The Soapbox of Ying

I've read this book. It doesn't do gender very well, tis true. But the fact that the critic is routinely trying to deny the Asian-identity of the writer and of people who disagree with the critique of the book (I'm glad my Asian heritage isn't as authentic as yours, pyrofennec!) makes me angry.

I've been seeing various ramblings about notgreenorblue and it looks like people are gearing up to ruin the whole experience with wank. Could we maybe stay focused on the point? That would be fantastic.

Have been checking out the solicits for upcoming comics. Someday I will understand why the hell anyone at Marvel thinks the Stupid Pimp Retcon should continue to be a part of their canon, but today is not that day. Sadly, I will still probably be picking up Falcon's one-shot, because that art is spectacular.

Somedays I really do think fandom is improving and doing better in the race arena.  Then I read rants like this:  Race and Writing and Fandom:

"All of that said: the point of this post.  For those who haven't been following this year's Yuletide, there is now a challenge within a challenge: the Dark Agenda.  It's a collection of stories specifically written to feature a person of color.  Unfortunately, my first response was: so they're writing about characters because they're non-white, rather than writing about them because they're awesome?"

[insert facepalm for eternity here.] Y'know, there's always a third option: they could be writing because the character is an awesome chromatic character.  Additionally, there are problems with both "character of color" and "chromatic characters," but I will take both any day over "non-white." Goodness.

On the other hand, one of my favorite spaces is the 4th letter, and I found the points made in this article spot on: I’ve Got So Much Trouble On My Mind: Race & Cape Comics.

The more I think about it, the more that Bendis’s Cage strikes me as an amalgamation of various black dudes in movies. It’s like an impersonation. A good one, but just off enough to be noticeable. He takes stands that don’t make sense, is bad with money, and is seemingly written as a Strong Black Man. You know how writers do that, yeah? Like there’s a checklist? Stands by his crew, loves his family, would die for his kids, on and on and on.

Jeff Parker’s work on Thunderbolts consistently impresses me, though. Like Van Lente and Power Man, he writes Cage in a way that clicks for me. When he busts out the black dudeisms like “What’s my name?” it’s not just an empty boast or black braggadocio. There’s a point to it. The bluesman in the Shadowland tie-ins was on point, too, and so was the way Cage deferred to him. It rings true in a way that Cage refusing Captain America’s money doesn’t. It’s about Cage, but it’s bigger than him, too.

I think that about sums up all the issues I have with the love of Bendis' version of Luke Cage, which is so prevalent in fandom. Sometimes my child's other mother and I discuss Falcon's Dreaded Pimp Retcon or the bizarre embracing fandom has done of the utter terribleness that was Young Allies* and we inevitably come back to the Bendis version of Cage. While the Pimp Retcon is certainly more outright insulting, we wonder is the message really a good one, if the message is ultimately a bundle of cliches? Are stereotypes any easier to live with just because they happen to be interpreted as "positive"? Short answer: no, but we have to accept that it's better than making their characters pimps, don't we?

All very relevant issues for my child's other parent and for me during our struggle to raise our child  up as a strong woman with African-American, Chinese and Hispanic heritage. They are issues we struggle with when trying to justify sharing our love of comics with someone so young and impressionable. Perhaps someday we will have a more firm answer. I hope so at any rate.

But for now, the young lady desires food and so does her mother's stomach, so I must be off to prepare it.

*the 21st century version, though certainly the 20th century version failed epically as well. Yes, yes, I know people love it. At some stage, I may write meta about just why I find the series so problematic.

It occurred to me this week, while looking for fic in my fandoms featuring characters of color, that weeding through the constant stream of white cock can be a challenge. I'm going to start making a daily or weekly round up of at least five fic recs featuring characters of color in my fandoms.

Fandom: Harry Potter {Cho Chang}
Title: coffee on the prado
Author: lovepeaceohana
Link: http://chromatic-fanfic.dreamwidth.org/25245.html
Content Advisory: N/A

My Thoughts: I liked this fic very much. It does a fascinating job of exploring Cho's feelings of being a person of color in the Harry Potter world. She preened when Diggory sat up and took notice, and pretended not to wonder if he meant because she was Chinese or because she was in Ravenclaw when he laughed and told her, “Of course you did,” because she earned more OWLs than he had.


Fandom: Marvel Comics {Sam Wilson/Steve Rogers}
Title: Growing stronger, warm and wilder
Author: gloss
Link: http://gloss.dreamwidth.org/20508.html
Content Advisory: contains deepthroating.

My Thoughts: Oh, Steve/Sam. My love for Sam Wilson cannot be contained and I wish desperately that there was more of his presence in Marvel fandom. I enjoy this fic very much because it feels like it could be taking place during the original Captain America/Falcon run, the way the characters interact and behave. Steve smelled warm, salty and sour with sweat, exactly like he'd been working outside all day. You stay in school, Sam's mother had told him, scrubbing at the sweat stains on his stepfather's shirts with a pumice stone before adding bluing to the cycle. Don't make a wife of yours work like *this*. :)

Fandom: DC Comics {Jaime Reyes+Teen Titans}
Title: Phenomenon of Sheer Energy
Author: Mara
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12089
Content Advisory: First Person POV.

My Thoughts: I just love Jaime and I love the way this captures his personality. XD Fine. For about five seconds, I was standing in the middle of El Paso stark naked. Happy now?


Fandom: Stargate SG-1 {Teal'c POV, team fic.}
Title: Archaeology
Author: penknife
Link: http://penknife.livejournal.com/507018.html
Content Advisory: N/A

My Thoughts: This is an episode tag to 1x02 "The Enemy Within." I've never been in SG fandom, really, because fandom's pet characters and ships are not mine. I watched the show until the dreaded Mitchell years, however and Teal'c was always one of my favorites. I love his strength and confusion in this piece. He really comes across as a complete character, something that SG-1 missed in its fascination with the Noble Warrior stereotype.

Fandom: Marvel {Sam Wilson/Sharon Carter}
Title: After Steve
Author: caia_comica
Link: http://caia-comica.livejournal.com/97941.html#cutid1
Content Advisory: Unsafe sex

My thoughts: Takes place immediately after Captain America 25. Sharon and Sam are both appropriately broken by their loss. I like that the author captures their friendship and pain that they're both experiencing. "Sharon--" he says, and he doesn't know what he wants to say. I'm here for you, it's okay, we shouldn't do this, please, I'll help you forget-- so he just says "Sharon!" and pulls the jumpsuit off her shoulders as she pulls the zipper down her chest, and looks up as she sits up to pull the whole thing off, boots and all.

This is going to be the standard welcome post to my journal.

Welcome! Please read the user info if you are interested in getting to know me better or in following this journal. Some truths may make you uncomfortable, and it is better for you not to be here, if that will be the case, especially if you have bigotry and privilege issues to work out.

Primarily, I intend to use this journal as a fanfic review (I'm not really a fanfic writer), squee, and meta. My primary fandom is comics, but I inhale all sorts of geekish pursuits.