DC sent out a media release about the New 52 launch this morning – Essentially just making sure that everyone knows that September sees a relaunch of the books and what is pretty much a reboot of Superman, and something that wouldn’t be a cause for attention normally, except for this particular section:
These stories introduce a more diverse DC universe, with major characters with diverse ethnic backgrounds, including Cyborg, Static Shock, Blue Beetle, Batwing (aka the Batman of Africa), Firestorm, Mr. Terrific, the Atom and Voodoo, and LGBT characters like Batwoman, Apollo, Midnighter, and Voodoo taking center stage.
Note the inclusion of the Atom as being a character with a “diverse ethnic background”. Confirmation that Ryan Choi is the world’s smallest man in the DCnU?
August 12th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
Voodoo is what, exactly? Lesbian? Bi? I’m familiar with Apollo/Midnighter but not so much the WildCATS.
August 12th, 2011 at 12:56 pm
I thought Dan DiDio was the world’s smallest man.
August 12th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
Wasn’t this already confirmed by Lee at Comicon? I believe I read somewhere that he said the Atom that he’s been drawing is Ryan Choi, which I think is a perfectly fine move. I don’t think there’s a large Ray Palmer fan base so much as a small Atom fan base.
I honestly don’t know why DC hasn’t made Hawkman Egyptian, for that matter. Seems like a natural extension of the character that organically diversifies the line.
And I believe Voodoo is bi, although I think her last major relationship was with an android (a dude android).
August 12th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
Voodoo is a bisexual creole.
August 12th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
Maybe DC is remembering the Gerry Conway JLA story that revealed Ray Palmer is Jewish (in homage, no doubt, to his namesake, the SF magazine editor)?
August 12th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
Nothing says racial sensitivity more than given an Asian guy the power of super-shortness.
August 12th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
^^^ “Giving”, I mean.
August 12th, 2011 at 4:31 pm
Uh, Jim Lee already said this on one of the New 52 panels at San Diego. He pointed out there are two Koreans on the JL roster.
August 13th, 2011 at 11:43 am
Does ANY of this matter ? I could care less who is from ANY race… I just want solid comics. After a while, being black or Asian means less to me than anything. As for the Atom, there’s too much role-switching, restarting, and fooling around at DC… they’re losing it.
August 13th, 2011 at 11:45 am
Bringing Ryan Choi back is probably the smartest thing they’ve done.
August 13th, 2011 at 11:52 am
This isn’t new news. I have nothing against Ryan (and disliked how he was killed off), but I’d much rather see him in his own identity. I mean, what kind of message is this sending out that minority characters can only work if they affirmative action a white legacy heroes identity? I know as a Cuban fan, it doesn’t make me identify with the new guy no matter what race he is, but rather feel sorry for the character that took the hit because he was white. Maybe DC should work on diversifying their writing staff?
And as a Ray Palmer fan it sucks too – first he’s gone, then he’s replaced, then he comes back, and now he’s benched again. I know he’ll be a supporting character in Lemire’s FRANKENSTEIN series, but it’s not the same if he isn’t the Atom. Ray Palmer was a labor of love between Gardner, Gil, and Julie and deserves more respect than this.
August 13th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
I don’t understand why we should make any effort at all to create “diversity.” The iconic primary characters in comic books have always been white males and they should stay that way — history supports status quo! Change for the “sake of change” is misplaced social engineering.
August 13th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
So Ryan Choi gets killed off unceremoniously, but its okay, because with the reboot, it never happened? Meh. Works for me. At least we don’t get another convoluted “resurrection” story.
August 13th, 2011 at 5:05 pm
Now, does Ray Palmer still exist? Wasn’t it Geoff Johns who brought Ray back? Must have been some give and take between Jim Lee and Geoff?
August 14th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
@daniel Ray Palmer was never really gone, he just wasn’t appearing in comics. Mark Waid brought him back to the JLA and probably used him the most leading up to Identity Crisis. Johns wasn’t really involved in Palmer’s appearances.