marvel comics
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Journey to the Center of the Urkel: A Black Nerd Summer Quest
I love a good quest. As the resident comic-book and science-fiction guy at The Root, my pop culture life has been inspired by quests—Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Lord of the Rings, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle—if it requires finding hidden treasure or discovering a lost world, I’m all over it.…
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I Expected to Hate Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Then Marvel Made It Extra Black
You know that feeling you had when you finished watching Black Panther the first time? The credits were rolling and you sat there experiencing a mix of emotions—shock, happiness and validation, all while SZA and Kendrick Lamar’s “All the Stars” flowed throughout the theater? Imagine having all of those feelings again, except this time the…
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Reverence or Reach? The Tupac x Black Panther Collab Raises More Questions Than Interest
“From one icon to another” read a caption promoting a recent collaboration between Marvel’s Black Panther and the estate of slain rap star Tupac. But for followers and fans alike, there were questions about the correlation between the Marvel superhero and slain rap star, with many calling a co-tribute to the two a massive reach.…
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Black Girl Magic Meets Marvel: Nnedi Okorafor Unveils New Shuri Comic
We don’t need another hero, but here’s one we’ve been waiting for anyway: Wakandan princess and genius little sister Shuri has finally broken out of her supporting role in the Black Panther franchise into her own series, courtesy of acclaimed fantasy writer Nnedi Okorafor. Okorafor, whose novel, Who Fears Death, is being developed by HBO…
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Ant-Man and the Wasp is the Best Superhero Movie Made About Criminal Justice for White Guys
In just 10 years, the Marvel movie franchise has morphed from simple origin stories to universe-sprawling, intertwined characters and adventures, almost like Game of Thrones but with better CGI and brighter costumes. Once the exclusive playground of blonde white guys, the movies have become a lot blacker, more gender balanced and much more political. In…
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20 Questions About Avengers: Infinity War From a Guy Who Just Watched It and Still Might Be Very Confused
(Sidenote: There are spoilers here. Like, literally all of the spoilers.) 1. Why Thanos’ chin like that? 2. Speaking of Thanos, did that nigga really throw a whole-ass moon at Iron Man? 3. How the fuck can you beat someone who throws whole-ass moons at niggas’ grills? 4. How were Spider-Man and Iron Man—who are…
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Watch: Black Panther Cast Explains Why Black Superheroes Matter
The Black Panther character is more than the namesake of a movie that’s breaking the box office. He’s a culture. Marvel Comics has introduced the world to a diverse roster of superheroes since its launch in 1939, but the most notable has got to be Black Panther, who made his first appearance in Fantastic Four,…
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Watch: This Heroine Paved the Way for Black Women in Comics
It’s about time that black girls see themselves represented in comics. Storm of the X-Men and Misty Knight made waves in the mid-’70s, and now we’re seeing black women shut it down in movies like Black Panther. But before these heroines hit comic book pages, there was Torchy Brown. Torchy Brown in “Dixie to Harlem”…
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Watch: Everything You Need to Know About Black Panther, Explained
Where is Wakanda? Who is T’Challa? Can a woman be Black Panther? I have so many questions about this comic book-turned-feature film, so I consulted with play cousins to The Root who are both staff writers for i09: Charles Pulliam-Moore and Evan Narcisse (who happens to be one of the brilliant writers of the Rise…
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Best Part of Congressional Black Caucus Week? Exclusive Footage of Marvel’s Black Panther
These are some of the things the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference is known for: policy talk for the black community, mixed in with big parties, behind-the-scenes shenanigans and profilin’ outfits. This year was the same, with one huge exception : The panel put together by first-term Rep. Val Demmings (from Florida’s 10th…