Django Unchained #5 – Review

By: Quentin Tarantino & Reginald Hudlin (story), Danijel Zezlj (art), Giulia Brusco (colors)

The Story: As a glorified butler, it’s probably not a good idea to give lip to a man with guns.

The Review: Last issue, I talked about the hierarchy of disenfranchisement that existed for the African-American population in Django’s world of the antebellum South.  Slaves weren’t the bottom, amazingly enough; that position belonged to the Mandingo fighters, whose value and longevity lasted only as long as their last fight.  At least slaves generally had longer productive lives.  By comparison, house servants lived in the lap of luxury, some more so than others.

I had thought Cleo, with her fine mastery of language skills and social graces, represented the very top of the house servant’s life, but the introduction of Stephen, the steward at Candie’s main estate, proves otherwise.  Not only does he have a position of power in the cushy environment of the indoors, he can take liberties in his behavior to his master that probably no other slave could.  In response to Candie’s warm greeting, he grumbles, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, hello my ass…”  Undaunted, Candie asks if Stephen missed him.  “Yeah, I miss you like I miss a rock in my shoe.”  Stephen even has the privilege of addressing Candie by his first name.