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Darcey McLaughlin - Geek World

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Whether it's television, movies, novels or, yes, comics, the history of entertainment when it comes to presenting minority characters is somewhat... well... embarrassing.

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The creative forces behind most comics are mainly white men, and they brought to their works clichés and outright prejudices when it came to the presentation of minority characters.

Native North Americans were no different in how they were treated by most comic book creators, and often fell into the typical stereotype of the savage Indian, particularly during the boom in popularity of western comics during the 1950s. Even when creators thought they were doing good, Natives were often portrayed as clichéd characters with names and powers that are defined by their heritage.

In fact, there is a great book called Native Americans in Comic Books by Michael A. Sheyahshe that takes a critical look at the role of Natives in comics. Well worth the read.

Still, there are some great Native characters out there that many people may not know about. So today I thought we'd take a look at five of those characters.

Shaman

The only Canadian First Nations hero on the list (from the Tsuu T'ina Nation) Dr. Michael Twoyoungmen was a member of the Canadian super-team Alpha Flight. First appearing in 1979 he does have a clichéd name and powers.

What's interesting about Shaman is initially he rejects the idea of magic of the Shaman, refusing to follow in his grandfather's footsteps. It is only after personal tragedy that he embraces his mystic heritage, eventually finding himself fighting alongside super-heroes.

He carries with him a medicine bag which contains a portal to the Void, a pocket dimension. He can summon what he needs from the bag. He could also levitate.

Sarah Rainmaker

Again with the name, and her powers are weather manipulation. However Rainmaker, as a member of Gen13, avoids many of the other clichés. She is modern in appearance and a typical modern woman. She is an unabashed liberal always taking up one cause or another, and she is presented as bisexual, although the creators were often criticized for doing this simply for the enjoyment of young male readers.

Forge

In the world of comics this former member of the X-Men is unique in that he is a native character without a clichéd name or powers. In fact Forge is a mutant with a super-human ability to invent mechanical devices. Forge is another character who throws off the ways of his ancestors, forgoing magic for technology. He initially joins the army and serves tours in Vietnam, where he loses his right leg and right arm. They are later replaced with cybernetic parts.

He eventually joins the X-Men and later X-Factor.

Dawnstar

A member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Dawnstar is a character that has inspired great loyalty among DC fans. She first appeared in 1977. Strikingly beautiful with long raven black hair and large white wings, Dawnstar is from a colonized planet called called Starhaven. She has the ability to fly (hence the wings) but can also survive in deep space without the use of technology.

While this is impressive, her real ability is tracking. She is able to do so over very long distances and even through deep space. Her powers are the result of genetic manipulation.

During her time with the Legion, she is romantically linked to teammate Wildfire, who is a disembodied mass of energy in a containment suit. Although he is sentient, they cannot have a true romance, adding a tragic element to her story.

After Crisis on Infinite Earths, Dawnstar is not included in subsequent Legion reboots despite protests from fans wanting her. Recently she returned to the DC Universe and is expected to play a very important role in current events.

Turok

Most people likely know Turok through the video games that have been released, and many likely don't realize he started out as a comic book character.

He first appeared in 1954 in Western Comics and later Dell and Gold Key before Valiant and Acclaim published.

Although it has been altered over time, the basic story of Turok is that he and his brother Ander find themselves in a savage Lost Land where dinosaurs and other ancient creatures live. In his most recent comic, published several years ago by Valiant, Turok fights bionausaurs, basically dinosaurs outfitted with technology by the bad guy. These creatures eventually find their way to Earth and are hunted by Turok.

There have been seven Turok video games produced.

I'm out

That's enough for this week. As usual if you have anything you'd like to say e-mail me at mclaughlin.darcey@miramichileader.com or look me up on Facebook.