Is the lack of racial/cultural diversity in mainstream comics a problem? Options

A very interesting article emerged on a blog that I read from time to time. It's entitled; Race + Comics: When is Diversity ‘Contrived’?. Basically it talks about the pretty apparent whitewashing of American comic characters, and the call to create a "black Avengers" team, something that I think is pretty dumb for multiple reasons. The main reason being that there shouldn't be a black Avenger team because something like that just sounds terrible and contrived, and the other reason being that in 2011 America, the main Avenger team shouldn't be so mono-racial that we actually need a black Avenger team.

In 1990 when I started reading X-Men, the roster looked like this;



Now from my understanding, the team isn't nearly as diverse as it was back then. That was 20 years ago, when the US population was a lot less diverse than it is now.

In modern America, White children in the minority in 10 states, and the white majority is expected to become a minority population within the next few decades. The recent film, Fast Five had a bigger opening than Thor at the domestic box office, and the former featured a multiracial cast in the multiracial city of Rio De Janeiro.

My point is; X-Men pulled me in when I was a kid because it mirrored my America. My America 20 years ago was a pretty diverse place. I never ran into any Cajuns, but there were a lot of blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and white people. The America I live in now is even more diverse. I live around Africans, Caribbean people, Hispanics, Italians, East Indians, etc. and I live in Ohio! Yet I pick up a copy of Avengers and this is the team;



If I was a kid, that wouldn't pull me in. Frankly, it doesn't pull me in now.

I don't think we need a black Avenger team. However, I do think we need a few more people of color on the Avengers (and other groups). Especially if that comic is supposed to reflect a world like our own.

This post has been edited by MasonEasley: May 12 2011, 03:02 AM

If one checks out DC's titles, there is a significantly more prominent number of minorities present in their books. Yet when one looks at Marvel, they seem to think that shoving an alien into the team covers the whole 'minority' slot.

It is sad, too, when one looks at that old X-men cover, they see a multi cultural group of different races and nationalities. Irish, English, Asian, Black, Canadian, Native American, American...and those are just the guys and gals from Earth. If they look at the titles now...it's ridiculous how little minorities are present.

Apparently Cardiac, an african american, is being rumoured to be returning to MArvel comic books. Hope he gets more respect this time out.