Reminiscing About The JLU

The Justice League Unlimited animated series will always have a fond place in my heart. It's one of those animated series that brought many of my comic book heroes to TV, together in one place with great action and storylines. Remember that three part episode where a few of them traveled through time? John Stewart met his son and Static was a 60 year old member of the Justice League.

Angela Bassett plays Amanda Waller

I just heard that Angela Bassett has been cast as Amanda Waller in the upcoming Green Lantern movie. I think it's a great choice. She can definitely pull of the character and I'm excited to see her do it. I wonder if they make her put some weight on.

Genesis

I ran across a video for the Super hero group Genesis on YouTube last year. It showcased the characters but provided no story. It seemed nice enough but lacking so of course I moved on. My opinion changed when I ran across the following video which, narrated by the author, gave me the story and I have to say that I enjoyed it. She said all the right things and you can tell it is a labor of love.

Everyone I talk to about there being a lack of Black Superheroes in comics says that if you want there to be more you have to make your own. That is what the author of Genesis, Teresa Dowell-Vest is doing. If you like what you're about to see, head over to this site to find out more. If you like, you can even support the project. They even have a Facebook page.

Malice In Wonderland

In case you didn't know, Snoop Dogg has a new movie coming out where he plays a Gangsta Superhero. It coincides with his album Malice In Wonderland and is called by the same name. Below are two videos. The first is what could be considered a trailer for the short film. The second is a bit behind the scenes where Snoop discusses the origin of the film. It's scheduled to debut on BET and Spike March 24th. You can find out more here. Take a look and tell me what you think.

Aisha

I often receive many requests about African comics, most of which I cannot answer. When I do run across such a comic, however, I am quick to research and share it. One such comic is Aisha, a Nigerian comic. "Aisha is a street orphan turned ninja crime-fighter battling powerful but mysterious criminal forces on the streets of Lagos, the largest and busiest black city on earth." The comic is written and illustrated by Muyiwa Gbadegesin Sunkanmi Akinboye and published by Pandora Comics who also has a Facebook page. I'm sure this comic isn't available locally but you can purchase it at IndyPlanet who also provides a 6-page preview.
If you run across any other African comics, drop us a line. Thanks to ghettoManga for the link.

Afrodisiac, Dracula and the Venusian Invasian

I just got finished reading the hard cover edition of the Afrodisiac Graphic Novel by Brian Maruca and Jim Rugg, and I have to say I loved every bit of it. I recommend you cop it. They need to make an animated series about this cat and put it on Adult Swim.

Being a fan of all things Afrodisiac, imagine my surprise when I found a couple of entire comics online. If you're one of the unhip few who've never heard of him then here's your chance to do some research. You can check out Afrodisiac vs. Dracula here and you can check out Afrodisiac Vs. The Venusian Invasion Vs. Richard M. Nixon here. Both are a treat and if that doesn't whet your appetite for the Afrodisiac Hardcover, then nothing will. Enjoy!

Black Superheroes On The Web

Black Superhero stories from around the web

• Ebony White reborn as a Girl?
• Great Characters: Michonne
  
• Racism, Stereotypes and Comic Books Part 2: The Blackquel
  
• Free SciFi ebook: Heroes Like ME #1; The Talented Tenth Returns
• 2010 Glyph Award Nominees
  
• We Don't Need A Black Superhero!
• Black History Superhero Month: THE BLACK PANTHER
• Black History in Comics: Black Vulcan. Hero. In his pants.
  
• McDuffie Deals With A 'Crisis On Two Earths'
• SuperHeroism: Black Exceptionalism Released.?

Luke Cage, Still An Avenger

I've gotta stop listening to rumors. A couple of weeks ago I commented on the fact that Luke Cage was going to be leading the Thunderbolts in the upcoming version of the series. While true, I considered this a demontion since he's been leading a group of Avengers for some time. Now I find out that he's still an Avenger. How he's supposed to do double duty; be an Avenger and lead the Thunderbolts, I have no idea. If it's true, and it seems to be, then that gives me a bi-monthly dose of one of my favorite Black Superheroes and I like that just fine.

The Golden Blaze

The Golden Blaze is an animated movie about an African-American boy whose inventor father accidentally gains the powers of his comic book hero. The voices include that of Blair Underwood, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Sanaa Lathun. The Golden Blaze himself is a kind of mixture between Superman and Static, looking more like a cape wearing version of the latter. This is an animated movie for kids and based on the animation I'd say little kids. The artwork/animation is pretty terrible when compaired to what is available on television these days. The action and dialog are pretty good though. The whole movie is interesting and fun but the poor quality of the animation distracts from it considerably.

Let me repeat that this is a children's movie but maybe a family movie too. It's wholesome and light and safe for younger viewers. While it may have some interest for older viewers, they'd have to be able to look past the rudimentary animation. The main characters happen to be African-American but could have been any nationality. There may be super powers in this movie but a lot of it is just about a boy and his dad. Even though the animation bothered me, I actually enjoyed this movie. I guess I'm just spoiled by all the higher quality animation I've been consuming.

The DVD has no extras, not even a trailer, but it's inexpensive, easy to find and you can always get it on Netflix. Find out more about The Golden Blaze.