Ok.

You’ve probably gathered that I have a thing for the comic book medium.

And I keep on about superhero comic book iconic characters.

What I want to talk about now are black comic book iconic characters in the mainstream titles.

Or the lack of.

By this I mean characters with their own titles, ongoing or mini-series.

As a keen comic book collector and industry watcher I feel that there is a lack of visibility of these characters and this needs to be addressed as there are some great stories waiting to be told.

Click here to check out the book, Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics, and Their Fans (Studies in Popular Culture) by Jeffrey Brown.

All the above mentioned characters have had long spells of non-use and currently, again at the time of writing in 2004, only Firestorm and Black Panther hold their own series.

One on the pioneers of Milestone was Dwayne McDuffie.

He created the superhero Static now a producer on the Justice League Unlimited animated series.

The Milestone line had some great stories among it's many titles and I feel it's high time that the entire back catalogue was collected into trades for reader consumption.

Only Firestorm and Black Panther have their own series at present. And Photon (Monica Rambeau) will be leading Warren Ellis's Nextwave team drawn by Stuart Immonen.

Both Photon and Storm could easily hold a series of mini-series as each character has a wealth of history.

Click here to check out the Essential Luke Cage Power Man: Volume 1 (Marvel Comics)

The assumption that comic books featuring a black main character are ‘black books’ that only appeal to and cater for the black community is one that needs to be dispelled.

As I’ve said, comic books appeal to all, all races, all cultures.

Comic books are about great stories and great art and as long as these two essentials are in place you’ll be entertained regardless.

Also, the assumption that comic books where the main character is black, automatically don’t sell is also fundamentally wrong.

Spawn was a top ten seller for years and is still going strong. It's creators who sell books.

If Alan Moore wrote Black Panther, it would be a top 10 hit.

More accurate market research is needed to produce relevant, engaging characters and stories.

We need to know exactly who the market is and work from there.

Remember, great stories, great artwork?

As they say in the financial industry, past performance is no indicator of future events.

It’s all about the people, the creators.

Right now, Priest (formerly known as Christopher Priest) is the highest profile black writer in the mainstream superhero comics industry.

Penning some great, powerful, stories he has his voice and others are needed.

Most recently he penned 'Captain America and the Falcon'.

Also Reginald Hudlin, director of the films House Party and Boomerang, is writing for Marvel Comics penning Black Panther and Spider-Man.

Click here to check out the Essential Luke Cage/Power Man Volume 2 TPB (Marvel Comics)  

Writer/artist Kyle Baker recently had a great run on DC Comics' Plastic man.

All these authors works are available in trade paperback format.

So this entire scope should be utilised in addition to the urban landscape where many black superheroes seem to be relegated.

Personally, I'd love to see a Lord of the Rings type fantasy epic with black characters. Why not?

It would make a great comic book.

The Matrix Trilogy really broke the mould in this respect and showed what could be achieved with a fantastic story.

Click here to check out X-Men: Worlds Apart TPB (Marvel Comics) by Christopher Yost

There should be a healthy balance to the majority, urban-only based stories and the only limit is the imagination.

With more and more independent publishers and studios setting up, the playing field levelling out faster than you can say ‘T’Challa’ (the secret identity of Marvel's Black Panther character).

Of course there are barriers but positive perseverance, the constant acquisition of skills, good business/financial management and effective communication are the keys to success.

And the keys to the stable of diverse characters in the Marvel and DC Universe or from any other publisher.

Creator owned being the pinnacle of achievement.

Characters that will appeal to all. Alternatives to Batman, Superman and Spiderman.

Not to replace, but to compliment and provide more choice.

Maybe it's time for a round table discussion on how to improve this situation between all the stakeholders involved, the fans, the retailers, the creators and the publishers.

Things are changing but a casual look at the monthly Diamond Top 100 shows there is still some way to go.