Metaphile one

This whole series was originally going to be released under a much heavier title “The Outsider Heresy: An analysis of Race and Bias in DC Comics”. But as is always the case I got distracted, and after coming back to the thing repeatedly over a two year period I finally realized that 1. I don’t have the tools to do a title like that justice. and 2. that title is way too involved and adult for the half-baked juvenile rubbishy scribblings that I vomit across these pasteboards on a semi-irregular basis.

If all you read was DC Comics published from 2000 to 2010 you’d come to think there were probably no cities, or any advanced technology in its fictional cartoonishly stereotypical rendition of Africa.

The African country with the most appearances in DC Comics titles is Egypt, located in Northern Africa. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in Central Africa has appeared the most in DC Comics titles. Capital is Brazzaville and it also has several developed cities, none of which you ever saw in a DC comic book of the past. Third most appearances is South Africa. 

The visual shorthand of spears, grass skirts, zebras, and huts is very easy for a writer to convey to an artist, and their readers. It’s also a lazy, outdated, and ugly, imperialist trope. Why is it that modern, developed African cities have only appeared in DC Comics titles written by John Ostrander, Gail Simone, or Judd Winick? 

This all feels like apocrypha now that we have the relaunch, reboot, rejigger, whatever on the horizon.

1930

Capetown, South Africa - Zatara (Giovanni Zatara) investigates a theft at a Zulu diamond mine. Action Comics vol. 1 #7 (December 1938)

Egypt - Homeland of Nabu, Khalis, Prince Khufu Kha-Tar, Chay-Arra, Hath-Set, the Gods of Egypt. More Fun Comics #67 (May 1941)

1940

Benghazi, Libya - Private Achmed - Sudanese Camel Corps. Military Comics #1 (August 1941)

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Homeland of Congo Bill (William Glenmorgan), Kwami (police captain). More Fun Comics #56 (June 1940)

Kahndaq, North Africa - Homeland of Black Adam. The Marvel Family #1 (December 1945)

1950

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Homeland of Janu the Jungle Boy. Action Comics #191 (April 1954)

Gorilla City - Homeland of King Solovar, Gorilla Grodd. The Flash vol. 1 #106 (August 1959)
House of Masks - "The Super Tales of Lana Lang" Superboy vol. 1 #60 (October 1957)

1960

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Homeland of Congorilla. More Fun Comics #56 (June 1940)
Ma-Phoor, Ethiopia - Hidden valley in Ethiopia ruled by an immortal white Queen named Jezeba, Metamorpho #16 (February 1968)
Maxwell Tremaine’s Junkyard - Undisclosed location in Africa, ex-Nazi Tremaine lived in a pile of discarded high tech weaponry and alien superweapons. Brave and the Bold #58 (March 1965)
Red Forest, Central Africa- Mysterious location in central africa. Home of a giant amoeba like creature called the “Ooze”. Challengers of the Unknown #38 (June 1964)

Tanzania - Mount Kilimanjaro, East Africa is the home of DC's Tarzan, the execrable B'wana Beast (Mike Maxwell). Showcase #96 (February 1967)

Upper Lumumba - Beast Boy born in Medikwe Game Preserve adopted by African King. Doom Patrol vol. 1 #99 (November 1965)

1970
Kinshoro - The "fanged spectres of Kinshoro". Ghosts vol. 1 #4 (April 1972)

Kor - Home of the Homo-Magi magician Doctor Mist (Emperor Nommo). Super Friends #12 (June 1978).
Little Africa - A black community in Metropolis, from Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #106 (November 1970)

Marzal - Home of Tyroc from the Legion of Super-Heroes. Superboy #216 (April 1978)

Nairobi, Kenya - Source of the werehyena curse that created the "Hyenas" Summer Day and Doctor Jivan Shi. Firestorm the Nuclear Man #4 (September 1978)

Oranga - African nation ruled by despot Ada Baba, capital city is Harar, from Superman Family #186 (November 1977) 

South Africa - Johannesburg is the home of Impala. Super Friends #7 (October 1977)

Sudan, Northern Sudan - Phantom Stranger discovers a glowing pyramid with a strange computer control room within being used by Tannarak. The pyramid was apparently destroyed by a self destruct system. Phantom Stranger vol. 1 #10 (February 1971)

Slaughter Island – Floating island home of Nubia. Mars created this island off the west coast of Africa. He populated it with men from Sub-Sarahan Africa. He encouraged the men to fight one another in order to prove themselves worthy of Nubia. Wonder Woman vol. 1 204 (February 1973)

1980

Bana-Mighdall, Egypt - Undisclosed location in Egypt, North Africa, Wonder Woman vol. 2 #29 (April 1989)
Bialya, North Africa - Former ruler the Queen Bee. Justice League International #16 (August 1988)

Cote de Ivoire - Home of Invisible Kid (Jacques Foccart) and his sister Computo II (Danielle Foccart). Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 2 Annual #1 (1982)

Ogaden, East Africa - Home of Jama an African man who temporarily merged with the Firestorm Matrix. Firestorm the Nuclear Man #78 (November 1988)

South Africa - Hal Jordan decides to steal some diamonds from a disreputable South African diamond mine. Action Comics Weekly #601 (May 1988) Nelson Mandutu appears in Teen Titans Spotlight vol. 1 #11 (August 1986). Freedom Beast (Dominic Mndawe) debuts. Animal Man #13 (July 1989)
South Nambia - Fictitious South African nation, John Stewart. Green Lantern Special #1 (1988)

Zambesi, Michenga Province - Home of Vixen (Mari McCabe) and her tutelary deity Kwaku Anansi. Action Comics #521 (July 1981)

1990

Cameroon - Homeland of the metahuman Ndoki (Charles Ndoki). S.T.A.R. Corps #3 (January 1994)

Chad - Homeland of Mohammed Ibn Bornu, member of the Cadre of the Immortal, Justice League International vol. 1 #63 (April 1994)

Egypt - Homeland of Osiris II, member of the Cadre of the Immortal. Justice League International vol. 1 #63 (April 1994)

Ife - Home dimension of the Orishas, the pantheon to which Shango belongs. Firestorm, the Nuclear Man vol. 1 #97 (May 1990)

Nigeria - Earthly home of Shango and his brother Obatalla of the Wite Cloth (Doctor Efraim Ngai). Firestorm, the Nuclear Man vol. 1 #97 (May 1990)

Valley of the Daals - Green skinned hybrid alien barbarian women from JLA Task Force vol. 1 #7 (December 1993)

2000

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Gog’s head found in a cave. Apparently a large group of Africans go traipsing across the continent following Gog, and never oncce run into an actual city. Justice Society of America vol. 3 #12 (March 2008)
Gorilla City - Homeland of King Nnamndi. Flash vol. 2 #194 (March 2003)

Kahndaq - Homeland of Isis (Adrianna Tomaz) and her brother Osiris (Amon Tomaz). 52 Week Three (May 2006)
Kalahari Desert -  Location of the Herero Tribe, protectors of the location of the Tree of Knowledge. Swamp Thing vol. 3 #19
Kenya - General Haile Selaisse Frelimo. Speaking as a man of Jamaican descent and not even as an Ethiopian, this is a horribly offensive name, but hey it sounds African right? Power Company: Manhunter #1 (March 2002)

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo - Africa’s third largest city, destroyed by Gorilla Grodd and Neh-Buh-Loh. Many citizens eaten by Grodd. Final resting place of the flying city of Superbia. JLA Classified #1 (January 2005). Barbelith Seven Soldiers index.

Limpopo, South Africa - Where the Herdsman appears. Breach #9 (November 2005)

Mali - Ruled by Ratin Bennin, Thunder (Anissa Pierce) went undercover caused his death, Outsiders vol. 3 #34 (April 2006)

Nabeul, Tunisia - Kyle Rayner visits her in Green Lantern Annual vol. 3 #9 (September 2000)
New Feithera - Section of Kahndaq allocated for the use of Northwind (Norda Cantrell) and his people the Feitherans. JSA #56 (March 2004)
Nyasir - Capital city Buranda, Superman meets a young white Christian fanatic with possibly metahuman powers called Redemption (Jarod Dale), whose powers actually come from a metahuman minister named Matthews Hightower. Action Comics #848 (May 2007)

Okavango Swamp, Botswana - The Tree of Knowledge is located in Africa by Tefe Holland. Swamp Thing vol. 3 #20 (December 2001)

Omdurman, Sudan - Where Magog rescues armless and braindead black slaves who act as pack mules for bad bad men. Magog #1 (November 2009)

Somalia - Group of Somalian Pirates are depicted as pedophiles and white slavers, instead of starving disenfranchised wretched fisherman who started out trying to defend their waters from Chinese and Russian fishing ships, and illegal toxic dumps from Western Europe. Confronted by Aquaman and Mera. Brightest Day #1 (May 2010).

South Africa - Home of Kid Impala. JLA Classified vol. 1 #2 (February 2005)

Tenasha, Democratic Republic of the Congo - Home of Batwing (David Zavimbi), a member of Batman Incorporated. Batman Inc. #5 (March 2011)

Tunis, Tunisia - Istar (Sala Nisaba), Mesopotamian Gods, Kernugi. Green Lantern Annual vol. 3 #9 (September 2000)

Uganda - Unknown Soldier IV (Moses Lwanga) a former doctor. Unknown Soldier #1 (December 2008)