Dawn of X: 😬

[mesmiranda]

It seems a refresher course in coloring black #comicbook characters' skin is needed. https://t.co/8jJlKs4R1v pic.twitter.com/DKQgu4G1KC

— B🎃🎃GIE MAN! Magnetic, the flows are athletic. (@kwanzer) October 23, 2019

From one of the most recent Dawn of X issues. Here's an article about it from The Mary Sue.

And here's the image in question:

Comments

[icon_uk]

That is INEXCUSABLY bad art on Storm

Though Sunspot fans have been going through this a LOT for years now too.

[owlbrigade1]

I would not have known that was meant to be Storm if I had not been told, yeah that is dire.

[kamino_neko]

That is seriously bad.

[silverhammerman]

I really hate that this is such a systemic problem in comics. It seems like as soon as a darker skinned character undergoes their first change in art team their skin tone gets lightened, and then the same thing happens with the next and the next, until their assumed default looks nothing like their original depiction. I don't want to ascribe malice or intent, but these are decisions being made by artists and colorists, maybe out of laziness, maybe out of sheer incompetence, but the end result is patent racism and colorism.

It's just so disappointing it see, but it's also become the background radiation of these comics to the point where I don't always actually notice it. I mean, I was a little surprised to be reminded that Storm actually was depicted as a dark skinned woman in her original designs before years of (charitably put) artistic drift changed that.

Comics have some problems.

[stubbleupdate]

If a post has a scan in it, but declares itself as not having a scan in it, does that mean it the usual rules on image size outside cuts are suspended?

Do we call it the Magritte rule?

[locuatico]

Artists, I can sorta get them assuming the character was white/light-skinned due to internalized racism if the character is a minor or lesser known character of color. Not justify it, but understand it as one of those ways in which internalized racism makes you think of white as the default.
But with characters like Luke Cage or (in this case) Storm? there is no excuse. I also think it's one of those things editors SHOULD be more aware of at this point. It SHOULD be the editor's job to see this panel and go "isn't she a little too light-skinned?"

Mod Note!

[icon_uk]

Please put the scan under a cut, or reduce it to no more thant 300x400, in line with board rules.

And this isn't a NoScans post, as it does include a scan relevant to the topic, please amend the title and tags accordingly, thanks.

Re: Mod Note!

[mesmiranda]

Gotcha! Sorry about that.

[leahandillyana]

I hate this. It happens often, and from what some artists say, it is editorially mandated.

[janegray]

SERIOUSLY???

[stubbleupdate]

Ron Wimberley wrote about it off the back of an X-men story he did

https://thenib.com/lighten-up-4f7f96ca8a7e

[arilou_skiff]

Storm's parents are from the US and she grew up in Egypt no? the "native kenyan" thing has me trying to remember her backstory.

[mistersandman]

Storm’s mom is Kenyan. Only her dad is American.

[icon_uk]

She was born in the USA to a Kenyan mother (A princess) and an African-American father (A photo-journalist).

She spent her first six months in Harlem, and then her family moved to Cairo. When she was about five years old, her parents died when a plane crashed into their house killing them (in the Suez Crisis of 1956 which makes her about 24 when she debuted), and burying the young Ororo for a considerable time (It's where she developed claustrophobia). She wandered the streets and was taken in and trained as a thief by a local, relatively benign, crime lord and so it went...

[ioplokon]

wtf? That's unrecognizable as Storm?

[akodo_aoshi]

Puttting aside the skin colour issue (as people have already commented on it) I am more struck by the actual drawing/artwork.

And by struck I mean I am wondering how the heck that is meant to look like Storm in any context.

[lordultimus]

Playing a huge devil's advocate, but to me it looks like a mistake regarding the lighting in the scene affecting her, at least with this specific panel. That said, it needs to be fixed when the trade happens, there's no excuse otherwise.

I am reminded of the post-New 52 Helena Bertenelli, who's changed skin tones so much that I honestly wonder if they should pull a Wally West and reintroduce pre-New 52 Helena as a seperate character.

[silverzeo]

Huh... for a sec, when I saw the title "Dawn of X" my mind thought it as a prequel to MMX's "Day of Sigma"

[gnarll]

Sunspots lightening skin I can at least headcanon. His father was a lot darker than him, his mother was a pale white redhead. He lived in Rio de Janeiro and all indications are that he was a very active and outdoorsy kid.

Its reasonable that part of his color was a tan, and he'd lighten up over years in upstate New York.

In fact, with his power absorbing the sunlight that fall on his skin he may be unable to tan after getting his powers. Though I doubt Marvel ever though about that.

Ororo... I know she was originally supposed to be post-racial, but theres no excuse for this.

[bruinsfan]

Looking at that one panel, I'd have assumed the character depicted was Darkstar unless told differently.