Totally racist Asian characters are ten a penny, not just in comic books but stretching way back into the pulp era of "Oriental" villains like Fu Manchu. They hit a fever pitch during the second World War, when the enemies of the Pacific Theatre became fair game for every propagandist superhero title going. None of that excuses the likes of Egg Fu, but it gives some background, and makes it all the more baffling that this Wonder Woman bad guy - not quite the worst depiction of an Asian character in comic books, but we'll get to that soon enough - first appeared in 1956. With such enlightened inspirations as Charlie Chan and a dish from a takeaway menu, Egg Fu is a truly diabolical creation, and one for which creators Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru should hang their heads in shame. He has since been rejigged a few times for a more racially sensitive audience, as a sideshow attraction that receives protests due to its offensiveness and later the 52 incarnation seen above sans the facial exaggerations and comical speech patterns, under the name Chang Tzu. But there's no getting away from the fact that somebody at DC thought that this was acceptable for a good twenty years:
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/
