Super Black: American Pop Culture and Black Superheroes

by Adilifu Nama

Winner, American Book Award, Before Columbus Foundation, 2012 Super Black places the appearance of black superheroes alongside broad and sweeping cultural trends in American politics and pop culture, which reveals how black superheroes are not disposable pop products, but rather a fascinating racial phenomenon through which futuristic expressions and fantastic visions of black racial identity and symbolic political meaning are presented. Adilifu Nama sees the value—and finds new avenues for exploring racial identity—in black superheroes who are often dismissed as sidekicks, imitators of established white heroes, or are accused of having no role outside of blaxploitation film contexts. Nama examines seminal black comic book superheroes such as Black Panther, Black Lightning, Storm, Luke Cage, Blade, the Falcon, Nubia, and others, some of whom also appear on the small and large screens, as well as how the imaginary black superhero has come to life in the image of President Barack Obama. Super Black explores how black superheroes are a powerful source of racial meaning, narrative, and imagination in American society that express a myriad of racial assumptions, political perspectives, and fantastic (re)imaginings of black identity. The book also demonstrates how these figures overtly represent or implicitly signify social discourse and accepted wisdom concerning notions of racial reciprocity, equality, forgiveness, and ultimately, racial justice.

Genres: Nonfiction, Comics, History, Pop Culture, Superheroes, Graphic Novels, Race

180 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very enjoyable read. Nama looks into the major African-American superheroes presented by the two big comics publishers in the United States, DC and Marvel. While there is some mention of the Milestone comics and Spawn, these characters are not the focus. While not exhaustive, there are some very interesting ideas presented here, and it references a few sources that are worth pursuing. A nice bonus is that there are a lot of examples from comics presented here, and there is a center section that presents some of those works in full color.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating is more like 3.5 stars.

Some very interesting points and surprising examples (shout outs to Doctor/Brother Voodoo!). I liked the author's "reclaiming" of black superhero tropes and the pros and cons of the different types of representation. Although a fun and informative read, I wish there was more.

However, a lack of female superheroes was VERY disappointing-- Storm is barely there, and Misty Knight (while being on the cover) is mentioned in passing. The author did discuss Martha Washington, some one I've never heard of in the comic book world, so that was neat. It's fine if the book was only discussing male blackness in superhero pop culture, but then it should be indicated as such.

Over all, worth the read, just don't go in looking for in depth discussions about black women as superheroes.

[Red🏳️‍⚧️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t let this being over a decade old turn you away as it’s mostly about the broader history of Black super heroes at the Big Two (Marvel and DC). It’s an insightful and interesting perspective, mostly on the silver and dark ages (70s-90s), and even though I didn’t really follow (or agree with) his reasoning for all his takes and have never understood the way people cherish the silver age, it’s definitely worth a read. (It is not however an exhaustive history, so don’t expect to hear about Bumblebee, Amanda Waller, McDuffie’s Deathlok, or more than a brief mention of Monica Rambeau. It’s more essay than pure historical document.)

He definitely goes easier on Jack Kirby, Gerard Jones, Todd MacFarlane, Jim Steranko, and Neal Adams and a lot harder on Dwayne McDuffie (and Milestone generally), Christopher Priest, and Rags Morales, but also he shares a community with one group and not with another, so.

There’s good historical data here too, for ex. for those who don’t know about how Nubia goes back to 1973 and then was erased from DC like she never existed (even tho she’s WW’s sister). The author is also very imaginative about how history could have gone differently if the white ppl in power at these companies had seized upon these many, many narrative opportunities these amazing Black characters presented rather than burying so fucking many like they never happened. It’s a hard history to take in, it’s hard to realize all that could have been and was lost, but the author’s passion shines through and that’s what makes it an interesting read.

P.S. loved his take on Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, maybe I’m the last one on Earth to hear this by now but damn

[Osvaldo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half, really. . .

This book has a lot of promise. Nama's introduction demonstrates familiarity with a lot of the recent critical attention to comic books and addresses their lack of time spent on racial representation in superhero comics and Black superheroes more specifically. He also makes sure to mention Bradford Wright's dismissive attitude towards a cultural studies/post-structuralist approach to comics in explaining his own approach. Wright's otherwise strong book makes the mistake of imaging all comics readers as one homogeneously perfect interpretive community. Unfortunately, however, Super Black's analysis falls short in its attempts to decode resistant interpretations of stereoytpes commonly encoded in the genre. Basically, this book serves as more of a general survey of mainstream Black superheroes with some detailed examinations of particular characters like the author's personal favorite, the Falcon.

The strength of the book is its breadth, finding time for even obscure heroes like Cloak (of Cloak & Dagger) and Black Goliath and also being sure to examine representations of black heroes in TV and movies - both re-inventions of version from the comics, like Blade and Spawn and the kind that benefit from the superhero genre like various blaxpoitation characters from 70s film.

Ultimately, I am unconvinced of Nama's conclusion that Black superheroes provide "a galactic vision of blackness" - an escape from conventional notions of black identity. If anything, his examinations may point out a hope for that kind of vision, but repeatedly demonstrate that again and again even the most promising black superheroes are frequently victims of narrow problematic representation.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black superheroes are a topic which has always fascinated me because their inclusion in the comics canon of both DC as well as Marvel has been a long-running struggle. In the Legion of Superheroes, Ferro Lad was meant to be DC comics' first black superhero but the idea was shot down due to fears from the segregationist South. Black Lightning ended up being the first DC superhero and that was only due to avoiding a racist concept of a white man who became a black superhero (later parodied in Justice League).

Adilifu Nama does a good job of summarizing the various black superheroes which managed to break through that barrier: Luke Cage, Falcon, Black Lightning as mentioned above, Storm, and Spawn. There's some interesting stories absent about these characters and I think we could have investigated some of the characters more thoroughly. For example, we have a good amount of talk about Cloak and Dagger's interracial relationship but almost none about Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. The book also stops just before the introduction of Miles Morales, which seems like it would have been an excellent place to stop the book.

While the book begins with an introduction that explains it'll primarily follow the characters of DC as well as Marvel comics, it loses this focus roughly halfway in. It talks about the Spawn, Icon, and a number of other characters while not discussing the Milestone legacy at all. The absence, for example, of Static and his cartoon show seems like a big absence. Still, he manages to not only discuss the timeframe of individual heroes but how they fit into the larger cultural framework. I especially liked the discussion of the Blade movies.

Overall, the book is quite entertaining but a bit on the shallow side. I recommend it for individuals who want to understand the cultural relevance of black superheroes to the community as well as some of their missteps.

8.5/10

[Tim Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still kind of trying to decide how I feel about this book. Maybe because I'm not entirely convinced the book knew what it wanted to be. Or maybe it did and I just didn't quite parse it. It's certainly not a history of black superheroes...though it delves in to that area a bit. It's not really a critical assessment of those comics which featured or starred black superheroes...though it delves in to that area a bit. It does look at the rise of the black superhero and the evolution of some of them and the cultural reasons behind both their rise and that evolution. But it's not terribly broad when it does so. The prose is good. It's very readable...but it somehow seems kind of...slight. I don't feel bad about reading it...but I don't feel like I gained a much in the way of insight and very little in the way of knowledge (the latter may be because I've read literally hundreds of books and prozines on comics). I guess I'd say it was okay...and you probably won't feel bad about reading it.

[Steven D'Adamo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super Black is an interesting look into how Black superheroes have engaged in or even shaped the narrative of race in American culture. Even for someone without a deep knowledge of comics lore or history, this book is an engaging review of the most prominent Black superheroes and their depictions over the decades. There are a few comics I'll be checking out as a result of this.

[Keith Belvin]

As a comic fan of color, this was a must-read. Nama speaks on the history behind many of the black superhero and their backstories. The book also touches on what black superheroes brought to the black diaspora and how important they were in telling the story which needed to be heard by folks of color.

[Melisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellently informative and thought-provoking. This book was published in 2011, and a lot had happened in the world of black and brown Superheroes since then, but this study delves headfirst into the roots of the heroes we hold so dear now (and let's us imagine what could be).

[Julio Bonilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black superheroes such as Black Panther, Luke Cage, the Falcon, John Stewart, and Black Lightning were a logical response to the cultural fallout generated by the struggle for racial justice and equality that took hold of the nation from the late 1950s to the early 1970s.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great high-level overview that hits most of the important points and covers them in reasonable detail. Definitely a solid, engaging first step for anyone interested in the subject.

[Remi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overlooked Black woman superheroes.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise book full of great analysis of black superheroes, in comics and in movies. Loved it.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book sorely needs an update, although I can't fault the writer for being prescient.

[El Neo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author does have something to say and is very eloquent. He could've done better research into the characters.

[Mark Schlatter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nama is attempting here to avoid the simplistic analysis that black superheroes are just tokens and often miswritten by white publishers. Instead, he's using what he calls a "critically celebratory" approach where he attempts to tie in black superheroes with cultural history and positive portrayals of African Americans. A chapter on the Black Power movement and connections to the Black Panther and Luke Cage characters is convincing, and I appreciated Nama's take on the Superman vs. Muhammed Ali comic book. However, I found some of the work forced --- claiming that the flight power of the Falcon represents the upward mobility of the black middle class seemed farfetched to me. Two of the latter chapters meandered a fair bit (especially in reading Miller and Gibbon's Martha Washington graphic novels as superhero works).

[Andre Ferrer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I say this book is definitely worth reading. I found this book to very informative as it touches on the political/social origins of Black superheroes Black Panther, Luke Cage, The Falcon, Black Lightning, Icon, John Stewart, Tyroc (who knew) and other minority characters from the comic book industry.

From DC to Marvel to the defunct Image Comics, Adilifu Nama offers insight analysis on how black superheroes came to light in pop culture during political and social movements of the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s to the current crop of today’s' heroes in books and cinema.

A must read if you’re interested in knowing the history of comics.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an analysis of African American superheroes in pop culture. I enjoyed it but found myself wanting more. Nama digs into folklore like John Henry, but misses Stagger Lee, different tricker stories (both African American and Native American), that seemed appropriate for the subject.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely an interesting read. I found some titles I need to put on my reading list. Marvel & DC could really use some new prominent & wholly original black characters. The possibilities are endless if they are willing to take up the challenge.

[Chris Keeve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nama takes an explicit poststructural, contextual analysis of comics, which you don't often see and which was interesting to read. It's also decidedly celebratory and places black superheroism firmly in the realm of Afrofuturism

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super Black: American Pop Culture and Black Superheroes was an enjoyable read. I was impressed at how many comic book characters I knew but I was shocked at how long these African-American comic book characters have been around. I'm glad I learned about some of these from this amazing book.

[Chris Spivey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is an excellent quick read and starter book on the topic. The ideas it shines a light on will spark some interesting conversations about a topic that is normally overlooked.

[Jason Mock · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and well-written account of the Black Superhero from
Marvel's Black Panther (1966) to Barack Obama (2008).

[Alise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read and only wish it was longer. A good overview of black superheroes, their portrayals and the evolution of race in comics.