Savage Dragon Creator Erik Larsen Provides Tips For Creating Diverse Comic Book Casts

While it predates the current movement toward a broader spectrum of representation in comics, Erik Larsen's long-running Savage Dragon includes one of the most diverse casts in any mainstream superhero book.

Characters of all colors, ages and a variety of different social and sexual backgrounds can be found in the book -- and have been since way before that was fashionable.

"I had it easy, because my book started off that way," Larsen admitted when a fan praised him for it.

In Savage Dragon, the current lead character is the son of the original Dragon, whose mother was a woman of Her story played through the early days of the series, and the police force on which Dragon worked was anything but monochromatic. Both his partner and his boss in the early days were African-American characters and a variety of other races were represented on the force.

So what does Larsen have to say for writers struggling to integrate diversity into their existing, or new, superhero comics?

Read on, via Larsen's Facebook (although we have copied, pasted and formatted since embedding entries of this length is often problematic):

How to create a diverse cast for an already existing superhero book.

First--instruct all artists to draw minority characters into books as stock background characters. If you're at the Daily Bugle--add minorities. Daily Planet--add minorities. Cops, mailmen, store owners, lawyers, judges, mayors, editors--add minorities. These don't need to be "name" characters. Just make minority characters in general more common. They exist. These should be characters with distinctive visual hooks: specific haircuts, facial hair, clothing, etc. and once established, they should be recurring. Not necessarily with speaking roles at first--they just need to be there. IMPORTANT: these characters should NOT be "introduced." The idea is that they have always been there but they haven't been dwelled on. If you're a comic book historian and can find neglected preexisting characters--all the better. Use those.

Second--character need small speaking roles. If a new character has always been there--no reason Clark can't take along a different photographer if Jimmy Olsen is on assignment or temporarily a giant turtle. Readers don't like the feeling that characters are being forced on them--so these need to be snuck in Trojan Horse style. These characters are already there--they're part of the tapestry--and they're just seeing a bit more air time.

Third--pull in, push back and repeat. Just because your new character is in one issue that doesn't mean they're a co-star from that point on. Use them for an issue and drop them into the background the next. Gradually do the same all over. If Superman isn't fighting a minority foe two issues out of 12 something is very wrong. But if it's suddenly six issues in a row--it's obvious that you're overcompensating. The point is to sneak stuff in and make it part of the tapestry not to make it appear like there's an agenda.

Fourth--create NEW characters--don't have existing roles taken over by minorities. A new character taking over an existing role will be forever seen as a usurper and there will always be some resentment for them having taken over that role. Creating new characters is the way to avoid that.

Eventually--it's just part of the book. One day you'll look up and a sizable number of supporting characters are minorities and it won't seem weird or odd or off-putting and when they make a movie of that hero your guys are there because they're an integral part of that book. Their inclusion seems natural--not forced.

Helpful guidelines for creating a minority superhero:

One--powers come first--skin color second. Your character's powers aren't their skin color. There's no "White Lantern" or "White Spider-Man." A character is defined by their powers. Too many minority characters were defined by skin color. Those that were have always struggled to survive. those that weren't have largely endured.

Two--costume design is key. Your character may have a different skin color but that doesn't mean they have to be nearly naked to emphasize that fact. Come up with an awesome costume and don't obsess on showing off skin color. Spider-Man doesn't show off his skin color--neither does Black Panther and both are awesome designs because of it.

Three--don't embrace a stereotype or cliche. Whenever a writer comes up with a character from another country they're almost always tied directly to a regional stereotype. It would be as though every hero in the United States was a variation of Captain America. Why not have a Spider-Man from Norway or a Green Lantern from South America? Don't embarrass yourself by clinging to some stereotype. Avoid Voodoo like the plague. Having a black hero rising out of the ghetto is a cliche. Unless you can come up with an original spin--try again. People live in various regions and come from all walks of life. Making your black hero an ex-con is asking for trouble.