| Author |
Message |
Urban Legend
Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 41
Location: France
|
 Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 11:27 am Post subject:
Why Blade is "Black" ?
|
|
|
This may sound like a silly question, but... Why Blade is black? I mean in the Marvel Comics Universe, there are heroes that come in a rainbow of colors but not so dark-skinned. In addition, he was introduced in 1973, when this must have been unique in comic book heroes.
Is it to emphasize the difference between the Vampires, who are very white (in part because of their incapacity to support the sun?) and Blade? Is he a black character because he is unaccepted in both human and vampire societies, a true outcast?
Are there any philosophical thoughts behind this?
Do you believe that both comic and movie would have been as successful if Blade had been white? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Asano
Joined: 13 May 2005
Posts: 12
|
| Posted: Sat May 21, 2005 12:44 am Post subject:
|
|
|
Jeez...that could be quite a deep question...Ive never thought about it that way...I guess the obvious thing could be like you said to emphasise the difference between the vamps and blade or the irony of having a black 'daywalker' in the sense that night is 'black' and day isn't...Or perhaps it was simply a way of introducing a black character for young black people to look up to...or perhaps its a study of oppression? Dissecting it philosophically does seem to open up a whole bunch of questions...there is probably some stuff out there that elaborates on this concept...
quite simply it could have been a 'cool' and 'unique' thing to do at the time... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Mercury
Site Admin
Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 47
|
Posted: Mon May 23, 2005 9:56 am Post subject:
Re: Why Blade is "Black" ?
Subject description: reason for comic?
|
|
|
| Quote: | This may sound like a silly question, but... Why Blade is black? I mean in the Marvel Comics Universe, there are heroes that come in a rainbow of colors but not so dark-skinned. In addition, he was introduced in 1973, when this must have been unique in comic book heroes.
|
I have no idea why the comic was made into a movie, or who came up with the notion; I didn't even see it until around 2002.
But the comic---well, that came out at a time when "blaxploitation" films were at their peak. Real classics were out, like "Superfly"(my personal favorite as far as the films went), "Black Ceasar" and for film and TV, "Shaft"(RAH!!!)
These movies and tv shows were awesome and they were enormously popular. Not only were they the first movies truely made for the black American audience, they were culturally important as well for various reasons.
There was as much raging against them for their stereotyped figures as there was applause. 
I think the creator of the comic Blade, Marv Wolfman, saw an empty place in the universes of comics and he stepped in and took good advantage of it.
Would the comic and the movie be as popular if Blade was not black? I don't know how huge the comic ever was to begin with. I think that vampire comics are always popular, but Blade wouldn't have endured if he were white. Just my own feeling, and based on a limited reading as a teen. And as far as the movie goes, I can't imagine the same character being white, so I have no opinion on that  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
deezelboy
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 10
|
Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 3:00 pm Post subject:
Re: Why Blade is "Black" ?
Subject description: reason for comic?
|
|
|
About 15 years ago a friend gave me a bunch of Marvel UK Tomb of Dracula comics from the early 1970's. These were pretty dire as I remember - very gothic, very Victorian, and concentrating on Van Helsing trying to clobber Dracula in a variety of different situations. The whole thing seemed to be based on the Hammer Horror films, a kind of by-the-numbers approach to Gothic horror.
And halfway through the comics, in steps Blade. Well, I think he actually crashed through a window. But this Blade was badassss... He spoke and acted like Shaft, and had a much more active physical presence than Van Helsing or Dracula. He livened up the comic considerably.
I don't know Blade's history through comics, but in this Tomb of Dracula who was definitely part of the supporting cast, and also the most mysterious. The main thing is that, in my view, that comic wasn't going anywhere, it was overly cliched and fairly dull. The introduction of Blade, primarily as some sort of hardcore anti-hero, livened it up considerably. I mean, Blade really is the only thing I can remember from those comics.
But, yeah, he was very much patterned on the early Blaxploitation films IMHO. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
Forum index
»
Stephen Norrington Movies
»
Blade (1998)
