Thursday, March 06, 2008

Deaf Character in Comics: Echo in New Avengers #39... released in 6 days

Here is an alternative cover for New Avengers issue #39 featuring Deaf Character Echo. I've been talking about this issue for a few months now. In 6 days, our wait will be over.
Eeeekkkk! My big concern is that Echo/Maya Lopez will be a Skrull and end up hearing (a very uncool ending for such a cool character)... but because David Mack is on board this project and I believe that he has a great deal of respect for Echo (considering he created her and all), I don't think that will happen.

5 comments:

Jared said...

Thanks for the notice about a Deaf character in one of the Marvel comics!

I'll go out to the nearest comic store on March 15 and get a copy myself too.

I wonder if there have been other Deaf characters in past comics...

Sharon Pajka,Ph.D. said...

The Deaf Character Echo has appeared in Marvel Comics' Daredevil: Parts of a Hole (Reprints DAREDEVIL (Vol. 2) #9-15), Daredevil issues #51, 52, 53, 54, 55. She then made her way to Marvel Comics' The New Avengers issues 30 and up. I don't want to give away how she appears.

Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, in Avengers #239, explains how he has become deaf.

I've included several posts about Deaf Characters in Comics. At the bottom of this post, there is a label "Comics and Graphic Novels". If you click that label, it will take you to all the previous posts about the topic.

Matt said...

I freakin' love comics. I have been buying them for 19 years now. that's 3/4 of my life in case you were wondering.

Hawkeye is partially deaf, but still deaf nonetheless.

I have my suspicions that Echo is a skrull. In her first appearance in the Parts of a Hole storyline, she had to look at people to lip read. In New Avengers, Echo doesn't face characters to lip read. On purpose? Or just a careless writer?

Sharon Pajka,Ph.D. said...

Matt, I'm hoping her lack of facing people for lipreading is just an oversight by the writers (no offense Bendis)... but I'm so worried that she is a skrull. You're right; she doesn't face people and there is this weird mystique about her.
BUT again I keep telling myself, David Mack is part of this project and he did create her and her history of being a child learning sign language (including those comparisions between American Sign Language and Indian Sign Language)... let's keep our fingers and toes crossed. ((DON'T LET US DOWN, DAVID-- I'm going to email him this post))

And if I don't post on March 12th, everyone will know why:(

Sharon Pajka,Ph.D. said...

It wasn't even posted on the Marvel website. I found the new release date on David Mack's website. Hmmm, our wait isn't over.

March 26: New Avengers #39