Hopefully, you’ve been enjoying my recent posts about “Some of My Favorites ...” (read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4). While these characters are certainly trendsetters and important in the history of mainstream comic book multiculturalism, they are also problematic.

You may have picked up on some trends:

1. •Many of these characters are recent “firsts,” implying that larger social structures, beliefs, and norms have prevented earlier inceptions. 
   

2. •These characters often disappear after being introduced or they are moved out of major roles and positioned as back-up characters.
   

3. •If they have their own title, it’s generally for a short period of time.
   

4. •Heroes of color (like Warpath, above) often represent white ideas of their supposed race or ethnicity and their hero persona or name is generally tied to their racial identity.
   

5. •Superheroines generally have to show some major skin to remain popular.
   

Heroes from marginalized social identities are very rarely created by or for members of the cultural group they are intended to represent. And, despite writers who may want to create characters that “speak to everyone,” their editors have to insure their characters’ profitability. If the majority of the comic book reading audience is straight white men, stories must be tailored to the interests and preferences of straight white men.

When LGBT/Queer characters and superheroines of any sexual orientation are created by and for straight men and when heroes of color are created by and for white folks, the dominant groups’ oppressive stereotypes and beliefs are typically reinforced. Even creators who consider themselves earnest allies for equality and social justice face the choice of creating something that challenges oppressive representations or bending to the supposed demands of the mighty dollar.

Similarly, characters that are intentionally created to challenge oppressive representations are quickly sent to the editorial chopping block or into story limbo. Few survive their fledgling years, and those that do are those most palatable to a straight white male audience. Superheroines have to be super-babes, either submissive or enticingly domineering. Heroes of color have to fall in line behind their white counterparts or at least satisfy racial stereotypes. Most queer characters are sexed-up bisexual women. And the few gay male heroes that have been deemed tolerable must maintain hyper-masculine standards and show little or no on-page same-sex affection.

Of course there are exceptions. Of course there has been progress. There are certainly some readers from dominant social identities who make a conscious effort to support characters and stories that challenge heterosexism, racism, sexism and other systems of oppression. And it would be completely unfair and untrue to assert that every straight white male editor or creator in mainstream comics is intentionally working to suppress efforts toward more genuine, subversive and liberatory stories about people with subordinated social identities. However, to members of marginalized groups and their courageous allies, intentions fail to excuse oppressive outcomes. And, unfortunately, the proof is in print.

Let’s take a survey of Marvel and DC covers for this week, the week of Wednesday, April  21, 2010. There are 49 covers in total (including variant covers and excluding trade paperback collections and non-superhero titles). (Check out all the raw data at the end of this post.)

While people of color and multi-racial people make up an estimated 33% of the U.S. population, people of color and multi-racial people make up only 6% of the characters on these covers. 71% of these covers display only white people. 8% display only people of color and only 2% display more than one person of color. Obviously, white characters are grossly over-represented here. And the characters of color that are represented are either completely masked or are very light-skinned and adhere to Eurocentric ideas of gender and beauty.

According to the most recent census estimates, women make up approximately 55% of the U.S. population. However, women make up only 31% of the superheroes featured on these covers. 57% of the covers feature only men, 16% feature only women, and only 16% feature more than one woman.  Men, while the statistical minority in the U.S., are greatly over-represented here. And most of the women depicted on these covers are drawn with large breasts, plump buttocks, painfully tiny waists, and incredibly revealing and impractical costumes. A few are also depicted in subservient postures, either defeated by villains or while adoring male characters.

It is difficult to determine the percentage of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. In the United States, estimates range from 1.5% to 10%. Only 2% of the characters displayed on these covers are known to be GLBT while another 5% of the characters depicted are rumored to be bisexual (Marvel’s Hercules, Daken, and Multiple Man and DC’s Wonder Woman). So, depending on which national estimate you take seriously, GLBT folks are either under-represented or solidly represented this week.

Of course, this survey only judges these books by their covers. Other stories about identity and power are told inside. In upcoming posts, I will begin to examine the cultural representations and possible oppressive dynamics within several of the books from this week.

Here is the full set of data, as mentioned above: