Black History Month

[AlexF]

It's Black History month!
For reasons that I don't entirely understand, I felt compelled to idenitfy a list of black and minority ethnicity characters from 2000AD, and have ended up writing three enormously long blog posts about the topic.

Which I couldn't resist titling 'BAME! POW! Comics get diverse'

Part 1 is here:
http://meanwhileon.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/bame-pow-comics-get-diverse-part-1.html
(on my old largely defunct blog because it doesn't really fit in with the 'Heroes of' theme)

I think it's fair for 2000AD fans (and creators, obvs) to take some pride in the fact that there's no need to shout about it, Marvel style, every time a prominent black character appears - it's just been part of the Prog since the beginning. Of course, it's not exactly a spotless record of diversity and inclusiveness.

Oh, and because it's not obvious but feels relevant, I should say that I am a white guy. I'm so white I'm actually half-German.

[Greg M.]

You could add Lundy to your Bad Company entry - not a major character, though probably not any less significant than Marshal Bonehead. Lundy's appearance is based on one of the guys from the band Black Uhuru. (I was also going to mention Sheeva, but I'm guessing she'll put in an appearance when you get to Bad Co. II.)

Brett Ewins said that he and the rest of the Bad Co. creators all wanted to feature black characters prominently in the series, as they felt they'd been under-represented up to that point.

[sheridan]

I'd love to see if things would have turned out any different if Dredd had been black, as was mooted early on.

[sheridan]

p.s. isn't it usually BAEM rather than BAME?  I stand to be corrected!

[AlexF]

p.s. isn't it usually BAEM rather than BAME?  I stand to be corrected!

Good question! It seems both are in circulation, neither is ideal and it'll probably date itself very quickly. There even seems to be some debate about whether the 'A' in either case stands for 'Asian' or 'and'.
Reckon I'll have to alternate...

[sheridan]

p.s. isn't it usually BAEM rather than BAME?  I stand to be corrected!

Good question! It seems both are in circulation, neither is ideal and it'll probably date itself very quickly. There even seems to be some debate about whether the 'A' in either case stands for 'Asian' or 'and'.
Reckon I'll have to alternate...

Yep - looked it up
BAEM = Black and Ethnic Minority
BAME = Black Asian and Minority Ethnic

Any terms will date quickly - when I was a kid using the term 'black' would mark you as a racist while 'coloured' was perfectly acceptable, but now general attitudes are the other way around.

[Frank]

.
My pappy told me there'd be months like this.

Entertaining read as always, Alex. Mention of black creators reminds me I only just discovered Dougie Braithwaite isn't the Andy Capp figure I conjured from my imagination.

[AlexF]

Here's part 2

http://meanwhileon.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/baem-pow-comics-get-diverse-part-2.html

[sheridan]

Just came across the Best of 2000AD Special Edition containing Tribal Memories yesterday - coincidence!

[O Lucky Stevie!]

It's very good, isn't it Sheridan?

It has most recently been reprinted here if  you need a spare. Digital may be the way to go to just in case you have any future recurrences.

[sheridan]

It's very good, isn't it Sheridan?

It has most recently been reprinted here if  you need a spare. Digital may be the way to go to just in case you have any future recurrences.

Oh, I have all the original progs, plus the afore-mentioned reprint I stumbled across in a long-neglected box in the front room the other day - I doubt any other reprint will match it in quality (it's not been coloured in, has it?)  should stay in B&W!

[AlexF]

Here's Part 3:
http://meanwhileon.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/bame-pow-comics-get-diverse-part-3.html

And that's quite enough of that!

[JayzusB.Christ]

Everyone here is a racist except me.  As an Irish, I'm a repressed minority, so I can't be.

Sorry, enough of the bollocks - just haven't had my afternoon coffee yet.  This looks really interesting, Alex - looking forward to reading it in depth.  Yeah, 2000ad has always done pretty well in presenting ethnic minorities without much fuss and carry-on. (Outlaw was an exception, when whatever Tharg it was at the time seemed fairly adamant on pressing the issue - I remember thinking 'so what?')

On the other hand, even Tharg himself was a cool black teenager for one prog.