Kafke, thanks for your comment (here and above). I considered the possibility that it was just the art. The editor would insist every time that it was an art issue, not a socio-politico-ethnico issue. Or an editor might say, I don't care if it's racist, we are speaking to a particular audience, as kb points out above.they simply have a problem with the art itself, and expect the shades to be darker/lighter depending on context. It's not necessarily a racial thing.
ummmm.... romantic context - whiter? crime context - darker? The editor's "problem" with the art itself could be that the depiction of the character didn't fit her preconceived stereotype or didn't fit the story she thought was being told. The artist saw the story from his point of view. The editor saw it differently. It's a racial thing, but I could be wrong. kleinbl00 eightbitsamurai