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Liam’s Comic Craze: Diversity in Comics

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After making a case for comics and reviewing a current and relevant favorite of mine in Animal Pound, I thought I’d cover a topic that is at the forefront of any work of media today; is there enough representation found in comics, both in the stories themselves as well as the creators responsible for making them? Many names come to mind when I think of comic creators working in the industry today that are helping with representation. For every creator I mention, I’ll mention a few of their works, ranging from the past, present, and even some upcoming work (as of this writing). As a reminder, all of the stories mentioned don’t have to strictly be purchased at your local comic book store (although highly recommended as you’ll be supporting a local business). These stories can more than likely be found in your local library or frequent independent bookstores.

Kelly Sue Deconnick redefined the character of Captain Marvel through her seminal run on Carol Danvers, starting in 2012. Originally a typical white male superhero known as Mar-Vell (a little too on the nose, and, as an aside, this is as nerdy as this blog entry will go), Deconnick took the unique opportunity to, rather than make an original female character (great in its own right, of course, as is the case with Ms. Marvel), take an existing character and give a massive amount of new light to it. Even if you haven’t read her run yet, you already know that recreating that character paid off. The MCU’s Captain Marvel made over $1 billion at the box office. Currently, Kelly Sue Deconnick, having written her thoughts on the current superhero market with books like Wonder Woman: Historia and Aquaman, she has since moved on to returning to creator-owned comics, which is how all creators start off getting into the industry. Deconnick’s newest book is titled FML, and is in part inspired by a show like Stranger Things. This new series is a “genre-busting, apocalyptic odyssey about a group of metal kids who face a medley of bizarre foes and encounters in Portland, Oregon during a worldwide pandemic,” according to the solicitation (or advertisement for a comic). FML goes on sale on November 6th.

James Tynion IV, who identifies as bisexual, is arguably the most successful writer in comics today. While he made a name for himself at DC Comics with runs on Batman and Detective Comics, it wasn’t until 2019 when he launched an independent series that set the stone in making the rest of his career what it is today. Something is Killing the Children (which has kept that eerie name for five years now) is about a monster hunter named Erika Slaughter (frequently cosplayed by comic fans at conventions today) who goes from small town to small town, fighting beasts that can only be seen through children, who are mysteriously killed from an adult’s point of view. This book, which is set to be adapted for television soon, is only one of the many books that Tynion is writing today. He currently covers topics such as conspiracy theories (The Department of Truth), the dark net (W0RLDTR33), and YA fantasy (Wynd).

Kelly Thompson (who also wrote Captain Marvel for several years, coincidentally) has written many female characters through their series at Marvel such as Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) and Black Widow, but has since moved to DC. Just last week, Thompson published an amazing first issue in Absolute Wonder Woman. For some brief context, DC is starting a new publishing initiative where every issue coming out this month is treated as a jumping-off point, so readers won’t feel as lost reading an issue with a high number count like Batman #153. For three of their books, though, DC is relaunching their most popular characters with the title of “Absolute.” For Wonder Woman’s approach, Thompson chose to give her a new backstory that still harkens back to the Greek gods influence of the character while staying true to Diana Prince’s charismatic character. This run will likely last a long time, so now’s the chance to get issue #1 today while it’s still available!

While I highlighted these three authors, there are still plenty of names I haven’t gotten to. Al Ewing, Vita Ayala, Justina Ireland, Cody Ziglar, and Shelly Bond (former editor of some incredible books, worth a Google search) have all written stories that are worth your time and attention. While all the names mentioned are writers, there are plenty of up-and-coming artists that give as much effort in the final product as the writer does. Thank you for taking a part of your day to read this entry, and Happy Reading!


Liam Jarot – Asst. Prose Editor & Blogger: Liam is a Senior at Lewis University, majoring in English with a concentration in writing. His hobbies include watching movies, reading comic books, and listening to music. Some of his favorite authors include Charles Soule, Stephen King, and Brian K. Vaughan. After graduating, he plans on working with organizations through technical writing while pursuing creative writing on the side.











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