Minorities in Comics and Other Media, etc

[Agent Z]

The Team Behind Castlevania Are Making a Ramayana-Inspired Animated Action Series for Netflix

It looks like the Ramayana is getting the Castlevania treatment. Deadline has reported that Castlevania creator Warren Ellis, executive producers Adi Shankar and Kevin Kolde, and Powerhouse Animation are teaming up once more to make another animated series for Netflix. Called Heaven’s Forest, it takes characters and stories from the Ramayana and transposes them to an “Indo-futuristic world.”


In case you haven’t read it, the Ramayana is an ancient Indian epic by the poet Valmiki that follows Rama, a prince and the seventh incarnation/avatar of the god Vishnu. His many adventures include getting betrayed by his stepmother, going into a 14-year-exile in the forests of India as a result of said betrayal, and having to rescue his wife from a demon who kidnapped her.

Heaven’s Forest isn’t the first sci-fi take on the Ramayana. There’s also Virgin Comics’ Ramayan 3392 A.D., which moves the characters to a far-future, post-apocalyptic setting in which the last stronghold of humanity has to battle a continent of demons. Created by Deepak Chopra and Shekhar Kapur, it’s written by Shamik Dasgupta and illustrated by Abhishek Singh.

https://www.tor.com/2019/10/30/the-t...s-for-netflix/

[skyvolt2000]

That's a terrible loss the passing of John Witherspoon, damn. I've still got my VHS copy of Boomerang somewhere I bought when I wanna say 16.

Over the laat 50, fuckin, years of American television and movies man, Black fathers are the smallest demo of all of them.
John Amos,
Bill Cosby,
Sherman Hemsley,
Reginald Van Johnson(who I prefer to remember from Die Hard),
Redd Foxx,
That's the list. Witherspoon had more run than ANY of them.

The line from Friday- "Why is it...(licks his fingers) everytime I come in the kitchen, you in the kitchen?" Is a callback I use a couple times a year still. The old Richard Pryor roast are on YT if you want to go back and see how hilarious he was when he was young. Grandad Freeman... That's a tough one, RIP.

How can you forget Avery Brooks? Cap Sisko of Deep Space 9?

Flip Wilson played a father on the CBS's attempt to beat Cosby Show-Charlie & Company with an unknown Jaleel White & Kris St John.
Tim Reid from Sister Sister
William Allen Young (Moesha)
Robert Townsend (Parent Hood)
James Earl Jones (Under One Roof playing Joe Morton's father & Merlin Santana's foster father.)
Joe Morton played an unknown Essene Atkins father on the same show.
Glynn Thurman (Different World)
James McDaniel played Jessica Lucas's father on Life as We Know it.
The father from Famous Jett Jackson.

You know what is funny? I can maybe name 10 more and most are hows that are NOT airing anywhere. Most are not on dvd-DESPITE having folks in the cast who have gone on to bigger things.

[CliffHanger2]

Man speaking Avery Brooks, I was watching an episode of A man called Hawk on youtube. Damn...they sure as hell don't make em like that anymore...

[Tofali]

How can you forget Avery Brooks? Cap Sisko of Deep Space 9?

Flip Wilson played a father on the CBS's attempt to beat Cosby Show-Charlie & Company with an unknown Jaleel White & Kris St John.
Tim Reid from Sister Sister
William Allen Young (Moesha)
Robert Townsend (Parent Hood)
James Earl Jones (Under One Roof playing Joe Morton's father & Merlin Santana's foster father.)
Joe Morton played an unknown Essene Atkins father on the same show.
Glynn Thurman (Different World)
James McDaniel played Jessica Lucas's father on Life as We Know it.
The father from Famous Jett Jackson.

You know what is funny? I can maybe name 10 more and most are hows that are NOT airing anywhere. Most are not on dvd-DESPITE having folks in the cast who have gone on to bigger things.

why isn't it streaming on BETplus? I tried getting the service but it is only offered in the U.S.? I just finished re-watching DS9 on Netflix and now I'm searching for the documentary about the show.

[skyvolt2000]

why isn't it streaming on BETplus? I tried getting the service but it is only offered in the U.S.? I just finished re-watching DS9 on Netflix and now I'm searching for the documentary about the show.

The DS9 doc-I think it's on youtube somewhere.

[G. Boney]

why isn't it streaming on BETplus? I tried getting the service but it is only offered in the U.S.? I just finished re-watching DS9 on Netflix and now I'm searching for the documentary about the show.

I'm actually on the tail end of my first ever DS9 rewatch. I missed a few eps here and there during the original run (especially in the last couple of seasons) thanks to my work schedule at the time.

[Holt]

The celeb halloween costume game was on point this year.

[Tofali]

The DS9 doc-I think it's on youtube somewhere.

I found it thanks.

[Agent Z]

CBS is working on a reboot of "The Equalizer" starring Queen Latifah.

https://shadowandact.com/the-equaliz...-queen-latifah

[jetengine]

CBS is working on a reboot of "The Equalizer" starring Queen Latifah.

https://shadowandact.com/the-equaliz...-queen-latifah

Did the movies do that badly ?

Also...isnt Queen Latifah more of a comedy Actress? Like can she BE intimidating

[Agent Z]

Did the movies do that badly ?

Also...isnt Queen Latifah more of a comedy Actress? Like can she BE intimidating

She's done dramatic roles before so she has some versatility.

[Overhazard]

Did the movies do that badly ?

Also...isnt Queen Latifah more of a comedy Actress? Like can she BE intimidating

She was pretty brutal in Set it Off. I remember hearing somewhere that Issa Rae wanted to do a remake.

[leo619]

Did some of the posts get deleted? I remember asking about someone posting about a graphic novel but I don't see it here anymore.

[Ragged Maw]

The Team Behind Castlevania Are Making a Ramayana-Inspired Animated Action Series for Netflix



https://www.tor.com/2019/10/30/the-t...s-for-netflix/

Nice. If they can make a monstrous villain like Dracula interesting, then I’m curious to see their concept of the Asuras (Ravana, Indrajit, etc.)

[Surf]

How can you forget Avery Brooks? Cap Sisko of Deep Space 9?

Sure, I'll give you that, a great portrayal. Shoutout to Avery Brooks, he represented in the inclusion fight for many, many years and repped an angle in a network television space that's never been done again (See A Man called Hawk) more than once. That said, it's an optical portryal not a situationally relateable one. Like, forget the fact that Captain Kirk was out here bangin' aliens back in the 60's. Forget that that's not the kind of portrayal historically a black actor would have historically EVER been put in. Nat King Cole's variety show not even 10 years before that was cancelled because in the South it was socially unaceptable that this uber talented African-American was 'allowed' to present his talent on television for anybody to tune in to see. A single father in a position of leadership raising a son most definitely happened on TV but it meant much, much more because Avery Brooks had the role. Optics, hell Beveryl Crusher was a major story arc as a widow and it didn't seem different at all.

Also the setting, Benjamin and Jake's issues on an outpost space station were not situationally strong as maybe 'a very special episode of Good Times' might could be. No shade at all and even in an analogous way, there were situational story lines that Jake went through (at least what I remember), but then during the episode there was a transition to a secondary story about a Ferengi and kinda of pulled you out. However Brook's Sisko was optically important and relevant and refreshing at the same time, not exceptionally relateable to the rank and file black viewer, if that makes sense. It's still a Jewell in the black sci-fi space as an overwhelmingly positive one. Even if it was a dull ass show at times.

Flip Wilson played a father on the CBS's attempt to beat Cosby Show-Charlie & Company with an unknown Jaleel White & Kris St John.

That's a grasp, now you're getting in to Trivial Pursuit levels. A one season sitcom buried on the network new fall schedule isn't quite cutting it. Especially a network trying to mimic another larger show using another black comic from the 60's, don't quite rock for me. A pittance is too strong a word but it was not set-up to prosper from the jump.

I will see your Charlie & Co. and raise you The Royal Family, which I did kinda like. Larenz Tate was the teenager and unfortunately it was Redd Foxx's last show and he tragically passed on the set. Redd Foxx played a TV Grandpa and if you try and add up all of those black characters, I feel you'll still have fingers left on one hand.

Tim Reid from Sister Sister
William Allen Young (Moesha)
Robert Townsend (Parent Hood)

Nuff respect to Tim Reid. If you're of a certain age this guy was always in pretty successful shows for a couple decades straight and his thing was always about positive portrayals. I've never been the biggest Robert Townsend fan but I've always respected his hustle and how much talent he gave a showcase for.

That said this begins to be sort of a line generationally. I was grown by the time these shows we on and when I did sit through any of them, It never kept me. If I watched anything on the WB/UPN it would have been Wayans Brothers or Girlfriends and I even gave Homeboy's in Outer Space more than a couple watches. I can't say for sure these shows had the impact that the earlier Black situationals had when there were fewer TV options. I'm sure there are tons of young people who rocked with Moesha and Sister Sister but those kind of ran together to me personally. I didn't like Damon Wayans show either, there was a time where these things got pretty corny.

Damn Volt, you left out Omar Gooding's show, Family Time didn't want none of this lol. Hmmm, now that I think about it, Angell Conwell though, she was the least motherly black mother ever lol. She was cold, as, fuckin' hell and that show knew it early on casue she walked around in nighties and tight clothes more than ANY black TV mother ever. Not saying she couldn't have had them kids but she wasn't there for Claire Huxtable level advice,

James Earl Jones (Under One Roof playing Joe Morton's father & Merlin Santana's foster father.)
Joe Morton played an unknown Essene Atkins father on the same show.

I'll take your word for it. I will say JEJ and Joe Morton on the same show should have been a much bigger thing. Brother from another Planet and the voice of Darth Vader on the same show.

Glynn Thurman (Different World)

Eh, that's a reach. Credit for putting a black man of age on a show and the pairing of he and Mr. Gaines against the younger Sinbad was very cool and it worked but I dont' even know if whatever family Thurman's character had ever was mentioned more than once. Not for nothin' but Glynn will always been known for a pair of things imo, Cooley High and beating the hell out of Aretha Franklin.

James McDaniel played Jessica Lucas's father on Life as We Know it.
The father from Famous Jett Jackson.

Riiight, I'm thinkin' a bit more remembered roles.

You know what is funny? I can maybe name 10 more and most are hows that are NOT airing anywhere. Most are not on dvd-DESPITE having folks in the cast who have gone on to bigger things.

I don't know about ten more but I get where you're coming from.

After a second thought Reginald VelJohnson is off my list. The late great James Avery's Uncle Phil (voice of the Shredder) should take the place of Carl Winslow all day everyday. My bad on that one.