Comments on: More on Black Panel Sexism

By: Ragnell

Ragnell — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 02:16:49 +0000

(I was thinking of the brilliant remarks Didio passed a few weeks ago about women in the superhero gig.)

(Psst, Sarah, wrong Editor — it was Quesada who made those.)

By: Mister Fanboy

Mister Fanboy — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 19:06:12 +0000

I missed this panel at Comic-Con and have clearly been living under a rock as I’ve missed this hub-bub about the comments. I have to say that I am dismayed that powerful men in the entertainment business still don’t “get it.” I thought we were past the days when men claimed that authors should be gender-similar when writing characters. It reflects more poorly on those that said it, and BET as well, than the person who posted the question. She didn’t deserve to be treated that way. If I was on that panel (and of course I wouldn’t be as I am not a working creator, etc.), I would want to know more from her. I would have taken her out to lunch to try and find a way to create comics that appealed to her. Unfortunately, Hudlin has just reaffirmed a stereotype about how African-American men ca be disrespectful toward women.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 17:37:29 +0000

Fatigue and distraction can be some of the best inadvertant weapons of the privileged. Pitting opponents of racism and sexism against one another has a historical precedent as a strategy keeping white male privilege alive.

By: Ginger Mayerson

Ginger Mayerson — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 16:40:28 +0000

Reggie said something to the effect of because he has a daughter, this topic is particularly important to him... which reminds me of Quesada's remark As a father of an only female child I would want all doors open within whatever field my daughter decides to one day choose. I've been wondering about this - are women in comics, women in society, and justice for everyone only important to the guys who have daughters? Does having a daughter really give RH and JQ some kind of leg up on the issue? It sounds like having a daughter makes them an expert on women in the same way that having a Toyota Corolla makes me an expert on the Japanese automotive industry. I find it odd that two guys with daughters have made the must clueless statements about women lately, although I give RH more of a pass than JQ. I really wish they'd quit waving their daughters around and hear what women are telling them, which is that we're not in the comics industry because it's still the boy club. And as an interesting note to support that statement: the number of women in U.S. orchestras only increased when they starting holding the first rounds of auditions behind a screen. http://www.princeton.edu/pr/news/00/q4/1127-auditions.htm Just FYI, y'all. Meh, even I'm getting tired of this issue and it's far from over.

By: James Mathurin

James Mathurin — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 11:24:20 +0000

*Markus*
A bit confusing, but ‘what Hudlin said he said’. I wasn’t there, so I can only offer second-hand accounts, but Dwayne McDuffie also commented:
“Rza said the dumb shit. Reggie said something to the effect of because he has a daughter, this topic is particularly important to him, he’d like to see black female heroes and he does write about them but he’d rather hear those stories from black female writers “

By: markus

markus — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 11:04:59 +0000

@James Mathurin
Is that what Hudlin said or what he claims to have said. Because, uhm, if it’s the latter and absent documentary evidence it’s just another recollection that happens to differ from other recollections and you’d be wildly overstating your case by putting it as “what Hudlin said”.
(Unless of course you meant “what Hudlin said about his recollection”, that’d be just misleading.)

By: James Mathurin

James Mathurin — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 10:44:51 +0000

“James, when write writers say “I don’t think I can write minority characters very well, so I’d rather minority writers write them”, they’re justifiably raked over the coals for copping out. How is this any different?”
Well, I don’t think Hudlin said he can’t write female character, or can’t write them well. Seemed he was just saying he did the best he could, but that more representation would be the best thing. Doesn’t seem a cop out to me.

To me, it’s similar to remarks I’ve heard from Tony Issabella about writing Black characters, and no one attacked him for that (justifiably so, IMHO)

By: Johanna

Johanna — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 10:05:32 +0000

Birth of a Nation wasn’t very good, though, and it especially wasn’t good comics. (It was a better movie storyboard, which is what it was originally intended to be.) And when you’re illustrated by Kyle Baker, that covers a lot.

James, when write writers say “I don’t think I can write minority characters very well, so I’d rather minority writers write them”, they’re justifiably raked over the coals for copping out. How is this any different?

By: Paul O'Brien

Paul O'Brien — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 09:02:35 +0000

“However Marvel chooses who their writers are, if they *DID* pick them based on merit… well, Hudlin wouldn’t be there.”

In fairness, Hudlin did get good reviews for co-writing BIRTH OF A NATION with Aaron McGruder.

By: James Mathurin

James Mathurin — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 08:59:12 +0000

Just thought it might be a laugh to actually put what Hudlin said, rather than repeating that whole “Hudlin said all white people are racist” nonsense from a few months back:
“In answering her question I said positive images of black women in comics was important to me because I want my daughter to have characters to relate to, so I try as best I can but the real answer is for more black women to write comics”

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 07:05:20 +0000

(I was thinking of the brilliant remarks Didio passed a few weeks ago about women in the superhero gig.)

By: Sabrinaset

Sabrinaset — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 06:19:37 +0000

I dunno, Sarah. However Marvel chooses who their writers are, if they *DID* pick them based on merit… well, Hudlin wouldn’t be there.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 00:32:11 +0000

You’re probably right, but–”Yeah, well, Reginald, there just aren’t many minority writers–because we only choose on *merit*, you know–so you’ll just have to wait three generations.”

*rolls eyes*

By: James Schee

James Schee — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 23:52:03 +0000

David, from Krypton, KY and Mars, PA of course!:)

Seriously though it does seem like a rather stupid thing for Hudlin to say. If he wanted to say that for him the female characters he writes are supporting characters, and he only treats them as such. I could give some slack, not agree but at least understand.

To say that he can’t write women, or that only women can write women. Well that is just stupid and quite a bit insulting to not only women but men as well.

By: David Oakes

David Oakes — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 22:44:35 +0000

I suspect that Hudlin would claim – insist, even – that White writers *can’t* writes Black characters. Which is why Black writers need to be given more jobs, so that we will have more “honest depictions of Black life”, or some such. Saddly tokenism is something to aspire to, if you have no representation at all.

(I am just wondering where DC is going to find any Kryptonian writers. Or Martian. Or…)

By: Sarah

Sarah — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 20:10:45 +0000

Seriously, how would Hudlin respond to white creators who justified having no minority characters with the argument that they just can’t do colored folk, and they don’t plan to bother trying?

By: Craig

Craig — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 17:27:09 +0000

It’s too bad there wasn’t an audience member prepared with a list of male writers that actually have the know-how in regards to sympathetic characterization of and dialogue for women and girls in comics. This panel was obviously not interested in anything other than hyping product. Too bad.
I think there needs to be a strikeforce of likeminded creators and fans to bombard these lacklustre panels with the issues that need to be discussed. Let’s speed up all these shortsighted so-and-so’s to the present day, where everyone has a right to quality comics.
Then again, we could always just wait for this volume of Black Panther to be cancelled and let Reginald Hudlin go back to his ‘groundbreaking’ Hollywood work. Will there be a House Party 4…?
c.

By: Paul O'Brien

Paul O'Brien — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 14:38:07 +0000

Well, I’ve never believed that men can’t write women. It’s an excuse used by lazy hacks who think it’s easier to redefine “good work” downwards, rather than rectify their deficiencies.