Marvel to celebrate disability Pride month
I missed it at the time, but Marvel Comics announced at the end of April it was planning to celebrate Disability Pride Month this summer with what it called “an all-new saga starring heroes that represent strength and empowerment for the disability community.” The featured superheroes include Daredevil, Echo, and Hawkeye.
The Disability Pride Celebration is part of the Marvel’s Voices initiative, Marvel said.
“This July, Marvel Comics celebrates Disability Pride Month with an all-new saga starring heroes that represent strength and empowerment for the disability community. Written by Marieke Nijkamp (Hawkeye: Kate Bishop) and drawn by Andrea Di Vito (Emma Frost: The White Queen), the story will be told in special backup stories across four issues: Amazing Spider-Man #32, Uncanny X-Men #31, Fantastic Four #14 and Wolverine #24. Each issue will also feature a Disability Pride Variant Cover by one of several seminal artists: Jamie McKelvie, David Mack, Aaron Kuder, Leinil Francis Yu, and Stephen Segovia,” Marvel said in its April 30 announcement. “Intersecting with a range of different disabilities, the iconic characters spotlighted include Daredevil, Misty Knight, Echo, Hawkeye, Silhouette, and Finesse. This formidable group of heroes will come together to save Colleen Wing from a deadly threat in an action-packed story highlighting the power of community and uplifting one another.”
I found Marvel’s press release newsworthy because (a) I’ve always held a soft spot in my heart for superheroes; and (b) this is the first time I’ve seen, maybe ever, a (major) company actually acknowledge Disability Pride Month. I’m also reminded of the early days of the iPad, circa 2010–2011, when I downloaded the ComiXology app, now owned by Amazon, to read comics on the tablet’s “big” 9.7” display, mostly as a proof of concept that the iPad could provide a more accessible reading experience. I vividly remember being awestruck at the sheer size of the pages, as well as the bright and richly-detailed illustrations. I can only imagine the visual fidelity of comic books today on my OLED-equipped 13” M4 iPad Pro; maybe I should find out one of these days.
One part of Marvel’s press release had me rolling my eyes as I read it. Artist Andrea Di Vito said in part in a statement people with disabilities “prove to each and every one of us that the true measure of our worth is our spirit and our will, not the limitations of our bodies.” To me, this sentiment reads as inspiration porn and undermines Marvel’s broader representational goals with this project. Disabled people aren’t superhuman or superheroes; we are people first and foremost whose bodies have limitations, yes, but they’re things part and parcel to our identity—not obstacles to be overcome by our spirit or will. To imply otherwise is to play into long-held societal stereotypes about the disability community—which initiatives like Marvel’s are ostensibly existent to buck.
Lastly, a note on Echo. One of my earliest posts on Curb Cuts was a short piece on the miniseries on Disney+. As a CODA whose native language is ASL, I loved the show for amplifying Deaf voices and its comic book roots, and hope it returns someday for a second season. If you haven’t seen the first, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
