Diversity in Comics/Novels

RemyHope 2021-02-12 22:31:48 UTC #104

OMG yes, we are known (and proud!) for our presence in soccer. We have such good players! I thinks it's the only thing we are known for but we love it HAHAHA.
Wow, thank you for sharing your experience, I didn't know about that! It's fun and useful to learn about these facts. I am now "stuck" in some chinese fandoms thanks to novels, and I know most of the content is made in mandarin, and for lack of knowledge I never sopped to think about it.
What you do is awsome! I would love to see your content!

Lady_T_Musings 2021-02-12 22:37:47 UTC #105

Live in your truth Macati, that's what's up. Thanks for sharing :)!

RemyHope 2021-02-12 22:37:53 UTC #106

I think the same! Like I said to other people, It's so much fun to see and learn about countries and cultures that are not well known or popular. Diversity is incredible, and help us put aside the hegemonic to be able to see the other side of the same coin.

RemyHope 2021-02-12 22:42:15 UTC #107

Hi! This is my novel. It's just starting so we won't see anything from Oliver's nationality yet, but it will come, I promise! Thank you very much for asking <3

Lady_T_Musings 2021-02-12 22:45:46 UTC #108

Yo Maice ty for sharing!

Character development and inclusion of the complex layers that make up a persons being are a key element to not making a "bad" character period. Also having characters that are also a part of the BIPOC race represented that aren't "bad guys" can help with balance. Since you have a small cast, but over half fall within the BIPOC from what you've shown, I think you are doing a fine job at showing the range people can have despite/with their race.

One of the beautiful things about telling a story. You decide the angle it is shown form :D.

joannekwan 2021-02-12 22:50:22 UTC #109

Oh yeah! Wuxia and the like exploded over the past few years. It's cool to see people get exposed to this stuff but there's so much that's overlooked too like all the different ethnic groups within China. It's a huge country and it'd be great to see more media about them outside of documentaries.

Like one summer in college I traveled with my professor and student teacher to Dimen, a village in Southern China where we got to learn about the Kam people. We spent about 3 weeks there and learned about their crafts and their daily life and so forth. They have their own language, but anyone under 60 spoke Mandarin as well. We had a translator with us so I'm sure it was interesting for them to see her with an American-Chinese and two Eastern European ladies.

And you can find my library of works here~

kaetana 2021-02-12 23:04:32 UTC #110

I've been really enjoying looking at all the great art in this thread and hearing everyone's perspectives, really interesting stuff! Diversity is always a goal for me in my character design, and it's really helpful to hear the opinions of POC on the topic since I'm white myself. I think diverse character designs and writing are important for a lot of the reasons already shared in this thread - it's beneficial for people to get to see characters like themselves, and likewise for people to see characters different from themselves! It's also just good character design imo, it helps make characters more distinct from each other. Especially since I'm creating a fantasy comic, I like to be able to showcase a wide variety of skin tones and character types.

Here's a couple of pieces showcasing the variety in character designs, first the main characters, and then one of the pantheons of deities in my setting.

queen_of_spades 2021-02-13 20:25:56 UTC #111

Hi... I subscribed you right now... Have a great weekend

RemyHope 2021-02-14 01:07:04 UTC #112

OMG thank you so much <3 <3

Siromany 2021-02-14 21:56:51 UTC #113

Happy Black History Month!!!
As a white trans man when I make characters of different ethnicities I try to make sure that I can get the experiences right and representative, while also making a character their own person. I live in California so like, seeing racial diversity was pretty normal for me growing up, as well as having aunts and uncles in interracial marriages and having black and mexican cousins. But still being a white person, I want to make sure I'm getting things right by consulting with people of those backgrounds.

My comic as well also takes place in California, so having a whole white cast is extremely unrealistic and also bland. I want to have a cast that feels natural.
Two of the four main characters, Deja and Demona, are black and afro-latina mexican respectively. (They haven't appeared in comic just yet but Deja's coming in real soon (: )

Deja:

Demona:

There's also reoccurring characters like Deja's wife Belle who is senegalese

And one of the kids that Demona takes care of named Laila (I haven't been able to digitalize her ref just yet)

Diversity is natural and people who absolutely refuse to draw BIPOC because they don't fit their style are using it as an excuse not to draw them.

starless 2021-02-14 23:58:22 UTC #114

Hi! Thank you for the thread. Most characters in my sci-fi webcomic series are African, West Asian and multiracial. It's set in the future and has so much freedom to celebrate diversity and I love it

CyberAxl 2021-02-15 02:34:42 UTC #115

Thanks so much! I luckily had very proactive and educated parents that helped me navigate through different world lenses. And because of my futuristic setting, there are ways to show people with 'disabilities' who have cybernetic alterations to help with character design. One of the starting characters has an eye patch and refuses to get an implant simply because he looks cool and says he doesn't need it to function at 100%.

Here's the link to the comic! The second issue actually comes out tomorrow!

Lady_T_Musings 2021-02-15 15:39:04 UTC #116

It's been pretty cool right! That's what's up, your characters all look very distinct and it makes your world feel so alive and intriguing seeing so many kinds of people that exist from not only looks but also fashion and stances as well. Thank you for including your work and thoughts on the topic. It warms my heart to hear and see how including all types of folks is something you strive for in your work and enjoy doing

Lady_T_Musings 2021-02-15 15:55:11 UTC #117

Happy Black History Month to you too!!

That's what's up and that's how you do it! Being in the position you are makes it that much easier to be able to talk with and exchange with a multitude of people in the BIPOC spectrum and I'm glad to hear you are doing just that.

Ohhhhhhhh Deja looks lovely and I love their outfit and hair!!! <3 Demona looks like she gonna be hoot haha. Belle is gorgeous and I noticed you did out palms, Lookit you on them details. Laila looks precocious in them big boots!! I really like how you varied the complexions of these characters and wasn't afraid to use darker colors for skin tones!! Also nice outfits in general Siromany, everyone looking stylish!!

No lie, whenever I hear that drawing BIPOC doesn't fit my style I'm like what? I could see for a specific piece with a very nuclear type story, but your whole style?! Like Does not compute.

Lady_T_Musings 2021-02-15 15:56:45 UTC #118

Yasssss I'm loving these character designs!!!! Thanks you for sharing your beautiful creations.

Lady_T_Musings 2021-02-15 15:57:33 UTC #119

Yasss that's; what's up!! Thanks for sharing the link!!

skyfarron 2024-02-09 15:41:43 UTC #120

Black History Month, 2024! I noticed there aren't any newer threads for this so I'm bumping an old one.

Here's my work:

kyupol 2024-02-09 16:35:14 UTC #121

I use a diverse range of ethnicities in my webtoon... because it's set in modern day north America... somewhere in some major city in USA or Canada...

Leyelle 2024-02-10 22:33:57 UTC #122

I have a lot of ethnic characters in my novel and the comic i'm currently working on.

In "Damsel in the Red Dress" (https://tapas.io/episode/3023865) the whole main cast is BIPOC, with a Navajo and Mexican female lead, a Korean and Mexican male lead and much more.

I think I showed these cultures from perspectives they're thought of less often. Kattar did not grow up poor despite being raised by a Hispanic single mom, his mother is a business owner, CEO, and crazy mad rich. He's also an only child rather than having 10,000 siblings (i think I can say this as a Dominican lol.) Neither she nor the female lead, Alicia, fall into the Latina cliche of having a "spicy," "fiery" personality, or getting married (or pregnant) at a young age. I'm glad to represent my culture differently.

The main characters of "Hushabye Prince" (https://tapas.io/series/Hushabye-Prince/info) are Korean and Melanesian x African American with one of the main characters having a disability (won't say who or what, because spoilers.)

I like how beautiful and different all of these characters look from each other. Between a female lead with dark skin, but blonde hair and green eyes, and the MCs little sister with all of her tattoos. I love being able to portray the diversity of the sort of princesses that exist in this world, and also just enjoy their.

This one is arguably more diverse because it includes white people, where "Damsel" really doesn't. Between a half English half Korean central character, a Russian woman, and a German immigrant, I'm covering virtually the entire glove, but I think it's largely just because i love color. The world is so beautiful with so many different kinds of beautiful people, and I just love being able to design them all. (i forgot, there's a Ghanaian woman too.)

(Art by Mariel Leister)

https://www.tiktok.com/@leyellethecreator/video/7334037885072575749?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7329604101267539461

JoshRaed 2024-02-11 19:48:57 UTC #123

The boy in this image is Vietnamese, which I chose because you don't see that many Vietnamese characters and I imagined this character as a brown skinned Asian person which you also don't see that much of.