So, I’m reading AICN comic reviews and I came across Ambush Bug’s mini review of Green Arrow/Black Canary No. 14. I was blown away by this passage:
This issue seemed a bit rushed and unfinished. I don’t know if [writer Judd Winick's] departure was a sudden thing, but that’s the way this issue reads. Sure I gave him flack for using Connor as a punching bag and getting splinters on his feet from the soapbox he was standing on by force-feeding AIDsy the Teen Sidekick on us, but when Judd focused on the action and super-heroing, this was a fun comic to read.
Really? Did he really use ‘AIDsy the Teen Sidekick’ to refer to character Mia Dearden, Green Arrow’s adoptive daughter and young crime fighting partner, named “Speedy,” who is HIV positive? Yes, he did.
I’m really glad I clicked on that link from your twitter, because I thought “AIDSy the Teen Sidekick” was *your* phrase and I was prepared to be annoyed. And, yeah, I’ still annoyed, but not at you.
Yay, compassion and respect for diversity in comics journalism. Awesome.
Thanks for the comment. I’m not a politically correct person, but it just struck me as cruel … not to the fictional character, but to people with HIV/AIDS. There are so many less inflammatory ways to express dissatisfaction with preachiness, a problem I sometimes have with Winnick’s work. Personally, I like Winnick’s Speedy and don’t consider the character preachy.
P.S. Love your blog and will add it to my sidebar momentarily.