Archie's 80th anniversary: Kong Phoo

[alicemacher]

The seventies saw the beginnings of a "kung fu craze" in American pop culture, inspired by Bruce Lee and other stars of Hong Kong action cinema. While this led some people to learn Asian martial arts seriously, others were content with a superficial and not-especially accurate understanding. Thus, for example, Reggie in this classic story which co-stars two of Archie Comics' earliest African-American characters (after Valerie of the Pussycats), Coach Floyd Clayton and his son Chuck.


From Archie at Riverdale High #18 (Aug 1974). Script by Frank Doyle, art by Harry Lucey.

The context for this story is the popular 1972-1975 ABC series Kung Fu (remembered today mostly for the "When you have snatched the pebble fom my hand, Grasshopper" meme). Reggie, apparently influenced by David Carradine's character Kwai Chang Caine, fancies himself a martial arts expert and goes around alternating bogus "moves" with pseudo-profound proverbs (AKA "ice cream koans," as a certain wiki calls them).





Chuck urges Reggie to study the real thing with his dad and achieve "mental as well as physical perfection." "I've got that!" says Reggie. "Now I'm looking for new fields to conquer!"

Comments

[kamino_neko]

Reggie is a Kung Fool.

[tripodeca113]

I like the bit when they beat people up. Archie and co should do it more.

[t209]

Ironically, only Iron Fist seems to stand the test of time.
Like he was still regular, if C-Lister, even after Kung Fu Craze ended.

[tinygaylaura]

I'm a little worried that Riverdale is a city where grown adults will decide to beat a high school student senseless in the middle of the street in broad daylight

But on the other hand Reggie really was kind of asking for it with his racist buffoonery here

[alicemacher]

Buffoonery, yes, but I'm not seeing any racism here. Not unless Reggie is delivering his pseudo-wisdom in a mock-Asian accent, and since we can't hear his dialogue there's no reason, from the spelling or grammar, to assume he is.

It's not even a matter of cultural appropriation, because while Asian cultures invented martial arts such as kung fu, they've never claimed an exclusive right to them -- neither the combat techniques, nor the associated etiquette such as bowing, nor the philosophical teachings. Quite the contrary, many Asian people have gladly shared them with Westerners.

No, Reggie's just plain clueless here. He genuinely thinks he's mastered the techniques and the philosophy.

Lastly, while I know "all racists should be beaten to a pulp" is your thing and nothing any of us say is going to change your mind, even if Reggie were deserving of a beatdown here, it wouldn't be the place of white folks to deliver it.

[tinygaylaura]

Maybe "Racism" isn't quite the right word but a white dude running around pretending he can do kung fu and talking like a "Kung Fu Master" stereotype is not what I would call an example of him being sensitive to other cultures here and Archie and co seem to agree here that the way he's acting is indeed Just The Worst

[thanekos]

You'd think Reggie would be winded after all that flailing.

[jgeils]

Next issue: Reggie storms the Capitol and gets arrested after making the no-fly list