Getting Ready For The Con

I'm really excited. This weekend I'll be attending the 1st Annual Long Beach Comic Con. I haven't been to one since Wizard World 2005 and I've got a ticket for the entire 3-day event. I'll be there meeting creators, artists, etc, gathering more content for the blog and just doing the whole fanboy thing. If you see me there don't forget to introduce yourself. Peace!

Black, Jack Johnson

That post about Muhammad Ali last week make me nostalgic. This time out I want to talk about his predecessor. For those of you unfamiliar with your Black History, Jack Johnson was the world's first Black heavyweight boxing champion. He was the first in a great many things and I could easily write a series of post just about him as I am so inspired by his story.

Jack Johnson's greatness did not go unnoticed. He was a Black celebrity athlete during a time when much of the United States was ruled by racism. Stories of his life are immortalized in the play and movie The Great White Hope and the documentary Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson. Songs reference him in Folk music, Blues, Jazz, and Hip Hop. Artists such as Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis, and even Mos Def created music inspired by the great boxer.

There's even an online comic book biography available online called "The Original Johnson" that you can view for free. It's more than worth a look. This is the guy that paved the way for Black Superheroes like Muhammad Ali.

Just A Touch of Blackness In Upcoming Movie

A couple of pics of Black Lightning from the upcoming direct to video animated movie Superman Batman Public Enemies. I'm not too fond of the mask. The character will be voiced by Levar Burton. Oh and I don't want to forget to mention Amanda Waller who will be voiced by CCH Pounder. Neither one of them made the trailer but you can catch a glimpse of them in the First Look video if you look real close:

Muhammad Ali: The Greatest of All Time

During Michael Jackson's funeral someone told me that Michael was the most loved Black man on the planet. I'm not trying to hate on Michael but I thought, "What about Muhammad Ali?" It's no secret that Muhammad Ali was a hero to many, myself included. He was positive, powerful, and larger than life. Comic books, TV shows, and movies show us plenty of super characters that have no super powers. Why not Muhammad Ali?
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In 1977, Johnny Wakelin released a song titled "Muhammad Ali the Black Superman". You can take a look at the lyrics here and check out the video below.




In 1978, DC Comics came out with the special, oversized addition of Superman vs. Muhammad Ali. The cover alone boasted guest starts both real and fictional. If you look closely you can even see the Jackson 5 in the audience. As the story goes, some aliens came to earth and wanted their champion to fight our best fighter. Both Superman and Muhammad Ali volunteered. The two of them had to battle to see who would represent earth. The battle took place on a world under a red sun where Superman supposedly had no powers. Guess who won the right to fight for humanity? I'm proud to say I bought a copy and still have it.

 It isn't hard to find Muhammad Ali in our history books. His likeness graces the pages of magazines and movie posters. There are countless stories about his life. He's shown up in a multitude of comics over the years as well, though not necessarily as a superhero. For you real fans out there, it's not too late to get his action figures. As far as being a super hero goes, thanks to comics and television, Muhammad Ali has fought everything from space aliens to tooth decay and knocked them all out. Finally, if you need more proof, here's the first part of an episode from the 1977 animated series, "I Am The Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali." Too bad it only lasted one season. Enjoy!

The 99

Having some Islam in my upbringing, I try to stay aware of how the religion and it's believers are seen around the world. I also have friends that practice the faith though I, myself, do not. Since Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, it stands to reason there would be comic books that speak to those believers. When I heard about The 99 I was interested and decided to check it out. The comic book book has apparently been out for a couple of years now and is currently outselling Superman and Spider-man in the Persian Gulf. READ MORE...

Like the name says there are apparently 99 heroes, each from a different country, that are granted great power from certain jewels that have an Islamic origin. Each of them will have one of the 99 attributes of Allah. You can read the beginning of their story for yourself in the free origin issue. The comic has become so popular that there may even be a TV series in select markets by the end of this year. There is already a theme park in Kuwait based on The 99. Check out the motion comic intro:



If you're the kind of comic book fan that can name your favorite writers and artists, you may recognize a couple of names of the people who help bring The 99 to print. Apparently DC Comics is also well aware of The 99's popularity and is set to capitalize. There is rumor of members of the Justice League teaming up with The 99 in the near future. More after this brief commercial message.

Blokhedz Episode 3

Yo, Blokhedz Episode3 is finally out and I only have two complaints: How short it is and how long I had to wait for it. As I struggle to figure out how Blak's powers work, it seems that he isn't the only one with them. Oh and there's a bit of spoken word in this episode too. Enjoy!