Today, more than ever before, we seem vocal about the demands for an entertainment media landscape to reflect the audience they seek to ensnare. As a completely random example, it would be hard to believe that there was a show set in, let’s say, New York City, and there was a group of friends that seldom interacted with people of color. Maybe there was a time in which a show like that gets made without question, but today, not so much. Audiences want to see themselves on screen, on the page, etc in real genuine depictions, and not just minimal stereotypical quota fillers.
A point of contention that tends to divide fandoms across a very specific line is the topic of race swapping or race-bending. Race-bending is the practice of taking an established character within an IP and changing their original race. This often gets “fans” bent out of shape because nine times out of ten the character being swapped was formerly white. A prime example is the upcoming Disney+ Spider-Man animated series, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2024). Norman Osborn will be played by Colman Domingo and will be drawn as a Black man. Honestly, it’s about time!
Norman Osborn has spent the entirety of our lives with the sickest wave pattern in all of Marvel comics. I do not care how “wavy” a Caucasoid curl pattern can be, Norman has always had the hair of a Black man that sleeps in a powder blue du-rag, tail out. Tony Stark may have attended MIT, but Norman Osborn clearly went to Morehouse on a minority scholarship and pledged Alpha with those waves. Making Norman Black feels like cosmic alignment. The waves are coming home to glory.
Okay, I’m done. But seriously, in people’s rush to decry race bending, they ignore the depth that can be added to a character by changing their racial background. Most of our most famous characters/heroes in pop culture are white because white was the default. Few have a reason that they NEED to be white (save for Magneto and his Jewish heritage). The threatened masses scream “makes your own characters”. Miles Morales is interesting a Spider-Man because as an Afro Latino he is pulled between worlds socially the same way he is pulled between real life and hero life. Sam Wilson is interesting as Captain America because he will forever be torn about his duty as a hero while representing the country that has done so much to disenfranchise people that look like him. Despite these being totally unique characters, many argue that their (Miles/Sam/etc) assuming a title previously held by white characters is just derivative, not original… enter Midnight Comics.
The Grey. Sol. Blue Morpho. Midnight Comics hosts a breadth of original Black characters in an ever-expanding universe. They are not beholden to anything short of the limits of their imaginations. As a community, we love seeing ourselves represented. Race swapping is a valid exercise. Taking a character and adding generations of real history to them can open so many doors creatively. Unfortunately, it is not without scrutiny and often negativity. Midnight Comics avoids it all by crafting unique character with the love, joy, history, and Blackness built in. We should support our indie creatives to make sure our future generations aren’t waiting for a race swap in order to see themselves in the best light.
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