Marvel recently announced that they would be “relaunching” 60 titles after Secret Wars to revamp and diversify their characters and teams. They even released the above promotional art to showcase their new takes on characters. It’s understandable that fans would examine any and all glimpses of their favorite heroes and talk about what their appearances may or may not mean. Speculating over promotional information is how geeks roll. So, I don’t know why Marvel’s Tom Brevoort is suddenly so surprised.
I get that some fans can be a little more rude than others, but recently, a fan asked about the addition of Red Wolf to the upcoming titles based on recent promotional art:
The anonymous fan asked Brevoort a perfectly legitimate, politely-worded question about Red Wolf via Tumblr:
Hey Tom. I think bringing Red Wolf into prominence is a great idea, and will fit Marvel’s sense of diversity in the future. I do have a question about this though: was there ever a concern that the character might be viewed as a stereotype, or met with a similar controversy to say, the Washington Redskins? Well, thanks for your time and keep up the good work!
Nicely-worded, and clearly coming from someone who’s a genuine fan of Marvel Comics. You’d think that Brevoort would take the opportunity to engage intelligently with a fan, and explain Marvel’s initiative more thoroughly. Instead, Brevoort said:
No concern, in that we thought that when people read the story, as opposed to judging wildly from a piece of promotional art, they would understand the character.
Whoa. Relax, dude. No one is even judging. They’re asking a legitimate question from a legitimate place of concern, and complimenting Marvel’s work to boot. Maybe instead of getting defensive, he should just answer the question.
I realize that it must be exhausting to have to constantly defend your properties. But the answer to the constant questioning isn’t misplaced frustration with concerned fans. It’s directing that frustration where it belongs – a society where underrepresented and disenfranchised minorities are treated unfairly. It’s hard work to be on the side of right, but it’s worth it.
(via The Outhousers)
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