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The Baitalion
Page 3
Tubularmcm
By Boomer Cardinale
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Comic book
focuses on
urban reality
JUST THE BEGINNING
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - A man
watcher a rape from his bedroom
window and does nothing. He lat
er goes to an all-night convenience
store and blows away a dozen po
lice officers while fleeing from
some thugs.
It's another bloody night in the
big city as depicted by the creators
of'Tlatbush Native," a new comic
book series aimed at inner city au
diences.
And rather than providing pos
itive role models, the creators'
goal is to portray the stark reali
ties of urban living.
"We're not trying to glorify vi
olence, but at the same time we're
not trying to sugar coat reality,"
said Kemp Powers, the editor of
Ratline Comics.
"If there's violence, it's in re
lation to what's going on in the
story."
Powers is one of three Howard
University sophomores who start
ed the comic book after their idea
was rejected by the school news
paper.
Two issues of "Flatbush Na
tive" are on sale in the District of
Columbia at $2.50 each, and the
creators are seeking a distributor.
Flatline joins an increasing
number of black-owned compa
nies seeking to fill a gap in the
$500 million-a-year comic book in
dustry with Afrocentric or inner-
city story lines.
But most have sought to rede
fine black characters from their
traditional comic book roles as vil
lains or sidekicks.
Big City Comics, based in Irv
ing, Texas, has created the urban
superhero Brotherman, while
Greensboro, N.C.-based ANIA, an
association of black comic compa
nies, has created such heroes as
Ebony Warrior, The Original Man
and Zwanna: Son of Zulu.
Flatline's editors say they are
more interested in reflecting ur
ban reality.
Their "heroes" use their pow
ers to help themselves instead of
saving the world and are as likely
to do bad things as good.
The character in the first issue,
is not punished by story's end.
The idea has not caught on for
everyone, including a fellow cre
ator of Afrocentric comic books.
"I think the black community
has had enough of the black man
depicted as violent, doing drugs,"
said Roosevelt Pitt Jr., creative di
rector and co-owner of ANIA.
But Steven L. Jones, a cartoon
historian and art consultant in
Philadelphia, says moral ambiva
lence has a special appeal for
young people these days.
Powers, 19, and his partners,
Ornette Coleman and Will
Watkins, both 18, came up with
LIVE!
IN CONCERT
G. ROLUE WHITE COLISEUM
j t | MSC TOVN HALL PRESENTS
12
CHESNUTT
With
Special Guest
DOUG SUPERNAW
Tickets Go On Sale
TODAY
7:00 a.m. at the MSC Box Office
Order by phone from 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
at 845-1234
STUDENTS - $12
ALL OTHERS - $15
Person's with disabilities please call 845-1515 to inform us of your special needs. We request
notification three (3) working days prior to the event to enable us to assist you to the best of our ability.
By Jason Brown
the idea for Flatline Comics while
talking about how they thought
comic books ought to reflect real
life. And to Powers, who grew up
in the Flatbush section of Brook
lyn, N.Y., the real world is violent.
In "Flatbush Native," the pro
tagonist can charge himself up
like a battery with superhuman
power by killing another person.
But the energy will kill him within
minutes unless he uses it destroy
ing his enemies.
The heroes in other series now
in the works are not all black and
the stories are not always violent.
Powers said.
"But all of our characters are
very, very human. They all en
counter things such as greed, lust
— some things that mainstream
characters never have go through
their minds," he said.
"You never saw Captain
America look twice at a woman.
Well, it doesn't work that way."
? fREE SAMPLES
Texas A&M
College Republicans
Presents
An American Hero
Ret. Lt. Col. Oliver North
FREE ADMISSION
Wednesday, September 22 8:00 PM
MSC Rudder Complex
Sponsored by
William Howard Flowers Jr. Lecture Series
& Young America’s Foundation
A book signing will follow the speech in the theater foyer