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Black Panther May Replace Spider-Man in ‘Captain America: Civil War’

What major role will Black Panther play in “Captain America: Civil War”? Let’s break down the reasons why we believe the African hero will be a major part of the third installment of the franchise.

First, let’s review what “Civil War” will be about. The short version: “Civil War” was a major crossover event in the Marvel comics, where the U.S. government passed a law requiring all superheroes to be registered. The superhero community was split between two factions — those who opposed the law, led by Captain America, and those who supported it, led by Iron Man. In the original story, Spider-Man played a major role as a hero who initially supported the law with Iron Man, and later changed sides with Captain America.

Since Marvel Studios doesn’t own the rights to Spider-Man, this changes the direction of the story. Leaked emails showed Sony Pictures (which owns Spider-Man movie rights) tried to negotiate with Marvel to produce Spider-Man movies. No doubt, this would have allowed Marvel to include Spider-Man in “Civil War,” but the deal apparently fell through. Without Spider-Man, it seems like Black Panther will be replacing Spider-Man in this pivotal role.

When they announced Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, actors Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans acted out a little skit where they asked Boseman to pick a side, and Downey said, “You don’t have to decide today.” We think that was a hint that he’ll be deciding in “Civil War.”

Black Panther has always been independent in the comics, more concerned about his native country Wakanda than the affairs of the world at large. That would make him a perfect role in “Civil War” as the outsider, forced to pick sides, like Spider-Man. Not only would this give the story a suitable replacement for Web-head, but it would also give Black Panther a strong role to build off of for his solo movie.

What do you think? Should Black Panther replace Spider-Man in “Civil War”?

Source: The Geek Twins

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Blerds’ Big Holiday Weekend: Black Comic Book Festivals – on Both Coasts – to Bring Creators and Fans Together

Comic book festivals and conventions are where faithful fans, creators, artists and writers meet. They are also a place where people can discover something new. Black comic book festivals carry an additional purpose — to focus on an underserved market. This Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, Blerds on both coasts will have an opportunity to geek out over the latest in offerings from creators, artists and writers of color.

In Harlem on Saturday, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture hosts the third annual Black Comic Book Festival from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. In San Francisco, the historic NorCal Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation Celebration added the Black Comix Arts Festival [BCAF] to its list of activities, with events kicking off Sunday and continuing through Monday. Both festivals are free to the public.

John Jennings, co-founder of both events, will spend much of his weekend in an airplane — a sacrifice he’s happy to make to support Black comics creators and fans.SCHOMBURGposter

“Images are extremely important and so are the lack of them,” Jennings said. “It is very empowering to see ourselves reflected in the culture and society in which we participate. On the other hand, it is just as debilitating to not see ourselves. Our invisibility is sometimes deafening. It is vital for Black creators to have a voice and a space or resistance to this erasure. There’s a small contingent of Black creators in
the mainstream, but never as many as there should be. However, there’s an alternative, and now
with the access to various modes of publishing, there’s a movement happening.”

Jennings, an associate professor of art and visual studies at the University at Buffalo, has made comics his lifelong study, both as an academic and as a creator and artist and is quick to point out that the involvement of creators of color in comics is nothing new.

“For the last 20 years or so, there has been an independent Black comics culture brewing just beneath the surface. There’s now a loosely connected network of Afrocentric, alternative, diverse cons that are mostly situated on the East Coast, the Midwest and Southeast.” The network includes Yumy Odom (ECBACC), Joseph Wheeler III (OnyxCon), Alexander Simmons (Kids ComicCon), Andre Batts (Black Age Motor City), Maia Crown Williams (MECCA), and Preach Jacobs (ColaCon).

Jennings and colleagues Dr. Jonathan Gayles, Jerry Craft and Deirdre Hollman of the Schomburg Center pooled their resources together and created the Black Comic Book Festival at the Schomburg Center in Harlem. The festival has been very successful in bringing thousands of people from around the city to Harlem to see the work of a variety of comics creators and illustrators of color, including Mshindo Kuumba, Jennifer Crute’, Chuck Collins, N Steven Harris, Tim Fielder, Micheline Hess, Nigel Carrington, Shawn Alleyne, Stacey Robinson and Alitha Martinez.

“It’s a joyous event, however, there’s a lack of true connection with Black creators on the West Coast,” Jennings said. “That’s why we wanted to make a ‘sister’ event. We wanted to make MLK weekend a Black Comix weekend and have a bicoastal connection centered around comics and Black subjectivity. What better time to celebrate the power of dreams?”

Jennings cited San Francisco’s long history with comics, especially underground and independent comics and its longtime commitment to celebrating the legacy of King through the MLK NorCal Foundation, as important reasons why the city was perfect for the inaugural event.

“[San Francisco is] home to one of the best comics stores in the country — Isotope: The Comics Lounge, and Aaron Grizzell, director of the MLK NorCal, puts on one of the largest MLK Day celebrations in the country and brings in around 30,000 people a year to celebrate the legacy of King and the Civil Rights Movement. [The event] has a bevy of inspiring and entertaining festivals that all happen after a large commemorative march during the day.”

Jennings, Grizzell and additional co-founders Colette Rodgers, Ayize Jama-Everett, David Walker and Shawn Taylor put their miranda20mainheads together and came up with BCAF. Even though this is the festival’s first year, the stars and the comic book industry have already taken notice.

“I am so excited to see the creators of “Concrete Park” — Tony Puryear and Erika Alexander,” Jennings said. “They are just marvelous and generous artists. The amazing Kevin Grevioux, writer, producer and actor. He is the co-creator of the “Underworld” franchise and also the creator of “The Blue Marvel.” I am super excited to meet Eric Dean Seaton, the writer/creator of the high-flying adventure book “Legend of Mantamaji.” In addition to that I am stoked to meet the publisher and writer, Sebastian Jones, who is doing a new book with Amandla Stenberg, the young actor best-known as the character Rue from the Hunger Games film. I’ve never met Fred Noland. He’s a Bay Area indie artist and he’s on my panel! So, I am looking very forward to getting to know about him and his work. Nancy Cato. I’ve never met Nancy face-to-face and I can’t wait to do so. Also, the Love Brothers, Jeremy and Robert from Gettosake Entertainment. It’s always a pleasure to hang with them. Honestly, I am super excited to see everyone!”

Eric Dean Seaton, longtime television director, chose the BCAF to launch the 2015 leg of his book tour for his new graphic novel series, “Legend of the Mantamaji,” with an author conversation and book signing event at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Creativity Theater.

“The addition of the Black Comix Arts Festival to the selection of NorCal MLK events is an important one,” Seaton said. “Comics and graphic novels are touching every corner of pop culture, and while African-Americans are large consumers of the media, too often they are marginalized or left out of the story altogether. This event highlights the significant contributions creators, artists and writers are making, bringing true diversity in the medium. I’m very excited and proud to be a part of the inaugural event.”

Jennings sees the events as simply evidence of longstanding Black tradition.

“Alternative Black Speculative spaces like Afrofuturism, AfroSurrealism, EthnoSurrealism and others have been on the rise worldwide. We don’t have to beg the mainstream to represent us. We can do it ourselves and put it out there. We exist and we dream. The Black imagination is what helped our ancestors survive. What was Dr. King if not a Black Speculative creator? That mountaintop he spoke of wasn’t in this dimension, or time, or space. It was somewhere else waiting for us to find it.”

Source: Terreece M. Clarke at LifeSlice Media

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International Hackathon Brings Technologists, Community Leaders Together

Join Tiphub for the Diaspora Day of Civic Hacking. The DDC is a global day of advocacy and international hackathon that brings together technologists and community leaders in Nairobi, Kenya; Lagos, Nigeria; Accra, Ghana; Oakland, California; Atlanta and Washington, D.C., to devise innovative solutions and build prototypes in support of our 2015 featured participants: Asante Africa Foundation, the Peace Corps, BudgIT, The Dream Defenders and the United Negro College Fund. Think the hackathon during TechAfrique but on a global scale.

Founded on the notion that the Diaspora and local communities innately hold the keys to their own empowerment, the goal is to leverage technology to unlock the insights and ingenious of Africa and members of the African Diaspora to improve quality of life for all.

During the day, attendees will convene at one of eight-plus locations: Nairobi; Accra; Johannesburg, South Africa; Lagos; New York; D.C.; Atlanta; San Francisco/Oakland; London and Amsterdam. Upon arrival, participants will break out into teams and spend the duration of the event strategizing on and building solutions to overcome technical challenges that our featured organizations, like the Peace Corps, are facing.

Register now by visiting civichacking.tiphub.org

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How White Rappers Continue to Exploit Hip-Hop Music

It’s 2015, and the No. 1 consumer of rap music is white teenagers. Of course, there are going to be white rappers. But we can’t group all white rappers together. Sure, there are good white rappers, and there are bad white rappers. But that’s not the only way we should sort white rappers. There are two paths a white rapper can take. They can either embrace or exploit Black culture. It’s really simple.

Black people created a lot of genres of music. But this is about rap music. Rap music or hip-hop is a special case. The word struggle is thrown around a lot, but hip-hop was truly born from the struggle. No matter how simple the early lyrics were, they all touched on the same things, dreams of wealth and the struggle that we faced as Black people. As time went on, hip-hop demonstrated the struggle of different people. Gangster rap, popularized by the West Coast in the late ’80s and early ’90s by groups like N.W.A. and Bone Thugs N’ Harmony, wasn’t about going out and shooting people. It was about being born into that lifestyle with no choice. Conscious rap popularized by artists like Common and Nas wasn’t about trying to be the smartest. It was about trying to build bridges as Black people instead of burning them down. No matter the sub-genre of hip-hop, it all encompasses some form of struggle, from Childish Gambino’s loneliness and alienation to Jay Z’s need to create a legacy and use his wealth to support his family and friends, it’s all a struggle Black people face.

There’s nothing wrong with white people wanting to rap at all. The problem is that not all white rappers are willing to understand or even recognize the struggle that Black people face. I’m not saying white rappers need to each drop a 40-minute apology for slavery. I’m just saying some white rappers have to recognize that their skin is the reason they have the success that they do. You can be a great white rapper, but the fact that you’re a white rapper will also be a great help. Recognizing it is the first step. That should be the obvious step. Then there are two ways you can go. You can take a path and embrace Black culture. You can give back or you can speak out.

Read more at Blerdsonline

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How Hardcore Gamers Can Maneuver Between Real World and Gaming Gun Violence

Here is a simple truth when it comes to me: I think guns are cool. I think guns are cool in the way that I think an electric toothbrush is cool. Or a V8 engine is cool. I think guns are cool in the way I think it’s cool that my daughter looks both like my wife and I or the way that aloe seems to heal everything. To paraphrase Walter White, sometimes it really is about the science, and there is no denying the technological marvel that is the firearm for what it is capable of, regardless of intent or result. That’s a huge, unfair “regardless” there, but we’ll circle back to that. And as cool as guns are in that modern invention kind of way, it’s only half the story.

The more nefarious side is that I enjoy what guns can do in the fictional abstract. It isn’t really honest to say that I think an AK-47 with a ridiculous high rate of fire is cool and not group that the sheer violence of its bullets ripping through something with furious tenacity. So yes, that means that it isn’t honest for me say that I enjoy Rick Grimes spraying automatic vengeance without the people of Terminus being the bullet sponges. Admitting you enjoy watching violent ballistic death on TV doesn’t make me a sociopath (I don’t think) because it is so wildly enjoyed by others, but it is a bit alarming to say it out loud like that. Even then, that’s watching gun violence, that’s not the act of doing it, so that adds another level between what we would start to consider problematic, right?

Well, what about video games? I game. Hard. I’ve logged well over 100 hours of “Destiny,” a first-person shooter from developer Bungie, famous for the “Halo” franchise (yes, the game just came out in September and no, I don’t feel the least bit bad about that number). As most FPS games, you play 85 percent of your time in the game aiming down the sights, killing everything unlucky enough to be in your path and have hit points for health. Like most shooters, “Destiny” rewards you for being precise. They’re called precision shots here in lieu of “headshots” mostly because there is an enemy variant where their most vulnerable spot is in their abdomen. Still, hitting these spots rewards you with extra damage and a bit of visual flare. Shoot a Cabal enemy in the head and watch it explode into gas and toxins as its body hits the ground limply, possibly rewarding you with another weapon or more ammo for your current one. It is satisfying and only feeds your hunger to keep doing it. But to be fair, these are aliens you’re shooting, a fictional genocide to take part in. It’s not like they are human or anything. Not like you can do that …

The first time I saw a real gun was probably when I was about 12 or 13. The first person I remember knowing who lost their life to a bullet was the summer before my 14th birthday, though I expect it may have happened before that, but I just didn’t know any better and nobody bothered to sully me with the truth. I’d love to say that was the last time I lost a friend to the barrel, but it wasn’t and it didn’t necessarily slow down as I grew up either, except the number of “eligible” friends for such violence began to narrow itself.

Read more from Will Evans at Black Nerd Problems

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Neil deGrasse Tyson Lands National Geographic TV Show

Neil deGrasse Tyson is venturing into late-night television.

The astrophysicist has landed a TV show on National Geographic Channel called Star Talk — based on his popular podcast.

The TV gig comes on the heels of Tyson’s work on the TV mini-series Cosmos: Spacetime Odyssey.

“Cosmos allowed us to share the awesome power of the universe with a global audience in ways that we never thought possible,” Tyson said in a statement. “To be able to continue to spread wonder and excitement through Star Talk, which is a true passion project for me, is beyond exciting. And National Geographic Channel is the perfect home as we continue to explore the universe.”

Set to premiere in April, Star Talk will explore various cosmic topics — from space travel and extraterrestrial life to the environment. It will include interviews with comedians, scientists and celebrities, too.

The weekly series will tape before a live studio audience from the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium in New York.

Source: CBS News

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3 Comics with Black Female Protagonists Who Deal with Real-Life Issues

There are a lot of comic book genres, and getting away from the commercial success of the super-hero titles can be a risk. The appeal of the super-hero comics for girls can be attributed to the story that a regular guy or gal experiences some life-altering occurrence and has to find the balance between these newfound responsibilities while just getting by. The Spider-Man comics are one of my favorites. After all the spectacular powers and beautiful women, he struggles to finish college, hold a job and hold his relationship together. You know, life stuff. But Peter Parker learns the hard way after the death of his uncle that with great power comes great responsibility. The idea of a greater responsibility to others is the universal truth that transcends.

This list is presented by a guest blogger from Black Girl Nerds

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‘Concrete Park’

Among my various issues of spider-somebody and x-folks, I try to support efforts in representing life from other than the majority community’s perspective. In Tony Puryear and Erika Alexander’s “Concrete Park R-E-S-P-E-C-T” (Dark Horse Originals), you are presented with the idea of survival. Crashed on a distant world, Isaac Clay finds himself in the middle of a gang war. Luca, one of the gang leaders, finds him and introduces him to the dynamics of Scare City. There is a sweetness to Luca’s efforts to protect her people. I wish that there was something also redeeming or uplifting with her or Isaac’s struggles in Scare City. The cover of the first issue appears to include a group of folks with an intense Latina, covered in splotches of blood, flashing a gang sign. The comic is boldly drawn and inked with authentic-looking men and women of color — including a green guy. The story presents a glimpse into the dynamics of urban gang life: Someone kills someone else. They vow revenge. Then another person tries to kill someone else. You know the story. Unfortunately, too many of us live this story.

As a black woman, I hope that eventually our lives will remove the shackles of merely surviving and return to the potential of old, where we were the builders of some of the greatest and most majestic civilizations on Earth. Our artistry and intelligence built pyramids that have endured for thousands of years across the continent of Africa. This title, thus far, has an engaging story, but the idea that in our future (or a version of the future), minorities are still fighting gang wars on a distant planet, really doesn’t give me much hope … and still I rise.

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