Mandvi opened with a satirical editorial on Salon.com, parodying the mindset of Hollywood executives. We’ve posted an excerpt below but make sure to read the entire editorial at Salon!

“All I have to say is that whitewashing has been going on since as long as Hollywood has existed — it’s a tradition — and rather than non-white people complaining about it, they should embrace it. It will make going to the movies so much easier and more fun. But there are just a few things you need to understand.

“First, stop watching movies as ethnic people and start watching them as white people. There’s nothing that white people like more than seeing other white people in movies and on television. When you go to the movies with your ethnic “judgment” eyes, you miss my point. Watch as a white person, and suddenly your outrage turns to understanding and laughter.

“…My point is, I’m not the bad guy. I’m just the rich guy. When you look at it through my studio executive lens, you understand how important it is that both white people and non-white people believe that Indians, Asians, Mexicans and Arabs are truly just white people in brown makeup.

“…I am even prepared to make a deal with you ethnic people out there. Every time you let me cast a non-Caucasian character with a Caucasian actor, I will give you two or three non-white actors in smaller supporting roles. Why not lead roles? Because I’m trying to make a living here. I have spent a lot of time and money throughout history convincing everyone that white is normal. I have even convinced non-white people that white is better, prettier, smarter, stronger, and that only white people can truly be the heroes. Everyone has bought into it, and now you want me to just abandon all my hard work?”

Aasif Mandvi is best known for his role as a correspondent on The Daily Show; he was also cast as Commander Zhao in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender adaptation that launched our website. Mandvi is also the co-writer and star of the foodie film Today’s Special, inspired by his Obie-winning one-man play, Sakina’s Restaurant..

Image: Aasif Mandvi in “Today’s Special”

Mandvi’s editorial is accompanied by a slideshow called Whitewashing: A History” by Max Rivlin-Nadler. (Full disclosure: Racebending.com’s Michael Le provided feedback on the slideshow; but we didn’t know it was meant to accompany Mandvi’s editorial.)

Mandvi’s editorial went to press around the same time as CNN blogger and Arab American comedian Dean Obeidallah‘s editorial on Sacha Baron Cohen’s movie The Dictator and his use of brownface to depict a stereotypical Arab dictator.

Image: Sacha Baron Cohen as Admiral General Aladeen in “The Dictator”

In his editorial, Obeidallah writes:

“I’m in no way arguing that Arab culture is off-limits or cannot be mocked…But for some reason, the entertainment industry appears to truly enjoy ridiculing “brown” people, Arabs and Indians, and has no qualms about casting people not of our heritage to portray us.

“…Here is my simple request to the entertainment industry: If you are going to mock and ridicule us for profit, can you at least cast Arabs and Indians to play us? And while we’re at it, why not include us in the creative process as co-writers and directors?

“…I understand that the entertainment industry is about making money, not correcting negative stereotypes — even those they helped perpetuate. But why not cast a person who is actually Arab as the sidekick to the star who is pretending to be Arab?”

Dean Obeidallah’s editorial on The Dictator and Aasif Mandvi’s scathing editorial triggered additional coverage on the issue of whitewashing, on national television! Today, CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux hosted Aasif Mandvi on her show to discuss his editorial, working as the “brown correspondent” on the Daily Show, and “Whitewashing” Hollywood: Casting white actors in non-white roles.

On CNN, Mandvi said:

“This practice of whitewashing in Hollywood has been going on for a long time. The problem is that there’s this attitude that white is the normal and everything else is not. And so there’s this kind of idea that a lot of times roles that originally come from sources — like comic books or novels and things like that — are ethnic roles, are often given to white actors when it’s converted into a film.

“…I think this upsets a lot of ethnic people — ethnic actors — because this was, this is something that is perpetuated by Hollywood and this idea that white is the norm and if you want to identify with the hero — identify with the person on the screen — he or she has to be white. America’s not the same as it was 50 years ago and I think those things should change now.

“…I think it’s just a mindset that exists from a long time ago, you know that like I said white is the sort of norm. If we want to project ourselves onto the screen in the form of a hero or heroine, that person has to be white. And that’s been sold to us for decades.”

It isn’t easy for performers of color working in the industry to talk about “whitewashing.” We want to applaud both Aasif Mandvi and Dean Obeidallah for having the courage to speak up and start a conversation about diversity in Hollywood.

The review at Kirkus notes the disconnect between the book cover and excerpts from the book where other characters explicitly describe Allie as Asian.

Given the katana-wielding heroine has already been whitewashed on the book cover, this doesn’t bode very well for the movie.

Warm Bodies was acquired by Summit Entertainment (the same studio that produced The Twilight Saga before Summit Entertainment merged with Lionsgate (the studio that produced The Hunger Games)

In the novel, the best friend of the female lead is a woman named Nora. In the book, Nora is described as half black and half white, with brown skin. In the film, she will be played by white American figure skater, actress, and fashion model Analeigh Tipton.

In the book, Nora is clearly described as having brown skin and being of Ethiopian descent:

“Nora is sitting in the sand in front of the log, playing with some pebelles and pinching a smouldering joint between her middle finger and the stub of her ring finger, missing past the first knuckle. Her eyes are earth brown; her skin is creamy coffee.”

“At least you have some cultural heritage you can hold on to. Your dad was Ethiopian, right?”

“Yeah, but what does that mean to me. He didn’t remember his country, I never went there, and now it doesn’t exist. All that leaves me with is brown skin, and who pays attention to colour any more?” [Nora] waves a hand towards my face. “In a year or two we’re all going to be grey anyway.”

Earlier this month, ComingSoon.net interviewed Tipton about her role in the 2013 film.

“I was really excited to play a character who is in a book. That’s thrilling. And I met the writer, Isaac [Marion] who was like yeah, the character in the book is half black and she is in her 30s and missing a finger. So, my character is a little different. I’m not missing a finger– but all the character traits are there. She is kind of this laid back, really protective, loud–not loud–but outspoken, character that is not afraid to tell people how it is. So, that is a different character than I have ever really played…” – Analeigh Tipton

Last week, author Isaac Marion was also interviewed about his role in the film’s casting process:

“I was consulted in the early stages of the process, and may have helped narrow down the list a little. I’m not sure what would have happened if I seriously objected to any of their casting, but luckily, I didn’t. I love the cast. They paid more attention to the actor’s personalities than their physical appearances, and I think that was the right choice. Personality is what matters in a character, not superficial indicators like height or hairstyle or even skin color, and the personalities of the cast all fit beautifully.” –Warm Bodies author Isaac Marion

Would that “having the right personality for the character” was the only barrier for actors of color in the movie industry.

This statement is a cop out. Given that black actresses still face systemic disadvantages and discrimination in Hollywood, it’s hard to believe that no actresses of color were able to fit the needed “personality” for this established character of color.

Both of these statements gloss over the fact that Nora was a woman of color in a story landscape that primarily featured white characters. While the film is listed as having some actors of color–Cory Hardict will play “Kevin” (a character not in the book) and Ruth Chiang will play “Corpse Attacking Julie”–the main leads are played by white British actor Nicholas Hoult (Skins) and white Australian actress Teresa Palmer (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice). Conversely, did the production think to check if any actors of color could fit the “character traits” or “personalities” of these lead roles?

Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer in the poster for Warm Bodies

Unlike most big Hollywood films, Warm Bodies does not headline A-listers. Instead, the film stars a young cast of up-and-comers and relative unknowns. Yet, the main leads, “R” and “Julie” were able to stay white, but a supporting character like Nora could not stay black. While “personality” is undoubtedly important to any role, this isn’t the first time “the best actor for the role” excuse has been used to justify taking away yet another limited opportunity for a performer of color. The “personality” argument also suggests that actors of color are not cast in films because they are out-competed by the glowing “personalities” of their white counterparts, rather than locked out by limited roles and opportunities. Regardless of the production’s intentions, their casting decision has reinforced a discriminatory glass ceiling.

This time, they’ve denied an opportunity for an actress of color to play the role of…the best friend of the white lead.

Our table was set up in the back of the floor, but that didn’t deter con-goers from showing up to say hi. We had a drawing for prizes including Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Promise Part 1, Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Lost Adventures, and Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology. Participants had to play a matching game where they matched several characters of color to the actors Hollywood has (or had!) cast them in.

On Saturday, we hosted our own panel: “Geek Slant: How the East Meets West,” featuring Phil Yu (Angry Asian Man), Jen Wang (Disgrasian), Freddie Wong (Youtube’s freddiew), Kristina Wong (solo performer), and Quentin Lee (director of The People I’ve Slept With and the recently-debuted White Frog). Our panel participants talked about their respective industries and collectively also talked about the role of Asian Americans as creators and producers of material.

Our panelists came from diverse backgrounds–from blogging to film to performance art–and thus each of them had their own unique perspectives.  However, the resounding comment that came from all of our panelists was the thirst not only for more Asian Americans in , but the idea that Asian Americans can take content into their own hands through the Internet.  With tools like Youtube and blogging services like Blogger and WordPress, putting content “out there” in the world is becoming easier and easier.  Not only  that, but our panelists especially emphasized that as Asian Americans support the ones that we like while also analyzing and critiquing representations that don’t ring true to us.

Quentin Lee also showed a trailer for his recently-debuted White Frog, which you can view here!  You can also listen to the full audio of the Racebending panel here.  It is a bit soft, however, so you may have to turn your audio up.

We had about a hundred people show up to the panel, so thank you to everyone who came to support us!

Our panelists and moderator, Racebending staffer Dariane Nabor (at left)! By the end of the third day, we were exhausted but happy… And we also had a special guest come by to see us! Psykitten Pow, who was cosplaying as Korra! She also did some Bending for us in front of our booth!

‘We had a great time talking to fans about our current status, the projects we’re supporting now, and about the new series, The Legend of Korra. All in all, it was a pretty successful con.

Thank you to our fans for coming to support us at either/both the panel and our great booth!  See you next time!

In what we hope will be the first in a series, we gush over and break down the concepts presented in The Legend of Korra using a racebending lens! What do the Equalists have in common with the X-Men? Why are Mako and Bolin fresh and juicy? And where exactly does one find lychee juice?

Read on for our chat transcript! The images were created from our own screencaps, as well as pulled from tags on tumblr, including Korra-Gifs.tumblr.com.

Episode 1: Welcome to Republic City

Marissa: Opening credits… that’s definitely Aang right.

Lori: YES. I saw a gif of him in slow-mo and ID’d him with his jaw-beard.

Marissa: I like how he has the same beard as Mike di Martino.

Lori: ahaha is that how it works? Brilliant.

Marissa: “United Republic of Nations”. I really wonder how this is governed? Like does the earth kingdom have an advantage because the capital is there, and was there a reason why they chose this port city to be the capital…is it because it is equidistant to the other three capitals? And do the nations rule equally?

Lori: It’s by the water, at least. But I’m surprised that Aang thought that having a central city like this was a good idea. Considering how badly it went for Ba Sing Se.

Marissa: I think the city of Yu Dao (from The Promise) becomes Republic City.

Marissa: Oh man, random White Lotus people…do they have a national affiliation?

Lori: I love how everyone knows who they are now.

Marissa: And was it always their role to look for the Avatar? Did they just go into hiding after Aang went missing?

Lori: I’m not sure, but I like that theory.

Marissa: Korra’s parents are so young… I wonder if they were descendants of the Southern Water Tribe kids that Sokka was babysitting in episode 1. *distracted by Korra* Aaaah Korra so awesome.

Lori: Oh man, baby Korra is so cute!

Marissa: voiced by Dee Bradley Baker’s daughter, Cora.

Lori: I kind of love that Korra’s parents (so far) have no real connection to Katara and Sokka’s family.

Marissa: Dude so what’s with the Fire Nation guy not wearing white lotus clothes?

Lori: It’s changed! I guess since they’re all out in the open now. Clothing has become less nationally-segregated?

Marissa: More women in white lotus took, that’s good. And Katara is still wearing her necklace.

Lori: I agree. Katara looks like Gran Gran, it makes me happy.

Marissa: Some people were saying that Katara’s skin color is off in this episode…that she has darker skin in the original.

Lori: Yes, but, hey, so do all the older ladies in my family. It does seem a little paler, but, she’s older now. Some dark-skinned people lose melanin as they age, and become paler. That was my reasoning.

Marissa: This fortress thing is weird…protecting her from people who would want her dead?

Lori: I think it’s interesting that it was built in the first place. Aang wanted an Avatar training compound?

Marissa: Has Korra just lived here all her life? In the World’s Emptiest Gated Community? I mean we don’t see her hanging out with anyone else her age in the pilot.

Lori: Ahaha it’s true. And she seems very familiar with the guards and things. But it IS interesting how they kept her there to ‘protect’ her (from what?)

Lori: Tenzin is hands-down my favourite so far.

Marissa: I like that Pema is pregnant. for a while they were not supposed to show pregnant people on kids shows. Chica in The Emperor’s New Groove was the first pregnant character in a Disney movie, for example.

Lori: No way! I didn’t know that.

Marissa: Yeah, well it implies characters have had sex. That’s why Donald Duck has nephews and not sons.

Lori: HEH

Marissa: Here is proof that Tenzin and Pema have, ahem…several times.

Lori: Well, who can blame Pema.

Marissa: Deleted plot point from Avatar, according to the art book, was that Appa was actually female all along and pregnant.

Marissa: I can’t believe Tenzin drove all the way over there just to tell her “ttyl!”

Lori: I know, it’s hilarious.

Marissa: It’s good that she talks back, or sticks up for herself.

Lori: I am SO fascinated by Katara and Tenzin’s relationship. It’s kind of amazing.

Marissa: It’s weird that Katara agrees with locking Korra up in the compound.

Lori: It is! Well it’s weird that the compound was built in the first place. Aang got paranoid in his old age?

Marissa: It’s sad that Katara cries as her family flies away, since she thought they were moving in with her. It makes me miss my own grandma.

Lori: Katara’s personality is consistent with her youth version, I find. (Aside: I love how Korra is built.)

Marissa: (Well in that empty fortress probably all she does is work out.) It’s sad that Sokka is gone, too.

Lori: I nearly cried when she mentioned that Sokka was gone. It kinda hit me right then, that time had passed.

Marissa: I wonder how far away Korra’s parents live from where she was being raised?

Marissa: Dude, electricity? In the southern water tribe? They have lights? Or just fire? I can’t tell.

Lori: Northern Tribe shares more now, right?

Marissa: This scene of Korra on the boat (steam boat!) really reminds me of Flower Drum Song (1961), this old Rodgers and Hammerstein movie musical with the Asian American cast. The opening sequence is of a Chinese woman hiding in a cargo hold and then getting off a boat in San Francisco. The shots are very similar, with the boat sailing past the Golden Gate Bridge. Do you think Korra snuck on board? Since she has no money…

Lori: Naw. she seems pretty legit, just rambunctious. Katara MUST have given her some money?

Marissa: Aang and giant lollipop statue.

Lori: Aang’s statue is epic, ahah.

Marissa: This is such a great shot, all the cars…

Lori: I love the ‘Golden Gate’ Bridge there.

Marissa: It’s gotta be disorienting for Naga to be around all these people and cars

Lori: The design is so cleverly done, because it’s 20′s, but it’s not American-centric 20′s.

Marissa: To me there are a ton of San Francisco references in this episode.

Lori: That’s what I felt too.

Marissa: One of the songs on the Legend of Korra soundtrack is “I lost my heart in Republic City” And then the bridges, cargo and immigrant boats.

Lori: Well, there you go. This food stand makes me hungry. Poor Naga!

Lori: I wonder what Naga means, or is derived from? All I know is it means snake, heh.

Lori: So there was a huge fooferah about this vagabond and Korra’s reaction to him.

Marissa: Yeah?

Lori: Like Korra’s ignorance = some sort of privilege.

Marissa: She’s definitely sheltered.

Lori: Well, specifically it was compared to white privilege.

Marissa: I mean she has probably never met a homeless person, plus the perception that Republic city is glamorous and well off

Lori: But yeah, I’m not sure how privileged she is? Sheltered is different, in my opinion? Clueless even?

Marissa: I live in Los Angeles and people are surprised when they come here and see all of the people who are homeless. They are also surprised to see all of the people of color here.

Lori: Hmm, it just, it felt weird to say that someone who grew up in an entirely different area of the world and then comes to an urban sprawl is ‘privileged’. Since the idea of the compound was to keep Korra protected.

Marissa: I think it is okay to say that it is a form of class privilege to be sheltered from that kind of reality. Ignorance is a form of privilege

Lori: It seems more like Korra leaving, say, a monastery and entering ‘the real world’.

Marissa: Korra is coming from this environment where she has always had clothing and food and shelter and people who care about her. I do wonder though, how many people Korra’s age have ever spoken to someone who is homeless or living in a park… It’s interesting that because Korra was so sheltered–despite having being privileged to have a home and food and things like that–Korra did not recoil from the guy or think he was gross or less than her.

Lori: Korra is clearly unafraid and curious, as opposed to being…exactly what you said.

Marissa: I wonder how that contrasts to how like, the upper middle class feels about the vagabonds or how their kids are raised to view them. I think it also opens up the question of who Korra will be asked to stand next to, or with?

Lori: I mean, not that she’s not obviously better off than him in terms of lifestyle but her reaction doesn’t translate to me as anything more than ignorance due to her living in a monastery…that was dedicated to her, heh. Seriously I am REALLY surprised that they didn’t let her out to experience the world more.

Marissa: Oh god that monastery dedicated to you has to do a trip on your ego. I mean that may be part of why she reacted so strongly to Tenzin: “Not train me? But everyone comes here to train me! When I finish the test the next person comes and trains me! I’m the Avatar and you’ve gotta deal with it!” Imagine being told you’re special all your life.

Lori: Yeah, okay, the more I think about it, she would expect people to just have her as the focus of all their attentions, hehe! I think it’s so endearing and lovely to see a character like this, who is also a female and not-white. Because you know her personality could be transplanted onto a male character and I’d bet people would probably accept it more as a ‘charming’ characteristic. Whereas ‘what Korra deserves to feel’ is a hot debate topic in fandom. /me being cynical

Marissa: Maybe it works…she is definitely more Toph-like than Aang-like; which is interesting because Toph grew up quite sheltered, too.

Lori: I agree!

Marissa: I love how the Chinese character next to Amon’s face is “ping” which means equal, peaceful, balanced, etc.

Lori: Oh nice. The Equalists are an interesting concept, too.

Marissa: This guy is so manipulative, yet has such a good point. He is definitely able to draw on the negative energy of the populace. And then there’s this scene with the triad shows that some of it is legitimized

Lori: I have to say it was kind of trippy to watch someone openly talking about being a bender, considering how anything other than firebending was treated in A:TLA.

Marissa: Well earthbenders were locked away on prison ships, waterbenders were hunted down in the Southern Water Tribe, and airbenders were genocided. So it’s really a shift for this group in terms of how they are viewed in this society versus 70 years ago. But that makes sense too because critical race theory argues that groups are differentially racialized at different periods in history.

Lori: Now has Korra ever had to face ‘bad guys’ in her life before this? Because for her, there was no question that she was like “I will save you, citizens!” attitude.

Marissa: I don’t think so, I think Korra practiced a lot and was told she needed to be a hero. She is very Batman like; I don’t think anyone sat her down and gave her the vigilante justice talk.

Lori: no, ahaha. Again, surprising they kept her THIS sheltered! And then Katara was literally like “Just go, have fun, I did it when I was around your age”.

Marissa: This idea that bending has been institutionalized in the police force is kind of scary, too. I mean what if the X-Men were law enforcement? It makes sense that benders would work together to form triad gangs. It is especially interesting that a waterbender headed that trio

Lori: The power dynamic is really fascinating. Especially because of Toph’s contribution to the police force.

Marissa: Yeah Kyoshi created the Dai Li and that ended well ..which yeah..what makes these cops different from the Dai Li?

Lori: Hey, good point.

Marissa: They have different uniforms than the cop in the park, too.

Lori: Metal bender – elite force?

Marissa: And if you can metal bend you can shoot bullets. This questioning room they put Korra in is scary too, you can only get in or out if you can metal bend. Lin Beifong kind of reminds me of Commissioner Barbara Gordon from Batman Beyond

Lori: Hah yes! She is great. They seem to be very third party, like they aren’t really there for the citizens and they aren’t corrupt and affiliated with the gangs? So I guess metal-bending NEEDS to be a trained skill?

Marissa: Yeah in The Promise, Toph has a metal-bending school for earthbenders.

Marissa: I wonder what Lin and Tenzin’s history is? Did they grow up together? Did they go to prom together?

Lori: This is what I’m hoping. Most awkward prom photo ever.

Marissa: Lin in like a magenta pink qipao, and then Aang and Katara and Toph beaming and Sokka “taking” pictures…

Marissa: Tenzin really does not know how to deal with Korra, almost to the point where maybe he wants to avoid training her.

Lori: GOD, this part where Tenzin is looking at his dad…imagine going to live in a city where your dad is a 50 ft statue, like….

Marissa: Yeah, does he feel like he is saying no to his dad, because Korra technically IS his dad.

Marissa: Korra has very poor control over the power of her emotions

Lori: She never had to learn how to be sedate, heh. Also, who arranged this press event?

Marissa: I’m guessing Tenzin did. Sounds like he is the one saying, “That’s all the questions.”

Lori: How much clout does Tenzin have?

Marissa: Councilman Tenzin, is he a city councilman? Or councilman of the entire Republic? I’m guessing just the city, but that also means that the police chief and one of the city leaders are benders. So I do buy this idea that the benders are privileged.

Lori: The ending credits music. I can listen to it forever.

Marissa: Yeah, it was cool to interview The Track Team!

Lori: I like your comparison to the X-Men. Or rather, mutants in general versus homo-sapiens.

Marissa: Yes, I was going to share this article with you: Prejudice Lessons from the Xavier Institute. It’s not a perfect article, but it’s pretty interesting. If you scroll down to page 85 and look at the Perception of Out-Groups chart. This article argues that you cannot compare X-men to the Civil Rights movement–which people like to do (framing Professor X as MLK and Magneto as Malcom X)–because I mean, hello? (For starters, Professor X and Magneto are both white!)

Lori: Really? I always heard about the parallel between mutants and homosexuality.

Marissa: There’s that too. That might be a better analogy because sexual orientation does have “passing” factor more so than race or gender.

Lori Ultimately the point of both X-men and in this case the A:TLA world is that it’s supposed to be a greater analogy for many things, not something specific to pin down.

Marissa: As we see in the animated series, you can pretend not to be a bender and hide or even be a nonbender pretending to be a bender (the episode where they stage earthbending in season 1 to sneak onto the prison ship)

Marissa: The article talks about this idea that people are viewed on scales of warmth and competence so there’s paternalistic prejudice, contemptuous prejudice, and envious prejudice. For example: applying this idea to Harry Potter, I would argue that the Death Eaters view Muggles with contemptous prejudice and the “good guys” view Muggles with paternalistic prejudice. And then I guess you have people like Petunia with kind of an envious prejudice.

Lori: I’m not very good at this sort of theory, but I know exactly what you mean when you use this comparison

Marissa: But I would probably guess the same thing with the Republic City world, where clearly benders have privilege: They are viewed as competent but also viewed as these people with low warmth…I mean, the 100-year war was started by (fire)benders and you can bet that non-benders had a harder time defending themselves. On the other hand, I wonder if the benders view nonbenders with paternalistic prejudice; they feel they are here to “help” nonbenders but that the nonbenders aren’t as innately capable… Like, poor park cop. He gets to stop people from fishing the lake, does not get to fly around in the police zeppelin.

Lori: I completely think that. I think there’s definitely a sort of differentiation between benders and non-benders

Marissa: Yes…there are certain sports, occupations, etc that are simply bender only.

Lori: Especially considering how benders who weren’t firebenders were treated during Aang’s time; now that people are free to be water/air/earth benders again, the balance could have started to shift again

Marissa: It almost seems like what happened is: Firebenders in Aang’s time were the most privileged, least oppressed. And over the past 70 years what’s happened is the firebender privilege category expanded to encompass all benders

Lori: Since I know Aang is all about balance (as all Avatars are) but Korra is what, 16? The world has technically been without an active Avatar for 16 years. So during that vacuum while Korra was growing up, other benders wanted to experience the privilege that firebenders had enjoyed. They didn’t forget what it was like to be oppressed, and they wanted to prove it. Sometimes to the detriment of their non-bender fellows.

Marissa:I know race is an imperfect analogy here but I think about how gradually over time, Irish people in the US were no longer considered a racial minority, they are now just viewed as white American and I don’t know very much about Canadian history but has that happened in Canada with French Canadians or anything like that? This idea that maybe the firebender elite lost privilege when the war ended but was able to maintain an upperhand by inviting other benders to join this elite class.

Lori: French Canada is kind of its own thing; Canada as it is now was established by both French and English. (andeveryone’s technically an immigrant, that goes without saying, except First Nations, heh)

Marissa: I guess what I’m asking is, does Canada have a similar history where certain groups not seen as white or having access to white privilege gradually gained access to that privilege?

Lori: I’d say yes, but in a slightly different way because in the US there is no State that is officially recognized as (for example) ‘the Irish state’.

Marissa: ah

Lori: That makes a difference when it comes to the country’s Federal and Provincial policy making.

Marissa: Less assimilationist?

Lori: In a way, yep.

Marissa: Man , I also wonder about intergenerational trauma in Republic city, because really, a world reeling from hundreds of years of war.

Lori: A power vaccuum? I mean you have Aang and Zuko, but who represented for the other nations?

Marissa: Yeah, but just like…how interesting is it that two generations ago, the Firebender triad member would have been hunting the two other guys he is with. But now he is taking orders from the waterbender.

Lori: Yessss, I find it REALLY interesting how the benders group together with each other. There is more unity among benders.

Marissa: And is the rest of the world as industrialized as Republic City? Or is Republic City’s technology in response to bending? Like sort of an arms race? Also, we KNOW that the Avatar world had fireworks in Aang’s time, which means gunpowder.

Lori: That technology couldn’t have happened without benders…

Marissa: While the need for firearms, steam power, etc was delayed because of bending…this desire to no longer rely on bending probably also drives the technology…during the police chase, Korra jumps onto essentially a MTA! Which is amazing, because it looks like Republic City already has better public transportation than Los Angeles does.

Lori: HEH. Vancouver too. It’s funny how Republic City could be any major city on the west coast, to me.

Episode 2: A Leaf in the Wind

Lori: I adore this beginning sequence

Marissa: I kind of miss Katara’s voice

Lori: That’s true, but I love that scroll illustration of the original team.

Marissa: So here’s a story, but my memory is crappy. The title “A Leaf in the Wind” reminds me of Serenity.

I went to see Serenity back when it came out in theaters in LA, and I sat in line next to two guys who said they had worked on Invader Zim, and I THINK they said they were working on this show with like martial arts and stuff..and so like several years later, I’m working on racebending.com and I start to think back to that conversation and I will never know whether or not those two guys were Mike de Martino and Brian Konietzko! Everytime I see them at a convention or whatever I’m tempted to ask…”Did you watch Serenity at the Avco theater in Westwood? And if so, I apologize for being skeptical about your martial arts show because now it has dominated my life in terms of advocacy!”

Lori: Oh wow!!

Marissa: But…they could have just been some other animators.

Lori: Omg Korra in her air nation outfit!

Marissa: The sleeves! You’d think Korra would be opposite a fire bender. Like Aang was opposite earth. That was the original logic.

Lori: Because she’s water tribe? I guess they wanted some sort of connection to Tenzin’s relevance to Korra.

Marissa: It makes sense it would be more about personality instead of national affiliation.

Lori: Korra is very aggressive and stout. Not very light.

Marissa: This is really cool…kind of reminds me of the scene from the M Night Shayamalan movie though, with the “training device”.

Lori: Except better. Sometimes I feel like a lot of specific scenes in Legend of Korra are like the movie….except better. Kind of a ‘screw you’ to the movie, heheh.

Marissa: At the ComicCon panel, Bryan Konietzko and Ryun Ki-Hyun talked about how Ryu deliberately wanted to make Meelo ugly, not cutesy.

Lori: AH HA HA! He is seriously ugly-cute

Marissa: Radio has also likely made messenger hawks obsolete. It’s kind of interesting how earth rumble evolved into pro sports. I mean this idea that like sports was a system put in place to reduce the amount of bloodshed between city states, so it’s a way to rally nationalism and generate rivalries without anyone getting hurt. But it also shows the three nations collaborating. I wonder why Tenzin isn’t training at a temple but at a new island he built?

Marissa: Korra is so sharp…with her butt scratching and talking back

Lori: She is reminiscent of Sokka, in a way. I know they’re not related! She just reminds me of him. I love the focus on ‘family’ in LoK.

Marissa: This reminds me of my professor telling me to “trust the process” which to me just sounds like “stop thinking critically”

Lori: hehhehe

Marissa: I can empathize with Korra. Also i have been craving lychee juice ever since this episode and have been scouring Asian markets ever since.

Lori: I SAW lychee juice at the grocery this morning. Dang! If only I knew!!!

Marissa: Ahhh Bolin

Lori: Bolin! my Tumblr dash is all about Bolin. Mako is beautiful

Marissa: So pouty. It’s interesting because people think they were both orphans and their adaptive styles are both like very useful for survival. So like Mako’s distant and not dependent on others. Bolin is cheery and his survival tactics are all about being the cute one and gaining people’s favor

Lori: Bolin reminds me of the Superboy trope, right down to the s-curl.

Marissa: Everyone on the floor is male right? So I wonder if this sport is still male privileged? I wonder if the male privilege from the Northern Water Tribe carried over?
I mean, we know Fire Nation was most gender progressive…of the remaining nations (not sure of Air Nomads). But we see the gym owner is male, the athletes are mostly male, the radio announcer is male, same with the cops…aside from Lin, they were male.

Lori: I can’t remember any females at the Air Temple where Aang grew up?

Marissa: (I think Air Nomads were gender segregated but I don’t know if women were treated differently?) Korra doesn’t interact with any women her age (Katara and Pema are older and Jinora and Ikki are younger). I also wonder about Mako and the way he treats Hasook…if he’s team leader is it because he is a firebender, does Hasook react to him in part because he is a firebender?

Lori: I’d love it if Mako was kind of a jerk to everyone. I mean, he’s obviously rocking the ‘tall dark and angry.’

Marissa: Bolin and his assumptions. Did we miss the scene where Korra is called an FOB? (FOB = ‘fresh of the boat’) Oh right, that happened during the gangster scene (“obviously fresh off the boat”).

Lori: AH

Marissa: I wanted to say that I wonder if Gene Yang‘s book, American Born Chinese, played into the choice to raise that concept.

Lori: That would be awesome

Marissa: So she isn’t assimilated to the Republic City eliteness, and then also ties into Bolin thinking she is one type of bender vs another reminds me of Asians being confused for different types of Asians.

Lori: YES! No wonder it felt familiar, lolol. So Korra’s the only female in the ring?

Marissa: Man, the one thing that might keep Avatar/Korra from being perfect is the colloquial use of crazy (ableism), especially Mako say “This girl is crazy” (women => crazy => connotations). Korra wasn’t being “crazy”; it made sense she would want to sub in for them.

Lori: Yes, and they might also utilize ‘lame’ in the future, sigh.

Marissa: Thematically this is great…in her darkest moment, dunked in water, awkward encounter with the bossy father figure, she is not used to being told no and Tenzin is not used to being questioned.

Lori: It’s an interesting overall theme they’re setting up with the argument between Korra and Tenzin. Korra’s brashness and need to be awesome.

Marissa: Tradition versus modernization.

Lori: Like Korra fully embraced being an Avatar, versus Aang being so hesitant and frightened.

Marissa: And with Korra, still this sense of entitlement…but here she is airbending, this scene is beautiful.

Marissa: MAKO AND BOLIN ARE FRESH AND JUICY.

Lori: HEHHEHE

Marissa: (the announcer said it, not me)

Lori: I’m glad I wasn’ the only one.

Lori: So is this game going to be an reoccurring thing in the show?

Marissa: I think so. Oh so now that Korra helped Mako win, NOW he likes her!

Lori: Aww Korra apologizing, bless her.

Marissa: I love this because it is great modeling, not just for kids but for adults like me. I’m bad at apologizing, but I feel like people apologize so eloquently on A:TLA and LoK.

Lori: Yes, without resentment.

Marissa: Like: oh, this is how you genuinely apologize to someone.

Marissa: I like how Mako is looking out at her, and she’s just like “I love sports.”

Marissa: Let me just say, I love that Mako is named after Mako Iwamatsu.

Lori: I do too. It’s beautiful and full circle.

Marissa: While I can’t speak for him, obviously, I really want to believe that were he alive today he would be happy that racebending.com exists. Though I guess he might also be sad we still have to fight the good fight. It’s just such a great homage to have Mako finally starring in a leading male role as this (proto-Asian American) love interest.

Lori: Happy that there is a younger generation fighting the fight, sad that it still has to be fought in the first place.

Marissa: so, White Savior Korra? verdict?

Lori: Ugh ahahah. Y’knowthe backlash about Korra was just hilarious. Hilariously angering.

Marissa: I kind of understand what the argument was, which was this idea that Korra is the Avatar, is a bender, and is super privileged and that her perspective is informed by how she has been taught all her life to go in and “save” people, rather than empower them

Lori: I know this is totally apropos of nothing, but to my Canadian mind, it reminded me of the whole Obama campaign, where Democrat voters were like “OBAMA IS THE BOMB” before he assumed Presidency; and then once he was President they were shocked – SHOCKED! – to find out that he was a real person with his own human characteristics and not a magical Negro. Fans seem to be doing the same thing to Korra, where they almost deified her before the show aired and then once they watched the first TWO episodes, it was like ‘these are all the ways that Korra is horrible and I hate her forever because she did not meet my exact specifications for a non-white female character to act and behave.’ Okay then.

Marissa: I would argue that Katniss is more of a white savior than Korra is, though

Lori: The thing is that Korra hasn’t really DONE anything yet to warrant so much attempts at in-depth character assassination?? I dunno, it’s like she went all Superman on those gangsters, but I wouldn’t consider that ‘white savior’. I’d consider that her thinking ‘I am an Avatar’

Marissa: Can you fight bending with more bending?

Lori: I mean by the mentality of Korra = white savior, then all Avatars must be white saviors? Like…what? The purpose of an Avatar is to prevent the world from going out of balance. We can’t cherry pick which ones are ‘white saviors’ and which ones aren’t, based solely on their upbringing.

Marissa: But why is that their purpose?

Lori: Also of course the idea of ‘white’ being in there at all, heh

Marissa: Is it actually divine power? Or is is it something society or self-appointed? Like what if Korra was just like “screw it, Imma gonna play sports. Using these powers for sports.
Yeah…no…not getting involved. Gonna stay home and listen to sports on the radio. What would happen?

Lori: But doesn’t a white savior have to be like supported by a white supremacist mentality? Which doesn’t exist in LoK, because the mythology is COMPLETELY different from the Western concept of ‘white savior’. I dunno, I think trying to impose that concept on Korra doesn’t make sense because it takes the world out of the Asian-fantasy concept.

Marissa: I don’t think Korra is a “white savior” but perhaps she is a “privileged savior” because of her upbringing. I wonder about the role of the Avatar…how proactive they are intended to be, how much of it is spirit world divined that they must be doing the stuffs for the people?

Lori: I disagree, since the whole idea of ‘avatar’ is that it is the same spirit that is being passed along in reincarnations but Korra is still the same Avatar that they all were before her.

Marissa: Oh true.

Lori: She isn’t an individual in that sense that she is a being that has no end. Like a Slayer?

Marissa: It’s weird because from the perspective of the viewer, this isn’t “religion” this is hard “fact” because we see past lives communicating to the Avatar.

Lori: Yup that’s the nature of this fantasy world. And it’s not that strange to me, since growing up Hindu meant avatars and reincarnation was just…something that happens.

Marissa: There is no ambiguity or request for faith, it is non-negotiable that she is the Slayer/Avatar, etc.; but in Buffy, they managed to activate more Slayers, and we also know the cycle of the Avatar can arbitrarily end if the Avatar is killed in Avatar State. Which I wonder if it is what Amon is going for.

Lori: Which is what Ozai wanted too, right? To end the cycle. And keep the world off balance; although I guess Amon wants the world to be balanced…but in a different way from how it is now.

Marissa: But I don’t think Ozai knew about the connection with the Avatar State….I mean, what kind of fools’ errand is Amon on? Because while some of it is inherited, it’s like Jedi, benders can spontaneously show up right? Is it even possible to wipe out all the benders without destroying a huge swath of the population, and the economy, etc?

Lori: Yeah, it makes me wonder if Amon is more like…’take out the leader, the rest will crumble.’ But who knows, since so far there hasn’t been a case where the Avatar line was cut off, so there’s no way of knowing what would happen to the benders

Marissa: The Amon analogy makes me nervous in a way, because of the way people gave Racebending.com a hard time for demanding for greater equality in entertainment. Are people going to think like, oh, well “you’re oppressing yourselves, racebending” because we do get called the real racists for even daring to bring up race

Lori: LOL. I like that. I like that people would actually think that Amon = racebending.com. And I guess Hollywood/media/institution = benders?

Marissa : why?

Lori: The concept is patently ridiculous.

Marissa: I guess what I’m trying to say is, is the Equalists’ point that benders have privilege diluted by this idea that they are also depicted as an evil organization?

Lori: I think LoK is already trying to demonstrate that benders ruling everything isn’t the ideal for the world and that everything is kind of off-balance and the benders are exploitative and cruel to the common folk, BECAUSE benders have so much power. I mean, we haven’t seen much of Amon, so I’m interested to see how it progresses. I’m not expecting any sort of redemption arc like they did for Zuko, but I feel like LoK has already made the situation nebulous and not particularly clear-cut

Marissa: I hope his motivations make sense.

Marissa: Does this also mean that Korra and her friends (really she only associates with benders and has bender friends) can only ever be allies?

Lori: What do you mean?

Marissa: Well, I think of like movements to fight oppression and this idea that men can only be allies in the fight for women’s rights, straight people can only be allies in the fight for gay rights, etc

Lori: Ahhhhh

Marissa: So is this the story of like Korra learning how to be a good ally? Which is the opposite of what she did in episode 1 with the gang members?

Lori: I haven’t really quite gleaned how this plot is going to roll out in terms of how Korra fits in, but yeah I kind of like that idea. But I still don’t agree with her being a ‘white savior’, lol. She’s the Avatar and Avatars always have to have a Special Lesson to learn it’s part and parcel of being reincarnated.

Marissa: We should do this more often!

Lori: Watching Tenzin and Korra eating has made me build up a hunger.

Marissa: Lychee juiceeee

Lori: I am so buying lychee juice tomorrow. And I’ll think of you.

Marissa: I wish you could mail me some! I want to host a Korra party with the foods of A:TLA!

Lori: Ufffff Please mail me a box of it!

Check back next week for Annotated Korra! Episode 3!

The covers of Princeless.

In the midst of a comic book world that feature the dark, grim alleys of Gotham and the ever-growing list of Hulks, Princeless is a brightly-colored and often hilarious four-issue mini that follows the adventures of Princess Adrienne and her trusty pet dragon, Sparky.  And boy–do they have adventures.

Whitley (writer) and Goodwin (artist)’s Princeless offers a fresh and literally bright view of the young, female heroine of color and her struggle to create her own sense of agency in a world where princesses wait for princes to rescue them.  Princeless comments on the various issues facing women in comic books today, from impractical outfits juxtaposed by slapstick humor and jokes that entertain all ages.

Princeless is a fast read, not only because of its target audience of young girls, but also because of its exciting pacing and plot.  Adrienne, trapped in her own castle, breaks free and decides to rescue all her other sisters from the clutches of tower guardians.  She develops her own sense of her world, through her eyes, while questioning the old traditions that play out over and over again in comic books and popular media, such as, “Why do girls have to be rescued by men?” and “Why should a woman’s armor have to show cleavage or stomach?”

Adrienne’s story is not hers alone, however.  Like any hero in a story, she is joined by a large cast of family and friends, including the half-dwarf, half-human, Bedelia; her brother, Devin, who is more interested in poetry and plays than he is in swords and combat; and her trusty animal sidekick, the dragon Sparky.  Whitley crafts a good story in that each of these characters struggles against the norms that are set out from them, with Adrienne’s strong personality at the forefront of the story.

Mia Goodwin’s wonderful art also enhances the story, adding layers of depth and nuance to each of the characters.  There is never a repetitive or boring panel; each one pops off the page with the same vibrancy and light that the dialogue and thought-boxes offer.  While the art is cartoon in nature, it highlights Adrienne’s adventure as a young girl: optimistic and bright, filled with wonderful friends and faces.

With its excellent writing and stellar art, Princeless is a must-read.  It’s no surprise that Princeless is up for several comic book awards this year, including the 2012 Eisner Awards and the 2012 Glyph Comics Awards.

As a special treat, Racebending.com not only has a review of Princeless, but an interview with its writer, Jeremy Whitley, as well.  He spoke to us about the many layers and depths of Princeless, offering insight into his writing style and the background behind Adrienne’s compelling story and her future in comic book stores.

(Contains some spoilers!)

RACEBENDING.COM: How did you come up with the idea of Princeless?

WHITLEY: It’s a combination of things. Probably the biggest one is that when my wife and I were talking about having kids. I had always wanted to have a daughter, and one of the things I wanted to share with my daughter was comic books, which I love. I wanted to be able to have something that I could share with her as a child that wouldn’t make me nervous about what she’d take it from and wasn’t uncomfortable showing her. Not to mention, I’m a little wary of the sorts of the things out there that are aimed at girls … the whole “princess culture.” It’s really iffy to teach girls that the people they ought to look up to ones who are helpless, hopeless, and that they wouldn’t have a chance if it weren’t for the big, strong, handsome prince that comes and rescues them at some point.

I wanted to be able to have something that I could share with her as a child that wouldn’t make me nervous about what she’d take it from and wasn’t uncomfortable showing her.

The opening page of PrinceLess, illustrating "princess culture."

RACEBENDING.COM: Is there a real life inspiration for Adrienne?

WHITLEY: A couple, actually. Adrienne is specifically named after my sister-in-law, who is a lot like Adrienne. She has always been, particularly among her sisters, a weird kid. She likes what she likes and doesn’t really care what people think about it, which I think is an admirable quality. That’s sort of where Adrienne starts off. She’s a kid who doesn’t buy into the myth of what she’s supposed to do as a princess: waiting around to be rescued. Not to mention, she’s largely inspired as well by my wife, who, much like the first scene in Princeless, questions everything. She’s always full of questions, always want to know why things are the way they are, and isn’t satisfied by just about any answer she can get. So I wanted this character to be this girl who wants to know why things are the way they are and is unhappy with the answers and sort of decides to make her own.

RACEBENDING.COM: So are there any challenges writing Adrienne since she’s a woman of color?

WHITLEY: To some extent… It’s something I’m pretty careful with. Obviously, being a white man myself, and having a wife who is black, I recognize and see fairly often representations and interpretations of black women that are put out there. I see first-hand the damage it does and it gives me the edge of seeing the wrong way to do things. As I’m thinking about it, there are things I think about that I wouldn’t necessarily key in on as being a problem, but if I run it by by my wife Alicia, she can say, “Oh, well, that may not be the way to say it.” Like, she’s not particularly happy with the fact that in a number of reviews of Princeless, Adrienne is referred to as being “sassy.” People mean well when they write it, and I wouldn’t chastise people about it myself, but applying the word “sassy” is problematic.

RACEBENDING.COM: How did you create and conceptualize Adrienne’s armor? Did you have a strict idea of what you wanted it to look like, or did you collaborate with Mia Goodwin?

WHITLEY: I gave Mia an idea of what I was looking for like with classic pictures. One of the big things I showed her was Joan of Arc in full armor, which is always sort of shining, silvery-white. I wanted Adrienne to have real, serious business armor, like she’s actually planning to fight somebody, as opposed to say, Red Sonja. I wanted something that was going to look good and dynamic on the page. I didn’t want people to look at her and go, “Oh, that’s a girl in armor,” so I wanted to keep that ambiguity with the armor, but still give her cool, dynamic armor. Mia drew four or five sketches, and I was like, “This one is good, and I like the set-up on this one… I don’t like the grooves on this one…” So eventually she ended up coming up with and I think it’s a great design.

Adrienne in her first set of armor.

RACEBENDING.COM: What was the inspiration for Bedelia, since she is mixed race?

WHITLEY: In the beginning, I had very slowly written her in as the blacksmith’s daughter. She half-dwarf, and that was all there was… She’s sort of goofy and eccentric. I found that I use a little bit of some of my other in-laws. My wife’s dad is remarried to a white woman—so all her younger siblings on that side are mixed race. I take a little bit of them from the times I’ve talked to them and got to know them better with issues they have. It’s also just trying to make Bedelia an honest a character as possibly as I can.

RACEBENDING.COM: What was it like working with the racial differences between Adrienne and Bedelia?

WHITLEY: Well, I guess it’s a strange thing because in the world I’ve sort of written it, Bedelia—to the eye, the white character—is sort of the minority in the character because she’s half-dwarf. Dwarfs are not particularly looked upon well, generally in fantasy and especially in Princeless. Her father is a bit gruff and she is a bit isolated… They both share this sense of isolation—Adrienne in being a princess, and Bedelia in being sort of the opposite of that, because she’s a daughter of a smith, generally poor, and doesn’t particularly have a lot of friends.

Bedelia introduces not only herself, but the gender roles of her town as well.

I guess in a sense, it’s turned on its head because it’s not normally the dynamic you would expect between a Black character and a White character in a Disney story. I feel like it’s important in this fantasy setting to have that skin color be something that’s present, but for me to separate myself from history and American history in particular… It shouldn’t have a bearing on the fantasy setting. So I wanted there to be touchstones, but I have had to remind people a couple of times, but Adrienne’s not actually African-American. She is Black, but she doesn’t have that history in this world.

RACEBENDING.COM: What about the inspiration for Devin as a character? He’s different too, since he subverts the trope of being the typical male heir of the throne.

WHITLEY: Adrienne is Devin’s twin sister, and I wanted them to have sort of a different but still a sibling dynamic. Adrienne is sort of the “go-getter,” and Devin is more artistically inclined. He’s used to being less of what his dad expects from him. Adrienne is sort of the same in that she’s the opposite of what her dad wants from her. It’s nice to have a character who is what he is. He likes what he likes, and he really does want to live up with his dad’s expectations, but it’s not “him.” When he’s not in direct contact with his dad, he tends to go for what he likes, and it’s a shame, but he feels kind of bad about that some time.

Devon shows his inclination to poetry!

I feel like, having been a guy who grew up in the South, there are a lot of parents—dads in particular—who are football dads or baseball dads who expect certain things from their boys, and they don’t necessarily get that. I’ve always been a big fan of dads who show up at plays and dances and rehearsals for their son, who like things that they don’t necessarily understand, but they understand that their sons like it. Devin is not in that situation.

RACEBENDING.COM: How did you go about making Princeless accessible not only for kids and adults?

WHITLEY: My theory on that has been to—and this has been my theory a lot over time—is not to talk down to kids. Don’t assume that kids won’t get something and they won’t understand it. Obviously there are some jokes that are going to go over kids’ heads in this book. But having been a kid who was a big fan of Disney movies in the late ’90′s, you had Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King, which all had lots of strong vocabulary in them. But you didn’t have to worry about kids not understanding what they’re saying.

I think kids have a BS detector to some extent that they know when you’re treating them badly and they also can understand things that are controversial. Like, for us, the issue with women’s armor… I think kids can actually see that and say, “Well, a bikini doesn’t make sense to fight in, that won’t work very well.” Whereas I know comic book fans that will defend it to their death.

Bedelia shows off the "Women Warrior" armor collection.

Like, for us, the issue with women’s armor… I think kids can actually see that and say, “Well, a bikini doesn’t make sense to fight in, that won’t work very well.” 

So just generally not talking down to kids and aiming for that common ground. I think a lot of it is having an idea and knowing your characters pretty well, and putting them out there… I think the parents pick up on a lot of higher things—the armor stuff, the inside joke about pop culture and comic books and stuff, whereas it’s really enjoyable having a story with a character that they like and who they relate to who kicks butt. That was my aim was to have a character who was a good character and a kick-butt character.

RACEBENDING.COM: How have the scenes where you pick fun at the armor been received by younger readers?

WHITLEY: They seem to have been pretty warmly-received. That particular issue I hear a lot more about from parents or older readers—people who are around my age, or a little bit older, or a little bit younger–who generally see that first and foremost. A lot of the girls I talk to are a bit secondhand about it and have been much more excited about just there being a princess with a sword. They like the idea that of a Princeless being an adventure comic about and for girls rather than being a “girls comics,” which are often old romance comics, or have something to do with fashion for some reason…

They like the idea that of a Princeless being an adventure comic about and for girls rather than being a “girls comics,” which are often old romance comics, or have something to do with fashion for some reason…

RACEBENDING.COM: There will be more issues after #4, right? You left us off on quite a cliffhanger.

WHITLEY: Yes. Number four is just the first mini-series. From this point on, it’s going to go four issue mini-series out from here. Hopefully, the second one will start sometime later this year. We may put out some short stories in between there… Basically, we’re going to be doing more four-issue mini-series. Each one will work around one of the princesses, since Adrienne is setting off to save her sisters. So each series is going to go round rescuing one of the other sisters, each of which will present unique challenges because—to no surprise—Adrienne’s sisters don’t always have the same ideas about being rescued and being free as she does. There will definitely more Princeless, more Adrienne… Bedelia is in it for the long haul as well, and Devin will take much more of a secondary hero kind of role. He’s going to have some of his own story lines, some of his own things going on. He’s not going anywhere any time soon.

The next mini is completely written and been edited—possibly too many times at this point. My wife and I have been going through it again, cleaning up the dialogue and getting everything ready to go to the artist. Everything is set on that one, and I’m most of the way through the next mini after that. The plan is with this first story is to at least go to twenty-four, twenty-five issues, and then that will hopefully wrap up the story here. From there, I’m definitely open to doing more stuff if there’s more people reading at that point still, I’d be glad to be keep writing it. I really love the characters and I really love writing it. It’s been my baby for a while now.

RACEBENDING.COM: How can readers ensure that their local comic book stores will have Princeless on the shelves?

WHITLEY: The direct market is a little strange, just because things are solicited two months before they come out. The local comic book shops know to order Spider-Man, they know to order X-Men, but they don’t know what to do with indie comics. They don’t know who’s going to show up and who’s going to buy it. I recognize that they all for the most part are in a rough financial strain, so the biggest thing you can do to encourage them to buy it is to let them know you want it and you’ll show up for it, especially since the first trade of Princeless, containing the first four issues, is out at the end of this month.

RACEBENDING.COM: Can you tell us a little bit about the Princeless trade, and a bit more about your other work?

WHITLEY: A couple things we’re plugging right now is the trade for Princeless is not only going to have the first four issues, but it will also have a crossover with Image comics,Skullkickers. Skullkickers is another good—but not necessarily all-ages—but fun fantasy comic which I’ve really enjoyed. It will also be in the upcoming individual issues forSkullkickers. A lot of my stuff, if you want more, is on the Firetower Studios website, where you can find out about some of the upcoming stuff we’ve got going this summer as well as where we’re going to be doing conventions and things like. We also have daily webcomics, everything from I do from a comic I do with my friend called Werewolf D.A., which is about a werewolf who’s a D.A. Or a D.A. Who’s a werewolf, whatever area that you put that in, to a journal comic with my wife called, Hot Interracial Marriage, which is about a variety of things, from our marriage, to our baby, to day-to-day stuff about us.

RACEBENDING.COM: In waiting for future issues of Princeless, do you have any recommendations that can help fill the void of not having Adrienne?

WHITLEY: I have been working on trying to find new recommendations. I really like a couple of things coming out of Th3rd World Studios. They do The Stuff of Legend and a new series called The Intrepid Escapegoat, both of which are all ages stories and fun and strange and enjoyable. Stuff of Legend follows a boy who is kidnapped by the Boogeyman in his closet. His toys set out to save him and once they cross into the Boogeyman’s territory, they go from being toys to being actual versions of their toy selves. They have an epic adventure trying to find the boy. It’s a little bit dark and it’s a good sort of fun, kid’s story.

One of the recommended books, The Intrepid Escapegoat, published by Th3rd World Studios.

The Intrepid Escapegoat is a little weird, it’s almost impossible to explain. It’s about a goat who’s an escape artist, who stumbles on mysteries with his sidekick who is a several thousand year old magical Egyptian princess. It’s a really strange concept for a book, but I picked the first one at Free Comic Book Day, and it was fantastic. They’ve released a couple since then, and it’s really an enjoyable book.

On the more slightly adult side of things, Chew is a fantastic book that’s incredibly gross if you don’t have a strong stomach. For anyone who doesn’t know, Chew is about a character named Tony Chu, who has a job with the FDA. In this sort-of post-apocalyptic world we’re in, there’s this been an outbreak of the avian flu caused by chickens, so chicken has been outlawed. Tony’s job is to find and uncover these underground chicken operations. He has this special power, that is when he tastes things, he’s cibopathic, meaning he knows everything about that thing by tasting it: where it came from, what happened to it… He can sense it all just by tasting it. Which leads to some pretty gross cases down the line…

RACEBENDING.COM: These books sound great, and we’ll definitely check them out in the mean time.

–

For more information about Jeremy Whitley and his work, along with convention appearances, check out his independent label here at Firetower Studios.

For more information on Princeless and its publisher, check out Action Lab Comics. Princeless is also on tumblr at http://princelesscomic.tumblr.com/

To read Princeless digitally, purchase it HERE from Graphicly at $1.99 an issue! Princeless is also available via Droid, iTunes, and Drive Thru Comics.

The trade of the first collection of Princeless issues will be available April 25 through Comic Retailers everywhere.

Racebending.com would like to thank Jeremy Whitley for this interview!

The Track Team– Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn–at Wondercon 2012 in Anaheim, CA

Racebending.com co-founder Marissa Lee was invited to interview The Track Team at Wondercon 2012, before the duo’s presentation of the opening credits of The Legend of Korra at the “Famous TV Theme Music” panel.

RACEBENDING.COM: How did you get started working on Avatar: The Last Airbender?

WYNN: Let’s see…Well, I was good friends with [series co-creator] Bryan Konietzko. And he knew of–you know, I was living with him when I was going to school at CalArts (California Institute of the Arts), where Jeremy [Zuckerman] was as well–that was where the two of us met, and we were working together on a few various things. Bryan and Mike [DiMartino] were in development for the show and when they got greenlit, he basically asked us if we wanted to be involved. We said sure, not knowing what we were doing or what we were getting ourselves into. We were like, “Of course! No problem!”

ZUCKERMAN: We knew it would be an awesome project.

WYNN: Yeah.

ZUCKERMAN: We could see all the work from stage one. [Bryan] would be like check out this character! Check out this “Aang”! Check out Appa–this is going to be Appa! I think that Appa might have been called something else, maybe? I can’t remember.

WYNN: Well, Katara had a different name.

ZUCKERMAN: Kya.

WYNN: I mean, I am sure some of the stuff in that book [Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Art of the Animated Series was drawn at our kitchen table. I'd be like, "Oh, that's pretty cool, man."

ZUCKERMAN: Ben and I would be working in the room one over, and Bryan would be doing something beautiful on--what was that thing, he had this...

WYNN: A light box, an animators light box.

ZUCKERMAN: We were totally immersed in it, which is a great way to start a project. We really understood it, from the ground up.

WYNN: One of the things they talked about early on was a lot of World Music influences. At CalArts, we were just lucky enough to be able to study some of that stuff. And Bryan would come to some of those concerts and really engage with gamelan(an Indonesian music ensemble) music and some West African music. So, I think he just--it was Bryan's sort of vision that we would do the music and sound and that it would be great.

RACEBENDING: What brought you to using more of a "world music" influence, as opposed to just "traditional" orchestrations?

ZUCKERMAN: Honestly, a lot of it was just Bryan's vision--or maybe Mike's--I'm not sure. I remember they took us out to dinner or lunch or something and he said, I want the music to use a lot of these ethnic instruments as opposed to these western sounds, but they don't have to function traditionally. Because he knew we hadn't studied tabla (a percussion instrument from India.)

RACEBENDING: That was what I was going to ask.

ZUCKERMAN: So basically like, exploit these sounds as if you were just playing with them, and do whatever you want with them. And at a certain point, pretty early in the process, we realized we were going to have to use western sounds, too. There were just certain things that happened, that story-wise, were so "western," you know what I mean? And we needed the drama of that orchestra. There's a certain drama that orchestra brings. Certain emotions. And obviously, we're more accustomed to the sound of the orchestra and how to get those emotions from it. We wound up making this kind of compromise between the ethnic instrumentation and the western stuff. And out of that naturally, the styles merged.

WYNN: I think partially,too, Bryan--just knowing us intimately knew that we were into computer music, electronic music, sound design and world music. I think that he wanted--I mean, if I can speak for him? I think that he wanted something different for the show. I think that that appealed to him.

RACEBENDING.COM: Did you have to start learning the instruments that you were bringing on? How did you immerse yourself?

WYNN: That's a good question.

ZUCKERMAN: I took lessons on 琵琶 (pipa, a Chinese lute) and 古箏 (guzheng, a Chinese zither.) I didn't start that until the second season, though. And that was really great, because until that point we were just using the instruments, as if we were just playing with the sounds. We had some exposure through CalArts but we were by no means masters of these ethnic instruments. Taking formal lessons on the pipa and guzheng really opened up the sounds and deepened things.

WYNN: In the beginning, though, you would play some flutes.

ZUCKERMAN: Yeah.

WYNN: And you played guzheng?

ZUCKERMAN: Nah, I got to guzheng in the second season. I played pipa for the first season. Yeah...we knew how to tune them, and that was kind of it.

RACEBENDING.COM: The reason why I asked was because I was really excited--I recognized those instruments, because I have family members who played the pipa and also the 二胡 (erhu, a type of Chinese violin.)

RACEBENDING.COM: I was like, that sounds really familiar, I know it's not a violin...oh my gosh, I recognize this instrument! That was very exciting for me.

ZUCKERMAN: That's awesome. It's cool for us, too.

WYNN: I remember conversations where we were like, "Are people going to be really freaked out if this isn't used correctly?"

ZUCKERMAN: I remember worrying about offending people.

RACEBENDING.COM: I don't know that much about the instruments themselves, but I think you had the creative latitude to kind of fuse different styles together.

WYNN: Exactly.

RACEBENDING.COM: The overall product sounded really good. So, the other thing I noticed--and I think I mentioned this on your Facebook page--was that the Beifong theme song [featured in the episode "The Blind Bandit"] is based after 茉莉花 (Mo Li Hua/Jasmine Flower), which is this old Chinese folk song my mom used to sing to me when I was a kid.

WYNN: Yeah, we remember that message.

ZUCKERMAN: Oh, that was you.

RACEBENDING.COM: So I was just sitting there, watching Avatar and then I was like, “Wait a minute! What is going–?” So, I was wondering, are there any other “easter eggs”? Random folk songs scattered throughout the show or in Korra?

ZUCKERMAN: I think that is the only one, unless something happened subconsciously. But that was something, yeah, that might be worked on. My teacher taught me it.

WYNN: But some stuff just comes out.

ZUCKERMAN: Kung Fu Panda [Legends of Awesomeness], actually, is more traditional in the use of the Chinese instruments. But–Mo Li Hua, was that in Kung Fu Panda or Korra?

RACEBENDING.COM: It was in Avatar.

ZUCKERMAN: That must have been when I first started taking lessons. That was probably one of the first pieces that I learned on the guzheng.

Screenshot from The Blind Bandit episode during the scene where Mo Li Hua is played.

RACEBENDING.COM: What inspired you to use the song?

ZUCKERMAN: Oh god…it was one of the only traditional pieces that I knew! It was when they were having tea, or dinner, at the Beifong estate. They were upscale, and I imagined they were very traditional, and the song is very traditional. The only traditional song I really knew. Slightly modified.

WYNN: A good fit.

ZUCKERMAN: It’s an honest answer. Slightly modified, I hope.

RACEBENDING.COM: It’s gotta be open source by now, it’s like hundreds of years old.

WYNN: Unfortunately, they didn’t have copyrights either…no intellectual property until recently.

ZUCKERMAN: That’s really cool, though.

RACEBENDING.COM: So I was like, that’s totally awesome, I totally recognize that.

ZUCKERMAN: I was hoping someone would hear that and know what it was.

RACEBENDING.COM: So you guys were given–I heard–a big budget for the Avatar finale and that you were able to use a string orchestra?

WYNN: Yeah.

RACEBENDING.COM: I was wondering if you got a similar budget for Korra?

ZUCKERMAN: No.

WYNN: And I don’t know if “big” would be the right word to use.

ZUCKERMAN: Yeah, we made things work on the budget we had. It was okay, it was generous for what it is. TV has a notoriously small budget, especially cable networks…especially animation. So it was very cool that the network gave us more money to do the finale. We are basically using a lot of live instruments for Korra, but it is coming out of our own pockets. It’s a smaller scale, a smaller ensemble–it’s a sextet. And then we have the Chinese instrumentalist, Hong Wang.

ZUCKERMAN: He’s amazing. That guy–he’s like a Chinese orchestra. He plays twenty, thirty instruments. Pretty much anything you can imagine. He plays erhu beautifully. He plays all the wind and string instruments. He plays the matouqin, which is a Mongolian instrument. It’s gorgeous. We haven’t used it much yet, but I am sure we will.

WYNN: He is like a folk music dictionary.

Hong Wang working on The Legend of Korra soundtrack. Image from The Track Team blog

RACEBENDING.COM: You mentioned the matouqin, a Mongolian instrument. I was wondering if you tied instruments into various worlds or storylines? Like, is the Fire Nation more percussion?

ZUCKERMAN: It’s more aesthetics in the instrumentation. And the reason being, we didn’t want to portray any negative characteristics, or any characteristics, to any specific culture. You know what I mean? Talk about “racebending”! So, that’s why, like, you know, Zuko had the duduk (an Armenian woodwind instrument), but there was also Chinese percussion.

WYNN: And the Firebenders have brass.

ZUCKERMAN: Western, big heavy brass. I think they also had a Tibetan instrument. Really low.

RACEBENDING.COM: So…what is a tsungi horn? Is it a real instrument?

ZUCKERMAN: That was something we had to make up. It’s a fictional instrument. It’s the performance of a duduk that needed to sound brass-like, as well, because it is a reed instrument but also kind of brassy. It kind of looks like a tuba and an oboe.

Iroh plays the tsungi horn in Avatar: The Last Airbender

WYNN: This is where our computer education came in handy. We took this process called convolution and we basically took the characteristics of a trombone bell and imposed it onto the duduk. So it’s reedy, but also brassy.

ZUCKERMAN: So it sort of sounded like it was coming out of a tuba, or trombone. Really, any brass instrument.

RACEBENDING.COM: Are you also doing the foley work for Korra?

WYNN: We’re doing the sound design, not the foley. Aran Tanchum did the second half of Avatar and is doing Kung Fu Panda, and now Korra with us. We’re doing the sound design though, yes.

RACEBENDING.COM: Has there been any significant differences in how the sound design for Korra works versus for Avatar?

WYNN: Yeah, there has. First of all, it’s many years later and we have just sort of gotten better, I hope. So I think it’s a bit more sophisticated and detailed. But also, in the series we’re doing more scenes where there is less music during heavy action and sound design moments so the sound design is sort of playing the role for the excitement for the scene. It’s a different way to go, normally we would have both. If it was a very action packed, climactic scene, we would have very action-y music. We’re trying to go the other route where the music is providing the emotion and the sound design is carrying the action.

RACEBENDING.COM: Is that because Korra is set more in modern times?

WYNN: Because it is set more in modern times, the sounds are sort of different. They are a lot more industrial and I guess almost sort of steampunk-ish because it seems like it is somewhere between the Twenties and the Fifties, or something like that. So there are more and there will be a lot more steampowered engines and things like that.

The Legend of Korra is set over seventy years after Avatar: The Last Airbender

WYNN: But I don’t think that is the reason that we are going this route. I think when it works it is sort of a bit “cleaner” because things don’t compete with each other. Sometimes, it is hard to make sound impactful when there are very heavy drums going the whole time. It’s just kind of a different style. Something we are just kind of trying out.

ZUCKERMAN: We are playing with it. It can be really emotionally intense, too. It feels a lot more psychological.

WYNN: Right.

ZUCKERMAN: Almost more believable.

WYNN: It’s like the music is providing what is in somebody’s head.

ZUCKERMAN: And when it’s even gone entirely, there are couple of action scenes where there is no music and just sound design and the darkness of it is really intense.

WYNN: There are times when that can feel more real.

ZUCKERMAN: Which makes it kind of scary.

RACEBENDING.COM: We have a minute left, so I was just going to ask: What’s the deal with the Avatar soundtrack?

ZUCKERMAN: We were close!

RACEBENDING.COM: There’s thousands of signatures on that petition!

WYNN: I know, I know.

ZUCKERMAN: I really do think it is going to happen.

WYNN: I do, too.

ZUCKERMAN: We need to be on it, Bryan and Mike and everyone else needs to be on it…we’re all so busy now with Korra, it’s like…we need to get back on that train.

WYNN: But I think there have been a couple of good– a few key things have happened recently.

RACEBENDING.COM: The release of the sound pack from Korra Nation?

WYNN: And the fact that Nickelodeon is really promoting Korra in terms of like, behind the scenes, giving away music, the fan club, production art, tumblrs…all of that stuff is really good for momentum.

Racebending.com’s Marissa Lee interviewing The Track Team at Wondercon

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TRACK TEAM: at their Official Website, www.TheTrackTeam.com and follow them on The Track Team Facebook page!

The Legend of Korra premieres on Nickelodeon on April 14th at 11am.

Racebending.com would like to thank Jeremy Zuckerman, Benjamin Wynn, Chandler Poling, and White Bear PR for the opportunity to interview The Track Team!

From the official press release:

The Legend of Korra, in which the mythology of the beloved animated franchise from Avatar: The Last Airbender creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko continues.

The series centers around a new Avatar named Korra, a 17-year-old headstrong and rebellious girl who continually challenges and bucks tradition on her quest to become a fully realized Avatar in a world where benders are under attack.

The half-hour series will debut on Saturday, April 14, at 11:00 a.m. (all times ET/PT), as part of Nickelodeon’s Saturday morning block (8AM-Noon), which has been the number-one destination for Kids 2-11 for 12 consecutive years and currently delivers more than three million total viewers each week. The Legend of Korra will air regularly on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.

Series creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino were on hand at the New York City Upfronts to introduce the show to the industry and press.

The duo (known affectionately to fans as “Bryke“), also introduced one of two new trailers for the series! This new trailer features a first look at the character of Amon, Korra’s nemesis.

The second trailer is also now online…

Select members of the press were invited to an online screening room for the first episode; bootleg copies from this screening are now circulating the internet. Initial buzz has been very positive.

Fans who have been following the production closely will note that Nickelodeon has revised the title of the show, removing both the “Avatar” and “The Last Airbender” titles and making the subtitle, “The Legend of Korra” the full title of the series.

Viral Marketing with Korra Nation!

In addition to airing commercials on the Nickelodeon channel, over the last few weeks, Nickelodoen has been aggressively marketing The Legend of Korra to the online Avatar fanbase through its Korra Nation campaign. Fans can join Korra Nation via Facebook to access and share new content on Facebook and Twitter and earn points to win prizes.

Last week, Korra Nation also challenged fans to 100,000 new likes and shares by March 24th–if fans are successful, Nickelodeon will release the first episode of the series early!

Korra on Tumblr

The Korra Nation is also posting released content on tumblr.

Some of the creative minds behind Korra have also landed on tumblr. They include series co-creator Bryan Konietzko (bryankonietzko.tumblr.com), director Joaquim Dos Santos (2-cents.tumblr.com) and martial arts consultant Sifu Kisu (sifu-kisu.tumblr.com). Make sure to check them out!

With so much momentum on tumblr, Racebending.com has jumped on board as well. Fellow tumblr users can follow and reblog us at racebending.tumblr.com!

CONVENTION FLOOR 

Although Nickelodeon and Dark Horse comics are NOT exhibiting this year, Racebending.com will host our fan table (Booth F-09)

We’ll have lots of giveaways (past giveaways include stuffed Appas and Momos, pins with Aang and Korra, comic books, etc.) t-shirts for sale, and information about The Legend of Korra.  We’ll also have our interactive photo collage running!

Artists Alley will also boast some A:TLA artists, including Joshua Middleton (AA-093), who is currently working on The Legend of Korra. You’ll also be able to find fan artist DJ ‘Dark Kenjie’ Welch (AA-049) in the alley.

PROGRAMMING

• “Pitching Diversity”
  Friday, March 16 1:30 – 2:30pm Room 208AB
  You made it through the iron gates to pitch your project. When do you bring up the diversity of your characters? Forcefully at the outset, scribbled on a well-hidden Post-It note, or in a closing utterance as you flee out the door? How do diverse actors pitch themselves for all roles? Widelantern.com delves into this topic as its writer Ken Choy moderates a roundtable discussion with Brandon Easton (Shadowlaw, Thundercats), Randall Park (Supah Ninjas), Teresa Huang (Knight Rider remake), Charles Howard (Producers Guild of America Diversity Committee), Adam Wolman (Widelantern co-founder; creative consultant), and Frank Gonzalez (director, talent development and diversity, Disney/ABC Television Group).

• “Famous TV Theme Music”
  Friday, March 16 5:00-6:00 Room 213
  Composers of popular television theme songs discuss their writing process and their influences to their craft. Charles Fox (The New Adventures of Wonder Woman, Love Boat, Happy Days), Parry Gripp (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Jeremy Zuckerman & Benjamin Wynn (Avatar the Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra), will discuss their contributions to TV theme music. Attendees will get to see a select clip from the new series The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra. Room 213

• DC Nation Special Video Presentation and Q&A
  Friday, March 16 5:00-6:00  Room 204
  Avatar: The Last Airbender director Giancarlo Volpe will be on the panel presenting on DC Nation.

• “Geek Slant: How the East Meets West”
  Saturday, March 17 4:30-5:30  Room 207
  From comics and film to television and new media, Asian Americans have been making their mark on pop culture. Racebending-Media Consumers for Entertainment Equality hosts this no-holds-barred conversation featuring Phil Yu (Angry Asian Man), Jen Wang and Diana Nguyen (Disgrasian), Freddie Wong (YouTube’s freddiew), and other mavens of their industry to discuss the state of Asian Pacific Americans in niche and mainstream media.

• “Comic Arts Conference Session 10: Adaptation and Media”
  Sunday, March 18 2:00-3:00 Room 210 
  Among the many presentations on adaptation will be one on The Last Airbender. Kathryn M. Frank (University of Michigan) discusses the controversy surrounding the casting of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender to uncover industry logics regarding casting and the potential success of comics/animation-to-live-action adaptations.

(Please let us know if we’ve missed anything!)

screenshot from a romance scene from Mass Effect 3 (spoilers)

One of the hallmarks of Biowares storytelling is the nuanced portrayals of relationships and interactions between characters. This is no small feat considering the level of customization and choice Bioware often offers. Players can select skin tone, gender, and facial characteristics, or go with the preloaded default. In game, players have a number of relationship options, allowing players to determine their avatar’s sexual orientation and romantic interests.

Unfortunately, the mere inclusion of gay romance options in Mass Effect (simply to complement to the several existing hetero romance options) resulted in some heterosexist backlash. BioWare has stood firm against such complaints.

In DragonAge II, one member of the player party, Anders, asks to start a relationship with the male player character, Hawke, regardless of how the player have chosen to play up until that point. This drew praise and criticism from fans of all sexual orientations–including one fan’s comment complaining that Bioware had abandoned their supposed key demographic of straight male gamers, and advocating that Bioware should have had a “no homosexuality option” for gameplay.

David Gaider, lead writer on Dragon Age, directly addressed the criticism (as detailed on Gaygamer.net.)

The romances in the game are not for “the straight male gamer”. They’re for everyone. We have a lot of fans, many of whom are neither straight nor male, and they deserve no less attention. We have good numbers, after all, on the number of people who actually used similar sorts of content in DAO and thus don’t need to resort to anecdotal evidence to support our idea that their numbers are not insignificant… and that’s ignoring the idea that they don’t have just as much right to play the kind of game they wish as anyone else. The “rights” of anyone with regards to a game are murky at best, but anyone who takes that stance must apply it equally to both the minority as well as the majority. The majority has no inherent “right” to get more options than anyone else.

Would I do it again? I don’t know. I doubt I would have Anders make the first move again– at the time, I thought that requiring all romances to have Hawke initiate everything was the unrealistic part. Even if someone decides that this makes everyone “unrealistically” bisexual, however, or they can’t handle the idea that the character might be bisexual if they were another PC… I don’t see that as a big concern, to be honest. Romances are never one-size-fits-all, and even for those who don’t mind the sexuality issue there’s no guarantee they’ll find a character they even want to romance. That’s why romances are optional content. It’s such a personal issue that we’ll never be able to please everyone. The very best we can do is give everyone a little bit of choice, and that’s what we tried here.

And the person who says that the only way to please them is to restrict options for others is, if you ask me, the one who deserves it least. And that’s my opinion, expressed as politely as possible.

Racebending previously profiled Bioware’s attempt to allow the promotional art reflect this same level of customization with fans voting on favorite designs that weren’t the preloaded white character. Destructoid.com had previously called out Mass Effect as one of many modern franchises that used a seemingly indistinguishable, prototypical white male protagonist with brown hair and stubble. This democratization of representation may end up impacting the big screen as well with a Mass Effect film in development.

Racebending Contributor Gabrial Canada met with three members of Biowares creative team at last year’s New York City Comic Con: Mike Laidlaw (Lead Designer, Dragon Age), David Gaider (Lead Writer, Dragon Age, and Mac Walters (Lead Writer, Mass Effect series.) They were at the Dark Horse booth promoting Bioware’s ongoing partnership with the comics publisher, which brings their expansive fantasy worlds into the realm of comic books.

Mike Laidlaw (left) David Gaider (center) and Racebending.com contributor Gabrial Canada

RACEBENDING.COM: Something that is resonant throughout Bioware titles is that you really make space for LGBT characters in game, including allowing for the main character to have a relationship. What does it mean to you in terms of generating the game play in having that inclusivity?

MAC WALTERS: I think in the Mass Effect universe, what we wanted to do was to allow it as viable relationship option but not necessarily to draw attention to it– because its a relationship like any other. As it should be. Our writers are always very keen on exploring all of those aspects of relationships as much as possible. Its just something we always wanted to be able to do in terms of the Mass Effect universe.

Romance scene from Mass Effect 2 DLC

MIKE LAIDLAW: As an approach, we tend to look at the stories we tell as being very character-driven, very relationship driven. Especially, Dragon Age II, which is very much about the story of one person and the reactions and interactions of the characters around them. It just seems like a logical outgrowth of that–as a focus that the party and characters are so key–to say that there isn’t a need for us to put up arbitrary walls. We do try to make sure that characters are true to themselves and that characters who absolutely shouldn’t be gay or bi wouldn’t be because it just doesn’t fit with their back stories. That level of inclusively doesn’t “cater” to it, just simply acknowledges that is how people play and how people are, and it really doesn’t go a lot deeper that that. We simply think it is the right thing to do.

Romance scene from the Dragon Age series

DAVID GAIDER: It isn’t that we try and arrange [LGBTQ romance] so that is possible, it’s just not arranging the game so that it isn’t possible. Inclusivity isn’t that hard. It just takes a moment to think, hmmm… is this a message to certain parts of the player base saying that “this game isn’t made for you?” You can avoid that rather easily. You can be inclusive of female gamers, of gay gamers.

It is about inviting a player to come and identify with their character. You have to not put up walls that prevent them from doing that. Just let them be aware that, no, this game is for you as well. All we have done is made it possible for the player to tell the game “this is what I want” and to get the same amount of content that any other player would get.