COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS THAT DESERVED BETTER TREATMENT/WRITERS: Nubia (Wonder Woman) - A while back (December 23d, 2009 to be exact) Gail Simone and a haggle of cohorts on Comic Book Resources made it a point to mention how silly the name Nubia was/sounded for the African-American counterpart of Wonder Woman, created by Robert Kanigher in 1973 in an attempt to create diversity in a wholly white comic book —-and later revived as a glorified watchdog for the underworld’s gate (Doom’s Doorway, a gateway into the River Styx in 1999) —- and how, because of the inherently racist subject matter surrounding the character’s creation and development, she couldn’t be reintegrated into mainstream DC Comics canon as it was prior to the New 52. The entire discussion thread is about 30 pages worth and laden with 449 replies that pretty much every angle of racially insensitive and prejudicial comments against African-Americans or the whole of people in general, who choose to name their children (daughters or sons) after countries or colors like, “Nubia”, “Ebony” and “Kenya”, and those who argued against it said stupid commentary. Basically, a lot of foots in mouths and ass-showing (plus, “wah, leave Gail Simone alone! Give her a break, it was only a joke”). Given that this happened a good while ago, me, as a person who stumbled across the thread in the present of 2012, was pretty irked by how stupid some people could be against this particular character. They were literally saying that because she was just a “wonder woman copy” and had a problematic, racist/tokenistic background within her creation, she not could be used because it would be either supporting said problems or she could not rise above them and become a genuine character of her own. (No one would give her the chance).

That argument is in and of itself pretty damn stupid, especially when think of what writers can do with characters they either love or hate (remake them to the point which every girl and boy fawns over them, or do so poorly that people set fire to the writer’s and character’s name), especially characters from a “long forgotten past”. Now, from what I know and learned about Nubia, I love the character regardless. She’s basically become my Comic Book Wonder Woman (DCAU Wonder was the only carnation I could stand/enjoy when there weren’t rumors of Lucy Lawless becoming live-action Diana) and the one I think of when the comics are mentioned. She has plenty of potential of becoming a character worth her weight in gold in every possible (Grant Morrison or whomever seemed to think so, given that he used her in one of DC AU worlds where Superman was black) and hate how she’s been regulated to the bloody back of non-existence. Her creation is chock full of problems, hell yes, but that doesn’t mean she as a character can’t shake ‘em off unless she’s got a bad writer like Mr. Terrific did (how many times did he have to mention he was black again?) Then again, maybe it’s good she’s out of circulation at the moment. NU52 Writers and Mandate would probably just fuck her up royally like they did with Static/Virgil Hawkins and his solo title.

(via vermeer-mark-iv-deactivated2012)