
Shaolin Brew
Race, Comics, and the Evolution of the Superhero
Troy D. Smith(Author)
University Press of Mississippi
Published on 17. June 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
277 pages
978-1-4968-5168-0 (ISBN)
Description
Shaolin Brew: Race, Comics, and the Evolution of the Superhero looks at how the comic book industry developed from a white perspective and how minority characters were and are viewed through a stereotypical white gaze. Further, the book explores how voices of color have launched a shift in the industry, taking nonwhite characters who were originally viewed through a white lens and situating them outside the framework of whiteness. The financial success of Blaxploitation and Kung Fu films in the early 1970s led to major comics publishers creating, for the first time, Black and Asian superhero characters who headlined their own comics. The introduction of Black and Asian main characters, who previously only served as guest stars or sidekicks, launched a new kind of engagement between comics companies and minority characters and readers. However, scripted as they were by white writers, these characters were mired in stereotypes.
Author Troy D. Smith focuses on Asian, Black, and Latinx representation in the comic industry and how it has evolved over the years. Smith explores topics that include Orientalism, whitewashing, Black respectability politics, the model minority myth, and political controversies facing fandoms. In particular, Smith examines how fans take the superheroes they grew up with-such as Luke Cage, Black Lightning, and Shang Chi-and turn them into the characters they wished they had as children. Shaolin Brew delves into the efforts of fans of color who urged creators to make these characters more realistic. This refining process increased as more writers and artists of color broke into the industry, bringing their own perspectives to the characters. As many of these characters transitioned from page to screen, a new generation of writers, artists, and readers have cooperated to evolve one-dimensional stereotypes into multifaceted, dynamic heroes.
Author Troy D. Smith focuses on Asian, Black, and Latinx representation in the comic industry and how it has evolved over the years. Smith explores topics that include Orientalism, whitewashing, Black respectability politics, the model minority myth, and political controversies facing fandoms. In particular, Smith examines how fans take the superheroes they grew up with-such as Luke Cage, Black Lightning, and Shang Chi-and turn them into the characters they wished they had as children. Shaolin Brew delves into the efforts of fans of color who urged creators to make these characters more realistic. This refining process increased as more writers and artists of color broke into the industry, bringing their own perspectives to the characters. As many of these characters transitioned from page to screen, a new generation of writers, artists, and readers have cooperated to evolve one-dimensional stereotypes into multifaceted, dynamic heroes.
Reviews / Votes
Shaolin Brew utilizes diverse materials to illustrate both how whiteness framed the representation of Blacks and Asians in 1970s comics and how that frame was interrogated and challenged by fans of color from the start." - Patrick L. Hamilton, coauthor of All New, All Different? A History of Race and the American SuperheroMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Jackson
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
19 b&w illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
488 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4968-5168-0 (9781496851680)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
05/2024
University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
€29.49
Available for download
Person
Troy D. Smith is associate professor of history at Tennessee Tech University, where he specializes in race and ethnic studies. He has won several national awards for his historical fiction.