No Sikh Superheroes? Why Not? And What Can We Do About It?

[BhagatSingh]

Religious Super-Teams scroll down to "Society of Sikh Supporting Characters" :}:

Q. What's with all the Sikh supporting characters, but no Sikh super-heroes?

So you noticed this, too? You tell me. It's the strangest thing. Sikhism is one of twelve classical world religions. More people practice Sikhism than Judaism. Perhaps best of all (for comics), Sikhs are easy to draw and they're very visual. Sikhs have their own visually distinctive ethnicity (although non-ethnic Sikhs can convert), their style, religiously significant apparel such as bracelets and, most of all, the turban. Now, many people who aren't Sikhs wear turbans (including Muslims, Hindus, etc.) But when you couple the turban with a surname such as "Singh" or "Kaur", and there you go, instant Sikh. How difficult is that?
Apparently not too difficult, because there are scores of Sikh comic book characters. Hadji Singh (from "Johnny Quest"), Punjab (from "Little Orphan Annie"), Randu Singh (ally of Jason Blood/Demon) and Tabu Jaswinder Singh (best friend of Thunderbolt/Peter Cannon) are some of the better known Sikhs from comics. Newer Sikhs include Omar, the Escapist's assistant (from Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and the comics that came after it), Ajeet Patel (from Stormwatch: Team Achilles, and Lauren Singh (the girlfriend of new Marvel superhero Gravity).
But these Sikhs are always the buddy or friend or helper. They're supporting characters. They don't get the super powers, they don't get to dress up in colorful spandex costumes. They're not superheroes themselves. Why is that?
I even thought I found a Sikh superhero: Non-Stop wears a turban and runs a convenience store in the superhero parody "Minoriteam" on Cartoon Network. But then I found out that Non-Stop worships Krishna. He's a Hindu, not a Sikh.
So even teams that go out of their way to include ethnically diverse, racially diverse and regionally diverse stereotype characters> - teams like Minoriteam, Global Guardians, Cadre of the Immortal, Young Gods... even the "Super Best Friends" from South Park... none of these have a Sikh member on the team.
You know what it is? Partially, the problem is that Sikhs don't have their own state. Their homeland is Punjab, which is a province in India. So while every "international" superhero team anywhere has a Japanese superhero who can eventually be identified as a Buddhist or Shintoist or something, nobody has a Sikh superhero because once they added the Hindu superhero from India, they figured they were done.
So Sikhs are the world's largest religion that doesn't have it's own superhero. But at least they've got all these loyal supporting characters. That's better than Baha'is or Jains have, isn't it?
Still, whenever I see the list of comic book Sikhs I always think, "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride." Sorry, Sikhs.
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Let's get some Sikh superhero out there, people!

This thread is for those who are willing to go beyond "Santa, Banta and Trendy", and are willing to create comics, games, movies, etc on Sikh superheroes. I know our history is full of heroes but this is specifically for fictitious heroes.



In my honest opinion, I think our youth will benefit from having these Sikh Superheroes, as these heroes will constantly remind our youth of Sikh heritage.
It is possible for one to teach history through fiction, when pulled off correctly.
For example, I have been working on this character called "Sarbloh". His powers are similar to those of Colossus from X-MEN.
But by placing him in the time period of Anti-Sikh riots, I will be able to teach the reader about them (or least give the Sikh side of story). By putting him in the period of the terrorist attacks on the twin towers (where he helps rush people out of the building but then fails to make it out in time and gets crushed under the weight of the tower), I am ablw to show Sikhs in positive light. This at the same time reminds us of that event(s) which left a deep scar on our history. Since, the character was born just before 1984, I cannot show World War 1 and 2, using him but I have another character who has been through the 2 World Wars, and using flashbacks I can teach the reader about Sikhs in World Wars. It's like hitting two targets with one arrow.
Currently, I am working on a purely Sikh superhero with a completely unique set of powers and abilities. Never been seen before! (well acutally, I have showed it to some friends). I started off with a Sikh version of the X-MEN, but now I have been focusing on developing characters with unique powers. Too hard to explain what I am talking about but when I am finished with the concepts of this hero, I will paste links on this thread, for everyone to see.




So discuss ideas, form teams and bring your ideas to life! That is what this thread is all about. I am here to provide my artistic abilities(Or should I say, I am here to help you with my artistic abilities, which I gained through a series of accidents, with a final one involving gamma radiation... :}{}{}.
If you have a good concept, I will be more than happy to draw out concepts of the character(s) so that others may visualize it.

 

[spnadmin]

This is another area where we need to create and celebrate. Not critique and tear down. And there is super-hero material "out there" but my intuition tells me that WE have not made next move. The next move is to celebrate in each and every venue where we have a voice.

 

[BhagatSingh]

This is another area where we need to create and celebrate. Not critique and tear down. And there is super-hero material "out there" but my intuition tells me that WE have not made next move. The next move is to celebrate in each and every venue where we have a voice.

Exactly! :yes:
If we can't "fight" in the front lines, we should at least support from the back. We can do that by funding teams/projects like "Sarbloh Warriors" and "Singh Media". Donate daswand to them rather than to gurudwara prabandak committees...(won't say anymore):shutup:

 

[spnadmin]

Exactly! :yes:
If we can't "fight" in the front lines, we should at least support from the back. We can do that by funding teams/projects like "Sarbloh Warriors" and "Singh Media". Donate daswand to them rather than to gurudwara prabandak committees...(won't say anymore):shutup:

All I can add is that sometimes art imitates life and sometimes life imitates art. :ice:

 

[sikh809]

I guess we pretty much have our heroes....wonder why we'd need more??

 

[BhagatSingh]

I guess we pretty much have our heroes....wonder why we'd need more??

And who might these be?

 

[BhagatSingh]

All I can add is that sometimes art imitates life and sometimes life imitates art. :ice:

Very well said! :yes:

 

[sikh809]

And who might these be?

Why, the Gurus, the sants, and the many martyrs of course! They're are heroes, the real ones...

 

[BhagatSingh]

Why, the Gurus, the sants, and the many martyrs of course! They're are heroes, the real ones...

I knew someone was going to say that!
This is why I added the following to my post. Please read the post before replying.

This thread is for those who are willing to go beyond "Santa, Banta and Trendy", and are willing to create comics, games, movies, etc on Sikh superheroes. I know our history is full of heroes but this is specifically for fictitious heroes.

Thank you.

 

[Sinister]

I got to thinking one day (which rarely happens) … what would be the ULTIMATE superhero … A hero that is UNDEFEATABLE?

Then, while relieving myself at a urinal, I got a Eureka moment:

A superhero that DOES NOT EXIST, is the ultimate superhero! :{;o:

Instead of creating a tangible superhero character, create a depraved, desparate and hope filled environment that just believes in his existence!


And I give you the Birth of Mr. Ambiguous

Think about it:
All that the reader can know about Mr. Ambiguous is what the derranged social environment makes him out to be.

he/she is just a rumor circulating amongst people who are too incapable to confirm his existence…a superhero, that regardless of questionable existence can manipulate how people in the comic book think and carry out a task.



What other superhero powers can be UNDEFEATABLE?
A superhero that can Freeze time and manipulate his surrounding environment while time is frozen.

Don’t know if its been done before



But like I said before, ‘good’ superheroes always have a weakness.
So these aren’t very good ideas.

cheers bro

 

[BhagatSingh]

I got to thinking one day (which rarely happens) … what would be the ULTIMATE superhero … A hero that is UNDEFEATABLE?

Then, while relieving myself at a urinal, I got a Eureka moment:

A superhero that DOES NOT EXIST, is the ultimate superhero! :{;o:

Instead of creating a tangible superhero character, create a depraved, desparate and hope filled environment that just believes in his existence!


And I give you the Birth of Mr. Ambiguous

Think about it:
All that the reader can know about Mr. Ambiguous is what the derranged social environment makes him out to be.

he/she is just a rumor circulating amongst people who are too incapable to confirm his existence…a superhero, that regardless of questionable existence can manipulate how people in the comic book think and carry out a task.



What other superhero powers can be UNDEFEATABLE?
A superhero that can Freeze time and manipulate his surrounding environment while time is frozen.

Don’t know if its been done before



But like I said before, ‘good’ superheroes always have a weakness.
So these aren’t very good ideas.

cheers bro

Mr. Ambiguous = God so won't go there.

Mr. Time = way too confusing, lol, i have thought about it MANY times!!
what if I go back in time and kill my dad?.... :8-
But ya keep the thinking process going.:}{}{}:

on a side note: with the comics I want to create, I want it to be possible for someone to make a game out of them. So Mr. A. and Mr. T. work for comics and movies but not for video games.

 

[Sinister]

what if I go back in time and kill my dad?.... :8-

NO NO
he cant go back in time...he can only freeze time (and then kill his dad if need be) :}{}{}:

Mr. A is NOT GOD because Mr. A doesnt exist! god exists .... right? :8-


cheers

 

[BhagatSingh]

NO NO
he cant go back in time...he can only freeze time (and then kill his dad if need be) :}{}{}:

Hehe then yes, that makes him too strong. Some who can run at lightning speeds can accomplish this slowing of time. The main character of my "Mutants" storyline is able to run at high speeds, how he does this, I don't know (I am working on some sort of explanation). He can percieve moving things as if they aren't moving, plus he can move very fast, so he can engage in this frozen world like a normal human. He often gets nightmares about getting stuck in this sort of world.
This "slow time" ability of the character won't be available to the player in multiplayer mode.

Mr. A is NOT GOD! because god exists .... right? :8-

Riiiight.... well, it doesn't matter.
But Mr. A. sounds like God
" that regardless of questionable existence can manipulate how people in the comic book think and carry out a task."

"All that the reader can know about Mr. Ambiguous is what the derranged social environment makes him out to be."

"Instead of creating a tangible superhero character, create a depraved, desparate and hope filled environment that just believes in his existence!"
sub in GOD for Mr. A.

cheers

cheers

 

[Sinister]

i also like useless/extremely ditsy superheroes...you know, like inspector gadget...lol

don't know why but i always felt i related to them and their helpless state the most.

anyways, good luck bro.

 

[BhagatSingh]

i also like useless/extremely ditsy superheroes...you know, like inspector gadget...lol

don't know why but i always felt i related to them and their helpless state the most.
Maybe because we feel helpless most of the time. :yes:


anyways, good luck bro.

Thanks, will need it!

 

[spnadmin]

Is the problem for Mr. A. that he has only a nirgun swaroop and is dependent on his creator for the sargun form?Whereas his creator is dependent on The Creator for what happens to him next?

Like....too many interfaces? Slow download? Browser times out?

 

[Sinister]

Is the problem for Mr. A. that he has only a nirgun swaroop and is dependent on his creator for the sargun form?

NO NO,
There are no theoretical problems that exist for Mr. A, because Mr. A doesn’t exist. Ambiguous Constructions and Uncertainties do not have problems…just different levels of splendor and intoxication.

Mr. A's entire theoretical existence is dependent on the beliefs of that particular comic book society.

Nirgun/Sargun are not inaccurate but rather inadequate dichotomies describing the state of Mr. A’s existence:
Mr. A’s description and construction will be limitless (constantly growing/fluid character) yet limited to the sum total of the societies immediate mental capacities. Like an Orwellian construction of big brother…Mr. A is a superhero that can be defined and parameterized by something as rigid as Social consciousness and by something as fluid as microscopic symbolic interactionism...language dependant. (a person can go as far as to say Mr. A’s character development is a function that is dependant upon time)

In the minds of these comic books environmental characters, he exists purely as a psychological construct that fools-around and takes advantage of the populaces tolerance for ambiguity (hence the name Mr. Ambiguous).

He is a psychological construct that affects a characters psychological construct…a potent agent of agency that cannot be discerned.

Oh yea, and he fights ‘bad guys’! :shifty:

cheers

 

[Sinister]

It’s not worth it to become a superhero. According to Slave Morality it is equally rewarding to dwell in a state of anonymous mediocrity…why not create a superhero that can bore people to death? :rofl!!::{;o::}{}{}:

 

[spnadmin]

It’s not worth it to become a superhero. According to Slave Morality it is equally rewarding to dwell in a state of anonymous mediocrity…why not create a superhero that can bore people to death? :rofl!!::{;o::}{}{}:

Recent Spiderman episodes have come close to doing that.

 

[Sinister]

Recent Spiderman episodes have come close to doing that.

Aad ji,

if I think about it…the reason most superheroes have become more boring for me over the years is because I am aging (NO!!!!! say it aint so). When I was younger you could impress me with standard 'Peek-a-Boo entertainment' hours on end…now that you've figured out whose on the other side…you really want them to stay in the “peek” mode and not say “boo” (just for the sake of maintaining that small slice of dignity and intelligeance that I think I have left inside my tiny brain).

Superheroes are always projected as humanitarians! constantly pounding exhausted moral messages into the readers :downtheir behaviour has become so redundant and predictable that you just shrug your shoulders and say … OH Hallaballu, look! he did it again...saved the day)

I wanna see some real superheroes…injected with emotion other than affection…you know a wild card…no telling what the persons gonna do…maybe he lets the pretty girl fall to her death because he gets lazy, or he gets distracted by another pretty girl while flying to the scene rolleyes: boy, if I got nickel for everytime thats happened to me). (When is the last time you’ve seen something like that happen in the mainstream comic book world?)

Wild art makes good art...that is what deserves respect and admiration now (until a different aging process kicks in, and I request something else):}{}{}:

I want to be served...just as baddly as our sikh community wants to be served with their own heroes.

enough of my babble ...sinister sleep now!
cheers