First Black Secret Service Agent, Abraham Bolden, Speaks Out On BEing Fr...

Talk about shock and awe; an African American Secret Service Agent.  And during the John F. Kennedy Administration.  A totally turbulent era with the Civil Rights exploding and exposing the darkest evil imaginable. The infamous JFK assassination still perplexes to this very day with all of the mystery surrounding the events that lead up to that fateful day which still leaves us in a fog of unanswered questions decades later.  Abraham Bolden was a complete and total surprise to me. His courage and strength  fortifies his spirit he knew there was a higher power in play.   His story is enthralling compelling as it grips you at your core.  It's ironic how supposedly thing are said to have changed since this era has passed us by....yet they seemed to have stayed the same as if time itself had stood in place playing over and over cruelties that hate perpetuates all through history.  Listening to this man's story I couldn't help but to reflect on current events of today.  Back then there was no social media to tweet the physical,psychological abuses he was forced to endure.  The degree of persecution he was subject to for being the best in his field of expertise is simply mind boggling almost as mind boggling as Trayvon Martin, Micheal Brown, Freddy Grey, Sandra Brown, and countless injustices.  Our courage and strength fortifies our spirit to move forward through the abhorrent and horrific acts committed by those who abuse authority received under oath...from the lowest levels to the highest, but god is watching.

Always writing for the 3rd eye in another reality of truth

The Comic Book Evolution

Our techno age has evolved so drastically; who ever thought that our cell phones would serve as interchangeable mini computers with ideas communicated in the blink of an eye whether they consist of graphic arts or military objectives.  A whole new world is at our finger tips waiting to be explored while we’re on the move with numerous cultures around the world to numerous to count. Even our literary options have drastically increased allowing us the freedom to enjoy our favorite books, magazines, news papers, and last but not least the various hard back to soft back graphic novels that were birthed from the comic book age we all grew up with.

 The onslaught of comic book genres that fill the shelves in our homes and at book stores are too numerous to count.  Who knew then how they would evolve and how their value would sky rocket as time moved into this techno age.   

One can only imagine how easy it was to accumulate boxes of comic books with companies like Wild Storm, Image, Vertigo, Dark Horse, Top Cow, and last but not least the Grand Daddies of them all “DC comics and Marvel Inc.” supplying our weekly habit of super heroes and villains fueling our imaginations.  When did the world of comic books enthrall and compel us? At one time or another in our life we have picked up a comic book. What was it about that collection of colorful images that drew us in captivating us? Was it the unbelievable feasts of our heroes or was it the diabolical plots of those villains who sometimes invaded our dreams as children.  Who were these villains where did they come from what was their psychosis and plot for world domination…or destruction of the universe itself.  For as long as anyone can remember there has always been some petty tyrant threatening mankind.  So our comic book industry has taken advantage of these psychotic individuals with delusions of grandeur as far back as the First and Second World War with Hitler and his infamous Third Reich, or America’s ugly history of segregation that created a dark backdrop with images of white robed tormentors burning crosses and how African descended people and people of color in general were depicted during that time.  Can you imagine how long the comic book industry has existed?  Let us turn back the pages of time.

Originally located in Manhattan, NY 432 Fourth Ave later relocating to 575 Lexington Ave in 1934 National Allied Publications was one of the most successful companies operating in the market for American comics they were the publishing unit of DC entertainment a company of Warner Bros owned by Time Warner. They were the producers of well known characters such as Superman, and others.  Later with the advent of Dick Tracy and Batman National Allied Publications transformed to Detective Comics hence the initials D.C. later they were to morph into Direct Comics, but still maintaining the DC logo   

In 1939 in NY Timely Publications was founded another American company that published comic books and other related media as the segregation era continued raging in the south. 

By the early 1950s Timely Publications had become Atlas Comics, and the birthing of the Civil Rights era was underway with Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King.  In 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give her seat to a white person hence fueling the inequality and injustices of the treatment of people of color in this country.  Her defiance inspired the Montgomery Alabama boycott which Dr. Martin Luther King and others was a driving force.

 In 1961 at the height of the Civil Rights era Atlas Comics became Marvel Comics launching the Fantastic four and other super heroes created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and others creating the marvel universe with such characters as the Avengers, Dr. Doom, X men, The Hulk and many others.  

As the Civil Rights era gained momentum influencing the nation to adopt a stand for the elimination of injustice and inequality attracting worldwide attention the first black super hero was created in a mainstream comic book publication Marvel comic Inc.  T`Challa the king of a fictional advanced African nation referred to as WaKanda located in central Africa; made his appearance as the “Black Panther” in 1966 in the Fantastic 4 issue #52 created by writer / editor  Stan Lee and penciled by Jack Kirby. 

The Black Panther’s name predates 1966. The original Black Panther title was birthed from the segregated African American WW2 tank Battalion who liberated France. In the sixties others soldiers would pick up the mantle of fighting for justice ushering in the next generation of civil rights; Huey Newton, Bobby Seals, Stokely Carmichael, creating the Black Panther Party.  The Black Panther has always had a history of fighting inequality, injustice and protecting those who could not protect themselves. Could this concept of the Black Panther been adopted from the African American experience in this country by Marvel comics?    Later on in the sixties The Falcon, and Luke Cage were penciled to life with DC comics following suit creating such characters as Tyroc, Black lightning, and John Steward / Green lantern.  However there were predecessors to these black characters. 

In 1947 All Negro Comics Inc. was founded with artist / writer John Terrell and George J Evens; who created black characters such as detective Ace Harlem.  Another popular comic series was Ezekiel’s manhunt an action adventure and there was Lion Man an educated black man sent by the United Nations on a mission to find Uranium on Africa’s Gold Coast. These characters predated our heroes we know today; blazing a trail for positive images much needed for the revolutionary era to begin Civil Rights and Equality for all.

In 2008 Walt Disney acquired Marvel Worldwide commonly referred to as Marvel comics formally Marvel publishing Inc. and Marvel Comics Group for $4.24 billion. Walt Disney grosses 36 billion annually.

There is no doubt the African American experience has dramatically influenced the Marvel and DC universes.  Such a rich and diverse history accompanied by a culture older then the colonization of this country has left its mark upon the comic book industry.