Special Agent Baldwin P. "Bulletproof" Vess is the main character in the animated series C.O.P.S. (Central Organization of Police Specialists), the elite police force of Empire City. (B.P. Vess = Bullet Proof Vest.) He is introduced into the series as a Fed with considerable expertise in criminology. Named Bulletproof because of his armor-plated torso that is resistant to bullets, he leads the organization with selfless dedication. The character carries the distinction of being the first African-American lead in an animated action series and toyline though I suppose that is debatable. He does appear in every episode.
Based on Hasbro's 1988 action figures of C.O.P.S 'N' Crooks, the show is set in the year 2020 and sports the tagline, "Fighting crime in a future time, protecting Empire City from Big Boss and his gang of crooks." Somehow with all the future tech of the show, phones still had cords. The series originally ran from September 1988 through November 1989. DC Comics even ran a C.O.P.S. comic book series from 1988 through 1989 that ran for 15 issues. Later, in 1993, the show was repackaged for syndication as CyberCOPS so as not to be confused with the COPS reality show. The C.O.P.S. team was effective and very reminiscent of GI Joe. In fact, some of the fact sheets for the characters list some of the team members as GI Joe descendants. The series lasted two seasons (66 episodes). This was actually a good series, one well worth watching, that was partially eclipsed by the success of the He-Man animated series.
Bulletproof was always cool and a man of action as well, never afraid to get his hands dirty. Almost too cool for the show, he sported a trenchcoat, yellow shirt, thin black tie, and sunglasses. His stainless steel, cybernetic torso also allowed him to plug into and control local machines. In the series, he was a caring, effective and enigmatic leader and was well respected from day one. Since the entire series was based on a set of action figures, Bulletproof got a decent one. I remember watching this show but had no idea there were so many episodes. The entire series is available on video. Here's the intro and part of the first episode for your enjoyment:
I just found out about this art event called Marvelous Color. It's taking place in NYC, actually Manhattan I think, from January 4th to February 26th but there's a special Holiday preview from Dec 21st through the 24th. For those of you that can make it, expect to see amazing artwork depicting Black Superheroes. This appears to be a Marvel event as well as the show will be focusing on artwork from major Black characters of the Marvel universe. There will be original artwork, some previously unpublished, from many well known comic artists.There will also be panels discussing the creation of certain characters as well as "meet the artist" events.
The show is presented and produced by Somos Arte, LLC" The presenting gallery, CCCADI (Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute), is a not for profit cultural organization based in New York City dedicated to promoting and promulgating the cultures of people of African Descent."
I'm stuck here on the left coast so for those of you that can make it, do so, take some pictures, and come back and tell us what we missed.
The Justice League animated series was probably one of the best animated series ever, especially when it became Justice League Unlimited. It was the first time some Black Superhero characters such as Vixen, Mr. Terrific, and John Stewart made it to the small screen. One of the most memorable scenes for me wan when Green Lantern and Hawkgirl kissed onscreen. It was the first time they unmasked Hawkgirl in the series. I was amazed. They actually let an interracial couple kiss on screen on a cartoon watched by millions. It was a suprisingly intimate scene and was one of those 'anything is possible now' moments for me. The two characters had been flirting for most of the season but to see something actually come of it was amazing. They even created a character that was their son in a possible future, Rex Stewart, Warhawk. Anyway, here are some scenes leading up to and including that fateful scene. Do you remember it?
From the upcoming graphic Novel, Brotherman: Revelation, here's part of the description: "Revelation: The Graphic Novel, brings forth the complete and compelling story that bridges the past with the present, the trials with the triumph, and the dreams with the duties of Antonio Valor..." If you don't know about Brotherman then you need to educate yourself. Why not start by reading issues 3, 4, and 5 online for free. Here's the video with "only a tiny fraction of rough sketches." I agree with some of the YouTube comments. Why not just go ahead a bust a low budget film? I'd go for an animated version too. Find out more at the official website.
Thanks to Samax for the link.
Apparently DC's newest incarnation of the Amazing Man is even more amazing than his predecessors. The latest issue of Justice Society of America-80 page giant contains multiple stories about members of the Justice Society of America. One of them is about the newest Amazing Man, Markus Clay. He was one of the heroes who stayed in New Orleans after the levees broke and until he joined the JSA, that was his base of operations. His garb is either African or Muslim. It is not clear which. He does practice meditation.
The Amazing Man is able to transform his entire body into any substance he touches. He becomes a living, moving being with all the strengths and likely, the weaknesses of the substance he transforms into, much like Marvel Comics' villain, The Absorbing Man. I wrote a post some time ago about DC's earlier encarnations of the Amazing Man. They share a blood relation to this one. This new story introduces a new group of beings called the Olorun who claim he gets his powers from them. They have also made him aware that he has more powers than he has been using. Apparently he can now extend his powers outside of himself and even lend his abilities to others. The writer of this story is none other than Kevin Grevioux so I expect nothing less. Does that mean there will be an Amazing team in the future or was this a side story that will never amount to anything? Time will tell but either way it's good to see DC making an effort to further develop this character. His potential is ... well, amazing.
Hammerman was a Saturday Morning cartoon that chronicled the super hero adventure stories of Stanley Burrell (The real name of MC Hammer) who used his magic shoes to turn into Hammerman and fight bad guys. The show debuted on ABC in the fall of 1991 and ran for one season (12 episodes). This was at a time when MC Hammer was at the height of his career, the same year he released Too Legit to Quit.
What powers did Hammerman have? That was never made clear. He could rap, dance, and walk up walls but the powers came from the shoes and they would ultimately do some kind of unpredictable magic to save the day. All he had to do was dance in them.
This cartoon was terrible on many levels. The art and animation was bad. The whole thing seemed to be made from bad graffiti. The music wasn't any better, and the story was worse. It was kind of preachy too. I was a big fan of MC Hammer at the time and this was a big let down. I really tried to watch it but could only bring myself to check out a couple of episodes. The network was apparently quite aware of how bad this cartoon was but managed to let all the episodes run before axing the show. It was killed the same year it started. MC Hammer may have gotten an action figure but Hammerman never did.
How did Stanley Burrell become Hammerman? Check out the origin video for yourself.
Special Agent Baldwin P. "Bulletproof" Vess is the main character in the animated series C.O.P.S. (Central Organization of Police Specialists), the elite police force of Empire City. (B.P. Vess = Bullet Proof Vest.) He is introduced into the series as a Fed with considerable expertise in criminology. Named Bulletproof because of his armor-plated torso that is resistant to bullets, he leads the organization with selfless dedication. The character carries the distinction of being the first African-American lead in an animated action series and toyline though I suppose that is debatable. He does appear in every episode.
Based on Hasbro's 1988 action figures of C.O.P.S 'N' Crooks, the show is set in the year 2020 and sports the tagline, "Fighting crime in a future time, protecting Empire City from Big Boss and his gang of crooks." Somehow with all the future tech of the show, phones still had cords. The series originally ran from September 1988 through November 1989. DC Comics even ran a C.O.P.S. comic book series from 1988 through 1989 that ran for 15 issues. Later, in 1993, the show was repackaged for syndication as CyberCOPS so as not to be confused with the COPS reality show. The C.O.P.S. team was effective and very reminiscent of GI Joe. In fact, some of the fact sheets for the characters list some of the team members as GI Joe descendants. The series lasted two seasons (66 episodes). This was actually a good series, one well worth watching, that was partially eclipsed by the success of the He-Man animated series.
Bulletproof was always cool and a man of action as well, never afraid to get his hands dirty. Almost too cool for the show, he sported a trenchcoat, yellow shirt, thin black tie, and sunglasses. His stainless steel, cybernetic torso also allowed him to plug into and control local machines. In the series, he was a caring, effective and enigmatic leader and was well respected from day one. Since the entire series was based on a set of action figures, Bulletproof got a decent one. I remember watching this show but had no idea there were so many episodes. The entire series is available on video. Here's the intro and part of the first episode for your enjoyment:
The Amazing Man is able to transform his entire body into any substance he touches. He becomes a living, moving being with all the strengths and likely, the weaknesses of the substance he transforms into, much like Marvel Comics' villain, 
