Prof. Carr to lead discussion on race and superheroes

Assistant Professor Bryan Carr of the Communication faculty will lead a discussion about “The Rhetoric of Race in Superhero Media” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, in the Christie Theatre on the lower level of the University Union. Superman, Batman, and Spiderman are just a few of the well-known comic book superheroes of 20th century America, but flying well below most people’s radar were the Black Panther, John Stewart and Luke Cage. Because there were few black writers in the comic book industry, Carr says, there were even fewer black superheroes and those that did exist were often stereotypical caricatures. Comic books, television, and movies will all be a part of the discussion. The program is free and open to the public.

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Documentary is recommended viewing — Those with an interest in the topic are encouraged to attend a free showing of the 52-minute documentary “White Scripts and Black Supermen: Black Masculinities in Comic Books” at 6 p.m. in the Christie Theatre on Tuesday, Feb. 25, the night before Carr’s presentation. He says he wants his Wednesday night event “to be more of a discussion than a recap about the film. I want the film to be a starting point to not only discuss African American experience, but other minorities’ experience in comics and movies as well. I really encourage people to see the film beforehand.”