Racializing discourses in comic books : an examination of Marvel Comics The Punisher (2014)

Abstract

This study examines The Punisher (2014), Issues 1 through 12. I ask what are the ways that hegemonic racialized representations are presented to readers of the comic? And how are the themes of crime and national identity represented in a way that reinforces racialized views? In my examination of the comic I have come across a number of themes.What I focus on are the ways that the comic book contributes to a racialized discourse through looking at how the characters are represented by the clothing they wear, the languages they speak, and the spaces they occupy. I also look at how war references are used when talked about marking racialized characters as foreign invaders and non-racialized characters as sentinels of justice. Continuing the discussion on the racialization of crime I contrast the stated motivations for committing crime for racialized and non-racialized characters. I discovered that overall, through my analysis The Punisher (2014) stands out as a pop culture site of racialized discourse.