Green Lantern (John Stewart)
Vixen (Mari McCabe)
Cyborg (Victor Stone)
Black Lightning/Vulcan (Jefferson Pierce)
Static (Virgil Hawkins)
Naomi (Naomi McDuffie)
Mr. Terrific (Michael Holt)
Steel (John Henry Irons)
Bumblebee (Karen Beecher)
Icon (Augustus Freeman IV)
Rocket (Raquel Ervin)
Amazing-Man (Any Version)
Aqualad (Kaldur'ahm/Jackson Hyde)
Other (Specify Below)
None
Last edited by MoneySpider; 10-13-2019 at 07:30 PM.
Black Panther - Champion of Bast
Vixen - Champion of Anansi
Regarding the name Black Lightning...Maybe I should create a character named the Mongoloid Mangler (seriously, that's no worse than Black Lightning), or the Negro Knight and try to get them to the level of Superman.
They may work okay as satire, but I think people would either have problems with them, or have trouble taking them seriously.
I am not talking about Geoff Johns and the Green Lantern character is not defined by a cartoon show from two decades ago, so don't try to "guarantee" me anything. How is nostalgia from that show any different from the Sliver Age nostalgia that you're talking about? And you didn't answer the question, we have been through an era without Hal Jordan and what did DC choose to do? Did they choose to do anything with any of the existing Green Lanterns after Hal was gone and try to give them their own books and stories and push them as equals? No, they created a brand new protagonist because they didn't know what to do with anyone else, not just with Hal. So he doesn't seem to be the only issue here, does he. Let's say he disappears for a decade again, all that we're going to see is the same scenario of a new character keeping his seat warm until he eventually comes back because he's the one this franchise revolves around. You don't need a Geoff Johns to see that. And if Hal is such a dull character that you claim him to be, why is there always fan demand for him when he's not around? The sales always went up when he showed up as GL anywhere during the Kyle run. I'm sorry if someone takes offense in this because that isn't my intent, but if you truly think the one and only way for other Lanterns to get a chance to shine is for Hal to go away, which already happened before, then what does that say about these characters or DC's apparent lack of faith in them in the first place? There's no longer a Geoff Johns around, so what is the excuse going to be once they bring Hal back again.
The point is that Hal isn't the issue for why other characters don't get a bigger piece of the pie. It's DC and the way they structured this franchise over the years to where you would always have frustrated fans no matter what happens and that can't be blamed on one character still being around.
Last edited by Johnny; 10-13-2019 at 08:11 PM.
I'm a black person, and, yes, the name bothers me. Along with Black Goliath, Black Racer, Black Manta, Black Spider, Vykin the Black... The creators couldn't see the character beyond their race when naming them. Bronze Tiger comes close too. Don't know how Vixen didn't end up as Black Vixen, given the era.
Black Panther gets a pass because that's the name of an actual animal and fits the setting.
Last edited by SecretWarrior; 10-13-2019 at 08:05 PM.
Do you think that's true for all franchises? There's certainly Flash-wars. And Robin ones - Dick fans who think he's been torn down for the sake of Tim (though only in the 2000s and later, as far as I know) and Tim fans who think he was diminished for Damian's sake. Definitely some Jon-haters for the specific cause of wanting Kon to have prominence and be Superboy. Who haven't we noticed this with - Donna and Cassie, I guess, since Donna was sorta screwed up before Cassie came on the scene (though it got worse later, I don't think any of that is connected to Cassie) and had moved on from title well before that?The point is that Hal isn't the issue for why other characters don't get a bigger of piece of the pie. It's DC and the way they structured this franchise over the years to where you would always have frustrated fans no matter what happens and that can't be blamed on one character still being around.
I've heard that too. No idea if it's true.....I can't recall Jeff's lightning being black in any of the comics I've read, but I also haven't read his earliest stuff either, which is where (I think) this was the case.
But even if they did that.....everyone is still going to know the real reason behind the name. Making his power a different color is just going to be seen as a thin attempt to hide the fact that Jeff was created to take advantage of the blaxploitation era. Just like Luke Cage.
It doesn't seem to be holding him back, (that's on DC's lack of effort and their drama with Isabella) but it *is* obnoxious. I think Jeff's name is much like Vic's disability; taken on its own it's fine. But in a group it looks a lot worse.
"We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."
~ Black Panther.
There is also Zack, the original Black Power Ranger, which Saban caught quite a bit of flack for, along with making Trini, the Asian girl, the Yellow Ranger. Never again (at least to my knowledge), would a black character be the Black Ranger in any subsequent Power Ranger line ups. Because, like...people don't like that. It's awkward. Black Lightning is no better.
Traditionally, he created yellow lightning, but a decade or so back, around the time he was on the Justice League ever so briefly (and had a shaved head, as all black men in comics at that time period did), it changed to black lightning with a sort of blue aura around it. I kind of liked that unique twist, even if it was a clear attempt to get away from 'Black Lightning' being named that way because he was a black dude who threw lightning.
"Yes, it's Black Lightning. And we can team him up with some of Marvel's unfortunately named characters like Yellow Claw (who is Asian), Red Wolf (who is Native American) and White... uh, wait, the only ones I can think of are White Tiger, who is Latino, and White Fox, who is Korean... Is there a White Something or other who's actually caucasian?"
I'm going to say it's between John Stewart and Vixen. Both deserve those spots. I chose John Stewart, due to obvious reasons
I agree that if Geoff Johns chose John Stewart, then it's a good possibility that the Green Lantern franchise would still be a success. As much as I don't care much for the writer, he did write good GL stories and you didn't have to be a Hal Jordan fan to read his run. After all, seeing how Blackest Night was a universal wide event, it showed how big the marketing push for the franchise was. But removing Hal Jordan out of the way doesn't solve the problem, but at the same time, DC tried to move John Stewart out of the way when Fialkov took over. It all comes down to who DC chooses what Green Lantern on who they want to push.