Celebrating Black History Month: Falcon and Storm, first African-American superheroes

Marvel Comics introduced the first African-American superheroes to appear in mainstream comics  during the Bronze Age of comics. 

The Falcon (Sam Wilson) first appeared in Captain America #117 in September 1969.  He has mechanical wings to help him fly and possesses limited telepathic and empathic control over birds.  He was born in Harlem in New York City to Paul and Darlene Wilson.  He discovers he has a natural affinity for birds and creates the largest pigeon coop in Harlem.  His father is killed when Sam is 9 trying to break up a neighborhood fight.  His mother is killed two years later when she is mugged.  He moves to LA and becomes a career criminal and gang member.  On his way to Brazil, his plane crashes on Exile Island, which has been taken over by neo-Nazis bent on taking over the world. 

The Red Skull uses the Cosmic Cube to fuse Wilson with a falcon Redwing in a super-human mental link, but he is befriended by Captain America.  They train together until they are ready to overthrow the Exiles.  He becomes The Falcon and fights along side with Captain America.  The Black Panther gives him the harness with wings that allows him to fly.


Storm (Ororo Munroe) first appeared in Giant Sized X-Men #1 in May 1975.  She has the ability to control the weather which makes her one of the most powerful superheroes.  She was born in Harlem to an American photojournalist and a tribal princess from Kenya.  Her parents are killed in a bomb attack in Cairo during the Arab-Israeli conflict.  She grows up as a thief and pickpocket on the streets of Cairo. 

When her mutant powers manifested themselves, she was worshiped in Kenya as a weather goddess.  Professor X (Charles Xavier) convinces her to join the X-Men.  She was briefly married to T'Challa, the Black Panther. 

Celebrating Black History Month: Clarence Muse, early African-American film star

Clarence Muse, born October 14, 1889 in Baltimore, Maryland, was an African-American actor, screenwriter, director, and composer.  According to wikipedia.com, he was the first African-American to 'star' in a film.  He began acting in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s.

He moved to Chicago and then on to Hollywood where he appeared first The Custard Nine (1921) and in Election Day (1929), an Our Gang short, silent comedy.  He then starred in Hearts in Dixie, the first all-black movie. 

In 1943, he became the first African-American Broadway director for Run Little Chillun.  he appeared in more than 150 films, most of them he is uncredited.  Probably the only movie of his I've seen was The World's Greatest Athlete.

Celebrating Black History Month: "Baby" Esther Jones, the real Betty Boop

Esther Jones, stage name "Baby Esther" was an African-American singer/entertainer in the late 1920s, performing at places such as the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York. She is credited for being the inspiration for Betty Boop.  Jones was known for her 'baby' style of singing.

.In August 1930, animator Max Fleischer introduced Betty Boop in a cartoon Dizzy Dishes. Initially, singer Helen Kane (who is white) sued, claiming that Fleischer Studios had stolen her act to create Betty Boop.  The results of the suit found that Kane had actually stolen her act from Baby Esther.