Spider-Verse Unlimited: Infinity Comic #1 (2022)
written by Anthony Piper
art by Bruno Oliveira & Pete Pantazis
So, in my art history class today, my professor was talking about something that is so fuckin awesome.
These are warrior shields from the Wahgi people of Papua New Guinea. The warriors paint them with imagery meant to symbolize animals who have traits they wish to embody in battle. These depictions are intended to give the person using it the powers of what they’re depicting.
Now. Look at this Wahgi shield:
Hmm. That looks a bit different from the others.
That looks VERY different. Why, it looks like
The Phantom… American comic book character by Lee Falk. And that’s because it is.
The Wahgi people were isolated from the rest of the “modern” world until 1933. They came into contact with WWII service men who shared some aspects of western culture with the tribesmen. In particular, they showed them the comic books they read while shipped out. The Wahgi loved them. In particular, the Wahgi adored the stories of the Phantom, who wasn’t even particularly popular in its home of America.
He is so popular that the few Wahgi who can read english will read the comics out loud in the village center and hold out the pages for everyone to see, so the whole tripe can enjoy them and marvel at the Phantom’s might in battle.
They identify with the Phantom because he came from a jungle territory, like them, wore a mask to fight, like them, and came from a long line of warriors, which the Wahgi, who worshiped their ancestors, deeply respected. Further, despite not really having superpowers, the Phantom is strong, clever, and incredibly fast. He was so fast that his enemies began to believe that he was impervious to bullets and could not be killed.
Therefore, the Wahgi began painting HIM on their shields to invoke HIS abilities in battle. There are TONS of Phantom-Wahgi shields out there.
So, you might think that you’re huge comic book fan, but the Wahgi have taken their Phantom fandom to the next level and have made the Phantom a fucking talisman to carry into battle for strength.
You should really check out that link^^
This reminds me so much of Americans who like, bring Captain America shields to protests and stuff! Or even like, when councilman Lan Diep was sworn in holding Captain America’s shield:
There’s really no difference here, especially if you don’t use condescending, colonialist language like “tribesmen” and “These depictions are intended to give the person using it the powers of what they’re depicting.” Apparently the difference between “striving for ideals” and acquiring “powers” is whether or not you adhere to the dominant culture in the United States?
The problem here is this is how stuff like this is taught in art history classes, as if it’s somehow mind-blowingly quaint that indigenous people anywhere like a freaking comic book character, or use his likeness as a “talisman.” *eyeroll*
There’s an obnoxiously pervasive narrative I see all the time around indigenous peoples from all over the world, that instead of making conscious aesthetic choices, they have somehow been “tricked” into liking something inherently inappropriate or anachronistic.
I’ve seen this narrative pressed onto the Quechua and Aymara Cholitas of Bolivia, implying that they were “tricked” into choosing to wear bowler hats because some mythical western trader of long ago had a surplus of too-small hats:
Or in North America, a lot of traditional regalia like Jingle Dress, Fancy Shawl, Grass Dance or Ribbon Skirt is called “garish”, and I’ve heard non-Native people complain that it doesn’t look “Traditional enough” (!!!) because it uses bright or neon fabric, beads, and trim materials.
[sold out pre-made Jingle Dresses from Powwowfabrics.com]
Kiowa artist Teri Greeves designed this piece called Great Lakes Girls, a synthesis of traditional bead and quill-work that utterly transforms high-heeled tennis shoes designed by Steve Madden. The women depicted in Jingle Dress represent the artist’s husband’s Anishinabe people, and some of the materials used, like spiny-oyster shell, come from the southwest and are often used in jewelry made by Diné people.
The artificial conflict that a work like this creates in a non-Native viewer is based on the assumption that the “tradition” of indigenous peoples, and overall, our cultures, MUST remain static in order to be seen as “authentic” to the dominant culture. Even more frustrating, I often see the concept of Pan-Native culture and identities discussed as if this can ONLY mean a false sense of sameness imposed by colonialism and colonial structures, rather than an actual show of solidarity between Native peoples in philosophies, practices, and activism.
The lack of nuance around understanding these synthesized cultures leads to the delegitimization and erasure of traditions like the Mardi Gras Indians, Baby Dolls, Skull and Bones gangs, and their connection to both sacred clown traditions like Heyókȟa and West African dance and costume traditions.
I personally believe that decolonization and resistance can only be possible once the concept that appeal to (and categorization by) the dominant culture is a necessary step, is disposed of. I reject the notion that we must accept a binary existence of one or the Other, as if we can only be Historical or Modern but never both. As if a living culture is out of the question, or some kind of oxymoron.
But the biggest wall between the Self and the Other that I’m trying to break down here is the notion in the original post: that the academic teacher/learner and the “topic” are somehow eternally separated by both time and geographical distance. I’m sick and tired of being traumatized by being taught Who I Am and What I Believe by someone who doesn’t actually know, and doesn’t really believe I can exist in the same room they inhabit.
What this comes back to is a quote I posted a few days ago on how art/education/community intersect:
The word “art” is something the West has never understood. Art is supposed to be a part of a community. Like, scholars are supposed to be a part of a community… Art is to decorate people’s houses, their skin, their clothes, to make them expand their minds, and it’s supposed to be right in the community, where they can have it when they want it… It’s supposed to be as essential as a grocery store… that’s the only way art can function naturally. -Amiri Baraka
I’m reblogging the above addition by @medievalpoc to my old post because it is VERY important.
i made this post years ago and I was much more ignorant about a lot of things- this includes the proper ways to discuss different cultures’ art and practices in regards to both general discourse as well as the language I was using.
I had no idea that this post had gotten so many notes, but I’m EXTREMELY glad that @medievalpoc has gotten a hold of it and added this to it. I implore you to read their addition because it’s both extremely important and extremely interesting.
You should check out their blog, in general, because it is fantastic.
You should check out their
blog, in general, because
it is fantastic.
Beep boop! I look for accidental haiku posts. Sometimes I mess up.
Another case where the camera was clearly set up to figure out how the little shit was pulling it off
3rd knives out movie but it’s just philomena cunk doing an interview w/ benoit blanc
this is just all of Tasâlalkhud, you cannot change my mine
Art is by @fishfingersandscarves
mariesminds
nothing sexier than that picture with the italian players on top of eachother after the win and the english ones going through the 5 stages of grief in the back
mariesminds
THIS ONE
aubergeen
i can see it
This destroyed me.
If 2/2/22 falls on a Tuesday it could also be known as “2’s Day”
kissed-by-the-fallen-angel
DUDE
galacticenkidulgaa
CLUB GOIN UP
ON A
̶̴̲̜͚̲͍̺̰̠͓̰̳̖̞̙̥̻̪͟２̶̛͍̖͙̥̹͍̰͕̘͖̤̮̙͔̝̣̠͡͠＇̧̨͉̭͙͔̗̻̹̣͙̱̜̝͍̹͙͙Ｓ̶̷̲̠̥̘̱̼̮̞̥̥̭̕͢͠ ̡̖͎̹͙͍͙͈̞̲͠͝ͅ ̛͏͞҉̤̪͔͙̥̪̬̭ͅͅＤ̡͍̥̝̻͍͕̭̠̳̺̯͖͢͞Ａ̵̡̧̯͔̭̹͍̰̫͍̘̝̺Ｙ̢̙͙̥̣̬̗̱͓̠̹̝̟̤͟͡͠
An explanation for why I’m auctioning off a copy of my book that I sat on
📯 RELEASE 📯
The journey has finally come to its end ! We are excited to share with you the results of the passion and the hard work of our awesome contributors! This is worthy of our gentlehobbit 🌳 and the King of the Mountain 🏔 Enjoy!
🐉 Click the link for download your zine and merch ! 🐉
@zinecenter @zineforall @fandomzines @faneventshub @zine-scene @zinefeed @atozines @all-zine-apps
Its out! Go check it out!
I have a comic in there go check it out!
Concept: an apocalyptic or post apocalyptic tv show centred on a group of disabled protagonists
Must include:
-enough details about how they survive that no one can call it “unrealistic”
-mental and physical disabilities
-a character who isn’t necessarily contributing to the survival of the group, but is not abandoned or looked down upon
-at least one character whose disability is actually less of a problem for them now that the world is ending/ended (example: autistic character who used to be constantly overstimulated but no longer is)
Optional features:
-abled person says “the only disability in life is a bad attitude” and gets told where to stuff it
-creatively weaponized mobility aids/assistive devices
-character who abled people think isn’t worth helping because of their disability, but actually has at least one skill essential to the survival of the group
-every time an abled person says something ignorant, all present disabled people look into the camera like they’re on the office
- character who only survived the initial apocalyptic event because they had an assistive device which just so happened in that one circumstance to give them an advantage over everyone else
-the abled camp wearing rags and eating meat on sticks cooked over a crude fire. pans over to our heroes and they have perfect clothes, a variety of food and also music.
“what? how did you do that?”
“well, jane’s special interest is the medieval production of cloth and, like 8 of us can sew. Turns out those of us who can’t go out much develop a LOT of hobbies.”
A character who scares everyone when a zombie bites them but literally every one of their limbs are amputated.
“They…. they bit Gina.”
*Gina pulls of prosthetic arm* “It’s ok guys! They just got my decoy.”
just-my-happy-things
(vibrates at the speed of sound)
I love this a normal amount
Defying Doomsday is an anthology of apocalypse fiction featuring
disabled and chronically ill protagonists, proving it’s not always the
“fittest” who survive – it’s the most tenacious, stubborn, enduring and
innovative characters who have the best chance of adapting when
everything is lost.
In stories of fear, hope and survival, this
anthology gives new perspectives on the end of the world, from authors
Corinne Duyvis, Janet Edwards, Seanan McGuire, Tansy Rayner Roberts,
Stephanie Gunn, Elinor Caiman Sands, Rivqa Rafael, Bogi Takács, John
Chu, Maree Kimberley, Octavia Cade, Lauren E Mitchell, Thoraiya Dyer,
Samantha Rich, and K L Evangelista.
*reblogs this version again in case you haven’t seen it*