#psi-force

[shamlesspandanerd]

[comic-covers]

(1988)

[cryptocollectibles]

New Universe 8 Issue Lot (1986) by Marvel Comics

Written and drawn by various.

[bringbackwendellvaughn]

[longingforspace]

The Importance of Johnny Do

(Everything in this post is based on my personal opinions.)

This is Johnny Do, a Marvel character most have never heard of since he’s only in 6 issues (#27-32) of a short-run series called “Psi-Force” (Earth-148611). Why is he important? Because he’s an unusually well portrayed autistic character from 1989.

Back in 1989, autism wasn’t usually shown in media and although comics wasn’t as mainstream as it is today, this is a Marvel comics and they were already a well-established comics publisher. The fact that they even allowed an autistic character to be a main character of a group for 6 issues is quite amazing. But, let’s put that aside for now, because a big company creating an autistic character isn’t good just on itself.

WARNING: The series is still from the 80′s and does contain racism and ableism, and also have quite a few scenes that might be triggering.

PERSONALITY

Johnny isn’t a passive force. He isn’t treated as just an accessory. He’s shown to have an own will and personality. Yes, he is non-verbal, but he is shown to use sounds he tries to communicate with and he’s definitely shown to have intelligence. This is still uncommon. Non-verbal autistics are usually depicted as being less intelligent. He is also shown to have empathy and caring about others.

NO MONSTER

Autistic characters are often depicted as not being “fully human”. As lacking something fundamentally compared to neurotypical people. That is not the case with Johnny. Yes, they do make it sound like autism is a mental illness, but it’s also pointed out that he’s just a kid and that he has been abused, which he has. It’s also mentioned that the autism can be genetic (and therefore not an illness), something that also wasn’t common in 1989.

POWERS

They gave him real powers. Dangerous powers. No something savant related either. They made him pyrokinetic.

RELATIONSHIPS

He’s given actual relationships. There’s one man he gets more attached to, kind of like a father figure, but he’s shown being pranked and pranking right back with the others. There’s no doubt that he’s actually part of the team. He’s not just a token.

DEVELOPMENT

Johnny is shown to develop, although the most obvious thing is a bit stereotypical of him saying “love you” to a character at the end, but this is during a time when many still thought autistic kids couldn’t develop much (unfortunately, many still holds that belief.

That’s it for now. I’ve probably forgotten something.

I wish there was more of Johnny, but there isn’t. He’s not a perfect representation, but he’s pretty darn good for being a Marvel character from 1989.

[comicbookcovers]

Psi-Force #16, February 1988, Pencils: Ron Lim, Inks: Al Milgrom

[omniversecomicsguide]

The NEW UNIVERSE READING ORDER: THE WHITE EVENT (1986-1987) has been added to the Marvel Comics Guide! See the first of the two-part chronology on Marvel's attempt to launch a second universe in the mid-80s that's still having an impact on the modern mythology!

MORE: New Universe Reading Order 1986-1987

[browsethestacks]

New Universe #1's (1986)