Parting Shot: Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso Talks Latino Superheroes

Whats fascinating is that all the new latino American heroes take a page right out of Peter Parker. Kyle Rayner, Jaime Reyes, Miles Morales, Wildcat II, and now Vibe. They are all young city kids who struggle learning to use their powers. Jaime's Beatle costume even LOOKS kind of like Spidey.
Why are there all of the latino superheroes just like Spider-Man?

I am still mixed about this. I think Marvel is probably doing the better job in regards to such things, but not enough. The thing is, such change needs to be slow in that "forcing" a certain character can come to be regarded as a bit ham-fisted. It should be natural.

I really think bringing old characters back, like Luke Cage and "modernizing" them or more accurately, making them "human" and relatable, is the best place to start. And even with sn early attempt to "force" a character in, if well-written, it can be alright.

Again, I feel this realy boils down to the writer (and artist) of the book and how their experiences relate to such things and really, some writers need to really think it through and realize they may not "get" it because they have a lack of experience in that department. Charles Schulz, while he did introduce Franklin, eventually dropped him from the strip. When interviewed by Whoopie Goldberg on her old talkshow, he said the reason was he couldn't well write for Franklin because that wasn't his experience. He realized he couldn't do the character justice with that sort of life experience.

It's like CHR and Arce said, sometimes it's not just the character, but depicting the enviroment as well and knowing the difference between nations (because "South America" are many countries and no, they are can't be lumped into "Central America" or "just Mexico" either). I mean, even little things, like producers initial reactions to "Americanizing" even TV shows instead of dubbing them (ala "Power Rangers") is a disservice imo to those that could be learning about the people/country of Japan instead of glossing it over and putting American/New Zealand kids as the main stars. Needless to say, it doesn't seem to have been a problem in Asia, where kid's seemed to embrace both versions at once and toy company Bandai could crank out it's old reserve of toys (since I saw a translated "Power Rangers" along side the newest Sentai series when visiting Taiwan).

Still, we have a long way to go. I haven't seen too many, if any, recent adventures of Shangi-Chi or the White Tiger. DC has put some new/dead characters in, but at least initially, it always seems like a publicity stunt with them (Geoff) (the long-term sustainability is the key to keeping these characters). I think the crux of this is that there needs to be more writers with more life experience to write/appreciate it or even "that" life experience and that tends to mean more minority writers, such as more blacks, women, Chinese, Vietnamese, and more than I can list. At least writers who know the difference between a Chillean, an Argentinian, a Mexican and a "Latino" (and really, even "Latino" is a bit of a loaded term: Where does a Latino's roots come from and their experience growing up in America? Are they origins Mexican or some otther Latin-American country like Cuba?).

It's kinda cool to have hispanic superheroes, although most of them are a let down because of being very stereotyped acting only as the hispanics living in the U.S. The writers have not realized yet that there is a whole continent out there that behaves completely from one country to the other. El Gaucho acts and sometimes talks like a rural mexican and not as an argentinian from Buenos Aires, for example.

Fox News Latino.

wat.

Living Lightning rules.

El Chapulin Colorado has to come back.

Growing up as a hispanic in the Rio Grande Valley TX, this always bothered me. It was amazing to finally discover our own superhero: El Gato Negro! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Gato_Negro