probably involved whenever a writer of Morrison's caliber turns to such a hokey stock type in the first place. I generally don't try to psychoanalyze authors, but I would guess (hope?) that most people who write stereotypes like the magical negro are completely unaware of their unsavory implications--I think it's usually more ignorance or laziness than consciously intended racism. Which doesn't make the stereotype any less troubling, but I try not to assume malice on the part of the authors unless there's some sort of a pattern.
As for my interest in the magical negro, I guess it's a combination of my exhaustion with the stereotype, my dismay at its implications (which I don't think reflect well on whites or blacks--everybody is demeaned), my interest in race in comics and literature in general, and in this case my disappointment that a fine writer would trot out such a corny cliche.
Anonymous said: "Did no one else notice the striking change to Bruce Wayne's biography that Morrison made? I'm not referring to the possibility that Bruce's parents had a sordid past, that Thomas Wayne faked his own death, or even that Alfred is Bruce's father. I'm talking about the fact that those claims purportedly come from the files of a detective hired by Martha Wayne's parents following her death. In other words, Bruce, who we've always been led to believe had no close living relatives following his parents' deaths - otherwise why was he raised by the family butler (I'm going to ignore the "Mrs. Chilton" stuff) - actually had living grandparents!"
This is interesting. I read those very lines and it failed to occur to me just how profound the implications are to the Batman mythos. It may well be that it is the result of a hallucination brought on by mind altering substances. But if not, it could point to Alfred being his father since he had custody of Bruce. Otherwise, why wouldn't Martha Wayne's grandparents not have custody?
That's a fascinating part of this story that seems to be getting lost in all this blather about magical negroes and whether Morrison is a rascist.
Morrison purposely went out of his way to populate the Seven Soldiers-verse with minorities - women, children, African-Americans, and the living dead (Frankenstein). Give me a break.
Robert, most of the people who've been discussing the Honor Jackson character have already noted that Seven Soldiers handles a diverse cast of characters with skill, so maybe you should give us a break from the blather.
It is nice to see that the living dead are finally receiving some positive media coverage, though.
Not past time!
Honestly, Robert, no-one (least of all me, as I've really no leg to stand on) is trying to make a claim for Grant Morrison being, like Elvis, a straight-up racist. I realise superhero comics are presumed to be for many an entirely escapist fiction and any intersection with real issues is all just a bit too much, a distraction from serious matters such as 'Are Martha Wayne's parents alive?!' (btw, iirc, there is mention of "her family" pursuing a case against Thomas Wayne which appears to have been read, incorrectly, as "her parents". Additionally, cf: #656, Aunt Agatha - she of the overcooked thanksgiving roast, is in-continuity atm. Fascinating stuff, yes, and something I'm sure you'll find many messageboards across the comicsinternet will be happy to accomodate you in discussion of.)
But others prefer to look at their diverting entertainments inside and out.
My LCS ran out of BATMAN and I finally just got ahold of this issue, so I'm jumping in late. But I gotta say: Whoa. Much ado about nothin'.
Admittedly, GM can be a bit flatfooted when dealing with issues of race; the hip-hop stylings of MISTER MIRACLE are the prime example. It's one of the few areas where GM falls prey to a pervasive disease among comics writers: fortysomething nerd making a desperate bid to sound hip. (Though even GM's worst efforts pale beside Waid's notoriously clueless "Clobberin' Time" rap.)
As some other commentators have noted, throwing out charged phrases like "magical negro" can be the very opposite of thoughtful criticism -- the phrase is a loaded one, laden with suppositions and connotations. This story, to me, reads like a "magical negro" tale to some because it's in part a skillful inversion of same. Indeed, Honor is Bruce's guide through an underworld, dispensing wisdom and advice... but he also seems to have his own motives and intents. He's using Bruce as his street soldier; and the ultimate goal doesn't seem to be an unearned spiritual reward (ala the Bagger Vance model), but a kind of punishment... one that's intimately connected to Bruce's blinkered point-of-view about his privileged, white status and how he uses his wealth in the world.
To me, this is not the author falling unthinkingly into an old cliche... partly because GM has very intentionally been using a whole lot of quite literally "magical negros" lately. His re-conception of the New Gods is heavily influenced by concepts from Haitian Voudon -- not surprising, given GM's long-held interest in this tradition. (Many moons ago, he wrote a long, empathetic piece for RAPID EYE magazine about experimental filmmaker Maya Deren's personal journey into Voudon.)
Knowing this, Honor's one-lensed sunglasses suggest a very specific meaning: in the Voudon tradition such one-lensed glasses are a hallmark of Papa Ghede -- a crossroads god who resides at the intersection of life and death, whose hallmarks can include a crass sense of humor and a contempt for white/European culture.
There's a lot more going on in this story than the "magical negro" cliche, and the knee-jerk responses that phrase suggests.
DA,
I replied over at Duncan's thread.
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