In 2013 I stopped reading comics. I wish I could say it was because Marvel’s event Fear Itself was boring, or because DC’s The New 52 disregarded a lot of what I liked about the universe, but the truth is I was broke and couldn’t buy comics the way I wanted to. This was before digital solutions really existed and my favorite torrent site had been raided so that option was out too. A series of part time jobs in a new city meant I barely had enough money for rent and living, so comics hit the wayside.
And that sucks because a few years later comics got interesting again because they got different and I was back, hitting the shop every week. New heroes were taking up old identities, and the industry shifted to better reflect a changing demographic. Just as comics were getting more interesting, vocal comic fans on online forums got more annoying.
And then they just got outright shitty.
Single comic issue sales were down (despite collected editions, game sales, box office returns and everything else going up) and a certain group of people (read: racist, misogynist pricks) got vocal about the fact that “a woke social agenda” was ruining comics.
They thought a woman becoming a a hero that had traditionally been a man was a bad thing. They thought a gay superhero was a bad thing. They thought there was only enough room for the same thing that’s already happened 10,000 times. They couldn’t see something different. They couldn’t see why it was important.
They call someone pushing for representation a social justice warrior, like fighting for social justice is a bad thing. They’re assholes, they’re dangerous, and they’re holding this country back.
Representation matters and stories like Anthony’s are why. Click the tweet to check the whole thread.
I have to share why this image, and this storyline, really means a lot to me, on a very personal level. Here comes a thread, and some of my backstory.
— Anthony Abatte (@Brucewaynebrady) April 26, 2021
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#CaptainAmerica pic.twitter.com/lDcSoMGFZv
Representation matters.
I know what it feels like to read a story and see someone who looks like me being a hero and doing the right thing. Everyone deserves to see themselves in media being courageous, bold, and heroic.
Don’t you dare try to take that from someone else.