'Nuff Said: American Graphic Media

I had a chance to speak with Dawud Anyabwile about comics, creativity and black imaginary in April 2016.  It should be no shock that I included him in AfroFantastic: Black Imagination in the American Experience exhibition at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum.  Listen to the interview here .

Explore a seminal figure in the emergence of Afrofuturism with this lecture from Sun Ra.

"How Janelle Monáe turned Harriet Tubman’s legacy into an Afrofuturist sci-fi epic... "

Read Beyond Impossible at SciPulse.Net

Brandon Easton's new documentary on African-American creators in science fiction and fantasy touches on a pivotal question about contemporary society. What are the implication of African Americans creating stories rooted in the traditions of speculative fiction?  Does this hold the promise of shattering the perspectives that limit expectations for black people in the United States?  Can these stories move popular culture beyond a moment that replicates narratives that do not allow people of color to cast themselves in a new light?  Answering these questions will have a powerful impact on the United States in the new century.

A great independent project from Robert Garrett's XMOOR Studios. Check it out

Star Trek Into Darkness seems well on its way to box office success. I'm not surprise. Since J.J. Abrams took over the franchise reigns, he and his collaborators ( Damon Lindelof ,  Roberto Orci and Alex Klurtzman ) have deftly managed to stop the franchise's decline. Of course, as is the way of modern media, a comic book series continuing the movie universe continuity has been a big success .   Like many film and tv series, Star Trek has used an ongoing comic to "continue the story" for diehard fans.  Arguably more engaging than other efforts, the producers of the film are using the comic book series to retell classic stories.  Indeed, any fan of the comic series already read " Where No Man Has Gone Before ," the Gary Mitchell centric storyline that was focus of speculation as the inspiration for Star Trek Into Darkness.  The producers are using the comic book to keep interest high among diehard fans, rewarding them with insight to the new ...

I'm sorry that Static Shock isn't going to continue within the New 52 .  While diversity has been one of the themes of DC Comics relaunch event, it hasn't been successful on all fronts.  Should we dismissed the overall focus on expanding the narrative universe?  I don't think that would be fair. While Scott McDaniel has spoken of classic problems associated with Static Shock's overall placement within the New 52, there is no question the editorial mandate at DC has been to broaden representation. Even with criticism associated with sexism and lack of female creators , in a medium heavily dependent on the visual, there are more characters of color and greater emphasis on diverse sexual orientation for the audience, which remains primarily male and white, to see and reconcile within their worldview. The disappointment in the failure of Static Shock has everything to do with the historic nature of the character. One of Milestone Media's original titles...

My original intention when I started blogging was to create a space to collect ideas and flush out concepts. I try to incorporate current events and new ideas into my thinking about ongoing concerns. Case in point, the President had his first "State of Union Address" this week. Once again, the hidden racial context of the President's term in office came to the forefront. MSNBC commentator Chris Matthews suggested he "forgot the President is black," for an hour. The implication that he needed to forgot the President's color is full of questions about the problematic way he sees the President the other 23 hours in the day. Matthews suggested the President was "post-racial" using language white people have used to get to a idea that the President is fulfilling the United States' destiny as place where everyone is treated equally regardless of race. While you can see this in many places, this is blog about comics, so.......... Obama has been d...