A brand new Black superhero has entered the Marvel comics universe, due to the imaginative and prescient and writings of a UC Riverside professor.
Dr. Al B. Harper, a physicist and pal of the Silver Surfer, is one in all Marvel’s authentic Black characters, first showing in “Silver Surfer #5,” which was revealed in 1969.
Harper’s character — initially created by late Marvel comics legends Stan Lee and John Buscema — has come again to life as a cosmic superhero in a brand new mini-series, “Silver Surfer: Ghost Light,” created by graphic novelist John Jennings and artist Valentine De Landro.
Jennings, the author, is a professor of media and cultural research at UC Riverside who has been concerned with native exhibitions that showcase Black comedian e book heroes. He mentioned the character of Ghost Light has been almost 60 years within the making.
“Al Harper was the Silver Surfer’s first human friend, and he ended up having to sacrifice his life,” mentioned Jennings, 52. “He was this character living in the woods, who was used to talk about issues of civil rights. … He didn’t have a background, a family. It just didn’t feel right for him to be in the ground when he saved the world.”
The new sequence can be the primary time Silver Surfer, a fan-favorite cosmic hero from the planet Zenn-La, is within the arms of an all-Black artistic group. Jennings hopes it’s one step in his ongoing work to diversify the comedian e book business, and begin conversations about race in media.
In the unique story from 1969, Harper sacrifices his life to assist the Silver Surfer and save humanity from an alien bomb. The Silver Surfer marks Harper’s grave with a cosmic flame, symbolizing his heroic deed.
The new sequence picks up a decade after his dying, as Harper’s kin are transferring into his previous home in fictitious Sweetwater, New York. Josh and Toni Brooks make discoveries in the home, together with a secret lab, and launch the Ghost Light — their formerly-deceased uncle, Dr. Al B. Harper — who has a brand new, mysterious power.
Jennings noticed nice potential in bringing Harper’s character again to life, with cosmic skills that come from the Silver Surfer’s powers. He pitched the thought of a mini-series to Marvel, which greenlighted the mission in 2020, and began working with different Black creatives for the mission over the previous few years.
“For the most part, when a Black character dies, he stays dead,” Jennings mentioned. “So for (Marvel) to say this character is important enough to actually give a family, people that love him; that makes him real. It gives a character humanity.”
Jennings mentioned that he needed to keep away from previous dangerous media and cultural stereotypes which have too usually dehumanized numerous characters, particularly within the political superhero world. Instead, he mentioned, he needs to middle the trendy Black expertise, struggles and triumphs included.
“A great deal of why Al Harper was created was to talk about race in America,” Jennings mentioned. “The original story (in Silver Surfer #5) is called ‘And Who Shall Mourn for Him?’ Stan Lee was asking Marvel fans, ‘If a Black man gave his life for yours, would you care? Would you grieve?’”
Jennings mentioned that Ghost Light’s swimsuit design is influenced by Afro-futurism, African Sankofa symbols, and Afro-centric coloration schemes. He needs to carry Harper’s character — which debuted purposely throughout the Nineteen Sixties civil rights motion, a yr after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dying — into modern-day context.
“It’s important for Black folks to see themselves represented, to have positive role models,” Jennings mentioned. “If I can extend my empathy to these characters, then people reading this — White, Latinx, whatever — should be able to extend their empathy too. Because I want you to mourn for him, which is what Stan Lee asked … because all of these (diverse) stories matter.”
Jennings is working with Marvel on an upcoming information, “My Super Hero is Black,” which supplies a chronological take a look at Black characters within the Marvel universe from 1950 to the current day. Harper was launched within the Silver Surfer just a few months earlier than Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon, and three years after the Black Panther.
“It’s empowering for people to see themselves as heroes, especially people who are traditionally looked at as villains … not powerful or contributing anything to history,” Jennings mentioned.
Marvel’s “Silver Surfer: Ghost Light” may have 5 whole editions launched month-to-month on-line and at native comedian e book retailers by June. A full paper-back sequence, launched in fall, is accessible for pre-order.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”