Introduction

Abstract

American comics have for most of their existence reflected the white-supremacist culture out of which they arose. Superheroes and comic books in general are products of whiteness that both signal and hide its presence, blending into the cultural landscape as myths that serve to buttress and sustain white supremacy. Even when comics creators and publishers sought to advance an anti-racist agenda, very often a lack of awareness of their own whiteness and the ideological baggage that goes along with it undermined their efforts. The inability or refusal to recognize the existence of the white racial frame through which they viewed the world resulted in the unintentional imposition of racist stereotypes and other white-supremacist ideas. In addition to the conscious or unconscious application of this white racial frame, comics creators often bring other stereotypes and biases to their work, such as misogyny and homophobia, that complicate and undermine their attempts to project an anti-racist message.