Artist to watch...Jermaine Riley

Its a bird, its a Plane, it's London R&B artist Jermaine Riley and his latest video taken of of his Hello Earth album "Smallville". It's R&B and nerdom coming to a head in a surprisingly okay mash-up.



If you like the video download his re(fix), his versions of current tracks by other other artist,

Project: Acropolis

Help support this diverse comic book start up, Project: Acropolis. Pittsburgh native creator Edward Williams is trying to start a new revolution in the vein of Milestone Comics with a diverse cast of characters. Check out what he has to say.

"Acropolis is a graphic novel project that has targeted the comic book industry’s weakness and developed a cure known as diversity and equality. Acropolis is about making sure YOU are represented; that YOU are able to relate and empathize with a character that looks just like you."

The project has twelve more days to be funded lets help out.

A Hero Among Us

Phenoix Jones aka Benjamin John Francis Fodor
Ted S. Warren  /  AP

Sometimes trying to do the right thing can lead you down the wrong path. Often the butt of jokes, but secretly admired, Pheniox Jones the Seattle based vigilante superhero has been putting his neck on the line night after night in a real life imitating art, comic book art that is, display of super-heroics. Trained in mixed martial artist Fodor, age 23, has gallantly taken to the streets to fight the good fight as his costumed alter ego Phoenix Jones but that's come to a halt now with a arrest. Fodor was arrested for and alleged assault connection to incident in which he was breaking up a fight and had to use pepper spray,


Phoenix Jones Stops Assault from Ryan McNamee on Vimeo.


The current fall out from this unfortunate set of events is the lost of Fodor's job where for the past five years he has been working with autistic children and adults. Mind you he hasn't as of yet been charged with any wrong doing in connection to the incident but the Washington state Department of Soical and health services has informed him of he is no longer able to work with those populations, according to publicola. I say that this is a young guy trying to do what he felt was right sure he went about it in a highly unusual manner but it stood for something. He was making a stance in the face of the odds and making just the meager of  difference in the lives of the few that he came across in and out of costume.

We should all take a lesson from Phoenix Jones and stand up for ourselves and those around us to make this a better life. Life is impermance and last for only so long why not get the most out of it, why should we wallow in suffering, occupy the streets and boulevards with hope. Stand up for the those who can't make a stand for themselves. Let us all be our own super heroes. 

Tale of a Black Spider...Man

If you didn't know by now there is a "Black" spider-man, sure he's not the original Peter Parker or even from the same continuity of  comics but hes here to stay...so far.

Miles Morales is the new spider-man swinging around the marvel comics ultimate universe. Introduced in Ultimate Fallout #4 Miles is seen taking on the Kangaroo, a guy who can kick really hard, like through buildings hard. Throughout the issue he is seen in Peter Parker's old outfit to which many onlookers of the meta-human comment, comically, that it's in bad taste. You see the Peter Parker of this universe just recently died in a all out battle in front of his house unmasked for the whole world to see. It isn't until the end of the issue Miles face is seen and we get a glimpse of this bold new face to walk on walls.

This is a bold move for Marvel, although I say again the Peter Parker of the normal universe is still alive, wise crackin' and wall crawling, as this is the first time they made a well known property such as spider-man a topic of racial identity. Not saying they haven't tried in the past, the Captain America of the Ultimate universe was suppose to be of African-American background but they copped out and made the Nick Fury, a secondary character African-American. A not should also be added this Nick Fury was based of off the actor Samuel Jackson hence his popular appearance in the marvel movies, Ironman I and II, Captain America: The First Avenger, as well as in the Thor movie as Nick Fury. The Captain America idea also got snow balled into a new behind the scene's history of main stream universe in Captain America Truth.

Truth told the untold story of Isaiah Bradley and his fellow infantry men who took part of a medical apartheid like test run of a recreated super solider serum like the one that turned Steve Rogers into Captain America. Isaiah was the only test subject that survived the process, albeit later in years it affects his mental state but keeps him young and vital as the serum does to Steve Rogers. The government black balled the project and held Isiah in jail for many years so no one would know about Isaiah or the testing although it is widely known in the comic books Black community as a legend to be true. Steve Rogers eventually finds out about this and investigates and meets Isaiah and his wife in their Harlem Home. The story line adds depth to the origin of Steve Rogers but doesn't change it since it took place before that happened as was "discovered" years later by Steve.

This was a great story but not as monumental as "Black" Spider-man Miles Morales, as he is known now. My problem with this is two fold. One Miles Morales is not just Black he is also half Latino why couldn't he just be a Black Latino, and two why does his race have to donate who he is he wears a mask in any-case and is from another universe apart from Peter Parker, why can't he just be Ultimate universe Spider-man.

Would it be to big of a confusion for middle America to see a Black person identify as Latino or vice versa. The whole concept of racial identity in the America's is just a load of crap to me. I can't even fully comment on the idea's of the many peoples and shades it encompasses.

Next topic why does he have to be "Black" Spider-man. He's exist in a separate universe, can't his universe donate who he is? This to me is a double edged sword. We want to have our own hero's, The Falcon, Mr. Terrific, Blade, Luke Cage, Bronze Tiger, Storm, Static, Icon, but in order to make them valid we have to make them "Black" ie. Black Panther, Black Vulcan, Black Lightning, Black Manta.

 Another good example of the Blackification of a character theme is newly introduced Batwing secret identity David Zavimbi aka the Batman of Africa or the Black Batman of Africa, cause Africa is a place (to much to get into on that moving along), why does he he have to be donated by his race. Why can't his characterization stand on it's own. "With great power comes great responsibility." These words echo never more truer with the advent of these characters and the creative comic book teams behind them. I hope the stories involving Miles Morales and David Zavimbi both flesh the out as being more than a ethnic background, or a representative for a continent, or a racial counterpart and become heroes in their own right. Look for both Ultimate Spider-man #1, next week September 14th, and Batwing #1 out today September 7th in a comic shop near you.

Milestone Forever

In honor of Black History month let us celebrate the passing and rebrith of our greatest heroes. Icon and Rocket, Hardward, and Static. They are apart of the then revolutionary Milestone universe. A comic book continuity off mostly Black America characters. Milestone Forever issue 1 is out this month and is a end cap of sorts tying up the various plot threads put forth about these characters and their universe before Milestone comics imprint, under DC Comics but created by Milestone Media, was absolved in 1997. This part one of a two part story makes way for these characters and their universe to get a finalized story, some of the Milestone books were stopped mid-run when Milestone Media ended its comics division and deal with DC comics.

Milestone Media was formed by Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis and Derek T. Dingle, all comic book authors and illustrators, in 1993 in hopes of creating a minority based comics line to ensue the imbalance of the contemporary american comic book forum. I mean I can count the various Black american male super heroes on my hand, and don't get me statered on their female counter-parts. Milestone had a good run filled with allocates and high praise. Static even went on to appear in a saturday morning cartoon series in 2000 for four seasons.

- Static, seen left front, along with the Justice League.

Currently Static can be seen as a team member of the Teen Titans.

- Static as he currently appears in the ongoing Teen Titans.

Icon, Hardware, and Rocket along with the Shadow Cabinet have also recently appeared in issues of the Justice League America.


- The Justice League, left, VS the Shadow Cabinet, right

I'm glad to see that the characters have been saved and used again in the DC universe continuity and hope they get their own place to shine. In the meantime we have Milestone forever, because they are the milestone in multiculturalism in comics. The book Heores featured one of the first openly gay lesbian duo's in comics, the German strong woman Donner and the Japanese speedster Biltzen.

- Donner, Blond at left, Blitzen, black suited figure with "speed lines"

Also the Character Wise Son is also one of the few Muslims in comics.



All of these various nuances formed the back bone of great story telling outside the parameters of the White male norm of that era, hell still current era, of comics. I cant wait to see where these characters may end up next.



- Pin up of The Blood Syndicate from Milestone Forever #1 by Ross Campbell.


- Pin up of Hardware from Milestone Forever #1 , By J.H. Williams III