“Magic Ball of Elavation”- Visual

J. Marco Dr. Harris 
 ENGL 2016
 1 December 2025 
“Magic Ball of Elavation”

 When first creating my comic I was heavily inspired by Michele Wallace’s “Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman” and the failings of black relationships during the Black movement. However, after reading and actually fully reading her introduction. My focus shifted a bit. Mostly due to how she describes the problem between black men and women. She does label as black men being part of the problem, but she also touches on the idea that black women allow it to happen. That they are also a part of the problem because they can’t see themselves outside of the struggles of black men. From first glance, my comic may be simple, short, and a bit crude; but that is intentional. I wanted the comic to represent the crude and oversimplified way some men may see black women’s desperation to be recognised and valued and respected amongst a world that only sees them within the veil of harmful stereotypes. The magic eight ball is meant to represent society and how society dictates who gets to be seen and how they are seen. I named it the “Magic Ball of Elavation" on purpose because as a form of mockery and to hint at bit of childishness. I wanted the comic to hint that this was drawn or created by a young person. Someone who doesn’t really understand why this movement is important, but is aware of the conversation enough to repeat and mock it. Though I take this topic very seriously, I found the idea of a black woman asking a magic 8 ball for insights on her future in society funny and ironic. It’s ironic to me because men tend to mock women for turning to spiritual things for guidance, like zodiac signs and tarot cards, when they make decisions. Yet funny because it’s dark humor. It reflects real-life scenarios where conversations surrounding uplifting or showcasing black women are short and dismissive. Unless you personally dig into it.

 Work Cited Mayfield, Lorraine, and Michele Wallace. “Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman.” Contemporary Sociology, vol. 9, no. 3, May 1980, p. 434, https://doi.org/10.2307/2064291. Accessed 13 Dec. 2019.

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