DC's Asian Conspiracy
I can't be the only one who's noticed it. The slow but steady removal from play of DC's Asian characters. It started with when Evil Doctor Light stripped Good Doctor Light of her powers. And it's accelerated since.
Could it be a twisted conspiracy on the part of DC? A return to the Golden Age when Superman and Batman urged us to do battle with evil "japanazis"? Unlikely. It's probably just a sad coincidence. But I still find it troubling. Note the following:
1. In Green Arrow Japanese scientist Kimiyo "Doctor Light" Hoshi is stripped of her powers and brutalized by Arthur "Demented Sicko" Light.
2. In Infinite Crisis Korean-American Linda Park West disappears into the ether with her husband and children.
3. In Infinite Crisis Japanese Titan Bushido is sliced in half by Superboy-Prime's heat vision.
4. In Batgirl Cassandra Cain (probably the most high profile Asian character DC's ever had) is skewered through the chest -- and apparently dies.
That's four. If I were Katana or Grace, I'd be looking over my shoulder right now.
posted by Diamondrock @ 8:23 PM
10 comments
10 Comments:
I *really* hope Cassandra isn't dead, she's too good for that fate.
Then again, I bet someone other than I will follow up with something about Ted Kord, and I will have to probably agree with the comment.
I also hope Cassandra isn't dead. The fact that there's one more issue gives me hope. *crosses fingers and hopes Cass joins the Birds of Prey*
Yeah, Batgirl #72 was a tough read last week. Guys, isn't there a lazarus pit nearby? *crosses fingers*
I can't believe that Johns and Co. will allow the real Dr. Light to miss all of Infinite Crisis, after the central role she played in Crisis on Infinite Earths. But even using comic book logic, I can't quite see how she can be brought back into the game...
I was relieved to see Grace is still on the cover of Outsiders, post-Crisis. I and only I, apparently, as I don't think anybody else likes Grace.
You're not the only one! I like Grace too. She's got a certain... Charm. She's feisty.
I think some people don't like her because they have this weird knee-jerk reaction to Judd Winick (who created her). Some people just *hate* Judd Winick for reasons I don't quite understand...
I love Grace! She's a blast.
Probably some of the problem was that dumb "America's Most Wanted" arc though. That one was a bit of a downer...and it's rarely a good idea to have real people in comics. It hurts the suspension of disbelief.
I actually quite liked that. Judd Wininck tends to work quite well on "A Very Special..." kind of story, as it's definitely something he cares about. It's fortunate that, with titles like Green Arrow and The Outsiders, that works quite well as a plot. If the "Wanted" story had been done in JLA or JSA, it would have stank. And yes, it was a massive massive downer.
Also, any friend of Grace is a friend of mine.
My problem with the Outsiders storyline is similar to the one I had with the GL:gay bashing storyline. There was no subtlety to it. It was very clearly a PSA, to me.
Whereas, if you contrast either of those stories with Terry coming out, personally, I think that's the story that Winick did very well with. It was meaningful of course, but also organic to the character development. Terry is a kid, he's gay, he's confused. Kyle's a nice guy, in his twenties, pretty liberal, and an older brother figure. It made the PSA part a little less obvious and thus much better.
And I hated dragging Lian into it. I know in the real world bad things happen to children, but one of the key points of Roy's character to me was that he was always a good parent/protector to his daughter. Now his lifestyle hurt her, it's taken that away. Grace's own character arc made sense for her, but I think the rest of it bogged it down.
And really, they couldn't make a fake equivalent to John Walsh instead of the real guy?
I guess it didn't mean as much to me because I'm British and don't know who John Walsh is - but the cover was ugly as heck, and as it was the cover for the issue during the month I thought about picking up Outsiders, it meant I didn't get it. Instead, Outsiders is a title I pick up in trades, like Teen Titans. So, it didn't work in that respect.
Generally, comics with photograph covers are a bad thing - they remind me of comics about wrestlers. Exception: Sandman Mystery Theatre.
Anyway, I think it was a fake John Walsh. It was the DCU John Walsh! Was that the first hint towards the shocking RETURN OF THE MULTIVERSE?!!?!
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