Hey guys, I’m Kya,
and I’m Dev
and today, we’re taking a look at the controversial history surrounding heroes of color,
and the hard fought battle it took to get the recognition they deserve.
After decades of fighting for representation in comic book movies, ‘Black Panther’ is a dream come true for a lot of us,
but it took a long, hard fight to get here.
Let’s see how T’Challa and other trailblazing heroes paved the way for:
The Rise of Black Superheroes
Now before we start,
I should warn you that some of the early comics we’re gonna show you are full of some pretty shitty stereotypes.
It’s an ugly part of superhero history, but it’s not something we should ever forget.
Because when it comes to black superheroes,
They’ve Come A Long Way
Black Panther is officially the first Black superhero,
but he’s not the first Black character to star in a comic book.
You can thank Orrin C. Evans for that.
He was one of the first Black reporters to work for a white newspaper,
and after the paper closed,
he tried to break down the walls of the comic book industry too.
In 1947, Evans published the first and only issue of ‘All-Negro Comics,’
starring characters like the detective Ace Harlem,
and the African warrior Lion Man.
Not the smartest or most complex name for an African warrior.
They’re insensitive by today’s standards,
but this wasn’t a case of white authors trying to exploit Black culture through ugly caricatures.
As Evans proudly put it himself:
“every brush stroke and pen line in the drawings on these pages are by Negro artists.”
Sadly, he was way ahead of his time.
After ‘All-Negro Comics’ went bust,
it took years to see more Black representation in comics,
and what we got, wasn’t great.
The company that became Marvel had a hit in the ‘50s with ‘Waku, Prince of the Bantu’
and in 1965, Dell Publishing released ‘Lobo,’
a Western about a Black cowboy who was the first Black character to star in his own comic.
‘Lobo’ only lasted two issues thanks to low sales,
They printed 200,000 copies, and only sold around 15,000.
That's not a lot at all. That's like Amityville numbers. Those movies don't make money.
I've got a really bad feeling about this.
A lot of retailers actually sent their shipments back to the distributor unopened,
because they refused to sell a book with a Black character as the star.
You gotta remember that these are just simple farmers.
These are people of the land.
The common clay of the New West.
You know. Morons.
Dell couldn’t make Black heroes a reality in the ‘60s,
but over at Marvel,
the House of Ideas was about to unleash one of their most important creations of all:
[DRUMROLL] Black Panther
One year after ‘Lobo’ fizzled out,
the Black Panther made his unforgettable debut in Fantastic Four #52.
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had been experimenting with positive Black characters before,
Like Gabe Jones in Nick Fury’s Howling Commandos,
but T’Challa was different.
Very different.
He had powers, he had a costume...
He was a superhero, right down to his awesome and controversial name.
For decades, there’s been a lot of confusion over whether the character was named after the political group,
or the other way around.
Turns out, it’s pretty much a coincidence.
The Black Panther Party didn’t exist when T’Challa made his debut,
but a group in Alabama that inspired them was using a panther as its symbol.
So there’s precedent,
but it’s pretty unlikely two old white guys in New York would have been aware of it.
3 months after the issue was published,
Huey Newton and Bobby Seale formed the Black Panthers,
completely independent of the comic book character.
They couldn’t shake the connection,
and in 1972, Marvel actually tried renaming T’Challa to ‘Black Leopard.’
Because technically, a panther is a leopard, sooo...
That... doesn't make it better.
This... is bullshit!
It was a bullshit cop-out and Marvel knew it,
so they switched it back after a year.
Like no one would notice.
So, after the success of Black Panther,
the floodgates were open for Black superheroes, right?
You’d think so, but let’s be honest here,
it was more like
A Slow Drip
Marvel introduced the first African-American superhero in 1969:
Sam Wilson, a.k.a. The Falcon.
I can think of better jobs than being Captain America’s second-most-famous sidekick,
Don't say it! Don't you say it!
On your left.
Come on!!!
but he got a major boost in status after Anthony Mackie’s awesome portrayal in the MCU,
and in the comics, he even got to wield the shield himself.
Marvel’s first Black character to get his own book was Luke Cage,
a.k.a. Power Man.
Cage’s early exploits featured a lot of dated stereotypes,
But over the years, he evolved into a fleshed out, more mature character.
He grew into a partner, a father,
and, as a wrongly-convicted Black man with bulletproof skin,
a powerful symbol of protest against the system that fails so many people of color.
In 1975, Marvel introduced one last huge landmark character,
the first Black woman superhero.
Any guesses?
I’ll give you a hint:
You know what happens to a toad when it’s struck by lightning?
Ohh, I hate this line.
The same thing that happens to everything else!
It's accurate!
The Distinguished Competition was a little slower in getting with the times.
DC debuted their first Black hero in 1971 your favorite Green Lantern John Stewart.
It’s lame that DC’s only Black representation was literally a substitute for the ‘real’ Green Lantern,
but he came into his own,
especially after Phil Lamarr’s awesome take on the character in ‘Justice League.’
In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight!
Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power:
GREEN LANTERN'S LIGHT!
It took DC six more years to come up with a completely original Black superhero:
Black Lightning.
He’s the first character since ‘All-Negro Comics’ to actually be co-created by a person of color,
Guyanese artist Trevor Von Eeden.
Guyanese!
Heyyy, representation for you!
For me, 'cause I'm Guyanese! Eyy!
Black Lightning inspired a lot of clones and copycats,
including the first superhero of color to star in a kids TV show,
Superhero Static Shock. Woo-Woo!
‘Static Shock’ played a huge part in my development as a fan,
so it was cool to see the hero that inspired him get his own series on the CW this year.
Black Lightning is finally getting the recognition he deserves as one of DC’s pioneering black heroes.
In 2018, it’s still a pretty big deal to have a superhero of color starring in his own show,
but we would never have been struck by ‘Black Lightning’ if not for the
Black Superheroes on Film
that came before.
You can trace their origins to the Blaxploitation flicks of the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Characters like Shaft and Dolemite weren’t based on comic books,
but the larger-than-life heroes have plenty in common with them.
They defend the innocent and protect their communities,
have their own theme songs and awesome catchphrases,
They say this cat is a bad mother--
Shut yo' mouth!
I'm talkin 'bout Shaft!
We can dig it!
And they’re known to wear a colorful costume from time to time.
Dolemite's a good like, 1975 Blaxpoitation film.
It's really bad, the mic keeps dropping into frame,
and they take reaction shots from other scenes in the movie.
Oh that's really funny.
It's really good.
But there were no opportunities for “real” superhero movies starring people of color,
so in 1991, writer/director Robert Townsend had to create his own.
In ‘The Meteor Man,’ Townsend plays teacher who gets whacked by a glowing green rock from space.
They give him your standard superpowers...
meteor vision, flight,
and dog telepathy.
Woof woof.
[A GROWN-ASS MAN BARKING AT A DOG]
It’s not the greatest movie ever made,
but it’s important for what it represents:
It’s a superhero film created from scratch by a person of color,
and judging from the star power, Hollywood’s Black community was excited to be a part of it.
Seriously though,
how many movies have Darth Vader,
Willie Jones,
and Biz Markie?
Just one, Dev.
Just one, yeah. Meteor Man!
‘Meteor Man’ didn’t do so well at the box office, and neither did Damon Wayans’ comedy 'Blankman.'
The original characters weren’t cutting it, but in 1997 we finally got two movies based on established Black comic stars:
‘Spawn,’ which I still maintain is an awesome movie,
and ‘Steel,’ which... I can’t defend.
It's hammer time!
Sorry Shaq, it takes more than a tattoo to make you Superman.
Well I'll be dipped in shit and rolled in breadcrumbs!
Around this time, Wesley Snipes was trying to get a ‘Black Panther’ movie off the ground.
It never happened, but in 1998 he starred as a different kind of superhero
In a movie that helped ignite the current craze:
'Blade.'
Blade was unlike any superhero we’d seen before:
He didn’t take any shit,
Mister Falcon are you out of your damn mind?!
he killed the heck out of vampires,
and he was unapologetically Black.
Unlike his predecessors, ‘Blade’ was a big hit at the box office.
It spawned two sequels,
and for a while underrepresented people were really excited about a new wave of Black superhero films.
And then… Nothing.
Unless you count ‘Hancock’ or ‘Catwoman,’
and no one wants to talk about ‘Hancock’ and ‘Catwoman.’
I mean, I wanna talk about 'Hancock.'
I like 'Hancock.'
'Hancock' was great! I am fine with 'Hancock.'
'Hancock' was my first Black superhero, I would say.
Yeah! Same.
And he looks good, when he comes out to do the bank.
With the little tiny hawk/falcon?
Yeah, it was cute.
Good job.
Good job! Good job! Really, good job!
Good movie.
Good job, good movie.
In recent years, Black heroes have shown up in important supporting roles,
Like the Falcon, War Machine, and Nick motherFucking Fury.
Don’t forget Cyborg!
But ‘Black Panther’ is the first movie to put characters of color front and center.
From its talented Black director, amazing cast and inspiring Afro-futurist feel,
‘Black Panther’ is a huge step forward for the genre.
And just like the character rocked the world of comics,
The movie has a chance to change how the world sees a Black superhero.