Not even me.

This all started in a rather uncomplicated manner. I was deep in the process of writing the first issue of Lucius Hammer. Now for those of you who have not read LUCIUS HAMMER Issue One…shame on you. It is a rarity if I may say so myself from the standpoint that it seeks to create a solid mythology or genealogy if you will of the black superhero. I have received thousands of e-mails from pop culture super-sleuths out there who have discovered my ruse and concluded that some of my characters are analogues. This is true and false at the same time. Lucius Hammer was meant to be my version of LUKE CAGE or POWER MAN. I began with the intent of writing a parody-laden superhero comic poking fun at blaxploitation riffs and tropes that have become commonplace and perhaps beloved in the realm of pop nostalgia. But my muse started calling out to me…she instructed me to make Lucius the centerpiece of this sweeping saga of the black superhero. I have always wondered myself why black superheroes don’t really begin to show up in comics in earnest until the sixties. I mean I know why they didn’t appear until then (fictional characters of color suffered the same second class status that real African Americans did in everyday life…perhaps a worse fate because their existence could be eliminated completely by the indifference or hatred of the prominent writers of that era.) but this was delicious food for thought that caused me to become enthralled with the prospect of building my own secret history of black superheroes. The Harlem Shadow was a background character that never ever should have warranted any conversation other than to say…wow, I never thought about a character like that. A mysterious, well dressed nocturnal vigilante sporting a domino mask and fedora…calling himself The Harlem Shadow. It seemed so simple at the time I created it. In fact…his creation was spontaneous. I needed a focal point…a first black superhero to lead them all to their own comeuppance as a subset of the superhero genre. To my knowledge there had never been a black mystery man style superhero ever. I had a stack of books sitting next to my computer table concerning Harlem and the Renaissance. I was mindlessly flipping through one of the resource books and came across a poem written by a man named Claude Mckay. That poem was entitled…Harlem Shadows. This character was most certainly building itself and guiding me to do so once I began to tune into its frequency.

After his dubious one page appearance in LUCIUS HAMMER 1…people began to clamor about The Harlem Shadow. I was even curious as to when I would get the opportunity to pen a fitting mini-series of adventures concerning “The Patron Saint of Negroes”. He was just too cool to be true. The first black masked vigilante surfaces during the Harlem Renaissance. I imagined this hyper realized New York/Harlem in the 20′s but very sleek, fast and cutting edge for its time. Here is an excerpt concerning the appearance of Harlem from my own personal treatment that I wrote for the proposed Harlem Shadow animated series;

“The Harlem Shadow Animated Series should be groundbreaking in its visual style. This is a cartoon that has ambitions to be a film noir. This Harlem in the animated program should come across as a funky, bebop crossbreed of Gotham City and Ralph Bakshi’s Cool World (with the fashion sense of Bakshi’s Coonskin). There are lurching shadows in this Harlem…labyrinthine alleyways and gothic churches, it’s own boardwalk and of course a string of cabarets and speakeasies. But there is also sunlight and a melange of diverse colors; Harlem is a throbbing artery of black folk from all walks of life at probably their most triumphant…of course there will be crime and vice but this Harlem in the story is a welcoming Mecca for the colored masses and so there is an undercurrent of joy, excitement and progress. Influences for the look of neo-nostalgia would be Max Fleischer’s early Superman Cartoons and the more recent Batman Animated Series they inspired by Warner Brothers. Fashion, cars, technology and the burgeoning advertising industry should be omnipresent. The atmosphere screams “this is a fantastic place during a fantastic time” it is more than plausible that a “Superhero” could be birthed here.” 

Whenever I would attend conventions back in 2010 and even into 2011…there was always a passionate following for Lucius Hammer but The Harlem Shadow had almost like a cult/underground following if you can understand that in the context of an indie comic book. People were always quick to remind me in person…”You know…I think The Harlem Shadow is strong enough to carry his own book.” And I would look at them, incredulous. How would I ever publish two titles at the same time…titles that are well received everywhere I go but are nowhere near selling enough in quantity to make me independently wealthy? It didn’t matter, the muse spoke again and I listened. In 2010, I launched The Harlem Shadow Issue 1 at Philly’s East Coast Black Age of Comics to great fanfare and instant success. It turns out the that folks of all colors had been waiting to read about the exploits of the first black superhero. And I appeared ready to oblige them.

2010 proved to be a year of intense adversity for me that I rather not relive or chronicle in the lines of my blog. Let’s just say life as I had known it changed drastically overnight and I had to scramble to pick up the pieces that remained salvageable. I now had self-published Lucius Hammer Issue 1 and The Harlem Shadow Issue 1. I had been reviewed by outlets as diverse as “Aintitcoolnews” http://www.aintitcool.com/node/49349 and Columbia University http://archives.jrn.columbia.edu/2012-2013/theuptowner.org/2012/10/18/pow-zap-harlem-heroes-seize-digital-world/index.html. My personal problems had continued to mount during this time and I was desperate for a benefactor to swoop in and help me quickly obtain some kind of presence in the entertainment world so that I might capitalize on these wildly imaginative and unprecedented indie characters. I had every reason to believe Hollywood would be interested in my comic projects because I had been approached at 2010 Onyxcon by a woman claiming to be affiliated with Tyler Perry. We remained in contact for a short period but never really discussed anything. This was disturbing to me because I got the sense that even the so-called big ballers in the entertainment world were scared of a creature they did not understand…that creature being an animated black superhero. Now there are many folks out there who will immediately reference Static Shock as a widely recognized and critically lauded animated series based on a black comic book…but I beg to differ. The Harlem Shadow was not a cartoon necessarily for kids, although kids will gravitate and go crazy over this series when it’s produced. The Harlem Shadow, as I saw it, would be an animated period piece with a timeless quality much like Batman The Animated Series. The setting would always be the 20′s with an edgy science/ steampunk undercurrent. Another excerpt from my master treatment for the proposed animated series explains the overview for the show…

“The Harlem Shadow is a pulp noir action tale about a masked vigilante who endures a long and strange journey to become America’s first black superhero. His exploits take place during the famed Harlem Renaissance causing him to be simultaneously heralded as hero and villain by fellow New Yorkers. Dressed in the finest suits, complete with stylish hat, domino mask and twin chrome plated revolvers…this mysterious marauder becomes an instant scourge to organized crime and a deterrent to the growing criminal element known as supervillains. Harlem; a brilliant, kaleidoscopic world of color, culture and intellect built by empowered Negroes is the perfect incubator for this country’s first super powered vigilante of color.”   

When I never heard back from this person regarding her level of interest in my project, I learned my first lesson in entertainment; Everybody is looking for something to develop but to suit their own tastes or those of the company they represent. Also, and this is probably most important….there is nothing that will happen overnight. Do not wait on pie in the sky contracts or checks because they are definitely not coming. I had just received my first official “eye jammie” from Hollywood. This huge blow to my confidence led to my getting involved with a local “auteur” from Cincinnati (my main sphere of operation for the time being). Now let me start off by saying my initial meeting with this person was laden with omens of deception and red flags galore. Let’s call this “auteur”…Knipsey Russell to protect his identity. I don’t believe this guy was evil or intended to tarnish my projects. I only bring this event up here in the recesses of my blog to possibly serve as a cautionary tale for you kitchen table Spielbergs or Spike Lees out there. First of all, never sign anything without the involvement of an attorney. As proof that you always need to be lawyered up, next time you create an attractive intellectual property and the interested party that wants to option those properties tells you that they’ve got you covered and all you need to do is sign…pause for a breath and tell them you’d like your attorney to look over the paperwork. Notice immediately how the atmosphere in the room changes. That’s because this is a chess game and if you sign some paperwork that you don’t fully understand (and you won’t because if you are not an attorney, trust me…you will not understand) you could have your property taken right out from under your nose because you wanted to feel important and sign a contract.

Long story short, Knipsey Russell convinced me to sign some papers that weren’t legally binding. When it was time to part ways…he was not being cooperative and tried to flex on me and my properties. He told me that I had no rights any more. With some quick financial assistance from friends and family, I was able to secure the legal services of a fine attorney who made quick work of Knipsey Russell. Do not believe people who don’t have a title, no accomplishments, resume, money or apparent know how to deal with your property. An almost clear sign that someone is a wolf and not out for your best interest are these two statements “There’s no money involved up front…” and “You don’t need an attorney… if you ever hear someone utter these two things…bounce. Bounce asap!

Back to The Harlem Shadow…I had participated in a convention in Cincinnati right before personal storms attacked my life head on and met a gentleman who was very well connected in entertainment circles. He was impressed with The Harlem Shadow like almost everyone always is. We exchanged e-mail addresses and promised to stay in contact. And we did for a time. However, our personal lives and projects seemed to eclipse my project and once again…I’m floating in limbo, trying to catch a break. I manage to get another issue out a piece of Lucius Hammer and The Harlem Shadow. Both issues are stunning. I know that Marvel and DC are both great at what they do…but when I look at the books Ravenhammer published under duress and constant anxiety, I am proud to say that they can go toe to toe with any of those professional publishers.

It turns out that this gentleman that I met at the Cincinnati Comic Con got a chance to show Russell Simmons my comic book, The Harlem Shadow, and according to him…Mr. Simmons was really impressed. This news was surreal to me and was verging on being unbelievable. In my fledgling years of trying to create my own characters and properties, I had discussed with friends the possibility of getting the attention of a Russell Simmons or Oprah Winfrey to assist me with my black superhero agenda. I didn’t know how I would ever get something into his or her hands but I definitely had that thought that if I could appeal to them…I could get the help I needed to reach the masses. This was uncanny. The universe doing me the ultimate solid and hand delivering my homemade comic book into the hands of Russell Simmons. The negotiations to obtain the rights to the Harlem Shadow to produce either as an animated series or live action film began in May of 2013 and concluded with a signing a short option contract in August of 2013. It was soon announced shortly after that hip hop legend, Common, would be joining the efforts to bring the Harlem Shadow to life as the lead voice actor. I was ecstatic. Vindicated. Relieved and excited. I am an original member of the first generation of hip hop. I bought the 12′ inch single of Rapper’s Delight when I was in sixth grade. I was there when RUN DMC started banging Hard Times and It’s Like That. I was also present and accounted for when a young cat emerged from the city of wind named Common Sense. This was all so perfect in terms of cosmic alignment and wish fulfillment. In my mind, this could not have been a better direction for the project.

But in the world of entertainment, these kinds of exciting deals crash and burn every day. I knew that going in. And I know it now. As of this moment, The Harlem Shadow is not actively being produced as an animated series. Since last August, a few things have occurred to really hamper the forward movement of the project…first and foremost, the fact that YOUTUBE was no longer providing the funding for programming on ALL DEF DIGITAL which would have been the initial home of The Harlem Shadow Animated Series. No money means you cannot pay the talent to create the show and if you cannot find another investor then your show gets shelved. And that’s what’s going on right now with the greatest animated series about a Harlem Superhero that never existed. I will admit to being very deflated but not defeated. The folks that were involved with the project are great people and I have confidence that what drew them to my comic book in the first place will re-ignite at some point at the right time with the right resources and then we will have liftoff.

I am focused right now though on finishing what I started. And so I return to inspiration. I don’t need movie stars and moguls to tell a comic book story. There are a lot of fans out there who just want to be told a good story. They want to see an amazing character or world that they have never observed before. That’s what I’m good at. Whether or not my projects become Hollywood blockbusters and groundbreaking t.v shows remains to be seen…I wouldn’t doubt it. But my job is not to worry about all that. My job is to build it. My job is to take these ideas and create them so people can see them and be transported. After that, my work is done and I’m on to the next one. Word of advice to my fellow creators…control what you can control. That would be your dedication to your craft and daily excellence in how you choose to manifest that craft. All of the other things will come…it’s weird, there’s a magnetic attraction when you just listen to your inner voice and create inspired work. Stay tuned for greatness.

The Powers that Be

American way- Imagine a mixture of Superman, Captain America, John Wayne and Charlton Heston. He is a sometimes good natured yet old school hero/politician who has volunteered on many different fronts to represent America. The only problem is things are changing too fast and he has become an anachronism…one that has allied himself with a vast and shadowy underworld of captains and kings who are playing with the earth as though it were their personal checker board. American Way is about changing ideals and how America has changed. For better or worse.

The Authoritarian- Batman meets Nick Fury, meets Weapon X. Imagine if Bat Man were a black ops agent who was asked to go into cities’ and surreptitiously apprehend serial killers, quell riots, or foment gang wars and plant evidence so dangerous people could be brought to justice by any means necessary. This guy is dirty, intelligent, and unconscionable in terms of what he’s ready to do to maintain order. He is definitely the dark side of the American Way; he has come to terms with what this country is and who the evil people are that run it. Very scary dude. Imagine if Batman’s costume was combined with Darth Vader’s.

The Living Dynamo- Doctor Manhattan, Green Lantern and the Flash. The Living Dynamo is a man who was a scientist hellbent on discovering neighboring universes and alternate dimensions. He creates a machine that is essentially a teleportation device. During his initial testing of the mechanism, he succeeds with all of his test subjects. When he attempts to teleport himself, something goes wrong and he is sucked into another science-reality where he is literally re-made. He returns to earth, but now he is a being of pure energy and can only be flesh and blood intermittently with great concentration. He soon discovers that he has knowledge of alien races and hidden earth energy sources. He can move at the speed of thought; manipulate strange energies; and see strange beings that are outside of our comprehension. Every country on the planet is afraid of what he will do. The army creates a special containment suit for him and he becomes America’s first space age superhero. Glowing energy based hero.

Adam Venture- Adventurous, liberal, star-gazing hippy, millionaire heir who’s only true superpower is his trust fund, his amazing intellect, and penchant for extreme experimentation with variables. He is a self trained Olympic athlete, a vegetarian, yogi, amateur archaeologist and inventor. The rumor is he has acquired super powers thru strange religious practices and drug experimentation. He is very much into what he describes as super-science and flies around the world in experimental jump jets, searches for Bigfoot, aliens and Jimmy Hoffa, and never met a skirt he didn’t like. He’s Reed Richards with balls. He has a downtown laboratory in a town called Miracle Falls where he has experimented with creating his own ray gun, a hover stick, and an ectoplasm viewer. Miracle Falls has a love/hate relationship with him. Imagine John Lennon with a goatee, in a reed Richards like laboratory and in a funky scientific costume.

These are the key white superheroes that exist during the time Lucius is Powerhouse.

They don’t have an official group…they meet at various clandestine locations and discuss how to manage the world…the press and the American public have taken to calling them the Powers that Be.

American Way is generally recognized as the most influential member of the alliance. The Superhero with a heart of gold.

The Living Dynamo is considered to be the most powerful and is thought of as a weapon of mass destruction. Alien…a stranger on his own planet.

The Authoritarian is the old Man in Black conspiracy dressed up as a paranormal police agent. Government Boogeyman.

Adam Venture is the rich, socially adjusted, and worldly crusader who uses his money to unlock the secrets of the planet. Playboy adventurer.

They are the most influential men on Earth.

They are The Powers that Be.

Now, as you can probably see, I’m toying with a lot of established characters. American Way is Charlton Heston as Superman. The Living Dynamo is Bill Gates with a Green Lantern ring. The Authoritarian is Bat Man and the CIA rolled into one. And Adam Venture is a little John Lennon and Tony Stark (Reed Richards as well). These four men are very different heroes but together they represent the absolute pinnacle of super-heroism and power in Lucius Hammer’s world. I am introducing them to you now because there are a lot of Hammer readers who are saying they feel alienated because this book is about black superheroes.Not true. My main character is a black superhero. Within the framework of his general story he is detailing the history, rise and comeuppance of the black superhero. Since this globe is a melting pot of races and I’m writing about the very planet that we live on…there will be many other races depicted as heroes as well as villains. Including prominent white characters such as The American Way. I always thought it would be interesting to be a fly on the wall when Captain America and Falcon were actually shooting the gip about race problems in America or perhaps The Black Pride Movement.Or how about Superman and Batman trying to handle drug and gang activity in an inner city locale populated mostly by minorities who don’t necessarily see them as heroes who are interested in their neighborhood? These are thought provoking and compelling stories that people started writing back in the late sixties and seventies (Denny Oneill, Gerry Conway, Stan Lee, etc,etc)but stopped as we entered the early eighties. To me, these were excellent reasons to further explore the psyche of a superhero. The American Way is obviously going to be a fun character to write but also controversial. Most people assume because he has been sent to stop Lucius Hammer’s Dream Team at the end of issue 1 by President Nixon that he is a racist. Not true. The American Way is all about traditions, values and systems established here in our country…underneath a cape. He enforces the American Dream. But when interacting with the black heroes of Lucius Hammer, particularly Lucius, American Way becomes frustrated because he realizes The American Dream is really not one that’s uniform to all people. The Living Dynamo will be fun to look at and also his powers will be quirky and wild like only the best Steve Ditko creations. But The Dynamo is almost like Godzilla or Mothra in the sense that everyone knows that his powers are beyond reason and if he were to ever become mentally unstable…those abilities could destroy a large city. The Authoritarian is my dream version of Bat Man. Imagine a Bat Man fully sanctioned by the U.S Government…given a license to kill in an effort to keep cities in control and maintain law and order by any means necessary.American Way and Authoritarian are seemingly opposite sides of a coin, like Superman and Batman, but in the pages of Lucius Hammer you will see where the two actually need to work hand in hand. Last but not least is Adam Venture who is the dreamer superhero fighting for a utopia he knows will never exist. Adam will be very sympathetic to Lucius Hammer’s struggles throughout the series and will form a friendship with him that will last until Venture dies. Adam Venture is the idealistic superhero who really believes he can change the world despite what logic suggests.

I really wish Christian had drawn these heroes so everyone reading could get an idea of how these heroes look and move but you will soon enough. For now just be content in knowing that there are going to be many white superheroes represented in this book. Superhero fantasy should be an equal opportunity employer and I plan to take full advantage of that principle by telling the stories you have never heard before because all of these colorful heroes have never been in the same room together…until now!

The moment I learned that The Harlem Shadow had been optioned by Russell Simmons for his ALL DEF DIGITAL initiative on YOUTUBE with the potential of becoming an animated series…my brain started to immediately play “It was a good day” by Ice Cube. For the uninitiated I have included a link to that classic song by O’shea Jackson. I know my race for accomplishment is far from over. I still got bills. I’m still worried about sales goals at the job, and I hit the dollar menu during the week if I don’t pack my lunch. But when an article about my self published indie comic book, The Harlem Shadow, appeared on Entertainment Weekly’s website back in August ..I had to smile, look up to the sky and give praise. It was indeed…a good day.

The coolest thing about what has happened with The Harlem Shadow is that I have learned so many things about my personal path and people. This is not going to be some venom laced diatribe about all the people out there who proved to be haters and obstructionists. The people that come into your life either for good or bad are appropriately placed like chess pieces…they are mechanisms to move you in a certain direction…that direction being your path. You can resist the path, you can hate the path…but that path is for you and once you get over yourself and your preconceived notions of what you think your life should be as opposed to what it actually is…you can love and embrace that path. My path is that of the scribe…the writer. More specifically…comic book writer. So all contributing factors, whether they be negative or positive, brought me to this point and I am grateful for the parts they played. The important thing in all of this is that I have come to an understanding of my path. I know that’s some deep psychobabble type shit but it’s real.

The prospect of a Harlem Shadow cartoon for me is about as exciting as Christmas Day when I was 8 years old (I got one of those LIONEL Train-Station kits with the smoking pipe on the locomotive, Mego Bat Man and Robin dolls with The Bat Mobile, A Star Trek Phaser and that Eagle shuttle spaceship from Space 1999!)…imagine creating something in your sketchbook that you think is the greatest thing ever. I mean the idea gives you goosebumps and when it does that…it’s almost like your own personal Spidey sense (at least for me anyway)…you know you’re on to something. The feeling of justification when somebody actually acknowledges that your idea is awesome is exhilarating to say the least but there’s also a part of you that is saying, ” I told y’all. I told you I was on to something.” That may sound arrogant…it may smack of sour grapes but it’s true and anyone who has been through the slightest struggle to create something knows what I’m speaking of. There is a certain satisfaction one feels when proven right…and the fact that my indie, small press, nobody knows my name comic book wound up in the hands of Russell Simmons makes me smirk just a little bit at the naysayers and the peanut gallery. I am not guaranteed that anything will ever come of this proposed animated series based on the adventures of my ebon-clad, zoot suit avenger called The Harlem Shadow…I know nothing of the inner workings of Hollywood but I have read about them quite extensively for years and I know there is such a place called “development hell” that can swallow a project whole. But the fact that my brain baby got this far makes me feel something like a….pimp (sorry Mom and Dad, I know better…but I had to.)

The reactions that came in the wake of the announcement were at once entertaining, inspiring and enlightening. There were many votes of confidence and kudos extended to me from family and friends, although to this point I’m not sure that all of my inner circle truly realizes what has happened with my intellectual property. I purposely waited a month or so to let the events sink in before saying anything about the proposed cartoon…but during that space of time I thought that I would hear more from movers and shakers in the black community of comic creators. At one point I came across a disturbing thread in which black comic book veterans whom I revere were speaking about my project as if it was something they were unaware of and how could Russell Simmons choose a project that hadn’t paid it’s “dues” or originated from their specific network. I quickly jumped in the thread and identified myself and the one creator that I was most concerned with, Dawud Anyabwile…the creator of Brotherman and the undisputed King of the Black Age of Comics…did not hesitate to embrace me and wish me well. There were some folks who got upset about a piece of art that I commissioned that was used in the Entertainment Weekly article. The artwork used in the article was rendered by a notable “Black Age of Comics” juggernaut…the incomparable Mshindo Kuumba. They were incensed because Mshindo’s name was not mentioned in the article or even given a credit for his depiction of my character. I asked that he be listed but for whatever reason he wasn’t. I understood how people felt but it’s important to note that I am not in control of the media and never will be but every time I have had the opportunity, I show Mshindo big love and respect for his talent and genius….it was kind of disappointing but I get it. I wanted more than anything for this event to be a group celebration for my black indie comic brethren…after all I was influenced by a lot of these people to create my comic books and attend these up and coming comic cons like ECBACC, ONYX CON and DA BLACK AGE in Chicago. But once again…this is my path. There is success and a breakthrough somewhere in this seeming “disconnect” with my Black Age colleagues…and who knows? Maybe I’m reading people wrong or being sensitive. Either way…message to the Black Age: I’m down with my Black Age Creators and I am proud of all y’all. I am also proud to be one of you. My success is your success and I hope yours is mine as well. If it wasn’t for you brothers and sisters…I may have never had the courage to publish Lucius Hammer or The Harlem Shadow.

The other things that kind of irked me were small items and I have pretty thick skin but decided to kind of address some recurring questions and observations that I keep seeing;

Q: Ohhhh, that’s great! The Harlem Shadow! You mean like The Shadow…only he’s from Harlem. Creative!

A: Okay…I get it. The Shadow is a beloved pulp character. And yes…there is definitely some influence bleeding over from Walter Gibson’s classic character into mine…but The Harlem Shadow’s name comes from two different places. One is Claude Mckay…a popular writer and poet who emerged during the Harlem Renaissance and wrote a poem about prostitution called Harlem Shadows. The other nugget of influence was from my favorite book…The Autobiography of Malcolm X. I thought it would be cool if a superhero had a name that attached him to a certain neighborhood or turf…like Malcolm X’s nickname…Detroit Red. Still…people are going to smart over my use of the word “shadow”. They will until they “experience” him. Then all the crying should stop.

Q: Why does he look like The Spirit? And The Shadow?

A: Because I was influenced by The Shadow radio serial that my grandfather put me down with as a kid and Will Eisner is that dude when it comes to sequential art. I wanted to create a “Grand Age” of pulp and mystery men characters that were black for a historical sequence in my LUCIUS HAMMER comic book and I needed a hero that embodied the different qualities those two heroes had…so I spliced them visually. If you really dissect The Harlem Shadow…he is also part Bat Man, Dr. Strange and Green Lama. This may be hard to wrap your head around at this point because there are only two issues out…but imagine Dr. Strange if he used his mystical powers to fight the criminal underworld in New York like The Shadow.

Q: Why Harlem?

A: Well….this awesome period of self discovery occurred in New York City in the twenties for black folks called The Harlem Renaissance. It is an amazing topic that has always been an area of interest for me. Since there seemed to be no existing black superheroes from this period…it dawned on me that this could possibly be something new, exciting and create an alternative way to look at black superheroes and their history. What better place or time than the Harlem Renaissance? Yeah…I know.

Q: Why black superheroes? Why Russell Simmons and Common? Is this a black thing?

A: Because we need Black Superheroes. Of course we already have some iconic characters that have been given to us by Marvel and DC but does that mean we stop creating them? Most certainly not. And as a black writer/creator I feel I have a different story to tell than the ones told by the white creators of those aforementioned characters. My stories may not be better…but at least they will be different. I’d like to believe that Mr. Simmons sees this as a opportunity to tell a different story and really expand the fictional universe of black superheroes. I couldn’t have been more pleased when I learned of his desire to highlight the vibe of the 20′s era via industry, fashion, music. His selection of Common as the enigmatic voice of The Harlem Shadow was spot on. I have been listening to Common’s conscious and slightly afrocentric message for years…his voice is hypnotic and strong. He is The Harlem Shadow. As far as “is this a black thing?”…yes it is. It’s a black hero telling the superhero saga from the perspective of a black man…but it’s for everyone. Just like The Godfather is an Italian story clearly…but all kinds of folks love it because the Italian story becomes our story…an American story. The Harlem Shadow is a story for everyone and is universally fun and cool…he is a superhero with that pulp swing to him but he’s also got the soul of this black writer in him and that’s what makes him special. Everyone wins!

The Harlem Shadow is a a film noir animated series about a masked vigilante who fights crime in the seedy New York underworld during the famed Harlem Renaissance.  All Def Digital (ADD), a new Youtube network created by Russell Simmons (Def Jam; Phat Farm) and Brian Robbins (Awesomeness TV) will be showing content by the end of the year.

With the creative talent attached to this project, this is definitely a series that The KLIQ Nation will keep an eye on going forward.  Make sure to check back for more updates, but for now, enjoy the official press release below.

The Harlem Shadow was originally created by Brian Williams and Christian Colbert and published by RavenHammer Comics. Michael Uslan, the Executive Producer of The Dark Knight Trilogy, will serve as the Executive Producer of the series. His son, independent producer, David Uslan, who will also serve as Executive Producer of the series, initially discovered the indie comic while the property was brought to the ADD team via model and comic enthusiast, Summer Rayne Oakes, who will co-produce the series. The Harlem Shadow was the first of its kind to spotlight the Harlem Renaissance, a unique cultural movement in black history that spanned from 1919 to the mid-1930s.

“There has been a lack of cultural diversity in the world of animated heroes but we’re about to change that,” remarks Russell Simmons. “The Harlem Shadow not only brings to life the rich culture, art, fashion, music and creativity of the Harlem Renaissance through the first black superhero of the era – but also exposes the same grittiness and glamour that heavily influences the modern-day hip-hop community.”

- See more at: http://www.thekliqnation.com/2013/08/russell-simmons-to-launch-harlems-first-black-superhero-the-harlem-shadow/#sthash.D4OZ4N3A.dpuf