Joe Phillips is probably best known for his early '90s DC work on titles like Mr. Miracle and Legion of Super-Heroes, as well as his provocative gay pride images. More recently, he's taken to alternate universe movie posters, like a 1940s Hope/Crosby JLI road picture, or my personal favorite, Clark Gable as Iron Man. Here, we have Martian Manhunter cast with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, a noted entertainer and tap dancer, alongside his frequent co-star Shirley Temple. I remember seeing some of their features on UHF in my youth, but Robinson literally worked minstrel shows in his heyday, so he's a tad problematic by modern standards. The pairing is clearly meant to invoke the Supergirl TV show, but I'll be honest, if anyone but an African-American artist had concocted this, I'd have dodged it with all due haste. It's cute though, and Robinson had a history of advocacy to go with the... other stuff... so I figured the piece was worth a look here.
Joe Phillips
Monday, August 31, 2020
Shirley Temple Supergirl art by Joe Phillips
Joe Phillips is probably best known for his early '90s DC work on titles like Mr. Miracle and Legion of Super-Heroes, as well as his provocative gay pride images. More recently, he's taken to alternate universe movie posters, like a 1940s Hope/Crosby JLI road picture, or my personal favorite, Clark Gable as Iron Man. Here, we have Martian Manhunter cast with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, a noted entertainer and tap dancer, alongside his frequent co-star Shirley Temple. I remember seeing some of their features on UHF in my youth, but Robinson literally worked minstrel shows in his heyday, so he's a tad problematic by modern standards. The pairing is clearly meant to invoke the Supergirl TV show, but I'll be honest, if anyone but an African-American artist had concocted this, I'd have dodged it with all due haste. It's cute though, and Robinson had a history of advocacy to go with the... other stuff... so I figured the piece was worth a look here.
Joe Phillips
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