stereotype super(s)heroes

in an effort to remix representations of race and ethnicity, a friend and i have decided to make a comic book giving actual power to those long enduring stereotyped figures. we're re-reclaiming everybody from mammy to uncle tom and giving them powers much like our more "traditional" white, male superheroes (superman and such). first to be re-reclaimed, "mammy". she's the character whose name you dare not speak since if you do all of her permutations (and their generations of concealed rage) will leap to life - that box of pancakes mix, that syrup bottle - and no longer are these recurring images bits of longstanding racist iconography, but the muscle-clad, revolutionistas of Ubermammy's impenetrable army. Ubermammy herself can never be summoned. she does no ones bidding, suckles no one's child at her breast and instead of the sexless woman from epic tales like _Gone with the Wind_, Ubermammy seeks to "milk" the powerful potential of queer love. needing little to no explanation is "watermelon boy"...whose super power includes shooting watermelon seeds out of his mouth like a semiautomatic. we're still working on uncle tom's super power. perhaps his power will become manifest in his actual cabin...a seeming oasis for neoliberal white folks who think they're on the p(o)c side of things and when they get to the cabin to rest their weary bones and get assurance from their only poc friend, tom, they quickly realize that they've entered a neverending workshop on sexism, racism, classism and homophobia. they can only leave the cabin when uncle tom (ceo of the organization) deems them ready. they'll also have to do a boot camp weekend with ubermammy's army. i'm thinking this whole comic book project will coincicde nicely with my side project of "negro spiritual" magnetic poetry. i've realized you can make anything a negro spiritual if you add "moses" to the end of it...wonder if the fisk jubilee singers will want to get in on this. they've got the corner market on sprituals.