Angelfood McSpade (1960)
Angelfood McSpade is a comic book character created and drawn by the 1960s counter culture figure and underground comix artist Robert Crumb. The character first appeared in the Philadelphia-based underground newspaper Yarrowstalks #2 in July 1967, making her comics debut in the second issue of Zap Comix (June 1968).[1]
The Character
Angelfood McSpade is a satirical portrayal of a stereotypical black African woman. She is depicted as a large, bare-breasted tribeswoman, dressed in nothing but a skirt made out of palm tree leaves. She is drawn with big lips, golden rings around her neck and in her ears, huge breasts, large round buttocks and speaks jive. Her name references angelfood cake and the racial slur "spade".
The Controversy
Angelfood McSpade is one of Crumb's most notorious targets for accusations of sexism and racism. Crumb has responded that he did not invent racist caricatures like Angelfood, but that they used to be part of the American culture in which he was raised. He saw the character as a criticism of the racist stereotype itself and assumed that the young liberal hippie/intellectual audience who read his work were not racists and would understand his intentions for the character.
External Link
References
- ↑ Angelfood McSpade. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
