Chan is Missing (His Embarrassingly Racist Dialogue)

[The Corinthian]

I've just been reading the first volume of Robo-Hunter Droid Files, and wondered if anyone else had noticed that the dialogue given to Chan has been visibly tweaked to take out the comedy orientalisms (swapped 'l's and 'r's, etc.)

Obviously the original dialogue, though par for the course in late 1970s comics, was a bit stupid and offensive - especially given that Chan isn't a goonish caricature but a straight supporting character who could easily have been "default white" - but it's odd that they don't make similar edits to da Italian-American Stereotype gangsters in 'Day of the Droids' or Stoogie, the Fastest Cigar in All Me'ico! Or - in volume 2 - the much more notorious "Blakee Pentax!"

I wonder if it's attributable to the way that Chan appears in the very earliest instalments, which are a fairly straight action-adventure take on the concept before Gibson takes over as artist and Wagner decides to turn the bonkers factor up to 11. It's as if Ferrer's comparatively realistic art now seems like a poor match with the "me so solly"-isms.

Weirdly, the Titan 1980s collections (with what I assume to be the original dialogue) looks like it's been re-done as well...

[pauljholden]

Maybe there's a link: maybe the corrections were done in the 80s and those are the only available originals rebellion have?

I think, iirc, there's a policy of keeping things as unchanged as possible (when they reprinted Darkies mob there was some editorial eluding to some changes but trying to balance and present it as is...)

[TordelBack]

Maybe there's a link: maybe the bowdlerisation was done in the 80s and those are the only available originals rebellion have?

FTFY, PJ.

[Steve Green]

Is it throughout?

I had a look at the Verdus collection prior to the droid files, and it seems like it may have been changed in the Ferrer episodes, but later on when Sam's dreaming about it, it's still got the 'Gleat Lobohunter' line...

[The Corinthian]

True, but Sam's dream is a subjective fantasy so the Rebellion editors might have felt that was acceptable. In the same way that, for example, Dredd can fling vaguely racist epithets at Shojan the Warlord and it doesn't seem offensive because it's a character rather than the author speaking.

[pauljholden]

Maybe there's a link: maybe the bowdlerisation was done in the 80s and those are the only available originals rebellion have?

FTFY, PJ.

Quite right, I'd've said that only i dread to think how it would have autocorrected on the iPad...

PJ

[maryanddavid]

'bowdlerisation', had to look it up. There is always confusion between racism and sterotyping, Wagner and Grant can be accused of extreme sterotyping, look at all their Scottish characters!!

David

[M.I.K.]

Wagner and Grant can be accused of extreme sterotyping, look at all their Scottish characters!!

That's not stereotyping. That's realism.

[jamesedwards]

While going through some old 2000ads lately I was literally floored by how much shit the Chinese get - it's in Stront, Dredd, Dante... there's even "next prog" boxes that get the boot in.

It's a little bit too prevalent to ignore.

[jamesedwards]

'bowdlerisation', had to look it up. There is always confusion between racism and sterotyping, Wagner and Grant can be accused of extreme sterotyping, look at all their Scottish characters!!

David

Wagner and Grant are both Scottish, though - which changes the politics of power and privilege.

I can't think of any Chinese 2000ad creators.

[M.I.K.]

[M.I.K.]

*childish sniggering*

[Art]

Something like "Our man in Hondo" is pretty wince making these days.

Also pretty much all the comedy Mexican characters, which 2000ad seems to have many, many of.

[jamesedwards]

M.I.K - there's a difference between poor translation/transliteration (Engrish) and you know, how people actually speak ("r" and "l" being considered no different during the romanization process, I believe)

[Spaceghost]

I get more pissed off when people lump together China and Japan as if "they're all the same, them lot."