A new superhero is coming to the CW (Number23 you might want to read this!)

[Behind the Aegis]

I am a big TV person. I watch an insane amount of television. I also love superheroes. So, when DC started making TV shows about superheroes and they didn't suck; I was in heaven! Tonight, I was watching Arrow which follows the exploits of Green Arrow (and a few others including the Black Canary and Speedy), but it was the previews for next week that had me jump off the couch. A new superhero is coming to Star City...

VIXEN!

She is an African-American superhero who can summon the various strengths of animals through an enchanted totem. What is really exciting, Arrow has been responsible for two spin-offs (The Flash and DC's Legends of Tomorrow), three if you count Supergirl who got off the ground ( ) because of the success of the other superhero shows. This could very well be a preview of a superhero spin-off show with an African-American woman as the star!

I know this isn't earth-shattering, but it does show a good direction for TV shows, especially in the superhero genre.

Mari McCabe/Vixen will be played by Megalyn Echikunwoke.

Looking forward to next Wednesday!!!

[MrWendel]

1. They have...

done a good job so far. I hope they don't mess this up.

[lovemydog]

2. Nice!

[Bad Dog]

3. I hope this is good.

Unfortunately I have to disagree about other superhero programmes not sucking. The only Superhero programme worth watching is Gotham. I watched three series of Agents of Shield, mostly because of my boy, but even he's sick of it now, similarly with Arrow. That put me off Agent Carter and Flash respectively.

Having said that I am really impressed with Gotham, the acting is second to none, especially the Joker and the Penguin, and more importantly Sean Pertwee plays Alfred as a realistic London lad, no Americanisation of his accent, just genuine English. That's really quite a big deal over here.

[qwlauren35]

17. I am not surprised

that someone who wants the depths of Gotham is disappointed in the others. I think I watched most of the first season, and the Penguin made me so sick I started getting the willies. It would come on, and I didn't want to watch it, but my husband would watch it, and I'd get drawn in like a fly to a lightbulb, with my stomach clenched, and a huddled mass of scaredy cat.

So, the Flash was more my speed. And I think the Arrow is okay. Supergirl is kinda sissy for me. Although her girlfriend is a badass. They do have good villains, who are subtle and very intelligent, instead of sick. Well, okay, maybe they are sick, but they don't scare me to death.

You have no idea how excited I am about Vixen.

[Bad Dog]

27. It's not just that Gotham is grittier.

The acting is superb and the characters are realistic. The others were too formulaic and predictable, and the acting rather so so.

You're right, I have no idea how excited you are about Vixen. How could I? I don't know you from Adam.

It's really good to get excited about something though. I felt the same when I heard Peter Capaldi was going to be the new Doctor. And when the new series of The Last Leg started.

The World would be a very dull place if we all liked the same thing.

Jekyll and Hyde is pretty good too. Still don't know if there'll be a second series.

[qwlauren35]

32. Just curious

The expression "you have no idea" is American, and suggests that something is incredibly large, or some superlative. Perhaps you don't know the phrase. I know that you don't know me. I'm not sure why you would be so negative about it unless the phrase is unfamiliar.

[Bad Dog]

33. I'm not American.

And the phrase is unfamiliar. Sorry if I came across as negative.

[qwlauren35]

34. That's what I thought.

You have no idea how much I am excited about Vixen is another way of saying I am super duper, seriously and completely excited about Vixen.

I grew up watching cartoons of the Justice League and specifically Batman, Superman and Aquaman. I even watched Ultraman (Japanese) although I didn't always understand it. Not sure why. Probably I couldn't read the subtitles fast enough.

If you didn't see Ultraman (back in the 1960's and 70's), he was a superhero who would grow in size, to about the size of Godzilla and fight monsters, like Godzilla. Buildings were always destroyed.

At any rate, as a black woman, the idea of a black woman superhero has me super excited. Crazy excited, madly excited. You don't know how excited. Very excited.

I can't wait. (yes, I can, but the sooner the better).

Very American. Hope you got all of them!

[Bad Dog]

35. I remember Batman and Superman cartoons.

And the Adam West series which I loved. I have heard of the others, but never seen any cartoons. I remember a Japanese cartoon called Marine Boy, and I liked that. Back in the 70s we had Rentaghost.

Not sure what you'll make of this.

[qwlauren35]

36. Yes, we had Marine Boy.

Did you have Speed Racer?

[Bad Dog]

39. Not that I remember.

When I was a kid we only had two channels, BBC and ITV. And apart from the odd cartoon at the weekends and "Watch With Mother" for preschools at lunchtime (half an hour) we had just two hours of kid's TV after school. There was a lot of home grown stuff too and, strangely enough, dubbed Czechoslovakian fairy tales.

I don't remember Speed Racer at all. We did get Hannna Barbara stuff, Scooby Doo, Wacky Races, Hong Kong Phooey, that sort of thing.

[Coolest Ranger]

4. I've seen her animated series

on the CW Seed. She kicked ass in the animated version and I can't wait for live action view

[Number23]

5. Vixen!! Oh my goodness!!!

Did they finally get her a suit that fits her?? And more importantly -- does she get to have a love interest?????! Is it Arrow?? That would be fabulous.

This is so FREAKING cool!!!!

Edit: Oh, and I got my baby the same Storm costume that you sent me via link!!! I owe you big time.

[Behind the Aegis]

9. Yup! I knew you'd love it.

I am really excited!

This is a pic of her in her suit:



Since this will be her first appearance, I am not real sure where they will go with the story line, but I doubt it will involve a storyline where she and Arrow hook up; he's engaged to be married. However, I am wondering if this might not augur an introduction of John Stewart as the Green Lantern! That would be awesome!!! Arrow has already had Hawkgirl on, who's now on another show.

I bet your daughter looks adorable as Storm! Still waiting to hear is there will be an upcoming "X-Men Origins: Storm" in the making. There are rumors!!!

[Number23]

10. I gotta say, I would have loved for Vixen to look less "European"

That is a beautiful woman in that photo, but damn. I want to see a kick ass, brown skinned sista with short hair. One of the BIGGEST disappointments in the history of cinema for me was the casting of Halle Berry as Storm in the first X-Men movies.

Halle Berry is one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood BAR NONE. But she does not and has never exhibited the real kick ass qualities that have made Storm one of my favorites. When I heard that they were making an X Men movie you know who I was rooting for? Angela Bassett. Wouldn't she have made a FABULOUS Storm???

I know this idea that women of color need to be as pale as possible in order to be "bankable" (which is why they cast a bi-racial woman to play Harriet Tubman in some horrible Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter movie. I know that a movie like that isn't even TRYING to be authentic but who in the world looked at a pic of Harriet Tubman and thought "you know who should play her? Halle Berry's cousin!" ) but I would have loved to have seen a new Lupita play someone like Vixen.

I am still super excited though. I don't care who is playing her I will be watching that show!! And if a Storm movie comes out and they get somebody other than Halle I am SOO there! Oh, who am I kidding. I'll be there even if it is Halle!

[Kind of Blue]

12. I'd love to see an actress like Lupita play Storm, too.

But I doubt it after the super loud male fans of the X-Men series threw a fit about making her more Africoid as was originally intended. I think the outrage was for the comic books, not even a movie. I could be wrong because I was too disgusted to read further knowing the eventual outcome. But I think it was the comic.

For my super heroes fix, I turn also to African animators, as well as African-British, and our people in Brazil. I'm not sure if you know of this one that came out last year called "Rise of the Orishas." I was happy to donate to the crowd-fund of a few years ago and happier to see the dream come to fruition.

Happy to donate to this absolutely adorable Afro-Brazilian movie, "The Summer of Gods," that came out a year or so before Rise of the Orishas, about a little girl's reluctance to accept her power, and eventual life of a priestess, overseen by her orisha Yemanjá, Queen of the Sea.

https://vimeo.com/83704994
And these beautiful works by Atlanta-based photographer James C. Lewis showcased in this video that makes me palpitate a little too much, for a married woman I don't think all of the works are in the video.

[Number23]

14. WHERE DO YOU FIND THIS STUFF???!!

Good LORD you are like an unending fount of amazing, boundless knowledge!!! This is so freaking amazing! I have never heard of the Orishas and this looks so magical and beautiful!

Who knew it was possible to make movies/short films about black people and magic?? Hollywood has always told me that magic was confined to the realms of the non-brown! To this day, I still remember the story about the Indian woman in England who auditioned to play a part in Lord of the Rings and they told her that there were no brown people in Middle Earth. Elves? Sure! Dragons! You betcha! 40 foot eagles? No problem! But a person with actual MELANIN??! That was apparently much too far fetched.

This is probably one of my favorite threads lately. This and the ones on Black Panther. But girl, WHY did you have to show me that last video??! LORDY lord lordy... *fanning self furiously*

[Kind of Blue]

15. Goodness, I go binge hunting every few

months and track them down! Because even with the Internet there is not enough exposure. But thanks to the Internet, like in your example, we get enough exposure into the thought process of film makers and their audience to know how they really, really feel.

I was excited back in '08 or so that Will Smith was going to produce and star as the last black pharoah, Taharqa, from Sudan. I waited and kept up with it for a while but by '13, Hollywood failed to greenlight it and have heard nothing since. "Will Smith's latest project, The Last Pharaoh, is expected to be a mega action movie that will be seen by millions around the globe...Will Smith is a natural for the role of Taharqa the Nubian king. Little has been explored about Africa's Nubia and its kings who played a role thousands of years ago in ruling Egypt. They're almost forgotten now, especially after Nasser's government in Egypt relocated them from their villages after building the Aswan Dam. Their unique language and culture is feared to be extinct." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aladdin-elaasar/will-smiths-last-pharaoh_b_529804.html

Here are a few more I've enjoyed. Short but well done and several of the directors have gone on to produce feature lengths, unfortunately not in the genre I love. I'll keep hunting and sharing since I know you're a girl after my own heart

"Pumzi" from South Africa

Also from SA, "Room Nine."

&index=7&list=PLO7e5CH35NDNqUxX6guExU2GF0Oxez_dS

And this lovely but sad piece from Nigerian director but coming out of London, "Touch."
https://vimeo.com/62367468

And trailer for the documentary "Invisible Universe: A History Of Blackness In Speculative Fiction." Producer/Director M. Asli DukanI is completing final touches after years and years of research and still fundraising to finish it.

[Number23]

18. Wow, The Last Pharoah sounds amazing. Hopefully Will Smith will just produce it?

And not, you know, try to star in it???? ((fingers crossed))

[Kind of Blue]

22. Fingers crossed...me, too.

But it seemed he really, really wants/wanted to do both.

[Recursion]

21. I'd also love to see the new Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, get a movie

I can think of a ton of actresses to play her...

[Kind of Blue]

40. I got to say though that personally

I'm delighted that Ms. Echikunwoke is half Nigerian. But always bittersweet, longing to see more Lupita Nyong'o as well as thrilled to see her in the last Star Wars installment.

[Recursion]

42. Oh is that confirmed now?

That makes me very happy. She's an amazing actress (not to mention absurdly hot).

[Behind the Aegis]

23. What's really interesting....

...the actress playing Vixen is like her, an African father and American mother. It would interesting to see a Vixen more like the one from the comics, but I am willing to see this one. I am excited!

Angela Basset would make a good Storm. I actually said that after the first X-Men movie! I swear! I wouldn't mind seeing Lyndie Greenwood playing Storm. She is currently on "Sleepy Hollow" and definitely has the "kick ass" attitude which would really make the role pop. What about Pam Grier? Well, she may be too old, but still...that would be awesome.

I understand what you are saying about the casting of African-American women, in particular. There is a similar thing when it comes to casting gay characters too. They have to find people who "appeal to the public." The idea that "real" GLBT, black women/men, and others exist seem to be lost on those making movies.

Only two more days!!!

[Number23]

37. I've never seen Sleepy Hollow. Is that a good show??

I still watch the Johnny Depp movie version from the 90s! Like, REGULARLY watch it, maybe a few times a year. I love Depp, I mean I love that movie.

Lyndie Greenwood is extremely pretty. The discussion around color in Hollywood has been going on forever. It is very much a part of the Hollywood Diversity conversation that pops up every 10 years, goes absolutely nowhere, and then vanishes for another 10 years. One of the reasons that Lupita's success is universally celebrated within the black female community. My complexion is a lot closer to the woman playing Vixen and I still long to see much more diversity of black, female beauty onscreen.

[Behind the Aegis]

41. We really enjoy Sleepy Hollow.

It is very quirky, deals with American Revolution history. The woman I showed is the sister of the main character, who is a badass and beautiful woman in her own right (Nicole Beharie). Basically, she (the sister, Abbie Mills, a detective) and Ichabod Crane (yes, that one) are the "witnesses" from the Bible and are trying to prevent the Apocalypse. Greenwood (the younger sister) came into the show at the end of the first season, and was a regular by the end of the second season. She was a bounty hunter and a real, kick-ass-take-NO-names type of person. You should check out some of her fight scenes and see why I think she'd make a great superheroine. Make no mistake, Behaire is a badass too, but she has a much softer side, IMO.

One of my best friends and I used to discuss the depictions of AA women in the media. She, being a AA woman, told me quite a bit from that perspective and I also learned some from other people in my life who are film buffs. I have also watched some really good documentaries about minorities and their portrayals in media. There is a really good one from some time back, and I think I have it on DVD. If I remember to look and can find it, I will let you know, because, hell, many things are on Netflix now, but you have to search to find some of the good stuff.

I am excited about tomorrow and saw a preview again while watching "The Flash" tonight. Best part...

RANDOM BAD GUY: How about you come out and fight like a man?

VIXEN: How 'bout I come out and kick your ass like a woman!

It will be awesome!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

29. I agree. We brown- to dark-skinned beauties with nappy hair are totally being

erased. Totally agree. I'm happy that she's black but not all black women look like this.

[Number23]

38. Exactly. I want to see about a thousand more Lupitas in Hollywood

I want to see a blue black sista with short hair selling me L'Oreal!!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

6. I'll be watching, and I hate T.V., but to see this positive image--and gorgeous woman on the screen,

I'm here for it!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

7. Oh, and she reminds me very much of the late, great Aaliyah.

[JustAnotherGen]

11. Very true!

Re Aaliyah! This woman is very pretty!

[Recursion]

20. Holy crap, you nailed it

I still have my VHS of Queen of the Damned, and nothing to play it on...

[Tarheel_Dem]

8. K&R!

[Kind of Blue]

13. YAY Dammit. Thanks, Behind the Aegis!

Let's tell our stories and change the narrative.

[qwlauren35]

16. OMG

I am SO watching this.

It better be damned good.

It better last for more than 4 episodes.

[Recursion]

19. Anybody know if M0rpheus has seen this? (nt)

[Behind the Aegis]

24. Not sure, but Number23 and I have had discussions about this very character.

So, I wanted to make sure she saw it for sure.

[Recursion]

25. M0rpheus is kind of the comic book alpha geek here

I'll PM him... and I agree this is awesome.

[Behind the Aegis]

26. I didn't know that about him!

Awesome. I was big with DC comics, so Vixen is a really neat addition.

[M0rpheus]

31. I'm really nothing to write home about.

I've just spent a good deal of time keeping up with the goings on in the comic world(s).

It's surprisingly complicated!

[littlebit]

28. Cool

I was wondering how DC was going to introduce all of the Justice Leage. I knew the were going to introduce the more popular ones in Batman v. Superman but there are so many of them they couldn't all be in that movie.

[Gothmog]

30. Yeah

Vixen is a great addition to this show