Marvel's Noir Line and Allegations of Dan Slott's Racism

So I've been reading several of Marvel's Noir Line, and in short, they are amazing, but more on that later.

First, I want to address my thoughts about Dan Slott and allegations that Norah Winters is a racist character. Several blogs have been calling Dan Slott a racist for a handful of things Norah Winters has said over the last few years. This reminds me of an angry letter printed in an issue a while back after Norman Osborn said something either racist or otherwise offensive to people from the middle east. Wacker responded by saying that Norman Osborn's opinions are nothing like those of the writers and editors involved with making the comic, and that most of them were farther left-leaning than the typical American. Creating a character who has imperfections hardly makes the creator share those imperfections.

Norah Winters is known to say some things that border on stereotypes, but she's no worse than the average American. The fact that bloggers can point to two or three things she's said in at least 75 issues since she was introduced hardly makes her a bigot.

Dan Slott has written many of the best Spider-Man stories of the past decade, possibly ever. He is able to take old characters and re-invent them without making them act out of character. I'm a big fan of his online presence, and would not be too surprised if he stumbles on this blog. Obviously he sometimes acts a bit unprofessionally, especially if you look at the handful of quotes floating around, but that's kind of the point of twitter. It makes you feel like famous people are your friends, talking to you as such.

But onto Marvel's Noir line. I've just read X-Men, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Spider-Man: Eyes Without a Face. In the past, I've also read Daredevil and Luke Cage. Every one of them re-invents their stars in a darker, more realistic world. Though not all of them mention it, I believe that they all also take place in the 1930s. Both Spider-Man series probably pull it off the best. The first uses the classic noir set setup of a man who has been shot telling the story before he dies. The second is a bit more preachy about racism, a topic not usually addressed in noir, but has some very cool moments and subplots. The scene with Dr. Octopus and Himmler at the end was amazing. I don't want to spoil it, but it's amazing.

I'm more or less reading them as they come out in paperback, because I like the look of the small paperbacks, so I have at least Punisher, Iron Man, and X-Men: Mark of Cain left to read, but I've not heard solicits for any additional series. I'd really like to see a Captain America Noir as well as more Spider-Man minis. I'll probably check out Deadpool Pulp as well.

Up Next: I might actually start reading my collection as 2011 is right around the corner.