To kick off Black history month, we thought we would give a listing of who we think are the 10 most influential comic book superheroes.

We went through a lot of heroes and could not put everyone on the list as we wanted because we wanted to keep it down to 10. Every hero is equally important and believe me if I could have put 20 or 30 on this list I would have but if I mention every Black hero I know that would not make these 10 stand out. So here it is.

Black Panther – Marvel

Besides having a hit Oscar-nominated movie, Black Panther makes this list for being the first mainstream hero of African descent. Debuting in Fantastic Four #52 in 1966, Black Panther even pre-dates the political Black Panther Party. Black Panther was the first hero to identify with Black people in America. This is the same renewed effect when the character was made into a movie in 2018. Black Panther has stayed relevant enough to inspire more than one generation.

Storm – Marvel

The African goddess made her first appearance in Giant-Size X-Men in 1975. She was the first major Black female character in the mainstream comics. She was also the first Black X -Man. Storm has been on many X-Men teams and often leading them. Once when she temporarily lost her powers, she had to duel Cyclops for leadership and at the time her powers had been taken away from her. Storm proved she could lead the team by taking on the fully powered Cyclops and defeating him with no powers of her own.

Blade – Marvel

Blade debut in The Tomb of Dracula in 1873. Blade is a mix of vampire and regular humans who hunts vampires. Blade was the first Black character that put Black people in the horror situation. Blade was brought to life by Wesley Snipes in the Blade movies starting in 1998.

Black Lighting – DC

Black Lightning first appeared in his own self titled book in 1977. What makes him important is he was introduced as not being a criminal but a teacher. In the Bronze Age of comics, a lot of characters of color were introduced as characters who could possibly be a villain with various criminal pasts. Black Lightning was introduced as an educator.

However, his early depictions had him wearing an afro wig and speaking “Harlem jive” to conceal the fact that he was educated so people would not link him to his secret identity as Jefferson Pierce. The character was supposed to be used in the 1970’s Super Friends cartoon but due to disagreement with the creator, Tony Isabella, Hannah Barbara made a character based on Black Lightning named Black Vulcan. Black Lightning has also managed to capture a new generation with the CW show that deals with issues facing Black people in America today.

Falcon – Marvel

Introduced in Captain America #117 in 1969, the Falcon is the first Afro American superhero in mainstream comics. He would become Captain Americas partner and at a time shared the titles of the book with him. Falcon would grow out of Captain America’s shadow into his own books, guest appearances in other books, a member of the Avengers and even taking on the mantle of Captain America when he had to retire. Today Falcon, being played by Aaron Mackie, is a main character in the Avengers movies.

Luke Cage Marvel

Luke Cage has always been a hero for the people. Debuting in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire in 1972, Luke Cage was the first Afro American superhero to be featured as the protagonist and title character of a comic book. He was created at the height of Blaxploitation movies and was jailed for a crime he didn’t commit. Luke Cage has gone on to work with the Defenders, filling in for the Thing on the Fantastic Four and lead the Avengers. Brought to live action on Netflix, Luke Cage displayed true Black culture and history in Harlem, NY.

Cyborg – DC

Debuting in DC Comics Presents in 1980, Cyborg makes this list because he is a technologic hero that can be well identified and related to by Black youth in America. This is a hero that has the computer world at his feet because he can get into any system. Cyborg was brought to life by Ray Fisher in the Justice League movie.

Static – Milestone/DC

Static is the young hero from the Milestone universe that the fans are just waiting to see turn into live action. Created in the Milestone universe in 1993, static was the main character of his own cartoon. Because of his age, Static is a character that is relatable to youths of color in America.

Miles Morales – Marvel

When Peter Parker Spiderman died in Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, Miles Morales took over the mantle as Spider Man. Miles Morales debuted in Ultimate Spiderman #64 in 2011 and has remained a popular version of Spiderman. Miles was later integrated into the mainstream 616 Marvel universe giving fans a teenage Spiderman once again. The character’s popularity is so much so that he was used to star in Marvels latest animated movie Into the Spiderverse. 

Spawn – Image

Spawn was created by Todd McFarlane and debuted in 1992. The cursed hero is a powerful lead into the world of the supernatural. His popularity has garnered the character a movie in the late 90s and talks of a second Spawn movie are rumored.

Let us know what you think of our list and what characters would you add or take off to make your own list.

Kenny Walker Jr

Sometimes the power of a superhero can be overwhelming. They can be created so powerfully that they seem impossible to defeat. Superman can move mountains; Green Lantern can do anything in his imagination and Thor is literally a God. However, for all their power there are some drawbacks. They do have weaknesses. 

Superman Kryptonite

Let’s tackle the obvious and easiest one first. As we all know Superman was born on another planet which was destroyed. Apparently, shards from the destroyed planet can weaken Superman and even kill him and small meteorites have made their way to Earth to keep the man of steel humble.

Green Lantern yellow

The Guardians power ring choose Hal Jordan to become a Green Lantern because he was fearless and with this ring, he can do whatever his mind can create. Green Lantern can combat any foe that he comes across ….as long as the color yellow is not involved. The power of his ring cannot even touch anything yellow meaning if you paint his whole world yellow, he’s just a guy with a glowing green ring.

Green Lantern (Golden Age) wood

The first Green Lanterns ring has more of a mystic background. There is no space corps involved. However, this Green Lanterns weakness is wood. So, if a tree is falling on you and there’s nobody around to save you if this Green Lantern shows up you are still out of luck.

Wonder Woman bound at the bracelets by man

Ok now, this is a bit sexist and slightly pornographic. Wonder Woman’s power rivals that of Superman and she has stood toe to toe with him. One of the things that makes this possible even though he is stronger is her training as an Amazon warrior. However, if an ordinary man happens to be able to sneak up on her and bound her by her bracelets, she is powerless. Considering the times in which she was created, this was a simple fix in making a woman submissive.

Daredevil loud sound

Daredevil is the man without fear. He is blind with heightened senses. He doesn’t need to be able to see. In fact, his heightened senses are much better than sight making him a very formidable superhero. However, if you overload him with noise then you have a good chance of defeating him. You must overload his high senses. Makes sense.

Flash too much Speed

The fastest man alive has a weakness that is his greatest strength. Running too fast. For as powerful as Flash is if he runs too fast, he can destroy himself.

Thor more than a minute away from his hammer

We’re putting this in even though it no longer applies. But this is too classic to let go. when Thor first appeared, he had a human alter ego named Donald Blake which was a handicapped doctor who used a cane to walk. When said doctor tapped this cane on the ground, he became the demigod, Thor. The cane reverted to its true form of Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. Thor had to be connected to his hammer. If the hammer left his side for more than 60 seconds than Thor would revert to Donald Blake. Marvel decided this was a dumb foil and got rid of the concept back in 1984.

Human Torch asbestos

Johnny Storm the Human Torch is a very powerful being. His ability to go supernova and literally be able to destroy everything if he chose is a power to be reckoned with. However, if you happen to have some asbestos on then you can have the fight half won.

Martian Manhunter fire, matches

A lot of people aren’t familiar with the Martian Manhunter. His powers put him in league with Superman and in my opinion, make him even more powerful. He’s got super strength, flight, invulnerability, heat vision, shapeshifting, invisibility, and telepathy. However, if you got some gasoline and light a match to set the whole room on fire than it is literally on. Martians weakness for fire is what helped Batman defeat a room full of Martians in a classic Justice League story.

Firestorm organics

Firestorm the Nuclear Man is very powerful indeed. I mean, come on, he’s the nuclear man. One of his main powers is his ability to transmute objects. So, you try to shoot him with a hail of bullets and he turns them into flowers or cotton balls. He can transmute anything except anything organic. He can not transmute humans or animals in any way.

Shazam & Captain Marvel Jr saying their own names

These two heroes go in together because not only are they related to each other of sorts but they have the same weakness. Shazam used to be called Captain Marvel but because of rights and confusion, he is now called Shazam. However, for Billy Batson to become Shazam he has to say his name for the lightning to strike so if he is in his superhero form and says his name again, he reverts back to Billy Batson. The same applies to Captain Marvel Jr who has to say Captain Marvel to get his powers. In Captain Marvel Jr’s case, this may no longer apply since Shazam has been retconned and Captain Marvel is no longer a thing in the DC universe.

Gladiator self confidence

Gladiator is like a space Superman. You name it he can do it. Strength, speed, slow aging, invulnerability, the whole thing. However, an attack on his ego and give him doubt then you have him right where you want him. For all his grandiose posturing and bravado, if you shake his confidence than the battle is won.

Power Girl raw unprocessed natural material

Power Girl has a slightly confusing background. Originally, she is the Earth 2 cousin of Superman but that has been changed in so many different ways. She is now on an Earth 2 that I care not to go into but that doesn’t change the fact of why she’s on this list. Her weakness is raw unprocessed natural materials. So, man-made bullets she can handle but if you try to drive a wooden stake through her heart like a vampire you are on to something.

Wolverine The Muramasa Blade

Over the years, Wolverine has become annoyingly hard to kill. Don’t get me wrong, Wolverine is a great character but over the years they kept throwing things at him and he would not die. So, what do you do with a character you make too powerful? You create a special sword that can actually kill him. For good.

Adam Strange too long away from Earth

The hero Adam Strange is not so much a hero on earth as he is a hero on the planet Rann. He was drawn there by the zeta beam. However, this is also his weakness. He can not stay away from Earth for more than a year at a time. So even if he’s in the middle of a mission and his year is up, he vanishes back to Earth.

Kenny Walker Jr

In a world where the superhero genre does not seem to get the respect it deserves, comic book fans have been patiently waiting for this day. The day when the Academy recognizes that comic book movies are worth being recognized for more than just technical awards. Our place at the big boy’s table

Black Panther has given us our seat at that table. Not only has Black Panther been nominated for six other different awards but it has been nominated for the granddaddy of awards: Best Motion Picture. This makes Black Panther the first comic book movie to be nominated in this category.

Scoring 98% on Rotten Tomatoes the Marvel film has also been nominated for Best Achievement in Music for Motion Pictures (Original Score), Best Achievement in Music for Motion Picture (Original Song), Best Achievement in Costume Design, Best Achievement in Production Design, Best Achievement in Sound Editing, and Best Achievement in Sound Mixing.

The competition is pretty fierce in the Best Motion Picture category. Black Panther will be going up against Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite, BlacKkKlansman, and Green Book. All pretty solid movies in the box office for 2018 along with Black Panther. But I think the movie that had a budget of approximately $200,000,000 and grossed approximately $700,000,00 will have no trouble giving all nominated movies a run for their money.

The closest a comic book movie has come to being nominated to a top award category such as this is the posthumous win of Best Supporting Actor award won by Heath Ledger in 2008. The first comic book movie to get nominated for an Academy Award is the Max Fleischer Superman cartoon of 1941 nominated for Best Animated Short Subject. The first comic book Oscar went to Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman movie for Best Art Direction.

If Black Panther doesn’t get the Best Picture Oscar, the Marvel movie won’t have an empty award shelf. The movie has previously won best movie awards at MTV Movie & TV Awards for Movie of the Year, Black Film Critics Circle Award for Best Picture, BET Award for Best Movie, African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) for Best Picture, AFI Award for Movie of the Year, and Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films for Best Comic to Film Motion Picture among some other wins for the film. More than a few awards have also been won by Michael B. Jordon for his portrayal of Killmonger.

Hopefully, this sets a new trend for comic book movies and they are taken more seriously by the Academy. I was surprised to find that Black Panther was the first to ever get nominated in this category. I would have thought for sure the 1978 Superman, the 1989 Batman or Nolan’s 2008 the Dark Knight would have been nominated but I couldn’t remember until I researched it. As good and classic as those movies were, they mainly only got nominated for technical awards. These comic book movies are very rarely nominated for the acting ability of the stars which is a shame.

These actors do a stellar job because as cheesy as it sounds, they often have to play two characters in one movie: that of the hero and that of the person with the secret identity. Regardless here’s to a hopefully bright future and turn around for the comic book movie genre.

Kenny Walker Jr

The biggest news in comic book culture in a quick review. Once a month Obsidian Nomad will run through some quick need to know stories that we may come across. If you have any stories you would like for us to report on, please do not hesitate to drop a message in our comment section of this article. Enjoy.

Spider Man: Far Away From Home Trailer

The trailer for the new Spiderman movie dropped on Tuesday, January 15 and boy did it set the internet on fire. We got so much in this first trailer that I hope there is more to surprise us when the movie is finally released. Assuming this takes place after Avengers: Endgame we see that Peter Parker has made is through the event alive. There was really no doubt. We see that Nick Fury also made it out alive and has a prominent role in recruiting Peter for an important mission.

Apparently, Aunt May has not only accepted that her nephew is Spiderman but she also appears to have a growing relationship with Happy Hogan. Peter seems to be making his move on M.J. and she seems to be ok with that. As villains go Mysterio looks awesome and the hope is that one of these water elementals is Hydro Man. Internet speculation is that we don’t see Tony Stark in this trailer because he may not make it out alive in Avengers: Endgame.

I’m not so sure of that because I’m under the belief that the MCU just wants you to wonder at this point. Come on, can you really kill Tony Stark? Another internet speculation is that Samuel Jackson’s Nick Fury is either classic Spiderman villain Chameleon or a Skrull. This could go either way but seeing how they are in Europe and Chameleon is of European origin this could be possible. And let’s not forget we were promised a return of Michael Keaton in this movie. Spider Man hits theatres July 5. We can’t wait!

Punisher

Season 2 of Punisher hits Netflix on Friday, January 18. Jon Bernthal returns as what is considered one of the best of many Frank Castle adaptions. Season 1 was hard and gritty and was everything a fanboy or fangirl would want from a Punisher show. I still get a kick out of the guys wanting to pick a fight with the man knocking down a concrete wall alone.

The thirteen-episode series is centered around Frank Castle saving a young girl from being murdered and contemplating his life as the Punisher. Like all the Marvel Netflix series, this takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe along with the movies and tv shows. Seeing how this might be the last chance we get to see this adaption due to Netflix not renewing these Marvel shows, I hope the Punisher goes out with a bang just as Daredevil did last year.

Reign of the Supermen

The sequel to last years animated Death of Superman hits in January. The movie played at select Fathom Events theatres on January 13 and was released digitally on January 15. The DVD and Blue-ray will come out on January 29. This is an animated retelling of the now classic story about the ones who came to replace Superman after his sacrifice defeating Doomsday that took place in the Death of Superman animated movie. Steel, Superboy, Cyborg Superman, and the Eradicator are all featured along with Lois Lane, Lex Luthor and the Justice League leading up to the eventual return of The Man of Steel himself.

Second Coming

DC Comics has announced that it will be publishing a comic called Second Coming which one of the 2 main characters will be Jesus Christ. The premise is that God sends Jesus back to Earth to learn what traits he should have to be more successful this time around from a superhero called Sun Man. Jesus, of course, is upset about the state of the world and Christianity today. There is no mention of Jesus having God-like powers. However, with DC Comics new endeavors, we can probably expect more news down the line from Christian groups when the book hits in March of this year.

Kenny Walker Jr

There’s going to be a lot to get hyped for in the cinema for 2019. We have an eagerly awaited sequel to a 2018 blockbuster, heroes returning to the screen, reboots, mutants, and a new powerhouse to the MCU among other great projects.

ObsidianNomad is going to give you our short take on some of these upcoming projects for 2019. Let us know what you think of the 2019 movie year.

January

11th

Glass – Universal Pictures – Bruce Willis, James McAvoy, Samuel L Jackson

This movie serves as the last part of a trilogy by writer/director M. Night Shyamalan after the two successful films Unbreakable (2000) and Split (2016). Using the same formula as the previous films with the same showrunner and acting talent this will no doubt be a third success.

February

14th

Alita: Battle Angel – 20th Century Fox – Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, Keean Johnson

Produced by James Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis and directed by Robert Rodriguez this movie is based on Yukito Kishiro’s manga Gunnm. Translation of manga and anime to live action has not always been successful, especially to the fans of the original. Let’s hope this movie can turn things around for that trend.

March

8th

Captain Marvel – Marvel Studios – Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Annette Benning, Clark Gregg, Jude Law

This much anticipated Marvel addition is sure to be a hit. Captain Marvel is a superhero that’s going to bring two well-needed concepts to the MCU: a female lead and Skrulls. One of the things that woke up fans about this movie is the introduction of the alien race to the MCU because of the other possible storylines that can spin out of it. Also, we get the return of Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson back to the MCU where he belongs

29th

Dumbo – Walt Disney Pictures – Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Alan Arkin

The classic Disney animation is coming to live action with some great acting talent on the screen. With the names listed above, it would be conceivable that the movie will be a hit. However, with Tim Burton directing, there is a chance that the classic will take an unrecognizable dark turn as Tim Burton remake projects tend to do sometimes. I’m already a little put off that this movie is not coming from the animal point of view and seems to be more focused on the humans around him. Surprisingly enough he has not called on his main go-to actor Johnny Depp to fill yet another over animated part.

April

5th

Shazam – Warner Bros. Pictures – Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, Grace Fulton, Ian Chen, Djimon Hounsou

Another addition to the DCU has come and taking a hint from the trailers it seems to be along a much lighter tone than previous DCU projects. Hopefully, director David Sandberg and writers Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke can maintain the upswing Aquaman has begun to set the DCU towards. Although to some, it looks too campy, hopefully, a lighter tone will revive whatever Warner Bros. and DC Films are trying to do with these properties

12th

Hellboy – Summit Entertainment – David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Sasha Lane, Daniel Dae Kim

Based on the Dark Horse Comics character this movie is a reboot with David Harbour taking over the title role. Directed by Neil Marshall, this movie seems to be taking a darker and gorier turn as it was given an R rating. Hopefully, this works out for them and is well received by fans.

19th

Avengers: Endgame – Marvel Studios – Far too many stars for us to list. Know that just about every person you have seen in the MCU since the first Iron Man movie will probably be showing up here.

This is it. Endgame. After over a year wait, we get to see the aftermath of the mad God, Thanos’, snap. Now we are not stupid and there’s not total suspense on this. Due to their success and already knowing that there will be a sequel to their first movies, we know Black Panther, Spiderman, and Dr Strange will come back and be survivors. The question is how this all unfolds. We also await the reunion of Captain America and Iron Man after the events in Captain America: Civil War. Most importantly, we will be looking for a post humorous appearance from the late great father of comics, Stan Lee.

May

10th

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu – Warner Bros. Pictures – Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Ken Watanabe 

Directed by Rob Letterman and written by Nicole Perlman, this adaption is taken from the video game and is an American and Japanese joint project. With a different, more adult take on the character and Ryan Reynolds voicing the lead character this may be the cult hit of 2019.

24th

Aladdin – Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures – Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzan, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, Billy Magnussen, Numan Acar

The second live-action remake of a Disney classic in 2019 this one directed by Guy Richie and written by John August and Venessa Taylor. Aladdin has been an animated movie with a sequel, a cartoon series, and a Broadway play so a live-action remake will be filling a big shoe. I like Naomi Scott from Lemonade Mouth and Power Rangers and think she will make a perfect Jasmine and I’m hoping Will Smith can deliver as the Genie which is a big shoe to fill within the movie itself.

31st

Godzilla: King of the Monsters – Warner Bros. Pictures – Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance

Directed and written by Michael Dougherty, King of the Monsters will be the sequel to the 2014 Godzilla movie. This movie marks Millie Bobby Brown’s debut in a feature film and judging from her work on Netflix’s Stranger Things I doubt she will be overshadowed by the enormous monsters such as Godzilla and Mothra.

June

7th

Dark Phoenix – 20th Century Fox – James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Evan Peters, Jessica Chastain

Written and directed by Simon Kinberg, 20th Century Fox is taking another shot at redeeming the mess they have made of one of the most cherished franchises in comic book history. As a true X-Men fan from the comics, I’m not sure how this is going to work in one two-hour movie especially without any involvement from the Mastermind, The Hellfire Club, The Shi’ar and the Imperial Guard. But once again, 20th Century Fox takes its own liberties. So glad they let Ryan Reynolds have more say in the Deadpool movies.

14th

Men in Black: International – Sony Pictures – Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Rebecca Ferguson, Kumail Najiani, Rafe Spall, Laurent Bourgeois, Larry Bourgeois, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson

This spin-off to the hit trilogy is directed by F. Gary Grey and written by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. MIB International utilizes the chemistry and success Hemsworth and Thompson shared on Thor: Ragnarok. The only cameo connection you get from the previous films is Emma Thompson reprising her role as O from MIB III and the alien worms.

July

5th

Spider-Man: Far From Home – Sony Pictures – Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Jon Favreau, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Jake Gyllenhaal, Cobie Smulders, Samuel L Jackson

This sequel collaboration with Sony and Marvel Studios is directed by Jon Watts and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. The two things that stick out to me is that apparently, Peter Parker survives the snap and Tony Stark is not mentioned as prominently as he was in the first movie. Hmmmm.

19th

The Lion King – Walt Disney Pictures – Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Billy Eichner, John Oliver, Keegan-Michael Key, Beyoncé Knowles Carter, James Earl Jones

Another live action adaption of a Disney classic, this one directed by Jon Favreau. From the trailer, the special effects look awesome. Bonus: James Earl Jones will be back in his role as Mufasa from the original animated movie. That alone is enough to put me in the theatre.

August

2nd

The New Mutants – 20th Century Fox – Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams, Charlie Heaton, Henry Zaga, Blu Hunt, Alice Braga

Directed by Josh Boone and written by him along with Knate Lee this does not seem to take the typical mutant superhero theme as past X franchise movies. I’m hesitant on this as I feel 20th Century Fox does not handle these properties correctly. I remember picking up the first New Mutants graphic novel and reading the comic until it became X-Force and beyond. You can not do a proper New Mutants film without heavily involving the actual X-Men in some capacity.

October

4th

Joker – Warner Bros. Pictures – Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Douglas Hodge, Marc Maron, Josh Pais, Shea Whigham

I realize a lot of people are looking forward to this movie but this movie being unconnected to the current DCU storylines makes this movie ridiculous to me. Remember that Venom movie without the main hero Spiderman? How do you expect to make a movie around a villain whose origins take place around an action from his main hero nemesis Batman? Directed by Todd Phillips and written by him and Scott Silver, I hope this movie is as good as Joaquin Phoenix looks as the main character.

November

1st

Terminator 6 – Paramount Pictures – Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis, Gabriel Luna, Natalie Reyes, Diego Boneta

Linda Hamilton was one of the nicest celebrities I have ever met at a comic con and for that, I hope her return to the franchise is a success. However, I’m not sure how many times we can tell this story. This is to be a sequel from the first two Terminator movies and skipping over the television show and the other movies because they are on alternate timelines. Yeah, really. This potential disaster will be directed by Tim Miller and written by David S Goyer. The people who made Back to the Future knew when to let the timeline flux disruption thing go, why can’t these people. SMH

8th

Sonic the Hedgehog – Paramount Pictures – Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Jim Carrey

2019 seems to be the year to turn any animated cartoon or movie into live action as Jeff Fowler takes his turn at directing Sonic and Patrick Casey, Josh Miller, and Oren Uziel take their hand at penning the hedgehog’s adventures. I think the bigger buzz of this movie will be how Jim Carrey will overact the main villain, Dr. Robotnik.

Kingsman: The Great Game – 20th Century Fox – Rhys Ifans, Charles Dance, Daniel Bruhl, Harris Dickinson, Zander James

Another installment of the franchise directed by Matthew Vaughn and written by him, Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar. Currently, in production, this movie is set before the first movie to show us how The Secret Service came to be what it is.

December

20th

Star War: Episode IX – Walt Disney Studios – Like the Avengers movie earlier this year there are just too many actors to mention. Rest assured that the usual suspects will return for another space odyssey.

Directed and written by J. J. Abrams, two points stick out to me: I finally get the return of Billy Dee Williams to the franchise as Lando Calrissian as I have been waiting for since the Force Returns and Carrie Fisher has some unseen footage that will be used. I suspect that her real-life death will be explained and done tastefully.

Kenny Walker Jr

Even superheroes need friends. This week we have put together the top 10 list of super buddies in comics. This is a list of characters who are known to hang together and be friends outside of their adventures together.

10. Juggernaut & Black Tom Cassidy

We are going to start with two super villains because even the bad guys need friends. In a world where most villains do not trust each other and are known for stabbing each other in the back, Black Tom and Kane Marko are known for putting their friendship first before any devilish plot or revenge.

9. Misty Knight & Colleen Wing

The coolest women of the comic book world had to make this list. For years they served as supporting characters in Power Man and Iron Fist known to many as Daughters of the Dragon. Their friendship was the shining moments in the Netflix Iron Fist season 2 series.

8. Wonder Man & The Beast

These two characters created the bromance in comics. With both characters having very different backstories, they came together in the Avengers books. They laughed together, partied together, and most importantly fought together.

7. Harlequin & Poison Ivy

These gal pals are the feminine side of the underworld. They have teamed up for various criminal endeavors and became friends. The depths of their friendship were last explored in the current Heroes in Crisis storyline where Poison Ivy is believed to have been a victim of the carnage that sets off the event.

6. Blue Beatle & Booster Gold

The blue and gold. This duo provided much humor and heroics with the Justice League. Whether it be trying to use their superhero status to pick up women or for a get rich quick scheme, these characters are one of the main reasons you read Justice League and Justice League International in the 90s.

5. Power Man & Iron Fist

Luke Cage and Danny Rand are two heroes who come through for each other no matter what. Whether they are Heroes for Hire or Avengers they continue to have each other’s back. Unfortunately, this relationship was not played out to its fullest on the Netflix series.

4. Green Lantern & Green Arrow

Who is your friend? That dude that travels the highways and byways of the land with you to get you back in touch with your humanity. That’s exactly what Green Arrow did for Green Lantern. They traveled America to experience real-world problems and the showed how each character responded differently.

3. The Human Torch & Spiderman

At a time when Marvel was young, it had young heroes. Two of the youngest were Peter Parker and Johnny Storm. It would only stand to reason that’s these two would become best friends. Their friendship would even have Spiderman replace Human Torch in the Fantastic Four when everyone believed he was dead.

2. Captain America & The Falcon

There were so many heroes we could have paired Cap up with. Winter Soldier/ Bucky. Iron Man. However, since they shared a book together this seemed like the obvious choice. Sam Wilson is such a friend to Steve Rogers that he took up his mantle as Captain America when asked.

1. Batman & Superman

Number one is the super friends that they make movies about. Even if it’s not a good movie. Superman and Batman are the oldest set of friends on this list. They have been on a multitude of adventures together and lead the Justice League. They have trusted each other like brothers and fought each other like enemies. Their names are synonymous with each other.

Let us know what you think of our list and what super friends you would add.

Kenny Walker

The Multiverse sounds like a cool idea but it’s really not. The idea of different universes existing that are slightly out of sync with each other yet slightly similar is intriguing. Imagine, on one Earth you are the hero of the world, yet on another, you are the worst villain and yet on another, you are the opposite sex version of yourself and on even another world you whole other ethnicity. That is the multiverse. DC Comics has a multiverse. Again. They had gotten rid of it for good reason then they brought it back. Why I’m not sure.

Let me clear one thing up I love the DC Comics universe, the characters, and the books. My favorite comic character is Batman followed by Nightwing and Black Lightning. My favorite comic storylines include The Teen Titans Judas Contract and Legion of Superheroes Darkness Saga. I’m one of the few people that actually liked the Detroit Justice League team and Morrison’s run on Justice League was classic. My favorite comic book maxi-series with crossovers of all time will always be Crisis on Infinite Earths. This was an ingenious classic that served the main purpose that was executed to perfection. This story destroyed the Multiverse.

Let me explain. When DC Comics started in 1935, they created characters like Superman Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern and other. In the 30s, 40s, and beginning 50s these heroes saved the DC comic book world daily. This is called the Golden Age of Comics. Then in the late 50s, early 60s came the Silver Age of Comics and with that came new takes on some of the Silver Age characters. The new editions were used and the older ones were put away. Then in 1961, DC published The Flash #123 called The Flash of Two Worlds. This book teamed the Silver Age Flash up with the Golden Age Flash which was the first indication that there was a multiverse in DC Comics.

Soon other writers ran with this idea and DC had a mess of imaginary stories and convoluted plot lines that could not be explained. Characters who would meet in one book and not know each other in another book. When DC would acquire other characters from other publishers like Shazam from Fawcett Comics or the Charlton Comic characters they set them on another parallel universe expanding the multiverse even more. This made DC comics hard to follow at times and ungrounded which made sales easier for the main competition Marvel Comics which was based on one easy to follow universe which was more grounded.

To solve this problem, DC Comics came up with the year-long maxi-series called Crisis on Infinite Earths which would destroy the multiverse and place every character in one world. Of course, you had to kill off some characters to get rid of dead weight and redundant characters because why would you need two Green Arrows or two Jimmy Olsons. In any event, the problem was solved. For a time. The problem now is not that they have brought back aspects of the multiverse to the DC canon. The problem is that they have inadvertently brought the multiverse to the screen. Big and small.

The CW is known for having DC heroes dominate their lineup for the past 4 years with Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and Black Lightning. For the past four years, Flash has introduced that within the Arrowverse, as the CW calls it, there is a multiverse. So far it has been established that Supergirl takes place in a different universe then Flash, Arrow, and Legends. There has also been no mention of Black Lightning taking place in any of the other universes. Every year there is a big crossover and this December the crossover will include Supergirl, Flash, and Arrow in an Elseworlds title crossover that will introduce other worlds. This will also bring a live-action Monitor to the screen who is a pivotal character in the 1985 – 1986 Crisis on Infinite Earths.

But it doesn’t stop there. No. In the DC Cinematic Universe in a world far far away from the CW Arrowverse, there exist another Earth of heroes and they have a totally different Flash and Superman. Characters that have shown up in the CW Arrowverse. Although the cinematic universe had their Superman first, fans wondered why DC and Warner Bros. wouldn’t use the Flash that they already had on the CW and make the worlds more cohesive. But that wasn’t in the plans. Without a scorecard and knowledge of comics, you were confused. It didn’t help any that the CW shows were being written better than the big production movies. Last year’s CW crossover Crisis on Earth X was way better put together than the Justice League movie and played out more like the comics than the cinematic universe could ever hope to accomplish.

You think it would stop there, but it doesn’t. This year, DC launched the DC Universe streaming channel which premiers the show, Titans. Titans is placed in yet another universe that is separate from the CW Arrowverse and the cinematic universe. Titans is a much darker universe which uses a lot of curse words, death and violence that helps separate it from the others. The tip of the iceberg is on Fox TV there is the show Gotham. Gotham will be beginning it’s 5th and last season and is the story of how James Gordon becomes commissioner and Bruce Wayne’s journey to become the Bat. Set in yet another universe this makes watching DC even more difficult.

The one other problem with this is that we can see how this is done right. Marvel has DC beat in this aspect once again as it has with the comic universe. The Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Marvel Netflix Universe, and the Marvel TV universe all connect and acknowledge each other’s existence. The Marvel characters under Fox and Sony Studios are exceptions at the present time but with the recent acquisitions by Disney fans are hoping to see a change in that situation. There has also not been a connection with Hulu’s Runaways and Free Form’s Cloak and Dagger but it’s not far removed that they can be incorporated into the Marvel universe mainly because there has not been a crossover in characters as DC has done.

Once again, DC has let the idea of a multiverse lessen the concept of what a great universe and characters they have. A die-hard fanboy like me can follow the different universes that DC has created and can chalk it up to DC being DC. The average everyday fan can get frustrated and confused wondering why are there two Flashes? Why are there two Supermen? Are the Batman and Alfred on Fox TV the same as the Batman and Alfred in the movies and are they in the same ones the Robin from the DC Universe streaming Titans work with? Confusing.

You know, Marvel had an alternate universe called the Ultimate Universe. When it started to get big and confusing, they destroyed it after 5 years and kept it moving.

Kenny Walker Jr

The following is a response to Bill Maher’s blog in which he wrote some disparaging things regarding Comics books and the late great Stan Lee. It is my intent to use this letter to show how Mr. Maher is wrong by using pieces of my life story.

Dear Mr. Maher

When I was 9 years old, my parents moved from the city to the suburbs. I would have to make new friends and get used to my new surroundings. The one problem was that we moved in the summer of that year and I really wouldn’t meet anyone until school started in the fall.

The summer of 1976 was when I first started getting into comics. Superfriends, Shazam, Batman, Iron Man, Spiderman and the Fantastic Four became my new friends that summer. Although I made some new human friends in the fall when school started, I was not ready to give up my friends that existed in my escape world. So, I had both. The best of both worlds.

A few years later, I was still into comics. Every dime my 12–year–old hands could get from my parents I went to the local 7/11 to send on comics. I looked forward to going to the local farmers market because I knew I could get more. This quickly became my hobby.

It was around this time that my father was just as closed minded as you and was concerned that I was reading too many of these books. Imagine, an educated man like my father worried because I was reading. Who would think? I appeased my parents and read some books without pictures like Paddington and other children books along with some poetry books because I was into poetry also.

However, I always gravitated back to comic books. My father’s closest friend was a respected school teacher in our area and my father voiced his concerns about my hobby. His friend asked him “Is he reading?”. “Well yes,” my father said. “How is he doing in English and the standard test the schools give every year in comprehension?” his friend queried.

“He’s doing good” my father responded. Well, you don’t have a problem. You have a kid reading. Doesn’t matter what he’s reading as long as he is reading. That’s why he’s doing good in school. My father had no argument. A few years later my father took me to my first comic convention. He was surprised at this time there were just as many adults as kids there. This was about the early 1980s. Over 30 years before Trump.

Throughout my teens, I continued to read comic books. Comic books would encourage me to learn about other things. Reading books like Fantastic Four and Iron Man would give me an interest in science. Reading a book called All Star Squadron would give me historical facts about World War II. Reading Batman books not only piqued my interest in the benefits of using your deductive skills but also showed what you could possibly accomplish if your trained yourself and dedicated yourself to succeed.

Reading The X-men taught me how rational civilized people handle racism and the correct way to conduct yourself when faced with such a thing which was important to a young Afro-American teenager. Reading about Peter Parker the Amazing Spiderman gave me a hero I could relate to that was closer to my age and taught me “with great power comes great responsibility”. Something people like you tend to forget when you get a national stage and make irresponsible comments.

At the age of 17 and about to go to college, I had a problem. I had so too many comics and nowhere to put them. My grandfather was a man that could build anything so that’s where I went to make something to hold my hobby. I designed it and provided all the measurements and he showed me how to make it. My grandfather would be with us for another 20 years and we had tons of good memorable times together but comics brought us closer and gave us a time neither of us would ever forget. At 52, I still have that big wooden case we made to hold 1,400 comic books.

When I became 25, I was blessed with a son. As a toddler, he would watch me read comics. As he got older, but still too young to read, he would sit on my lap and marvel at the pictures. The day that brought a tear to my eyes was when I took him to a comic book store and I heard him read for the first time. Yes, it was a comic book. Spiderman. Inspired by comic books, my son would go to college and receive a bachelor’s degree in Illustration. He is currently living with his wife who teaches in Japan as he works on his first independent comic book.

But I jump ahead. Since his teen years, one of the many connections my son and I have is comic books and the sci-fi world. We would go to comic cons together. We would go to the midnight showings of the blockbuster comic book movies. In 2015, we started our own podcast called Like Nerd Like Son on iTunes and SoundCloud which we stopped doing because he moved to Japan. Understand, that although comic books are not the only thing that bonds a father and son, it plays an important part.

To slightly digress, when my son was ten, I married a woman with 3 kids. My new daughter did not get into comics but knew the importance they had in my life. When the family was low on cash and I had to sell some books, she was right there with me selling books at the convention. To this day she will drag her boyfriend out to the movies to the newest superhero movie with her Dad.

All this to say how wrong you are sir. Wrong not only in your disrespect of the late Stan Lee but you are wrong about comic books and the important impact they have on our society. Your narrow–minded approach to comic books is based on an opinion that was not well considered. My story is my story but I’m sure there are more stories from others like me that are just like mine. Stories showing family bonding.

Stories showing a young kid getting through a difficult situation by just reading. Stories showing that the work of men like Stan Lee has helped change and mold lives. The work of Stan Lee and his peers not only created movies that we watch now but worlds, universes, and dimensions that helped expand minds and imagination. What would we be without imagination?

Stan Lee was a man who spoke out against discrimination when it wasn’t popular for a White man to do so. Stan Lee was the man who wrote a groundbreaking story in the 1970s to help educate youth on the evils of drug use. Stan Lee was the man who would remain editor of a comic company for nearly 30 years only to take a leave of absence to serve our county in World War II.

Stan Lee was the man who stayed married to his wife for nearly 70 years showing that someone in the celebrity spotlight could maintain a lasting marriage. Stan Lee was the man who created fictional characters that have bonded generations in the past and will continue to do so for decades to come. What is the importance of comics? I’m almost positive that 50 years from now the average person will remember Spiderman and his message of “with great power comes great responsibility” before they remember a comedian with a political cable TV show.

Signed

A Forever Comic Book Fan

Kenny Walker Jr

 On Monday, November the 12th, 2018, we lost an iconic legend. Stan Lee passed away at the young age of 95. I say young because whenever he made a public appearance you felt his life force in a young positive way. We believed that Stan Lee would live forever.

Although that can not be true, we at ObsidianNomad have pointed out the 7 ways Stan Lee is iconic and will live forever in our hearts.

7. Thank You For Your Service, Mr. Lee.

In 1942, Stan Lee took a leave of absence from his job as interim editor of Timely Comics to join the United States Army. His army classification was playwright which was a title shared by only 9 men in the service at that time. He first served in the Signal Corps repairing communications equipment and then was moved to the Training Division where he worked on training manuals, training films, slogans and some cartooning. When he was discharged from the service in 1945, he resumed his position as editor for Timely Comics which would later become Marvel Comics until 1972 when he would become the publisher.

6. Till Death Do Us Part

On December 5th, 1947, Stan married Joan Clayton Boocock. They would have a marriage that would span 69 years. On July 6, 2017, Joan passed away due to complications from a stroke. For 69 years, Stan Lee helped create an empire and had the same woman that he loved so dearly standing with him the whole time.

5. the Bullpen and the Bullpen Bulletin

In the mid to late 60’s, Stan created what would be famously called the Marvel Bullpen. This was a collection of writers, artist and editorial staff that ran Marvel Comics. Furthermore, this caused Stan to come up with The Bullpen Bulletin. The Bullpen Bulletin was published in the comics until 2001 and represented a place where the reader could talk to the creators of their favorite books by asking questions and often times directing that editor by name. At the time of creation, no other comic company had that kind of personal touch.

4. Challenger of the Unknown

No, before you get that twisted, Stan Lee did not create Challengers of the Unknown. That was a Kirby thing. However, I labeled number 4 like this because Stan Lee was known for going into the unknown. In 1971 the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare asked Stan to write a story warning kids of the dangers of drugs. Stan Lee wrote a 3-part story in Amazing Spiderman that, although was compelling, did not pass the Comic Code Authority guidelines because the story depicted drug use regardless of its anti-drug message. Stan and Marvel published the story without the code which would be a Marvel first. When the story did extremely well in sales this forced the Comic Code Authority to loosen its guidelines to a more up to date standard. Stan also was responsible for co-creating the Falcon, the first Afro American superhero in 1969. Throughout his career, Stan Lee would be a trailblazer in the comic industry to advocate diversity in comics.

3. Excelsior

Technically, this should go under number 5 in Bullpen but I thought we could pull this off as its own category. Stan Lee was responsible for coining a few phrases that comic book nerds use as a second language. Foremost being his famous closing remarks written and spoken “Excelsior”. Another popular saying coined by Stan was “’Nuff Said” which was often used at the end of proving a point and calling his fans “True Believers” because that’s what we are. Last but not least, the words he probably loved to hear from us all “Make Mine Marvel”.

2. Cameos

Stan Lee was the Alfred Hitchcock of our time. He started out doing voice work narrating the Marvel cartoons. His distinct voice and catchphrases let you know that you were watching a Marvel Comics joint. When the modern Marvel live action movies came into play, Stan Lee made his presence known by appearing in most of these movies as bystanders, mailmen, librarians, janitors, and even a Watcher informant. His appearances are legendary and even though Stan Lee is gone we are not completely done with his cameos. The next cameo would have been in Avengers 4 which I am happy to report was previously shot and will make it into the movie.

1.Writer and Creator

Stan Lee is responsible for creating and co-creating some of the best characters in comics such as the Hulk, Iron Man, Spiderman, the X-Men and Daredevil to name a few. But where would most of us be without these heroes to believe in? Stan Lee gave us the gift of his creations and shared them with us so we can take them with us in our everyday lives. Where would we be without Peter Parker learning with great power comes great responsibility? Stan Lee invited us into a world where X-men would face prejudice and discrimination based on their difference. His realism connected with us on levels that we will never forget. We had hope and strength and believed that we can do the impossible. That is why we are the True Believers. Because of an iconic man named Stan Lee that will live forever in our hearts.

Kenny Walker Jr

illustration by Jorge O’connell

We live in a time where it is commonplace to turn a comic book hero into live action. Whether on the silver screen or on your home TV, we seldom have to imagine what our favorite comic book hero would look like if they came to life. Technology in the industry has made even the most complex character able to come alive. But not every character has gotten star treatment as there are tons of characters that have been looked over. Here is our list of DC and Marvel comic book heroes that we feel deserve to be made live action.

1. Elongated Man & Sue Dibny

When I started to write this article, these are the first characters that came to mind. I know we get a taste of Elongated Man on the CW’s Flash but this is different. Before she was killed in Identity Crisis and he was killed in 52, this was the magical DC super couple that made people believe that a hero could love. This could be a rom-com that saves the DC cinematic universe from the darkness they feel they need to be relevant. I know these are B listers that the fans barely know but that’s even more reason that there is little chance this would be messed up. Did you know that the artist used Danny Kaye as a basis to draw Ralph Dibny and Dawn Wells from Gilligans Island to draw Sue Dibny? True story.

2. Legion of Superheroes

Come on, who wouldn’t want to see the story of the future heroes brought to live action. Legion flight rings would be enough for me to say yes. Again, some of these characters have already been on a few CW shows but this would be a much bigger take. Think Star Trek but with every member of the crew having some sort of super power. They could even tie this into the Justice League movie and use the Darkness Saga storyline which features the Legion going up against Darkseid.

3. Freedom Fighters

Freedom Fighters takes place on an Earth where the Nazi won World War II. Uncle Sam, Black Condor, Doll Man, The Ray, Phantom Lady, and the Human Bomb are the leaders of a resistance force set to bring down the Nazi regime. If you marry the movie Red Dawn with the TV show V and gave all the main characters super powers this is the demon love child you would get. I would go see that.

4. All-Star Squadron

All Star Squadron was a DC comic that took place during World War II. In their stories, writers would use actual events that took place in history but would add the fictional characters in the mix as if they were a part of real history. This would not only be good on the big screen but as an ongoing TV show.

5. Wonder Man

Wonder Man, AKA Simon Williams, is the ionically charged superhero in the Marvel Universe that lives in Hollywood as an actor/stuntman when he is not out saving the world with the Avengers. Although he is thought of as a B list hero, he is one of the more powerful heroes in the Avenger books. Yes, he does happen to have a convoluted origin that can be dummied down but to his credit, his brother, the Grim Reaper, would make the perfect villain that the story would need. What would make this interesting is that you can tell a whole struggling actor story and his desire to be a superhero collide to make his life difficult.

6. Multiple Man

Jaime Maddox, the Multiple Man, has already been featured in an X-Man movie. This showing did not give him justice. If you follow the true comic book version of the use of his powers and not make him a guy that can duplicate himself for a fight then you would have an interesting plot. Imagine a guy who can duplicate himself and send his duplicates out into the world to learn different things. Then they come back to the original and get re-absorbed and give the original the knowledge they have learned. You send a duplicate out to learn religion, another duplicate out to learn martial arts and another duplicate out to learn medicine then a few years later they come back to get re-absorbed and you retain their knowledge. You could potentially be the smartest person in the world. Then you can add the conflict of a duplicate not wanting to be re-absorbed or a duplicate turning to evil and now you have quite an interesting movie.

7. Blue Beetle & Booster Gold

Blue Beatle, Ted Kord, and Booster Gold, Michael Carter, were the best part of the Justice League in the late 80’s to early 90’s. Their exploits as heroes who would sometimes screw things up were legendary. But they were true heroes who got the job done. Yes, they were funny but when times got tough they were the ones you could count on. These guys made this list because I think this is the kind of movie the DC Cinematic Universe needs to get them away from the idea that they have to have dark serious movies.

8. Alpha Flight

Alpha Flight is like the Canadian version of the Avengers. Plain and simple but that would be the appeal to this coming to the big screen. What makes this team so dynamic is that it has so many variations of powers. Alpha Flight has mutants, mystics, scientist, alien creatures and mythical creatures that make up this team. You could use the strong ties to Wolverine if you want but you really don’t have to go there. This is a concept that can stand on its own.

9. Shang-Chi

Let’s be honest, Shang Chi is a character created in the 70’s to cash in on the whole Bruce Lee thing. He’s an Asian guy who is arguably the best martial arts fighter in the Marvel universe who happens to have an evil father. This character made the list because if done right with the right actor you could have one of the best martial arts movies made. Again, being honest, the martial arts displayed by Finn Jones as Iron Fist was extremely lacking because you cast a guy who knew nothing about martial arts. This would be Marvel’s chance to give their fans the martial arts kick ass film they deserve.

10. Milestone Line

In 1993, a group of Afro-American artist and writers founded Milestone Media because they felt minority characters were not represented well in the American comic industry. Distributed by DC Comics, they created a universe of minority characters that would become a legendary breakthrough in comics. The most popular character would be Static. But there were also great characters such as Icon and Rocket, Hardware, and the Blood Syndicate. All good characters that could hold a whole movie universe to last at least a good 10 years. Of course, most people want to see a live-action Static but I personally would love to see them take a crack at bringing the Blood Syndicate to life.

11. Blue Marvel

Adam Brashear, Blue Marvel, is not a known character at all. He is relatively new to comics created only about 10 years ago in 2008. His story is an interesting one though. Getting his powers in the 1950’s and fighting crime completely covered because he was a Black man. Although during his heyday in the 50’s and 60’s he was the worlds number one hero he hid his true identity because he knew the world would not accept him if they knew he was a Black man. True to form, in a battle his clothes were torn to reveal to the world he was indeed a man of color he was forced to resign from superhero life and attempt to live out the rest of his life as a private citizen. Then circumstance brings him out of retirement in today’s world. Because of the nature of his powers he has not aged much at all. He fights crime without his mask. With the popularity of Black Panther and the climate for the world regarding people of color, this is the right time to make a movie about a positive Black hero.

12. Moon Knight

I added this on because Moon Knight, AKA Marc Specter, is what everyone wants to see. You know why this character would work? Because he is basically Marvels answer to Batman but with split personalities. If Marvel does not want to put this fan favorite on the big screen than they should at least prepare a series on a streaming service.

That’s our list. Leave comments and let us know if you agree or disagree with our list.

Kenny Walker Jr