Searching for Higher Ground: A Reflection On Race In Comics

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Reconcile

Ultimately, we continue to look for answers. I enjoy comics. I have for over 30 years. I believe there is something for everyone in today’s market, and I love that. It isn’t perfect either, and you know what? Nothing is. This is 2015, and we have a long way to go in respecting each other’s ideas and points of view. My hope is that, at its best, comics can help create a place where strong allegory and storytelling will give way to discussion (amongst geeks and beyond) and real change. I am excited about some of the steps the Big Two and others not mentioned here are taking to tell good stories that represent multiple walks of life and the push for more voices to be hear — not just different races but all kinds of voices. Not just patronized, but taken seriously. Not just appeased, but respected.

As I enjoyed my road trip/vacation with my family, we got to see parts of this country that I’ve never seen and that felt good (yes, I took a lot of comics to read). In the midst of all the ugliness, there is beauty in the world, and I wanted my girls to see that. I never want them to live in fear of the country they call home. Isn’t that what every hero fights for? We are different, most obviously by appearance, but that uniqueness should not divide us or even create an excuse for bad behavior. Good should always triumph over evil.

Comics taught me that. As we stopped in Metropolis, Illinois on the way home to see the Superman statue, we were reminded of that. Higher ground, indeed.

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