I'm sorry, I am all for exploring new character ideas. As an asian male, I would prefer more mainstream heroes that spoke to my demographic (also, I am not Christian). However, comic book characters are supposed to transcend such consideration, they can be anything. However, despite all this, Peter Parker is still Spiderman. If they were trying for a more culturally sensitive character, they should have gone with Miguel O'Hara (Spidey 2099).
In all fairness, it shouldn't really be about this at all. After all, Nick Fury was handled perfectly. He's black, he's still Nick Fury. There was no need to say "David Hasselhoff-looking Fury died to make room for a new guy who looks like Samuel Jackson."
The reason Fury works is because he's a good character (even if heavily based off Jackson). That's all the writer's cared about, not his ethnicity. With respect, John Stewart (Green Lantern) was NOT originally a compelling character. However, after they actually bothered to write a storyline for him, Stewart became more interesting. Personally, I found Kyle Ranier more interesting than either him or Hal, but I digress...
Such cloying tactics to become "PC" come across as insincere. Write good characters, then make them culturally sensitive. Take Batwoman for example. Initially, I thought her sexual orientation was a marketing gimmick. Unfortunately, in not allowing the writers to let her marry her life partner, I have been proven correct.
Honestly, it's little different from a game developer trying to "widen the net" to "capture a broader audience," like turning Dead Space into CoD -bait. Again, I have nothing against becoming more culturally aware, but such characters must be handled with appropriate aplomb, intelligence, and heart.
PS: I find it odd that the new Fantastic Four movie are going with a black Johnny Storm, but not bothering to make Sue black. If it's supposed to be a mixed family, I suppose that's alright. However, the whole "adoptive siblings" thing seems similarly cloying to me...
In all fairness, it shouldn't really be about this at all. After all, Nick Fury was handled perfectly. He's black, he's still Nick Fury. There was no need to say "David Hasselhoff-looking Fury died to make room for a new guy who looks like Samuel Jackson."
The reason Fury works is because he's a good character (even if heavily based off Jackson). That's all the writer's cared about, not his ethnicity. With respect, John Stewart (Green Lantern) was NOT originally a compelling character. However, after they actually bothered to write a storyline for him, Stewart became more interesting. Personally, I found Kyle Ranier more interesting than either him or Hal, but I digress...
Such cloying tactics to become "PC" come across as insincere. Write good characters, then make them culturally sensitive. Take Batwoman for example. Initially, I thought her sexual orientation was a marketing gimmick. Unfortunately, in not allowing the writers to let her marry her life partner, I have been proven correct.
Honestly, it's little different from a game developer trying to "widen the net" to "capture a broader audience," like turning Dead Space into CoD -bait. Again, I have nothing against becoming more culturally aware, but such characters must be handled with appropriate aplomb, intelligence, and heart.
PS: I find it odd that the new Fantastic Four movie are going with a black Johnny Storm, but not bothering to make Sue black. If it's supposed to be a mixed family, I suppose that's alright. However, the whole "adoptive siblings" thing seems similarly cloying to me...
