ā¦..not even six hours later i got an offer of a well paying full time long-term job with free room and board in queens in nyc, allowing me independence and a way to escape an abusive situation and an unhealthy environment
likes charge reblogs cast, folks, this is the good luck post
the last time I reblogged this post right before I got a great job, in a permanent work-from-home position, with benefits, retirement, and a salary literally 3x what I was making before, doing something I really like.Ā
"Dukes powers don't help him solve mysteries, don't make for interesting fights, and are actually a detriment to act attempt at at stealthing"
"There really isn't a Duke story you couldn't have told using Tim"
"Speaking of representation, if that's so important--"
Alright, Mr. @lucas-deziderio, let me stop you right there.
It is beyond cool for you to not be into a character. If Duke Thomas doesnāt hit for you, fine. If you want to love Superboy Prime, go live your truth. Nobody is forcing you to care about Duke.
But you are not just saying āDuke isnāt for me.ā You are making things up about a character you clearly do not understand so you can dress up your disinterest as objective criticism.
āUnnecessary superpowersā is already a wild place to start, because Dukeās powers are extremely useful for both detective work and stealth. Light manipulation, invisibility/camouflage, enhanced perception, and psychometry are not random useless add-ons. They are literally investigative and tactical abilities. Saying they ādonāt help him solve mysteriesā or ādonāt make for interesting fightsā does not tell me anything about Duke. It tells me you donāt know what his powers are.
Then we get to āTim Drake at home,ā which is just lazy.
Duke is not āsmart funny Gotham boy sidekick.ā Dukeās entire arc is about being a kid from Gotham proper (Which Tim is not) who lived through the cityās failures, organized with other disenfranchised youth, challenged the idea that Batmanās system was enough, and became a hero from the margins instead of from inside the Wayne Manor machine.
That is not Tim Drakeās story.
Tim comes from a completely different social position, a completely different origin, and a completely different relationship to Batman and Gotham. Tim is not the character whose story is about championing the people Gotham leaves behind. Tim is not the character whose heroism is rooted in collective action with neglected kids on the street. Tim is not the character whose existence critiques the limits of Batmanās approach from the perspective of someone Batmanās world repeatedly failed.
So no, there really are Duke stories you could not just tell with Tim. The fact that they both have brains and jokes does not make them interchangeable. That is not analysis. That is skimming a wiki and deciding you found the whole character.
And speaking of representation, ājust make other Bat-family members Blackā is not the sage answer you seem to think it is. Black lego (LEGO!) Batgirls and a truly mediocre-to-bad Black Tim Drake adaptation in a bad-to-unbearable Titans show, are not the same thing as having a Black character whose story, community, politics, and position in Gotham actually inform who he is.
Duke being Black is not a palette swap. It matters to the shape of his story. It matters that his arc is about Gothamās neglected kids, civic failure, survival, organizing, and being failed by the very heroic infrastructure that supposedly exists to protect people like him.
So when you flatten all of that into āboring,ā then turn around and say representation can just be solved by making somebody else Black in an adaptation, yes, that reads a certain way. And the way it reads is not flattering.
You can dislike Duke. That is your prerogative.
But āI personally donāt care about this characterā is not the same thing as āthis character has no purpose.ā And if your argument requires ignoring his actual powers, ignoring his actual arc, ignoring his actual social context, and pretending Tim Drake can be dropped into his place with no meaningful loss, then your argument is not based in the reality of the fiction.
It is based in your lack of desire to engage with experiences that were not catered toward you.
And just to avoid misunderstanding: when your response to a Black character being defended is āwell, if representation matters so much, just make other characters Black,ā while also dismissing the actual Black character as boring, replaceable, unnecessary, and not worth understanding?
That is not good-faith criticism.
That is you telling on yourself.
So yes. You can like Superboy Prime. You can dislike Duke. You can think Prime is more interesting. Have fun.
But do not pretend this was some thoughtful literary argument when it was really just you adding your two centavos to a conversation you did not bother to understand.
Calling Superboy Prime lame was not an attack on you.
This is.
This post is an attack on you.
This post is me calling you racist and intellectually dishonest.
Sam camp texts me 4 minutes after I wake up from my nap like he was personally standing in my room, jesus. Anyways!! Season 2 of Jon Kent: This Internship Is My Kryptonite is now live, and by god, the first issue is a banger!!!
hey everypony !! since iām supporting the DCblackout boycott, i figured iād make a small info post with links and summaries !!
DCblackout:
DCblackout is the second stage of the DCsowhite discussion that took place earlier this year, which pointed out that DC hasnāt publtished a solo, on-going black title in over 1200 days
DCblackout has 3 main goals: 1. establish and announce 1-3 black on-going titles (with black creative teams) that have cancellation immunity for a minimum of 2 years, 2. educate fans on how sales work so they can accurately support the titles they love, & 3. greenlight a power company book if the titles do well (which would help a fanbase grow)
the goal of DCblackout is to raise awareness of the lack of black DC stories and give fans heroes they can relate to and see themselves in.
blackgirlnerds.com
their official public statement is as follows:
bleedingcool.com
DCsowhite and why now:
DCsowhite brought attention to the fact that there has been no black on-going title in over 1200 days. the last title was āI Am Batmanā, which ran from 2021-2023 and ended on its #18 issue.
dc heavily relies on mini-runs or one shots for black characters, and black female characters receive even less.
james portis III (aka JPenumbra) posted a piece to comicsbeat.com focusing on the issue.
comicbeats.com
this has been an issue for a long time, but it doesnāt have to continue this way !! below is a link to the DCblackout petition, and blow that are links to JPenumbraās original piece, the DCblackout website, and blackgirlnerds.com and bleedingcool.comās pieces (in that order).
#DCSoWhite: End the Black Superhero Drought
It has now been 1171 days since the last time DC published an ongoing series for a Black character in their mainline continuity
DCBlackout - a DC Comics boyocott.
Following the viral #DCSoWhite conversation, creators demand sustained investment, visibility, and accountability for Black representation
DC Blackout: a DC Comics fan boycott launches after 1200 days without an ongoing DC Universe comic book series with a black lead character
a character study of these two, and the big elephant in the room after secret six. i wanted to write a comic that properly captured both of their perspectives, and did not mention jon at all (because who gaf). takes place rough between issues 6 and 8 of Batman by Matt Fraction
"It'd make more sense if he was a villain" : Jay Nakamura, The Yellow Peril and Orientalism in the Comics Community
That quote above is speculating the potential of Jay Nakamura as a villain, specifically in the context of arguing for the incompatibility of Jon and Jay as a romantic couple due to the ideological differences that may arise from being a villain. Such speculations about fictional characters aren't uncommon and have been demonstrated in the canon of comics itself with stories like Injustice. But these statements should be regarded with caution, and with consideration for the context of a character.
This quote was said in service of comparing Jay Nakamura and Ash, a character introduced in Lazarus Planet, and to emphasize his potential as a love interest despite him being a villain.
Thereās more but the general consensus seemed to be, that there was excitement in the potential for romantic tension between Jon and Ash due to Ashās villainy, but the same was the reason for separating Jon and Jay. Many others stated Jay had to have manipulated Jon to an extent, which ācorruptsā Jon. This argument is not a concern when it comes to Ash although textually, Ash is the āhomme fataleā as defined by C.S.Pacat and is thus intentionally manipulating Jon throughout his appearance by looking down on his attitude as a hero, whereas there is no evidence of manipulation between Jon and Jay.
Why would one see a potential for "villainy" in certain characters? Is it story-based? Is it a personal preference for certain themes? Is it for entertainment? Or perhaps, something much deeper than all of this that you may not even be aware of?
What is the difference between Jay and Ash, and why does the villainy of one elicit enthusiasm and the perceived villainy of the other bring out irritation? While there is audience reception, writing quality, and subjective opinion which readers are free to express, these large-scale reactions warrant examination. Jon and Jayās relationship had caused waves in international news. The story of Superman is inherently political and that of āSuperman: Son of Kal-Elā, ties itself back to these roots. Thus, the immediate aversion to Jay must be addressed and examined, since his character and his relationship with Superman can impact queer representation in media by virtue of carrying the brand of Superman.
DC Comics and The Depiction of Asian Culture
With characters such as Black Lightning, Steel, and New Super-Man getting new runs, and newer characters such as Xanthe Zhou and Cameron Kim(City Boy) being introduced, recent years have seen a push in diversifying the cast of superheroes. But American Comics as a medium have always idealized the image of the White Man and has been a means to define American Values, thereby alienating people of color(POC). Comics often reflected the anxieties of the Western World, with Captain America from Marvel Comics punching Nazis, and Superman fighting the Ku Klux Klan. While it has pushed for the message of freedom, community and rebellion with an emphasis on righteousness, the reflected anxieties are confined to those of the White Man.
World War 2 had given rise to anti-Chinese and Japanese propaganda, with American-Asian individuals being suspected for treason. Japanese immigrants in the 40s were accused of being spies for Japan. A quote from the article, āThe "Yellow Peril" Mystique: Origins and Vicissitudes of a Racist Discourseā states:
āAnyone who accepts an invitation to visit China or to entertain visitors to America from China are to be regarded either as dupes, as potential victims of cleverly trained agents of the People's Republic of China, who, during the course of an ordinary conversation, are able to extract secrets from them, or as spies working for a foreign government.ā
Tensions from World War 2 and the perception of China as a Communist hellscape threatening American Capitalistic freedoms has led to such accusations. The idea of those of āthe Orientā but specifically East Asians being experts in espionage to gather data, and leak it to the Chinese or Japanese governments has transferred over into fiction.Ā
Colonialism, and the racial hierarchies proposed by evolutionary theories of the nineteenth century placed the ambiguously Eastward individuals as subservient to the White Man. The concept of evolution had been co-opted by colonizers, upper class Western political circles, to expand upon eugenics to justify that POC fell into a hierarchy, where the white people were always on top. Asian and specifically East Asian people were defined by inferiority and a lack of advancement, but also as a marked threat with their supposed shrewdness as weāve established.
The most prominent Asian characters in DC have been Raās Al Ghul, Talia Al Ghul, Lady Shiva, Cheshire, and Katana. They have long histories within the comics and are deeply influential, but the characters listed are typically in antagonistic roles, primarily using espionage-based techniques, expertise in weaponry, and membership among shadowed organizations to execute their goals. For the sake of brevity, weāll be examining the portrayal of the Al Ghuls with a focus on Talia Al Ghul. Talia, much like Jay, is a love interest to Batman and thus relevant for further discussion on the perception of Jay.
The Threat of The Lover from The Orient
The Al Ghuls originate from an undefined part of the Arab world. Talia is Arab and Chinese, but she is not allowed to be fluid, she is not allowed both. Depending on the creative teamās intentions, she is portrayed both as a temptress and a romantic interest, oscillating between these identities depending on her loyalty to her father and her love for Batman. When she is meant to be a victim of her father, imposing stereotypical morals assigned to the Arab world through orientalism, she wears āharemā robes, she is darker, she is distinctly Arab. When she is a sly temptress, she wears a qipao or a kimono, leaning into Asian stereotypes.Ā
While Orientalism portrays Asian women as sexual beings, who are seen as particularly dangerous because of their influence on the libidos of White Men, it veers towards a lack of desirability in Asian men. The sexual interest of Asian men is portrayed as inherently predatory of white women, a danger from which white women must be rescued.
What would this mean, then, for an Asian Queer Man, who is a romantic interest of Superman?
Jay Nakamura and āThe Pink Hair Connundrumā
Taliaās former fluidity in her design and clothing is contrasted starkly by the clear definition of Jayās design. Much like Lois Lane, whose assigned color is purple, Jay has been assigned a specific set of colors to make him identifiable; these being pink, orange, greens and teals.
Many of the recently introduced Asian characters have strong silhouettes and stylization. Kong Kenan is primarily red with accents of yellow and black, Xanthe Zhouās is blue and yellow, City Boy is Black and Red. Identifiable and concretized designs are necessary to the superhero genre, where the design is essential towards cementing identity. This is in direct contrast to long-term portrayals of Talia, whose skin tone, color scheme and styling varied with great frequency.Ā
Jayās design competes in vibrance with the primary colors of the Superman suit. This raises issues because the Asian Love interest is visually not subservient to the White Hero. The muted colors expected of any romantic interest is not present here, which immediately creates tension.
His design adheres to typical fashion choices in queer culture. The stereotype of a āpronoun haver with dyedā hair has run rampant in recent years. While queerphobic individuals denigrate these features as something lesser, the queer community gravitates towards alternative design choices which turn eyes for a purpose. The LGBTQIA+ community uses alternate clothing, colors, and fashion pieces to mark themselves and their identity within the community, mainly to signal to other LGBTQIA+ individuals of their presence (Flags and Fashion: Expressions of Solidarity through Lesbian Clothing, Eleanor Medhurst). It is a form of solidarity.
Heteronormativity is defined by a set of social rules imposed on varying aspects of culture, from language to clothes, and the replication of these enforces what is ānormalā. The fashion choices of the LGBTQIA+ community defy these rules despite efforts by these imposed social norms to police them. The heteronormative majority see it as their duty to correct these transgressions in hair color, clothing, speech, etc.
But, following these normative rules means the marginalized individual would have to put in extra labour to conformā to not be judged and refused. The queer person is expected to do this additional labour, and it falls to the marginalized people to negotiate within themselves the extent of compromise they must make for their own identity to fit into their environment (A gay reflection on microaggressions, symbolic normativities, and pink hair Aleksi Soini). The normative people are never challenged.
It is up to the LGBTQIA+ individual to prove themselves as ānormalā.Ā
Soliniās article recounts a moment where a coworker of his stated, āāYou're okay; you're not one of those over-the-top faggots with bleached hairā. Heteronormativity functions in binaries. You are male or female. Similarly, you are straight or gay. There is of course, in the name of inclusion, a ānormalā gay, and an āabnormalā gay.
Jay Nakamura would be considered the latter, because his character design is a representation of someone who takes no efforts to conform to heteronormativity.Ā
In the context of Superman: Son of Kal-El, he is a reporter who wants attention so that he may redirect it to protect refugees. He purposefully stands out with his chosen orange and green hoodies. His ability to stand out is a direct attack against the narrative created by the colonizer of his country, Henry Bendix.
Henry Bendix kidnapped Jay and his mother, Sara, to silence them. Sara was the former president of Gamorra, and ran against Henry Bendix in the previous elections. Bendix abducts these two in an effort to silence the call for the freedom of Gamorra. Jay is one among hundreds who are experimented on, essentially enslaved under Bendixās commandā a clear effort to erase their identities. It is implied his hair turned pink due to the experiments, since he has black hair in an alternate universe where Bendix did not colonize Gamorra.
His hair is a symbol of resistance within the story itself, since he gained it after surviving long periods of experimentation. On a metatextual level as a queer character, he represents the LGBTQIA+ tendency to transgress heternormativity. Subversion is an act of resistance.Ā
The aesthetic of āSuperman and Lois Laneā appeals to conservative values, and this is often used to push the image of a perfect American Nuclear Family, leaning towards the stereotypes of yesteryears where ātraditional valuesā reigned supreme. Superman 2016 leans into this, the setting is an idyllic countryside village known as Hamilton. Lois Lane, defined as a career woman and intrepid journalist is confined to the home, and Clark is seen primarily around the farm. They are both removed from their profession meant to symbolize the protection and distribution of truth. Their clothing abides by these as well. Lois wears athleisure, tight tops and leggings, found in muted pinks and purples, as opposed to her rumpled office formals. Clark is often seen in flannel tops, jeans, and jackets, primarily in reds and muted blues and browns. Visually, they are meant to conform to the binary established by heteronormativity. The primary colors of the Superman suit are shown in tandem with the American Flag. There is space made for color, but only as long as it conforms.
Jon and Jayās story is firmly set in the city of Metropolis and constantly circles the idea of truth, journalistic integrity, and propaganda. His unnatural hair and bright clothing stand in stark contrast to Superman 2016, disrupting the aesthetic rules of heteronormativity in the fabric of the Superman story.
The clear definition of his color story, as an Asian man, a queer man, and a love interest, creates tension within the world of comics.
Espionage and Distrust of Asian Characters.
As established previously, the World Wars, colonialism and the eugenicist taken on evolution embraced by the Western world in the 19th century led to a deep suspicion of anyone of East Asian descent.Ā
The belief in the shrewdness of Asian characters is reflected in the characterization of those like Talia. Talia is portrayed as having deeper meaning in all her actions. She leaks information to the heroes in āTower of Babelā. In her time as the CEO of LexCorp, she sold all the assets to Bruce Wayne though she was portrayed as a villain. Her character is frequently presented as untrustworthy, and readers are made to question her every move. This is further reinforced by these double-crosses and information sharing. Similarly, Cheshire and Catmanās relationship in Secret Six is defined by deep distrust, Cheshire toys with Catman by hiding information and shifting loyalties depending on what is advantageous to her. Simone often comments on her sexual appeal being dangerous, and the ways in which she uses a characterās unwillingness to trust her to further intrigue and disseminate information.
As an Asian journalist, a refugee, and a recently-introduced love interest, Jay is in a position which raises anxieties in the common American comic reader who has been trained to distrust the idea of information in the hands of such an individual. The established tension arising from his character design motivates readers to uphold such suspicion.
The text of the story makes it explicit that he admires Lois Lane, and his position as the journalist love interest of Superman calls for parallels with Lois. His monicker, The Truth, is directly derived from the Superman slogan, āTruth, Justice, and a Better Tomorrowā. Yet, there is fear that he is manipulating Jon.
The fight between the Axis and Allied powers led to a deep mistrust from the American against Japanese immigrants and American-Japanese citizens. General John L. DeWittās statement regarding the Japanese immigrant population summarizes the sentiments in this time:
Sinophobia continued to flourish, and was worsened with the accusation and trial of Wen Ho Lee, a naturalized American Citizen from Taiwan, who confessed to reporting classified information regarding nuclear weapons in America to Chinese scientists while visiting Beijing. The truth of this accusation remains contested, but the confession and sentencing led to the intensification of distrust in Chinese people.
The country of Gamorra is located in Asia, and is located south of Japan. It was created initially by Korean writers Brandon Choi and Jim Lee. Gamorra was colonized by those of Japanese descent, and it can be surmised it is an allegory for the colonization of Korea by the Japanese Empire. This history is not reflected in Superman: Son of Kal-El, and readers would identify Gamorra as vaguely Asian.
Though the Yellow Peril targeted various countries in different manners, xenohpobia and orientalism affected Asian populations on a similar scale. It was specifically, āthe Whitesā against āthe Othersā. The ambiguity of Jayās Asian origin makes him a potential target for a combined imposition of stereotypes from varying Asian cultures.
The overall effect, is that in fiction, the Asian Lover cannot be trusted with information.
Seduction, Hypnotization and the threat of Sexuality
Morality Panic around the sexuality of Asian bodies has existed for centuries. The British population characterized Chinese immigrants as morally depraved, defining them as opium smoking individuals who indulged in gambling and prostitution. Setting aside the fact that the cause of the opium distribution in China was due to the British, and the first of the Opium Wars were fought because the Chinese government took measures to get rid of opium, the presence of Chinese populations in Britian was in defiance of the colonial mindset.
An increase in immigration occurred during the World Wars, and White Women grew more independent through the job opportunities created during this period. The reluctance of White Women to conform to the patriarchy and the increase in immigration, led to rumours of helpless white women being lost in the Limehouse streets, victim to the āmoral depravityā of the Asian Man.
Sexuality has always been a source of control in the heteronormative patriarchy. The binary of male and female is defined by the subservience of women, sexually, to men. Specifically, white men. A loss of control in this sexuality for the White Man is a threat.
Cheshire, Lady Shiva, and Talia are portrayed as using their sexuality to weaken their White Male opponents. She is a threat because she results in a loss of control over libido, she weaponizes it against the White Hero. He falls victim to his sexuality, and is seen as helpless to these ācharmsā and a hapless victim. Grant Morrison takes this much farther with Talia and Bruce, wherein she is implied to have sexually assaulted Bruce Wayne. The metaphor of sexuality as a weapon becomes that of overt assault, the stereotype stretched to its extreme. Cheshireās seduction is shown as dangerous, and Thomas Blake is weakened drastically around her purely due to his attraction towards her. It seems her mere existence is a devastating blow.Ā
While the Asian Woman is a sexual object, one who seduces, a temptation which cannot be refuted, the Asian Man is portrayed as deeply undesirable and sexless. Anti-immigration laws, exclusion, and the deep history of Orientalism and Xenophobia ostracizes the Asian Man from American Masculinity, creating the āAmerican maleā and the āotherā, thus stripping Asian Men of their masculinity. Due to masculinity being defined by sexuality, the othering of the Asian Man leads to an assignation of sexlessness (Park, M. (2012). Asian American masculinity eclipsed: A legal and historical perspective of emasculation through US immigration practices. Mod. Am., 8, 5).
They are feminized, portrayed as undesirable. Which leads to the stereotype of The Seducer, a byproduct of the Yellow Peril. Due to the perceived lack of desirability in Asian Men, their sexuality is instead portrayed as inherently predatory. Shanghai Express(1936) and The Cheat(1915) portray Asian Men as sexual predators victimizing white women, who must be rescued by the White Heroes. The Limehouse district of London were fear mongered as places where the Triad Gangsters would kidnap White Women and force them into sexual slavery (Witchard, Anne (4 February 2015). "Yellow Peril: Sinophobia and the Great War: a Q&A with Dr. Anne Witchard".).
Jay is a queer man, desired by a white man. On many occasions, Jon has initiated physical intimacy with Jay. White men, as weāve seen before, are seen as victims of their libidos. But Asian men are sexless. A white man could not possibly truly desire for the Asian body, especially not for the Asian male body. The impositions of the aforementioned stereotypes in fiction have led to a disbelief in the existence of such a relationship configuration. Jay does not conform to the aesthetic of the Asian seductress, or of a feminization of any sort. Rather, he has glasses, fitting more into the Asian Nerd stereotype, which emerged from the demasculinization of Asian Men.
It is difficult for a comic reader, who has been hammered down with the idea of seduction, temptation and subterfuge around the Asian sexuality, to see Superman fall for an Asian boy with glasses, free of external manipulation. Jay with pink hair and a distinct lack of revealing outfits or overt sexual advances must then, therefore, be using some unseen and undetectable force, more sinister than can be imagined, shifting into the realm of the magical.
Whatever the explanation, it surely cannot be an honest desire.
And so it veers into speculations of seduction. Many had hilariously proposed that he had used pink kryptonite with sincerity. Plenty had examined the swirl-like pattern behind Jay in a singular panel to mean that he had used hypnosis. His joke about working with Lex Luthor to tease Jon was used as a confession of his crimes, and his plans were always to expose Jon's vulnerabilities. On and on they went
The label of āterroristā, journalism, and the perception of refugees
This, is sensitive. I have often hesitated to speak about this to anyone due to how fresh the topic is, how real the violence of this can be. It is no secret, that the United States labels the populations it wishes to exploit or eradicate with the label of āterroristā. The invasion of Iraq, the current unchecked occupation of Palestine, Syria and Lebanon, and the dismissal of Yemeni efforts to support the aforementioned countries is due to the labelling of a fight for liberation, for freedom, as āterrorist activityā. Heradstveit and Pugh put it best;
One of the primary ways in which a government increases its legitimacy and induces its population to support it above and beyond what their own interests dictate is by assimilating the concepts of āoppositionā and ācrimeā. It goes without saying that governments are meant to act against ācrimeā, at any rate crime committed by their less powerful subjects, as this is part of the definition of a government.
They propose that the label of āterrorismā can cover anything from guerilla warfare, armed resistance, any form of political opposition, even those which are non-violent and can be classified as vandalism. Any action in opposition to the locus of control, is classified as terrorist activity.
Comics reflect reality, as mentioned at the beginning. Jay does the same in his journalism. The second issue of Superman: Son of Kal-El, portrays Jay reporting on a Gamorran refugee boat, which was sinking on its way to Metropolis. These are the first bits of dialogue we hear from Jay. He is aligned with an anarachist group called āThe Revolutionariesā, who undertake armed violence in a fight for liberation. Batman puts the label of criminality and specifically, of terrorism, into the readerās minds.
This is meant to be refuted, and it is within a single issue. But the readership saw it as confirmation of their suspicions arising from the previously mentioned points, while ignoring the critique on the US government. Jayās position as a disenfranchised refugee is entirely forgotten, despite the text repeating his position at varying points.Ā
The seeming confirmation of the Asian seductress, of subterfuge, always takes precedence.
Superman comics have often been used to empower people. Supermanās story is inspired by Jewish myths and lived experiences. His status as an illegal immigrant has been covered across multiple mediums. He has smashed the Klan, he has helped free an enslaved world, he has helped people through their trauma, he has defended immigrants trying to find safety, assured queer children that they are loved and accepted, he fights corrupt billionaires who exploit the common folk.Ā
Jayās story contributes to the same values, but he is dismissed purely on aesthetics and race.Ā
It is important to evaluate why certain characters make us uncomfortable. What elicits this reaction? What is the source? I would never urge someone to like a character, this is subjective but it is important to analyze where our biases can come from. Sometimes it is as harmless as being unable to relate to a story. On other occasions, it can be rooted in something as insidious as this.Ā
If you would like to make Jay a villain, or any hero into a villain for that matter, ask why.
Actually the funniest thing about Jay as a character is the way he is canonically a "get out of my school" type of guy. Like, the scene where he tells Nia to stay dead, I don't actually think he means it, I do think he just doesn't know how to express his emotionally vulnerable desires without telling somebody to off themselves. And thats how I know he's a TRUE tumblrina.
what jay is thinking: i want you to care about me, to show me the same remorse and love you show jon and taylor and everyone else, i want you to be sorry, i want to matter
what jay says: KILL YOURSELF
Observation from a pal you might dig RE: where Jonās at:
āReverse Mark Grayson - an unthinkable wrongness has ripped away all safety nets he was supposed to have and rippled into his entire life and moral outlook, but his dad and the Guardians are still around and innocent and unblemished in all of it, so he'll be the weird asshole loose thread in the tapestry if he brings any of it up
āHe fell through the cracks into the Invincible/Worm/Ultimate Marvel/To Be Hero X version of cape life, except he still lives in the regular DCU where that's not supposed to happen and can't happen, so it will remain a Him problem for the foreseeable futureā
HAH WAIT THATS SOOOO ACCURATE
I've not yet read Invincible (I have a friend who INSISTS on lending me his physical volumes, and before he can do that theres one more person in line ahead of me) but I often see the Mark Grayson comparison, which from what I knew felt a little backwards.
The observation about Cape life is really good and I want to dig into it a bit more.
I think the thing about Jon is that what makes him work for me is that 'irreversible trauma that changes your life forever' is just a really common experience for marginalized people specifically. Obviously, he's already queer, and that pretty obviously impacts how you read the character. Like oh, gee, this dude who's struggling with trying to be like his Cisgender Heterosexual father without really wanting to, you mean to tell me hes queer and his need to please society is ruining his relationship with other queer people? Oh, he experienced a change in personality in his teenage years that his parents are struggling to contextualize without being rude and invasive? Yeah I'll bet.
But its not just that. Jon's experience with being the 'odd one out' maps itself so nicely onto other Shitty Life Things too. My disability manifested itself around the same age Jon got volcanoe'd, so that's usually one of the first comparisons I reach for (and I think Bendis has indicated things like childhood cancer were an influence on how that arc was created). And whether you like it or not, Superman... well, we could debate all day whether or not Superman is ""woke"" but it doesn't take away from the fact that Superman is meant to be an ally, not the actual guy in the situation. He's the one you, a marginalized person, call to help- He's not the one who should NEED help, right?
And I think this kind of makes it clear why Jon so immediately fell into the darker, more brutal side of hero life. That is where HIS people are. He is by default of being traumatized and queer in community with people like Jay and Nia who suffer more than the nice, bright, white-teethed smiling faces of the Justice League and need more support than just 'punch the singular bad guy and win!'. The system wasn't built for Jon even though I think Jon's not fully grasped what that actually means for his life.
I'm reminded of this excellent page from Witch Hat Atelier, aka the best manga being published right now:j
Nicole's live right now and re: writing jay, she said "i know what i want to do with jay.. but as for what jay is going to do, who can say. he's in a very weird place that i'm very excited for"
For the Jayjon fans who follow me (presumably, all or most of you), both Secret Six and This Internship is My Kryptonite are elligible for this year of voting. Nominate Secret Six 2025 for best Limited/ongoing, and TIIMK for best webcomic/humor webcomic!
Secret Six 2025's team is Nicole Maines, Stephen Segovia, and Rain Beredo.
TIIMKs team is Sam Camp, Daimon Hampton, Seraji, and CM Cameron.
