Felipe Smith
November 23, 2015 6:17 PM Subscribe
Felipe Smith
is the creator of Peepo Choo (warning auto-loading video ad), but you might know him as the writer of the All New Ghost Rider. He also happens to be the only black writer working at either Marvel or DC Comics.
Well, that may have been true recently but...
The (incorrect) post in the link states it better: "there are currently no black writers on staff at Marvel." (emphasis added). TNC is/will be a guest writer. It's good to have him inspiring black kids who want to be in comics, but it's better to have people who are earning a living at writing comics and will be around for more than one year.
posted by Etrigan at 7:36 PM on November 23, 2015
The (incorrect) post in the link states it better: "there are currently no black writers on staff at Marvel." (emphasis added). TNC is/will be a guest writer. It's good to have him inspiring black kids who want to be in comics, but it's better to have people who are earning a living at writing comics and will be around for more than one year.
posted by Etrigan at 7:36 PM on November 23, 2015
Ta-Nehisi Coates makes it 2. Twice as good as it was before but still pretty low.
What is interesting is that both of them came to Marvel comics from outside of comics. Coates as a known writer and columnist and Smith ended up learning Japanese to move to Japan to do Manga and then came back to the US to work in animation. We don't know if Coates is any good as a comic writer yet, and I say this as someone with an IFTTT recipe for his articles in the Atlantic and a copy of Between the World and Me on my ereader. I've read most of Smith's All New Ghost Rider and haven't been impressed, but I'm no longer a kid and was never into street racing so maybe it's just me. But I'm hoping that they do well and that it emboldens Marvel and DC to reach out to get more minority talent on board, and that they also do well.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:48 PM on November 23, 2015
What is interesting is that both of them came to Marvel comics from outside of comics. Coates as a known writer and columnist and Smith ended up learning Japanese to move to Japan to do Manga and then came back to the US to work in animation. We don't know if Coates is any good as a comic writer yet, and I say this as someone with an IFTTT recipe for his articles in the Atlantic and a copy of Between the World and Me on my ereader. I've read most of Smith's All New Ghost Rider and haven't been impressed, but I'm no longer a kid and was never into street racing so maybe it's just me. But I'm hoping that they do well and that it emboldens Marvel and DC to reach out to get more minority talent on board, and that they also do well.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:48 PM on November 23, 2015
In 2011 he 'chose not to self identify as any one particular race' - From Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation. What I saw most often was that he instead prefers to say American/Jamaican/Argentinean creator. The quote marks around 'He is the only black writer' got dropped in a draft and are a quote from the last link. My apologies for the confusion and for not properly identifying Mr. Smith by his preferred language.
To the point of the rest of the post - I love his approach to comics in general and I'm glad he's there, doing what he does.
posted by ladyriffraff at 7:56 PM on November 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
To the point of the rest of the post - I love his approach to comics in general and I'm glad he's there, doing what he does.
posted by ladyriffraff at 7:56 PM on November 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
David F. Walker is writing for DC. I'm not saying two or three black writers at the big two are anything like enough, but it's not only Felipe Smith (whose Ghost Rider I like a lot).
posted by kittens for breakfast at 7:54 AM on November 24, 2015
posted by kittens for breakfast at 7:54 AM on November 24, 2015
Just want to add to the praise that Ghost Rider is so, so good. Tradd Moore's artwork is incredible.
posted by IAmDrWorm at 9:01 AM on November 24, 2015
posted by IAmDrWorm at 9:01 AM on November 24, 2015
Also WRT Walker working for DC: this previous post on the blue, centered around Cyborg, the character Walker is writing.
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:33 AM on November 24, 2015
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:33 AM on November 24, 2015
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Well, that may have been true recently but...
posted by jeffen at 6:47 PM on November 23, 2015 [1 favorite]