Don't Forget!

Hey gang! My first ever live chatcast is starting in just a few minutes over at

http://www.comicchatcast.com/

So stop by and we'll talk about comics. It'll be fun!

Later,

Aaron

Black Goliath- I'm Not Sure I Get It.

See, here's the thing: Henry Pym started out as Ant Man and then figured out how to get big instead of small and became Giant Man. And then Hank retired and passed the role of Giant Man on to Dr. Bill Foster, who was Giant Man for a little while.

And then, for some reason, Bill thought it would be cooler to change his name to Black Goliath.

Now, I know that in the 1970's black folks were trying out the idea that "Black is beautiful" and embracing the term "black" which had been formerly eschewed as a slur. The PC term of the day had previously been "Negro" which is ludicrously out of fashion these days. So, anyway, embracing the term black was hip.

None of which has anything to do with getting big.

Which is, I guess, where "Goliath" comes in. I mean, everyone knows the name Goliath, right? The giant from the Old Testament story of King David...

Problem is, Goliath was a bad guy. And he lost.

So, for me, Black Goliath is a conceptual nightmare. The name says "Hey! Not that it really should matter but I happen to be black. And I'm a giant! No, I'm not a bad giant, like Goliath, the uncircumcised Philistine. No, I'm a superhero!"

I also have no idea why his belly is showing.

A Special Announcement

Listen Up, True Believers!

Your mild-mannered reporter will be hosting a live chat at

http://www.comicchatcast.com/

on Monday, February 15 at 9:00 PM (EST). Feel free to stop by and chat with me about the quirkiness of the Silver Age of comics, my blogs, or whatever. And don't forget, Jacque Nodell at Sequential Crush is doing a live chat the following evening, so be sure to check that out at well.

Hope to see you all there,

Aaron

Another slice of Black History Month...

Any of you not already following KB's blog "Out of this world", you should definitely stop by. Not only does KB cover tons of great romance comics with thoughtful insight into their historical and anthropological significance, he has just added a great post about a fascinating piece of Black History as it pertains to comics: All- Negro Comics

Be sure to stop by and check out this tremendously cool post at :

http://kb-outofthisworld.blogspot.com/2010/02/minorities-in-comics-in-segregated.html

STOP! In the Name of the Loa!!! - Brother Voodoo

Part of what made the 1970's such a groovy time would have to be the new focus on mysticism. Folks in the Age of Aquarius or "New Age" were starting to explore new ways of looking at familiar ideas. And, while everyone was concerned with "the new morality" and "Doing your own thing" traditional institutions like the church your parents went to were seen as part of "The Establishment". Add to that a new interest in all things Afro-centric for a new generation for African-Americans looking to find an identity and a voice in modern America and it's no wonder a comic like Brother Voodoo would hit the shelves.

Sort of a Haitian Doctor Strange, Brother Voodoo even debuted in Doc's old haunt Strange Tales. I would tell you all about it, but the folks over at wikipedia have done a nice job, so I'll let them take it:

"Returning to his native Haïti (born in Port-au-Prince) after 12 years (originally nearly 20^[4]) of education and practice as an accredied psychologist in the United States, Jericho Drumm discovers that his twin brother, Daniel, the local houngan, is dying, a victim of a voodoo sorcerer who claims to be possessed by the spirit of the serpent-god Damballah. Just before he dies, Daniel makes his brother vow to visit Daniel's mentor, Papa Jambo. Jericho does, and becomes Jambo's student. After studying under the aged houngan for several weeks, Jericho gains a greater mastery of voodoo practices than his own brother, becoming a houngan in his own right. Papa Jambo then performs a rite that summons Daniel's spirit from the dead and joins it with Jericho's own. Having fashioned a worthy successor, Papa Jambo dies.

Taking the name Brother Voodoo, Jericho challenges the priest, who goes by the same name as his god Damballah, and his cult. With the help of his Daniel's spirit possessing one of the cult members, Jericho removes Damballah's artifact of power (wangal), causing Damballah's snakes to turn on him and evidently destroying Damballah's cult. Brother Voodoo became Haïti's houngan supreme and champion, and establishes a sprawling mansion as a base of operations. He places the wangal in a safe, its combination known only to Brother Voodoo and his manservant Bambu.^["

Apart from being one of the coolest magic-based characters of all time, the good Brother's relative obscurity has provided years worth of material for Fred Hembeck.

Who's The Black Dick who Pokes Drac With A Stick? BLADE!

For those of you only familiar with the character of Blade from those insipid movies with Wesley Snipes, there was a time when Blade was more... well, groovy. Rather than a body armored, flattop wearing weirdo in Oakleys with a husky voice and a samurai sword, Blade was more like a cross between Professor Van Helsing and Shaft (although Gene Colan claims to have modeled his looks on a composite of black actors, including Jim Brown).


See, back in the day, the writers of Tomb of Dracula had more sense than to have vampire hunters using silver bullets or spikes or silver nitrate powder, etc. Despite what the Blade movies and Dracula 2000 would have you believe, SILVER IS FOR WEREWOLVES! NOT VAMPIRES!!! So, wait, no silver stakes? No Sword? Why was he called "Blade" ? Simple. Blade had a bandoleer of wooden throwing knives which allowed him to stake vampires from a safe distance.

Well, usually a safe distance...

Blade also has a leg up on the average vampire hunter. Seems his mama was killed by a vampire while she was preggers with li'l Blade. Blade absorbed certain "vampiric enzymes" and was born with quasi-vampiric powers, including longevity, improved reflexes and a resistance to becoming a vampire.

Which all makes him a totally kick-ass vampire killer.

Blade was quite probably the first Black supernatural hero... he was not to be (as we shall see tomorrow) the last.

"SWEET CHRISTMAS!" Luke Cage Hits The Streets. HARD!

If you thought the Falcon was fly, hold on to your afro pick! Luke Cage (aka Power Man) -Hero for Hire, was a new direction for Black superheros. Hip, streetwise and tossing out "jive" dialog like Shaft guest-starring on Sanford and Son, Luke Cage was an absolute, Blaxploitation badass.

Debuting in his own, self-titled comic in 1972, Lucas was a young, urban black man who was wrongly convicted of a crime. While in prison, he agreed to undergo a medical experiment which accidentally gave him tough-as-steel skin and dense, super-strong muscles. Breaking out of prison, he assumed the name of "Luke Cage" and started his own business as a sort of superhuman private eye.

Very dated, but a very fun read.