During ESPN’s Broadcast of NBA Countdown before Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, Marvel Studios released a brand new trailer for Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings. The film features Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), a young super hero and martial artist whose journey of self-discovery unfolds in this never-before-seen origin story.
Continue reading “New ‘Shang-Chi’ Trailer Displays the Power of the Ten Rings”
Originally posted on Black Nerd Problems
ESPN made a “Body Issue” based on Marvel superheroes, and it’s glorious. But before we get to that, let’s go through some fascinating history first. The first Body Issue was published in 2009 in response to a significant decline in ESPN magazine’s revenue during the financial crisis. Not only that, because it was also a response for that pesky high-selling publication from their competitor, Sports Illustrated’s annual Swimsuit Issue. ESPN photographers took shots of athletes — some more famous, others less known — nearly or completely naked, bearing it all with a soccer ball, or a baseball bat, or the snowboard they ride on. Where the Swimsuit Issue focused on homogeneous models showcasing bikinis and pandering to the typical standard of Hollywood beauty however, the Body Issue saw an opportunity: ESPN the Magazine would focus on the diversity of the human form by centering on the athletes themselves.
And focusing on diversity proved to be an amazingly successful strategy. Who knew?
Continue reading “On Body Image, Diversity, and Comics’ Outdated Standard of Beauty”
