DC Black Team: Could It Work ?

[alton]

With all the emerging comic and film ( animated/ live/ games) appearances is it time for DC's minority characters to step out with their own team? I see DC's roster as particularly strong these days and could include Black Lightning/Cyborg/GL Stewart/Mr. Terrific/Vixen for starters. For now I would like to leave Milestone off the table but include them if you want. Which artist/writer team or director/writer would you pick and what concept would you use? No I didn't forget Steel. What non minority character would you pick for comic relief? Go crazy with this and have fun!

[TooFlyToFail]

I dont see how this would work without a stellar writer/artist combo. Even then....that doesn't help, just look at Ewing's Ultimates. That had Black Panther, Captain Marvel, MAC, and Galactus....didnt matter.

[Jackalope89]

John Stewart is pretty busy running the Green Lantern Corp, so I doubt he's in a position to suddenly hang out on Earth for extended periods of time.

Vixen is supposed to be taking over the Justice League of America, so that's going to keep her pretty busy (plus, only so many people can really keep an eye on Lobo, you know).

Not sure what Black Lightning is up to.

Mr. Terrific has been jumping around the multiverse to investigate things for Batman (being one of the few people Bats trusts for the jon).

Cyborg is with the Justice League, with still a bunch of people wanting him to get back in touch with his Teen Titans roots.

In short, a lot of the people you suggested are already pretty tied up. Maybe Jaime Reyes? He's not even with the Teen Titans, and Flashpoint turned his girlfriend into a lesbian (not making that up, still not sure why). So, he really doesn't have any ties outside his own series.

[MajorHoy]

With all the emerging comic and film ( animated/ live/ games) appearances is it time for DC's minority characters to step out with their own team? I see DC's roster as particularly strong these days and could include Black Lightning/Cyborg/GL Stewart/Mr. Terrific/Vixen for starters. For now I would like to leave Milestone off the table but include them if you want. Which artist/writer team or director/writer would you pick and what concept would you use? No I didn't forget Steel. What non minority character would you pick for comic relief? Go crazy with this and have fun!

Speaking as an old white guy, I don't think it would work.

If they're not the Justice League, they're not important enough.
And unless it's truly a fantastic book, it's going to look like a half-assed attempt by a white-guy corporation pandering to any non-Caucasian possible readers.

Milestone could do something like that because it was a company that had a multicultural background. DC/WB doesn't have that advantage, so their efforts would be judged differently and more critically.

But what do I know?

[Factor]

I think a Milestone team book like Shadow Cabinet would work better.
As for DC's own black heroes, I'd keep them as integrated as possible on their various teams.

Vixen on JLA
Black Lightning on Outsiders or JLA too.
Mr T on the Terrifics or JSA.
Bronze Tiger on Suicide Squad (it's a crime he's not already a member of the current team)
John on GLC.

I wouldn't want them all on the same team because they work much better as part of those teams (and I hate when members are on more than one team at once).

[tako]

because segregation works so well

[The Darknight Detective]

Speaking as an old white guy, I don't think it would work.

If they're not the Justice League, they're not important enough.
And unless it's truly a fantastic book, it's going to look like a half-assed attempt by a white-guy corporation pandering to any non-Caucasian possible readers.

Milestone could do something like that because it was a company that had a multicultural background. DC/WB doesn't have that advantage, so their efforts would be judged differently and more critically.

But what do I know?

I agree with all of this. DC would not gain anything but lots of criticism.

[Anthony Shaw]

I'd be okay with a limited series where a group of heroes were just hanging out, evil strikes, and they engage it.

Perhaps they all got together to welcome John Stewart back to Earth.

I love team books, but I'm not sure such an ongoing would work long term. As others have said, use these great characters in currently ongoing team books, since solos are tough to sell.

Within a team book, I would like to see black characters interact more. I don't comics need to adhere to the one black character per book rule.

Let's see Bronze Tiger & Vixen interact more. I'd like a team-up featuring John Stewart & Cyborg. I would like to see the cerebral Black Lightning & Mister Terrific picking each other's brains.

A six issue run with all them together could be fun.

[chief12d]

Speaking as an old white guy, I don't think it would work.

If they're not the Justice League, they're not important enough.
And unless it's truly a fantastic book, it's going to look like a half-assed attempt by a white-guy corporation pandering to any non-Caucasian possible readers.

Milestone could do something like that because it was a company that had a multicultural background. DC/WB doesn't have that advantage, so their efforts would be judged differently and more critically.

But what do I know?

Pretty much this. Any team book outside Justice League is irrelevant. A team book with black characters that haven't really generated tons of interest would probably be treated as less than irrelevant. I love Black Lightning, Vixen, Mister Terrific, and most of DC's other black heroes, but I'm black and can admit unless DC pours their heart and soul into a team book it won't go very far. I'm much more interested in seeing them work them as solo characters with a rogues gallery, in universe relevance, and supporting cast before throwing them together. It's been past time for them to get that. But the chances of that happening haven't increased so I'll hold my breath.

[kurenai24]

It would never cross DC's mind, and they won't bother b/c they have Milestones characters and when their books are finally released and if it's good, they'll be taking credit of characters they didn't create (even if they helped) b/c the media and dc fans would be giving them undeserved credit like they already do now.

Plus if DC comics are not smart enough to even try their hand at an all female team with a diverse roster, why in the world would I think they would even be capable of doing a black superhero team full of black male and female characters they have continuously shat on and continue to **** on.

[phantom1592]

Speaking as an old white guy, I don't think it would work.

If they're not the Justice League, they're not important enough.
And unless it's truly a fantastic book, it's going to look like a half-assed attempt by a white-guy corporation pandering to any non-Caucasian possible readers.

Milestone could do something like that because it was a company that had a multicultural background. DC/WB doesn't have that advantage, so their efforts would be judged differently and more critically.

But what do I know?

Agreed.

There's a level of hypocrisy when you fight for equality and segregation at the same time. I don't want a black character on a team JUST because he's black or JUST because their female... they have to be a solid worthwhile character in their own right. On the same note, I don't want a bunch of black characters hanging out JUST because they're black. Marvel did that a few times and it had me banging my head on a table. Something like Blade, Black Panther, and Luke Cage team up... because tech king, harlem hero for hire and vampire hunter have SOOOOOO much in common...

[MajorHoy]

. . . Plus if DC comics are not smart enough to even try their hand at an all female team with a diverse roster, . . .

I could have sworn DC was the company that published Birds of Prey and DC Comics Bombshells.

Guess I was mistaken.

[kurenai24]

I could have sworn DC was the company that published Birds of Prey and DC Comics Bombshells.

Guess I was mistaken.

I don't count Bombshells b/c their out of the main continuity and Birds of Prey is usually a group made of three, I don't consider a trio a team book but a team up (and yes I consider a team up and a team book to be different), but nice try.

Also you could have kept the snark, it didn't make your comment any more "right"

[alton]

I could have sworn DC was the company that published Birds of Prey and DC Comics Bombshells.

Guess I was mistaken.

I think the reference was to Diverse and Female characters. I haven't read either title so I'll leave that clarification up to you two.

[Assam]

Also you could have kept the snark, it didn't make your comment any more "right"

It's MajorHoy's thing. If he's not lamenting the lack of the JSA's presence, he's being snarky. (There's a decent shot he'll have a snarky response to this post)