While attending my last Comic con I got to meet Korby Marks, writer and creator of Stormbringers. It's an Independent comic about Black Superheroes. Here's the Synopsis, "Stormbringers is the saga of ten young men and women who band together to become superheroes. Exhausted from battling the forces of evil, who have hunted and exploited them for economic, social and geo-political gain these former solitary individuals come together out of a sense of mutual self-preservation. But their union only draws those forces of evil nearer and sets off rash of violence that they must address or watch humanity be destroyed in the process."
At first glance, most of the male super powered characters seem to have powers that manifest as physical abilities while the women's abilities seem to manifest as some form of energy or thought manipulation but there is definitely some overlap and I many be oversimplifying. The official website for the comic is quite detailed and comes complete with lenghty character bios, image galleries, and of course previews for your enjoyment. Head on over to Stormbringers.com to find out more.
In the 70's there was a cartoon show called The Freedom Force that had five different heroes and unfortunately only five episodes. The members of that group were Isis, Hercules, Sinbad, Super Samurai, and Merlin. I remember the series well but I only just found out about the predecessor to that show, called Space Sentinels which actually lasted for a full season. In this series, there were only three heroes, each of a different race, Hercules (the well known White guy), Mercury (an Asian super speedster), and Astrea.
Astrea had the power to turn into nearly any living creature which, in this series, meant she could morph into any animal. Apparently she could fly too which makes her that much better than Jayna of the Wonder Twins. Apparently all three of the main characters could fly and had been granted eternal youth as well. I've had a chance to check out a few of the episodes and it seems that Astrea was the most level-headed of the group and with her ability to get into and out of tight places, she usually got to the bottom of things first. Mercury was a bit of a Joker and Hercules always seemed to encounter things that were stronger than him.
This series was noteworthy for its multicultural cast. It's also great to see a Black super heroine with a major role in an animated series, especially in the 70's. Regardless of how great she was, she didn't make the cut when the doomed series changed to become the even more doomed series, The Freedom Force. Still, Astrea is a part of history and apparently available on video. Both series are contained in one DVD set available here. How did this Black woman become Astrea? The brief origin of the trio is explained in the opening narration of the series.
So DC has decided to finally get the Milestone universe up and running, supposedly inside the greater DCU. At least that's the premise of Milestone Forever. It's been a long time coming. I wonder though. Are they doing this because of the apparently frustration of Milestone and DC fans or did they plan this all along. Last month at the comic con I asked if there were any plans for these characters and was told no, point black. Now all of a sudden there's a project on the horizon. And what are the actual plans to integrate these characters into the greater DC Universe?
Let me not forget to accentuate the positive. This has the potential to be an amazing event, especially for all the Milestone fans. To finish the stories told all those years ago drawn by the original artists is a good idea worth supporting. Even if only for a moment, these amazing characters that I have loved for years will finally have their day in the sun. Beyond that, we will see how the future unfolds.
One of the great things about operating this blog is that I get introduced to comics I would not have otherwise found. Case in point. A few weeks ago someone sent me a link to a webcomic called Bayou. I started reading it and was instantly hooked. Before I knew it I was on page 77 and there are currently more than 230 pages. The artwork is great. The storytelling is too. Right away the young Black heroine had my heart. The story takes place at a time where Black people are slaves. Normally this kind of subject matter makes me too angry to properly enjoy it but the fantasy element helped me get through it. I'm not even halfway done and I'm already ready to recommend it. Apparently it comes from those guys over at Gettosake. I've been waiting for something new to come out of those guys for a while and this seems to be what they are most currently working on. The graphic novel for this project is well worth owning but there's no excuse for not checking it out for yourself because it's online and it's free. Last but not least, thanks to Hassan for sending me the link. Keep them coming and let me know when you get your own project up and running.
The first webisode of Chick is finally up. If you missed the trailer, whick is actually longer than the first webisode, you can see it here. I can't tell if there are any actual superpowers in it yet or if this is a costume wearing version of The PuNanny Dairies. Time will tell. Either way the series looks good so far and I think it has potential. Check out the first episode below then head on over to WhoIsChick.com to find out more.
While attending my last Comic con I got to meet Korby Marks, writer and creator of Stormbringers. It's an Independent comic about Black Superheroes. Here's the Synopsis, "Stormbringers is the saga of ten young men and women who band together to become superheroes. Exhausted from battling the forces of evil, who have hunted and exploited them for economic, social and geo-political gain these former solitary individuals come together out of a sense of mutual self-preservation. But their union only draws those forces of evil nearer and sets off rash of violence that they must address or watch humanity be destroyed in the process."
At first glance, most of the male super powered characters seem to have powers that manifest as physical abilities while the women's abilities seem to manifest as some form of energy or thought manipulation but there is definitely some overlap and I many be oversimplifying. The official website for the comic is quite detailed and comes complete with lenghty character bios, image galleries, and of course previews for your enjoyment. Head on over to Stormbringers.com to find out more.
