Hero Me Not: The Containment of the Most Powerful Black, Female Superhero

by Chesya Burke

First introduced in the pages of  X-Men , Storm is probably the most recognized Black female superhero. She is also one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe, with abilities that allow her to control the weather itself. Yet that power is almost always deployed in the service of White characters, and Storm is rarely treated as an authority figure. 
 
Hero Me Not  offers an in-depth look at this fascinating yet often frustrating character through all her manifestations in comics, animation, and films. Chesya Burke examines the coding of Storm as racially “exotic,” an African woman who nonetheless has bright white hair and blue eyes and was portrayed onscreen by biracial actresses Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipp. She shows how Storm, created by White writers and artists, was an amalgam of various Black stereotypes, from the Mammy and the Jezebel to the Magical Negro, resulting in a new stereotype she terms the Negro Spiritual Woman. 
 
With chapters focusing on the history, transmedia representation, and racial politics of Storm, Burke offers a very personal account of what it means to be a Black female comics fan searching popular culture for positive images of powerful women who look like you. 

Genres: Race

172 pages, Paperback

Published April 14, 2023

Reviews

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to try to make sure that my review could accurately capture how important this book is and to not let readers let the slim size of the volume fool you: Dr. Chesya Burke, academic and fiction writer, has put together a tremendous volume about Storm from the X-men. It includes all of the analyses you might imagine, as well as sections that comprehensively go over how Storm began to be portrayed in the X-men comics to how her images and depictions evolved to the cartoon screen and then to the Hollywood blockbusters that started in the early 2000s, and on to the prequels. It's an excellent book that deconstructs notions of Black female identity, of stereotypes, of how Storm has been made several times to reinforce those, mainly by the white writers who dictated the character's actions as well as portrayals. And how some writers and creators have tried to shatter those stereotypes. Excellent book -- highly recommended, and very long-awaited!

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book that raises so many good points about how white supremacy subjugated and flattens the most powerful black woman superhero. Why is Storm written in such a way that she supports a racist and sexiest society? Does the support of mutant rights eliminate Intersectionality? Can we care about multiple things? Storm’s authors more times than not say “no”. I loved reading this book and the deep dive into critical race theory that the “funnies” allow

[Patrick Dewind · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched, considered, and written. One of the funny things is that it explains why I've (a white guy) always loved Storm as a character...she was written for me.

That said, I think it is important to consider the underlying messages of our stories. Even if things can not be perfect, they can certainly be made better.

As an added bonus this adds to the many reasons I dislike how the X-Men movie franchise has been handled.