This one comes to us from E.L. Sofer…
First, I love your blog and have been reading it for over a decade (I think…I didn't mark down the date.) Your keen knowledge and tasty explanations make me feel as if I were present to witness them. If only you liked cheese dip…
You had a recent posting titled "ASK me: Sun City scandals" and noted two specials from 1970 and 1972. I didn't realize that the topic was so virulent in America quiet that long ago, although I do recall a late 80s We-are-the-world-esque video called "Ain't Gonna Play Sun City."
I'm wondering if this is associated to the South African Venue, or — as mentioned once later in the article — it should have been SIN City. Could you please clarify?
And incidentally, I would be fascinated to know of any tales you're aware of about apartheid in comics production. I think that Stan wasn't very prejudiced, but I don't know about DC. And there were other publishers, certainly. So I'm curious. Thanks for the great column daily, and stay safe and socially distant. Although, to be fair…if the opportunity presented itself, I'd dare to come within five feet of you. That's how much I like your material!
I'm not even letting a beautiful woman who wants to sleep with me get within five feet of me at the moment so keep your distance. But once this is over, I hope we can all be with each other and maybe — dare I dream this? — even shake hands. Which is all I may do with the beautiful woman at first.
The "Sun City" in the title of those Johnny Carson specials referred to various retirement communities of the time, mainly in California, Arizona and Florida — places known for their sunshine — but mainly Sun City, Arizona which was one of the most famous ones. The "Sun City" of South Africa was not much in the news at the time and there was no connection. The one reference in my posting to "SIN city" was a typo which I've fixed.
I've been asked before about racism in the comic book industry. I've heard a few second- and third-hand accounts of certain individuals being less than positive about multiculturalism but not many; at least not many for a business that was as controlled as it was by white males.
Most folks who work in comics have been freelancers, including some who rarely if ever came into the office. There's one story about an editor who was overtly racist in his personal life but even he didn't care about anyone's skin color if they turned in good work on time. Jack Kirby, who was a pretty solid Liberal Democrat all his life, told me about that fellow and said, "He wouldn't have let a black guy marry his daughter but if the guy was good with a brush, he had plenty of work for him!"
This isn't to say the industry was free of prejudice. Just given the times — and what some women were up against — you'd think there would be some egregious cases of racism but if there were, I haven't heard about them.
