ReadFin Literary Journal (Winter 2018)

or circumstance. With someone on the ‘inside’, what could go
wrong? For starters many of these projects originate in boardrooms
far removed from the talent pool. The creative team is usually
presented with a detailed synopsis, story board, or script; time lines
and narrative arcs to develop and maintain; and, occasionally, a
convoluted plot, back story or future self which needs to be integrated
into the current assignment. Creative expression and freedom to
explore are subjects rarely associated with DC, Marvel, or any of the
other large comic enterprises. Home grown talent is no guarantee
that a ‘down under’ themed comic produced in the United States will
resonate with readers in Australia. And with their eyes firmly set
on the American, United Kingdom and emerging Chinese markets,
why would an editorial team deliberate the finer issues concerning
cultural or historical accuracy? After all, it’s just a comic book. Who
cares if they insult a few Antipodean sensibilities?
While the level of artistic capability, primarily the dexterity of detail,
and the paper and print quality of comics has improved significantly
over the past thirty years (Katz, 2014), the story telling transformation
has been slow to evolve. Although casual racism and sexism have
essentially been removed from today’s comic books (unless the script
calls for an antagonistic villain), story lines set in ‘exotic’ places
abound with presumptions and clichés. A popular destination for
comic story lines is Australia (primarily Sydney), along with outback
scenes depicting the Aussie lifestyle as envisioned by Paul Hogan’s
Crocodile Dundee (1986).
In October 1988, DC Comics Inc. released Detective Comics #591
Aborigine! which pitted Batman against Umbaluru, an indigenous
Australian who had travelled to Gotham City to seek the return of
a stolen artefact known as the ‘Power Bone of Uluru’. Featuring a
storyline with more than a few parallels to Crocodile Dundee II (1988),
when Mick moved to Manhattan with his girlfriend, Umbaluru is
powered by the ‘Earth Mother’ who seeks revenge for the murder of
the Bone’s indigenous guards. No doubt the writers were conscious
of Australia and had investigated some indigenous creation stories.
The first few pages touch on The Dreaming which helps link the story
of the Bone to the comic’s narrative. There’s even a mention of the
1988 bi-centennial with a shop window display that gets vandalised
by Umbaluru near the end of the story. He changes ‘Happy 200th
Birthday Australia’ to ‘Happy 50,000th Birthday to the People’.
The composition of the Umbaluru character is a relatively accurate
depiction although, as a stand alone comic, there’s little room to
develop his personality beyond the one dimensional, seek and destroy,
Terminator figure. Yet, while the concept is commendable, the
execution smacks of uninformed racism. Unlike DC’s other indigenous
character The Dark Ranger, with his educated, urban background,
Umbaluru is cast as ‘the naked Central Australian with a limited
understanding English styled trope which is so often employed by
writers, despite the vast majority of us being from the coast, and living
in cities and major regional centres’ (Koori History, 2016). Umbaluru
is constantly referred to as an ‘Abo’ and in one panel an antagonist
yells, ‘Stinking primitive – this’ll teach you’ as he attempts to bash
Umbaluru’s skull in with a hammer. Umbaluru is also referred to as
‘the aborigine’, both in the comic and again online in the DC Database
wiki page. Granted, Aborigine! was published in 1988 and the character
of Umbaluru has not been seen since so the contributors to DC’s wiki
page would most likely be unaware of ‘the negative connotations the
use of Aborigine(s) or Aboriginal(s) has acquired in some sectors of the
community, where these words are generally regarded as insensitive
and even offensive’ (School of Teacher Education, 1996 p.1).
By the end of the comic Umbaluru prevails, throwing the main
villain out of the window of a skyscraper but not before he fights
Batman who’s keen to see Umbaluru answer for his crimes of
murder in a court of law. This doesn’t end as planned for the Dark
Knight, with Umbaluru telling him, ‘White man’s justice? For an
Aborigine? Where have you been past two hundred year?’
There is no doubt the writers at DC attempted to portray Umbaluru
in a sympathetic light. Even Batman gives pause during their
final confrontation when he learns the truth about the fate of
the Bone’s Uluru protectors. However, Batman’s sense of justice
compels him to bring Umbaluru down. That Batman is ultimately
unsuccessful raises the question of who actually prevailed over
this confrontation and what lesson, if any, was learnt? Umbaluru
successfully manages to regain the ‘Power Bone’ while exacting
a bloody revenge on those who murdered his brothers. Batman
is left brooding on a roof top while the narrator observes, ‘By his
account, the men the aborigine killed deserved to die. And perhaps
they did. But he can make no allowance for righteous murder. All
killers must be brought to book’. Nice sentiment except Umbaluru
did escape, his mission was a success. The world’s greatest detective
was outsmarted by an Aussie. Chalk up a win for the away team.
America has shown a fondness for utilising Indigenous
Australian characters within the US comic industry
coupled with limited attempts at depicting diversity, but
it’s not alone in such endeavours. The Japanese manga
series Silent Möbius is home to Toyko police officer Kiddy
Phenil, a redheaded Aboriginal woman with cybernetic
implants. (Koori History, 2016)
In Marvel’s 2005 series The Incredible Hulk (Volume 2 #83–85),
supervillain Exodus rules Australia, assisted by Pyro and the
Vanisher. They see humans as nothing more than servants. This
brings them into conflict with the Hulk’s alter ego Bruce Banner who
happens to be living in the Australian outback. Banner has found a
peace he’s never known amongst a tribe of Aborigines—they even
bestow the name ‘Two Minds’ onto him (even though this naming
custom is closer aligned to Native America). But when their safety is
threatened by a battle orchestrated by the ruling totalitarian mutant
government, the Hulk is forced to intervene. He attacks the President
(no Prime Ministers here!), taking Exodus out, and proceeds to claim
leadership over all Australia (Chez, 2009).
As an Australian, the whole series is a four-part WTF? moment.
The story was written by Peter David, an American seemingly
influenced by Steve Irwin’s The Crocodile Hunter. In one scene the
Hulk says ‘G’Day’ as he wrestles five incredibly large predatory
semiaquatic reptiles. The indigenous population, who are central
to this narrative, are portrayed as a cross between grass-skirt
wearing Polynesians and nineteenth century head-hunters from
the New Guinea highlands. Needless to say the Sydney Opera
House also features in this story arc (the Hulk destroys that
too, as he doesn’t like opera). This is just one example where
multinational comic publishers portray Australia as a destination
and its inhabitants as nothing more than pawns or extras. There’s
no attempt by any of these corporations to create an Australian
based superhero. What’s the point? If Australia gets into any
trouble America can just send over one of their superheroes to sort
out our problems. Is this simply art imitating life?
Comics often parallel other avenues of entertainment. Up until the
late twentieth century, many Australian characters were depicted
in American cinema and television using American or British
actors attempting Aussie accents and lingo, to laughable and often
cringeworthy results (think Meryl Streep as Lindy Chamberlain
in A Cry in the Dark, 1988). Many of those characters drew on
conservative and anachronistic stereotypes that did not represent
or reflect the cultural, ethnic and racial diversity of contemporary
Australia. Thankfully, the entertainment industry has begun to
embrace multiplicity—driven largely by customer demand wrought
in part by social media strategies. One such campaign was aimed at
the video game Mad Max (2015). Produced by Avalanche Studios for
worldwide release, this open world action-adventure was based on
the Mad Max franchise but the storyline was not directly connected
to George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).
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