Gerry Conway not so impressed with contrived modern "diversity"?
Here's an interesting conversation that Conway had with a tweeter who asked what he thinks of how minority groups are presented in DC/Marvel. He begins with some notes about his own contributions:
Now that's pretty ironic coming from somebody who adheres to an awfully radicalized brand of leftism and makes no secret he thinks conservatives are inherently abominable, and much of the time refuses to be a realist on issues like Islamofascism and such (not to mention his contempt for Israel, home of Stan Lee's ancestry!). Whatever his intentions in writing fiction, he hasn't exactly distinguished them from reality, or vice versa. But since he's brought up the subject, could it be he realizes diversity alone doesn't equal talented writing, and whatever Marvel/DC put out these days doesn't have any?
To top off the above, he goes on to answer an extra question, if he thinks other writers are being radical with what they're doing to include minority groups, by saying:
No kidding! Well in that case, has he ever voiced disappointment at how both Marvel/DC alike went out of their way in recent years to replace established white protagonists under the costume with their forced ideas of what diversity should be, which is not new protagonists in their very own roles, but rather, taking over old ones no matter how contrived it was? To date, I can't say he's ever proven himself in that regard. Sure, he voiced his displeasure at not getting credit for what characters he did create in the TV shows based on the DCU. But what has he said to voice displeasure at how Carol Danvers, the only true Ms. Marvel, was shoved into the role of the guy who helped her get her own powers, Mar-Vell of the Kree, while a Muslim character was deliberately put into the role that suited Carol better? What's he even said about Thor being taken out of his role and replaced absurdly with Jane Foster, Steve Rogers replaced with Sam Wilson, not to mention early DC creations like Alan Scott turned gay? If Conway ever disagreed with those steps, I have yet to hear it. And why must it always be the superheroes who must be "diverse", but not supporting casts? I've never heard him argue about that either. His above comments are very restrained too, and nary a critical word about Quesada, DiDio, Brevoort, Alonso and Harras.
Sure, it's surprising to see Conway say the above. But it's honestly not enough, and I'm not forgetting his reprehensible politics, which, if he still sticks to them, only undermine the impact of anything sane he's willing to say.
Well, I co-created DC’s first female African-American superheroine, #Vixen, in 1978... https://t.co/iVlb2KmbFQ— Gerry Conway (@gerryconway) February 22, 2016
...its first Hispanic superhero, #Vibe, in 1984, and a variety of multicultural characters at both DC and Marvel... https://t.co/iVlb2KmbFQ— Gerry Conway (@gerryconway) February 22, 2016
...not always with the sophistication and sensitivity I’d try to employ today, but always with the intention-- https://t.co/iVlb2KmbFQ— Gerry Conway (@gerryconway) February 22, 2016
--of trying to represent the world I see around me. Diversity is another name for reality. Shouldn’t be radical. https://t.co/iVlb2KmbFQ— Gerry Conway (@gerryconway) February 22, 2016
Now that's pretty ironic coming from somebody who adheres to an awfully radicalized brand of leftism and makes no secret he thinks conservatives are inherently abominable, and much of the time refuses to be a realist on issues like Islamofascism and such (not to mention his contempt for Israel, home of Stan Lee's ancestry!). Whatever his intentions in writing fiction, he hasn't exactly distinguished them from reality, or vice versa. But since he's brought up the subject, could it be he realizes diversity alone doesn't equal talented writing, and whatever Marvel/DC put out these days doesn't have any?
To top off the above, he goes on to answer an extra question, if he thinks other writers are being radical with what they're doing to include minority groups, by saying:
Like I said, I don’t think it’s radical to reflect a diverse real world in our fictional one. https://t.co/gZJtDhmf7t— Gerry Conway (@gerryconway) February 22, 2016
No kidding! Well in that case, has he ever voiced disappointment at how both Marvel/DC alike went out of their way in recent years to replace established white protagonists under the costume with their forced ideas of what diversity should be, which is not new protagonists in their very own roles, but rather, taking over old ones no matter how contrived it was? To date, I can't say he's ever proven himself in that regard. Sure, he voiced his displeasure at not getting credit for what characters he did create in the TV shows based on the DCU. But what has he said to voice displeasure at how Carol Danvers, the only true Ms. Marvel, was shoved into the role of the guy who helped her get her own powers, Mar-Vell of the Kree, while a Muslim character was deliberately put into the role that suited Carol better? What's he even said about Thor being taken out of his role and replaced absurdly with Jane Foster, Steve Rogers replaced with Sam Wilson, not to mention early DC creations like Alan Scott turned gay? If Conway ever disagreed with those steps, I have yet to hear it. And why must it always be the superheroes who must be "diverse", but not supporting casts? I've never heard him argue about that either. His above comments are very restrained too, and nary a critical word about Quesada, DiDio, Brevoort, Alonso and Harras.
Sure, it's surprising to see Conway say the above. But it's honestly not enough, and I'm not forgetting his reprehensible politics, which, if he still sticks to them, only undermine the impact of anything sane he's willing to say.
Labels: dc comics, marvel comics, moonbat writers, politics
