7. Hal Jordans Sidekick Was A Step Forward For Diversity
Diversity is a huge watchword in todays superhero comics. Or at least, DC and Marvel like to use the word as much as possible in all of their marketing without ever really delivering on that front with either creative teams or characters. Still, its a damn sight better than it was back in the bad old days of the Golden Age, when racist sidekicks were plentiful. Whilst it somewhat made sense (to a backwards forties sensibility) for Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman to fight racist caricature - superhero comics of the time were as much propaganda during the Second World War as newsreels - the amount of definitely not okay sidekicks were almost worse, the nadir being the small, buck-toothed Chinese Chop-Chop. The supporting cast member from WWII bomber drama The Blackhawks was more typical of the sort of diverse characters DC put out at the time. That all changed with Tom Kalmaku, Hal Jordans Inuit buddy. Despite the unfortunate nickname of Pie Face, the character was three-dimensional and sensitively portrayed, which was groundbreaking.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
