Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Black Female Superheroes

This blog is dedicated to Black Superheroes but I have been reminded of its lack of female representation. Over time I'll be making an effort to correct that. In the meantime I'd like to give credit to a woman who has put some thought and energy into supporting them. Her name is Becca and as we are both fans and she took the time to come by and visit me here I thought I'd return the favor. I don't know her personally but I like what she has to say. Below is a montage she put together celebrating 60 Black Female Superheroes. Enjoy!


60+ Black Female Superheroes! from Becca on Vimeo.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Ebony White

You've probably already seen the trailer for the new movie about a superhero called The Spirit. I looks like it might be interesting or so I thought until I did a little digging. In case you don't know, Will Eisner's The Spirit is a noir crime drama about a masked crimefighter of the same name that first showed up in the 1940s. What does that have to do with Black Superheroes?

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Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Monday, December 15, 2008

Lothar

While he ultimatly became a worthy world reknown Black Superhero, Lothar's initial claim to fame is that he followed around Mandrake the Magician. He gave up the chance to become Prince of a federation of African jungle tribes in order to basically become Mandrake's sidekick. His powers are super strength and maybe some jungle ingenuity. In fact it is claimed that he is the strongest man in the world.

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Monday, December 8, 2008

Cyborg

Easily one of my favorite former Teen Titans, Cyborg seems to embody the motto: "Suck it Up and Get to Work". Victor Stone, was an athlete but he was also a test subject for his parents. I'm sure they wanted the best for him as they sought to increase his intelligence. It was one of his father's other experiments gone wrong that allowed an extra-dimensional creature to cross through a portal and mutilate Victor. In order to save him, his father made him a cyborg using even more experimental technology. Poor Victor woke up to find most of his body gone. He wanted to die but ultimately went through therapy, worked hard and learned to control his new body. People looked at him as if he was some kind of monster which was an additional challenge for him to deal with. He ultimately found friends and companionship in the Teen Titans. His first comic book appearance was in 1980 in DC Comics Presents #26.
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Monday, December 1, 2008

Luke Cage These Days

Gone is the upside down tiara, chain belt, yellow shirt and the name "Power Man." Today's Luke Cage shows little to hint about his "Black Power" days of the 70's save the attitude. Lately he's more reminiscent of his youthful neighborhood days complete with ongoing profanity and intimidating white people. He's married now to a former superhero and they have a daughter. All of this does little to take the rough edges off Luke's personality and customer service skills. He's still the same lovable bastard.

The fact that he's married a white woman seemed to be very much against his character and I rebelled against it for some time but now I have come to accept it. I even kind of like them together. They compliment each other well.

He's still the consummate street hero. Today's Luke Cage sports no signature costume, no mask, and no code name. He shows up, kicks ass, and moves on. There have been rumors about an upcoming movie with Tyrese Gibson playing the lead for years. If it's ever going to happen, it's definitely on the back burner though it is currently scheduled for 2009.

Luke is currently a member of the Avengers, Marvel Comics' premiere super team. This is definitely a character worth watching. In fact, here are a few pages of the current Avengers comic starring Luke and his family. The dialog is great. What's next for Luke? Check out this interview with the current writer of the New Avengers. Enjoy!