Why Modern Black Characters Feel Fake | The Truth About Tokenization | July’s Ledger #4

For years, modern storytelling has confused tokenism with progress — relying on race swaps, shallow identity politics, and characters whose entire personality revolves around their skin color. But that’s not representation. That’s laziness.
In this video essay, I explain why so many modern “original” Black characters still feel hollow, why race is being treated as a substitute for personality, and how that mindset actively hurts storytelling. I break down what actually makes a character authentic — and why real originality doesn’t need politics, pandering, or lectures.
I also explain how The Rippaverse proved that audiences will support brand-new Black characters when they’re built on story, principles, conflict, and craft, not tokenism.
If you care about comics, storytelling, originality, or genuine representation — this is a conversation the industry keeps avoiding.