Week 8: Comic Stereotypes and Representation

     As a long time reader of comics it's not at all surprising by now to have seen more character stereotypes than you can count. Of course these stereotypes can be problematic or partially harmless depending on context, characterization, etc. Our culture is chock full of proper and improper representations of different genders, races, etc. From movies to comedy routines, there's a stereotype for anyone and anything. 

    In comics we see a ton of stereotypes in the visualization and personality of the characters within the pages we read. From the big, muscle-bound super-powered male to the meek and fragile female protagonist. While I understand that using stereotypes makes it easier for people to label and allow the reader to understand a character more easily through the use of visual details and characterizations that pertain to a certain stereotype that most people can associate with(example: prude, sexually repressed virgin or a fat, burger-napping American) they're not always a positive tool in the long run and I feel like they really take away from proper characterization. Not too mention how easy it is to fall into an area where a stereotype just flat out becomes racially charged interpretation(ex:the angry black woman, the "spicy" latina, etc.).

     Falling back on stereotypes can limit one's creative ability in being able to create interesting and lively characters. Stereotypes are often repetitive and sometimes incredibly offensive or can do more harm than good when it comes to proper representation. It would be better for any creative artist/writer to use stereotypes to their advantage by completely deconstructing them. Take the usual tough, macho-male protagonist and make him an emotional but heartfelt person who embraces his feminine side from time to time. Doing stuff like this can breath a lot of life into a comic or any story really and it helps by showing that characters, like us, have dimensionality.