Black Jesus

I ran across a trailer for this comic on ComicBookTrailers.com and thought it was interesting. You can view it here. You can also view it on Arcana's website. After checking it out I went over to the official site. It seems the comic book has already been published and now it's being turned into a movie. The site still needs some work but you can view the first issue of the comic book online there. I found a couple of blurbs about the project online here and here. The only thing I can be sure of about this character is that he walks on water...literally. Take a look for yourself and tell me what you think.

Dread & Alive

I've seen the character here and there around the web and waited to hear more. Just recently, the comic was released and a reader brought this character to my attention again so I'm passing it to you. Here's the rub: "Drew McIntosh was born in Kingston Jamaica and now resides in San Francisco. He is a cultural anthropologist who's life changed after venturing into the Cockpit country of Jamaica where the mythical Maroons lived. In a contest of strength and cunning he emerged victorious and was granted the Maroon medallion which gave him the powers of a full grown lion and the power to heal others. He is an Eco-Warrior." 

If you'd like to know more, Dread and Alive has an official website complete with Reggae music soundtrack. You can also find out more about the character here. The comic has a Facebook page too. Finally, ComicVine has a Dread and Alive preview which you can view here.

After taking a look at all that, I'd love to hear what you think about the Drew McIntosh character. I'm excited about the idea of a Jamaican super hero and will be keeping an eye on this one. Oh and thanks to Ryonslaught for the update. Keep them coming.

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.

Whatever happened to Chocolate Thunder?

Chocolate Thunder, (not Darryl Dawkins), is one of those comic book heroes that I never really got to know but wanted to. I ran into references to the comic many times a few years back but never actually got to have a copy of the book in my hands. The official website Gettosake.com has no direct reference to this comic at all. In fact, at the time I am writing this, the entire site is down. One of the original writers of this book, Jeremy Love, is doing some amazing work with Bayou but no word of Chocolate Thunder.

What is or was Chocolate Thunder all about? Basically he was sort of a throwback Blacksploitation hero. Here's the blurb: "Believed dead by his former employers, government agent Kevin King returned home to find his old stomping grounds over-run by crime. Unable to stand idly by, he became a costumed vigilante, whom the local graffiti artists dubbed Chocolate Thunder."

Why am I so hyped up about the guy? Well I'm always looking into new and interesting Black Superheroes but my interest piqued when I saw the video. Apparently the guys who put this character together made a flash video a few years back to promote the comic and I loved it. It even inspired me to do some of my own flash work. It was only available on the Gettosake website but with that gone, who knows. I was luck to find it on YouTube. It's called Chocolate Thunder: On My Way.

Wikipedia doesn't even have an entry on this brother but he did make their List of Black Superheroes. The best listing I was able to find, other than the official page, is a reference to him here. I looked to buy the comic on Amazon (Chocolate Thunder on Amazon) but they are either out of print or there are no books in stock for the forseeable future. To be honest I don't know if Chocolate Thunder ever made it to print at all but he will not be forgotten.

Check out the video for yourself before it gets taken down.

Stormbringers by Korby Marks

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.

Chick Premier

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.

Afrodisiac

I got an email from Brian Maruca about his upcoming Graphic Novel called Afrodisiac. From what I can tell it's the story of a Blacksploitation Afro wearing superhero who's only real power is his awesome coolness and of course his way with the ladies. Here's the blurb: 'Inspired by the blaxploitation films of the 1970s and classic superhero comics, the Afrodisiac collects art and comics starring the original super badass and featuring cool cars, sexy women, scary monsters, self-righteous superheroes, corrupt cops, aliens, Dracula, Richard Nixon.' Now check out the teaser trailer:

Great stuff right? I wonder where they got the music from. You can check out some more work from the artist, Jim Rugg, including some art from the book in this Flickr feed and this one. You might also be aware of some of their previous work called Street Angel (Paperback) which got great reviews. You can find out more about Street Angel here. Anyway, the Afrodisiac Graphic Novel won't be available until December but while you're waiting you can check out the preview and don't forget to get your Afrodisiac Holloween mask just in time for the holidays. Soul Power Baby!

Joseph Gauthier

The 1st day of the Long Beach Comic Con was great. While there I ran into Joseph Gauthier, the CEO of 10 Worlds Studio. He's the writer and creator of a comic called Lazarus: Immortal Coils. Check the preview. "LAZARUS: Immortal Coils #1, the first in a four-part miniseries starring the Biblical figure as an immortal warrior in a city built by demons where humans are used as hosts for an invasion." You can find out more here and on the official web site. Joseph was the first of many Black comic creators I had the pleasure of meeting at the con. Lazarus: Immortal Coils is the premier comic for this company and I encourage you to take a look.

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!

The Talented Tenth Returns

I've believe it's important to support writers, artists, etc. that create content I like. Being the writer for the Black Superhero Blog enables me to support Independent creators. I've decided to highlight some of these individuals each month, especially those that make it a point to share their work with me. One such creator is Chris over at HeroesLikeMe.com. He's written a novel that features Black Superheroes. I found the concept interesting and he was kind enough to share a copy with me. The book is entitled: HEROES LIKE ME: THE TALENTED TENTH RETURNS. Here's the synopsis:

"JOIN the Fiery Furnace, Shining Star, The Buffalo Soldier, Black Dove, The Human Pearl, The Maestro and the legendary John Henry-The Steel Driven Man as they uncover a global and evil plot which began during the 1800s and stretches to the PRESENT and the FUTURE. Are they good enough to be Heroes? Can they become The Talented Tenth that will save the world before the Salesman of Doom’s evil plans become reality?"

He's also put together a video to promote the novel. How good is it? Watch the video then head on over to HeroesLikeMe.com. Download the first chapter for free and find out for yourself. Enjoy!

Who Is This Chick?

Chick is an upcoming web series that chronicles the adventures of a young woman on her quest to become a superhero. That's all I can find out so far. Check out the trailer below.

CHICK Trailer from CHICKSPIRIT on Vimeo.

Drawing From The Soul

If any of you are going to be near Atlanta, GA on August 1st, check out the Brotherman comics art exhibit. Take a lot of pictures and tell me what it's like. If you make it down there and want to guest blog an article about it, that'd be great. We'd love to hear all about it.

Superhero Short Film

I ran across this short film trailer during one of my daily trips through Google. It seems to be written by someone in Johannesburg, South Africa. In this short film, a young African boy stumbles upon what he believes is a Superhero. The trailer is short but long enough to pique my interest. It's obvious that there's more going on than what than what the eye beholds. What do you think? Take a look for yourself:

As far as I can tell the official site for the film is here. You can find out a little more about the film here.

You And Me Comics

While this blog focuses on Black Superheroes, I am a fan of Superheroes in general whether it be comics, movies, or video games. The other day I ran across a comic book company that focuses on Multicultural Superheroes. New Vision Comics launched in 1991 publishing comic strips in the Afro-American Newspaper. In 2000 the company changed to its current name, You And Me Comics. This company focuses on positive multicultural Superhero images and seeks to promote them not only in comics but also in television and film.

On their site you can find out more information about their interesting stable of characters. Among them are Sunstone who is a cosmic warrior that comes to earth to seek help from the legendary superior beings known as humans..and faces the truth on arrival and Admiral Africa who was the cause of Rommel's turn and run and and the retreat of the Nazi invasion out of Africa. His untold story is finally brought to the forefront.There are others such as Statehood, Captain Columbia, Warrior One, the Lucky Pumpkin, and more. Want to know more? Check out YouAndMeComics.com
and tell them the Black Superhero Blog sent you.

Blokhedz Episode 2: Paid In Full

Another great episode of the Blokhedz available only online. This one is shorter than the last one but it ups the ante especially when it comes to the music. What till you hear Talib Kweli bust. This is going to turn out to be a great series.
Here's what's going down: "In their attempt to hustle up some loot to repair Audio 2, G-Pak takes it to the basketball courts, but the local biker gang, The Wild Dawgs, has other ideas." Enjoy!

East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention

The 8th Annual East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC) is being held this weekend in Philadelphia and I won't be able to attend but if you do I'd like to hear about it. Check out the official website, page 2 of the flyer, or find out more here.

Asians Want To Be Superheros Too

While trolling the net in my usual fashion I ran across what I might consider to be one of my competitors. It's called: Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Blog. Now granted this blog exists to support the book/graphic novel of the same name more than anything else. There's apparently a motion comic and everything. The project and the story behind it is quite interesting. I checked them out to get some ideas on how to improve my own blog here and I found out a few interesting things:  READ MORE...

First of all they are really using the web well to promote themselves if this video is any indication.

Asian-Americans, share a lot of the challenges Blacks have about having proper Superhero representation. There is manga of course but that's not American and if you are Asian American, you only got a few characters to chose from and most of those are martial arts and samurai based.

Next, the site itself shares a lot of artwork. That's a challenge for me because I don't draw. Maybe I can create a site for visitors to submit their art as an extension of this blog, something like DeviantArt for the Black Superhero. I'm open to suggestions, especially if some of you out there would like to donate copies of your artwork.

Lastly, this project, or at least it's creator challenged Asian writers and artists to participate. I wonder what it would take to create such a thing for Black Superheroes. From the pub this thing is getting you would think it's the greatest idea since the iPhone. I am by no means a hater. I'm actually jealous by what they've put together and the conversation they are opening up.


All that being said, I'm looking for ways to improve the Black Superhero Blog and I can use some ideas and support. I do have a few things I'm considering implementing but I'm not ready to talk about them until I've fleshed them out a bit.

Dreadlocks

I've run into images of this character more than once but hadn't heard anything about him so I decided to do some digging. It turns out Dreadlocks, created back in 1992, is a character from Urban Style Comics  and is based on a very positive premise. The character's creator, Andre Batts, has this to say about him, "I've created Dreadlocks as a blind superhuman in order to establish that true righteousness is established from within. Dreadlocks follows an ancient order of Egypt known as Ma'at which means truth, order and righteousness." You can catch a glimpse of Dreadlocks' story in a short online digital comic here.I haven't gotten my hands on an actual copy of the comics or graphic novel yet but as soon as I do, I'll be right back here to talk about it.

The video below presents Dreadlocks' creator explaining his views and what he has trying to accomplish with the character. A more in-depth video explanation of the character can be found on the Urban Style Comics web site.

Blokhedz Episode 1

So I just finished watching the first animated episode of Blokhedz over at Mission G and jerky streaming speed aside I have to say I liked it. On first look, it plays like a combination of Static Shock and the Boondocks but I may only be saying that because of the lack of African-American animated series out there. The animation flows nicely, action sequences and all and if I had any complaint at all I'd say it was too long in coming. It's been years since I first saw the first Blokhedz animation and there've been quite a few setbacks. I think it was worth the wait but I'll let you decide for yourself. Some voices might be familiar to you. According to the Facebook page the episode stars "Talib Kweli as Blak, Bobbito Garcia as Eatho, and Affion Crockett as Flash, also featuring Mayda Del Valle" Here's a taste of the first episode below. Go watch the whole thing then come back and let me know what you think.

Whatever Happened to Sun-Man?

I've never seen a comic book, movie, or animated series about this character but I have seen an action figure . . . online. This is what I remember: Sun-Man fought the evil Pig-Face much like He-Man fought Skeletor. The similarities did not end there. Sun-Man seemed to have a variety of comrades each with unique and peculiar powers, again, like He-Man. In fact the only things that made Sun-Man worth remembering for me were his magical melanin skin and the story of how and why he came into being.

READ MORE...

In real life, a woman named Yla Eason,wanted her son to have a Superhero action figure that looked like him, couldn't find one, and went about to create one for him. The 3-year old boy had told her that he could never be a Super-hero because all his action figures were White and he wasn't. Before she invented Sun-Man, one of the things Yla Eason is credited with doing is created the Bronze Bombers which were super hero action figures made out of GI-Joe molds but with the faces painted black. This reminded me of something my mother did. I didn't find out until I was an adult that all the story books she read to me and gave me to read as a child had all the faces and hands colored Black as well. She had done this for me and I had no idea. This is one of the reasons I value Yla Eason's contribution so highly.
All of this happened back in the 80's and now Sun-Man seems nowhere to be found except on E-Bay and in this Web Comic. It gives me pleasure to remember him and his story and especially the people who made him possible. I wonder if he'll ever make a comeback. If you're interested, you can find out more about Sun-Man's story here and here as well as on the official web site.