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Thursday  February 04 2010
Dear DC Comics,
Why is Adam Warren not writing Teen Titans?
Sincerely,
Cheryl Lynn
Cheryl Lynn @ 02:24 PM EST  Link
Wednesday February 03 2010
I read this.
Black Comix.
Cheryl Lynn @ 10:33 AM EST Link
Saturday January 30 2010
Random thought.
How the hell is there not a rapper called the Hypno Hustler yet?!!
Cheryl Lynn @ 06:57 PM EST Link
Black Superhero Ish.
Digital_Femme: @Ragnell @hermanos I'm so mad at you, because you have me thinking of movie scenes that'll never happen.
Digital_Femme: Like Steve, Natasha and Fury eating sweet potato pie at Isaiah's house, watching Eli toss a football out in the yard.
Digital_Femme: @hermanos I'll just put that in a box with Misty and Colleen chasing the Hypno Hustler through Harlem.
Hermanos: @Digital_Femme Let me find out Hypno Hustler shows up in a movie and there's not an extended Motown song & dance number. Heads will roll.
Hermanos: @Digital_Femme Not even kidding, I want a full ten minutes of funk and soul, Misty & Colleen as backup dancers all "He's gonna die for this"
Digital_Femme: @hermanos If I ever wrote HfH, the first scene would be Misty getting her hair pressed for her cousin's wedding and Hypno Hustler coming in.
Digital_Femme: You know how guys are always coming in selling ish in black salons? He'd be selling bootleg CDs as a ruse to rob the joint.
Hermanos: @Digital_Femme "Hold on now shawty lemme just put this in your boombox here" "We use an iPod." "Uhhhhhhh a what that don't even sound good!"
Digital_Femme: Then he leaves with the cash and you can't stop dancing.
Digital_Femme: @hermanos Now Misty's gotta chase him down 106th trying not to sweat her hair out. Black Superhero Ish, for real.
Hermanos: @Digital_Femme oh hey i already got started on the soundtrack:
Digital_Femme: @hermanos Perfect. Misty ripping off the back window of a bus. "Don't be alarmed, everybody. That motherfucker just owes me 50 dollars."
David and I really need to keep our asses off Twitter.
Cheryl Lynn @ 06:06 PM EST Link
Thursday January 28 2010
Final week for GCA nominations!
Just like the title says, this is the final week to put yourself in the running for a Glyph Comics Award! Seems like just yesterday the judges were announced, right?
Cheryl Lynn @ 11:28 PM EST Link
I read this.
Lightyears Away.
Cheryl Lynn @ 03:13 PM EST Link
Monday January 25 2010
Chromatic static.
I have to apologize for neglecting this blog, folks. It seems like it's a lot easier to dish about the latest events in little 140 character segments than it is to flesh out a full blog post. As least, that's what happened today when I came across the latest edition of the Chromatic Comics meme that's been making the rounds...
Via Twitter:
"This whole Chromatic Comics ish irritates me. Y'know, Marvel does have a whole boatload of POC characters. Stuff like that makes it seem like only the white ones are important and deserve focus. Y'know what would be nice? For POC characters to get the same promotion and devotion that white characters get so people don't have to think of POC actors they'd like in the "important" (white) characters' roles.
In other words, screw Batgirl and Jessica Jones. How about making Aquagirl and Misty Knight not suck? How about Jubilee getting some time to shine instead of shoving Emma Frost down my throat? It's not just about seeing POC faces. There are histories and myths that come along with POC characters that deserve to be heard. And it treats whiteness as some kind of blank slate that you can just pour color on. It's not. Daredevil was a working class Irish kid for a reason. And even though Marvel doesn't say it, we all know Castle is a poor Italian kid from Brooklyn. I'm not just a color. I have a history. Tell it. I don't want cinematic Photoshop."
And just like I'm not just a color, that white kid isn't just a blank slate. He isn't the default. And acting like he is the default hurts both him and me. My stories get shunted to the side because they aren't considered the norm and his stories are considered meaningless. Something that can be easily divorced from his culture and handed to someone of another background for cheap grab at diversity. An empty canvas to hang someone else's image on. I get to be seen and not heard. He gets to be heard and not seen. And neither of us is honored that way.
No matter who you are, it hurts to have your stories stolen. And if you think whiteness doesn't provide a character with color, you're wrong. Because growing up Italian-American in Bensonhurst during the 80s and 90s is a hell of a lot different than growing up African-American in Harlem during the 80s and 90s. A white actor could not tell Luke Cage's story. A story that involved anti-black racism and being railroaded into the system for a crime you didn't commit. A story that involved being viewed as nothing more than an animal by prison guards. A story that involved growing up and becoming a man and realizing that your community has been damn near decimated by the same drugs you pushed for the Mob in exchange for a pair of new Nikes and a knot of twenties—and deciding to finally make things right.
And just like a white actor could not tell Cage's story, a black actor could not tell Castle's. A story that involved watching your neighbors hail common criminals as protectors and patrons. A story that involved watching the man who had Mr. Ancelotti's leg broken treated like a king because he popped for fireworks for the neighborhood every year and made sure that he and his boys kept the Blacks and Hispanics down in Sunset Park and Bed Stuy where they belonged. A story that involved finally realizing that those guys weren't keeping the monsters at bay—they were the monsters. A story that involved realizing that tribalism is meaningless when your own family is lying in a pool of blood. Spilled by people that you were raised to consider your own. And then you finally figure it out. It's not us versus them. It's you versus everyone.
And when you change the background, you change the story. Static and Blue Beetle are amazing and I want to see more of them. But neither character is Spider-Man. Each has his own story. Wonderful stories. Stories that should not be separated from who they are and where they come from. And they can't be.
So what do I want? I want to see POC characters getting more devotion from creators and more promotion from comic companies. I want to see fans supporting characters of color instead of just dreaming about what actors of color could be hired to portray the "important" white icons. Demand to be more than just window dressing. Our stories are phenomenal.
Let's get them told.
Cheryl Lynn @ 11:36 PM EST Link
Thursday January 14 2010
Rest in peace, Teddy Bear.
Cheryl Lynn @ 12:25 AM EST Link
Tuesday December 15 2009
Encyclopedia Brown.
Well, shoot! It looks like I'm just full of awesome news today. Comics historian Professor William H. Foster is putting together the 1st Encyclopedia of Black Comics. Take a look at his message below:
The time has finally come! I am presently in touch with a major book publisher regarding the 1st Encyclopedia of Black Comics. To make this important project a success, I will need your assistance.
If you have descriptive information (not just a list) on Black comic books, comic strips, writers, artists or organizations, past or present, PLEASE get in touch.
It is my goal to make this important volume as complete as possible.
Allow me to thank you in advance for helping to spread the word to everyone about who we are and what we do. More updates to follow!
Peace,
Bro./Prof. William H. Foster III
Comic Book Historian
Want to contribute? Contact Yumy Odom at yumy.odom@ecbacc.com.
Cheryl Lynn @ 02:45 PM EST Link
Girl, you know it's true.
Three words.
Amanda. Nocenti. Weezy.
BREAKING NEWS: Male commenters at THE BEAT bitch more than housewives on the One Life To Live message board! Developing!
ETA: Okay, here's my take on Girl Comics. If this is just a quick gimmick to call attention to Marvel, I'm going to be steamed. However, if this is what I think it is--a way to rekindle the careers of some and bring others into the spotlight with consistent mainstream work--then I am elated. And I'm willing to give Marvel a chance here. Let's see Marvel's hiring practices six months down the road before automatically kicking the company and this project to the curb.
ETA 2: Where the heck is Alitha Martinez? She's a former Marvel chica. I'm surprised she's not listed here.
Cheryl Lynn @ 12:28 PM EST Link
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