My friend, Adilifu Nama's second book, Super Black: Imagining Race in Science Fiction debuted this week. Super Black is more than just a book offering a cursory examination of Black superhereos. It is an in-depth analysis and exploration of the Black Superhero (Luke Cage, Blade and Storn, Among them) as more than just one dimensional "characters, " but rather as complete and actualized entities. Dr. Nama, Associate Professor and Chair of the African American Studies Dept. at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, fleshes out these heroes, who have not always been afforded the prefix of "super," and lets us know that, given the opportunity, they quite often have more to offer than the role of mere ineffectual side-kicks. (At the very least, they prove equal to their white counterparts.) Captain America and the Falcon are perfect examples of this belief. As you can image, this book is indeed also a rather forthright commentary on race relations, equality and social justice in our society, most specifically during the 1960's and 1970's, as seen through the colorful pages of comic books.
Adilifu's award-winning first book, BLACK SPACE, debuted in 2008 to excellent reviews. He will be doing a reading and book signing next Friday, October 14th, at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena. If in the area, I'm certain that it will be worth your while to attend.
Adilifu's award-winning first book, BLACK SPACE, debuted in 2008 to excellent reviews. He will be doing a reading and book signing next Friday, October 14th, at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena. If in the area, I'm certain that it will be worth your while to attend.
(All images taken from the book, SUPER BLACK)
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