Marvel Plans Black 'Captain America'

PageSix.com ^ | 2002-11-22 | AP

[Lorenb420]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) . Marvel Comics is shaking up one of its iconic superheroes . and some fans . with a series that imagines the original ``Captain America'' as a black Army recruit.

Since 1941, the series has followed the escapades of Steve Rogers, the scrawny, white Army reject who gained supernatural powers after drinking super-soldier serum.

In the new prequel, called ``Truth: Red, White & Black'' . which Marvel Comics feted at a launch event in Philadelphia on Friday . the Army first tests the serum on three black recruits, one of whom gains superpowers.

``(The concept) is that basically these guys were sacrificed to create and shore up the whole 'Captain America' myth,'' said writer Robert Morales, who is crafting the series with illustrator Kyle Baker.

The story echoes the infamous Tuskegee Experiment, in which the U.S. government from 1932 to 1972 left poor blacks in Alabama untreated for syphilis in order to watch the disease's effect.

``What we deliver, really, is a tribute to black soldiers. The key is to get past the metaphor and down to historical facts, which is that black soldiers had a role as real heroes in World War II,'' said Marvel President Bill Jemas.

About 100,000 copies of ``Truth'' are being printed, Morales said. That's about 10,000 more than the usual run for ``Captain America,'' which is the 10th-best selling comic, according to a Marvel spokesman.

``We sold out of it the same day, about 200 copies,'' said Martin King, who co-owns Atomic City Comics in Philadelphia. ``This is saying he (Captain America) owes his origins to a group of people who may have died being tested before he even put the costume on.''

Before the book debuted, reaction to the idea of giving the superhero black roots was decidedly mixed.

``My understanding of things is that now that the book is actually out, the reaction is bizarrely positive,'' said Morales. ``I think, much to their horror, they think that actually it's a pretty good book.''

[Brett66]

I wonder if they'll ever come out with a good Captain America movie?

[Lorenb420]

I wonder if they'll ever come out with a good Captain America movie?

I remember that movie they did with the guy on the motorcycle and the plastic shield. Oh the memories :)

I bet they'll probably do it, they did X-Men & Spider-Man, they are coming out with the Hulk and Daredevil in 2003. Seems like a logical next choice for Marvel.

[martin_fierro]

After the gay Green Lantern, nothing surprises me anymore.

[Jeff Chandler]

THE BLACK AVENGER

[TheLurkerX]

I still like the polically unsanitized stuff like Lobo, the Demon, Spawn, etc. I used to really enjoy Swamp Thing. Anything Frank Miller did was great, and a lot of the X books like Weapon X are killer.

[A CA Guy]

Sounds like a neat idea to get a black Captain America.

Here in California I am not surprised we haven't a comic called Capitante Mexicano!!

[Brett66]

They did a movie with him back in the eighties. It was so bad they never released it to the public. I found a copy at a comic shop and rented it.It was as bad as they say. I think it could make for a great movie, but they sure better put more effort in it than that mess they made in the eighties. I think Marvel has learned how to make decent movies now, I would love to see them take another stab at it.

[freebilly]

Captain America as a black Army recruit? Personally I was hoping they'd make him half Native American and half Yemeni Muslim with a rainbow flag on his shield and a pink triangle on his chest....

[foreverfree]

Bring back reruns of Ralph Bakshi's Spidey 'toon! :-)

foreverfree

[GreatOne]

This stupid PC-crap is ludicrous on its face. The whole concept is premised upon America being so racist that we'd never have tested the Super Soldier formula on a white man first. Well, if the formula was to do what it did, with America being so racist, no way would a black man be allowed to become so powerful. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

[GreatOne]

If I remember correclty, Green Lantern was not gay, but one of his close friends was. By the way, the author of that crappy story was none other than Judd Winick, the loser artist from MTV's "Real World" (the season with Pedro, the HIV positive guy). Continuing his quest to push the sodomite agenda.

Hey Judd, if Pedro didn't engage in anal sex, he'd still be alive. Why don't you put that into your little public service activities. And stay the hell out of comics - used to be one of the last bastions of PC-free entertainment, scumbag.

[Slyfox]

"My understanding of things is that...the reaction is bizarrely positive."

[Solamente]

How about El Borbah?

[Tribune7]

The problem is that a lot of black kids are going to buy this and believe it and imagine just one more reason to hate America.

It's sick when your own country provides its own self-loathing propaganda.

[Sonny M]

I always wanted to create a comic book character called Mr. Spoon, he would fight crime by throwing a spoon at you. However one of my friends wisely pointed out that if he was commiting a crime, and somone threw a spoon at him, he'd either stab them or shoot them, and thus ended my whole dream of creating a Mr. Spoon character.

[blake6900]

...they are coming out with the Hulk and Daredevil in 2003.

I heard Ben Affleck is gonna play Daredevil. If so, he's daring indeed if he thinks he's gonna be the last husband J-Lo ever has.

[Lorenb420]

I heard Ben Affleck is gonna play Daredevil. If so, he's daring indeed if he thinks he's gonna be the last husband J-Lo ever has.

Yeah it's true. See the trailer for yourself.