Making comics more multicultural

From the Chicago Tribune, 4/29/07:

Masked crusaders"By reconfiguring superheroes with an ethnic component into them, the hero becomes more palpable," says professor Carmelo Esterrich, director of cultural studies at Columbia College Chicago. "They don't come from space like Superman; they're closer to us. ... Having comic books reflect that is going to make these [younger] readers better citizens 10 and 20 and 30 years from now."

"The job of a writer or artist is to reflect the world around you. That's not an agenda," says Rogers, who gets frustrated by claims that the comic exists only to fill some imagined quota. "Racism is believing that other people of different backgrounds can't speak to you."Comment:  For more on the subject, see Comic Books Featuring Indians.