Awards

• Winner of American Book Award 2012
• Winner of American Book Award 2012.
• Winner of American Book Award, Before Columbus Foundation 2012 (United States)

Overview

Winner, American Book Award, Before Columbus Foundation, 2012 Super Black places the appearance of black superheroes alongside broad and sweeping cultural trends in American politics and pop culture, which reveals how black superheroes are not disposable pop products, but rather a fascinating racial phenomenon through which futuristic expressions and fantastic visions of black racial identity and symbolic political meaning are presented. Adilifu Nama sees the value-and finds new avenues for exploring racial identity-in black superheroes who are often dismissed as sidekicks, imitators of established white heroes, or are accused of having no role outside of blaxploitation film contexts. Nama examines seminal black comic book superheroes such as Black Panther, Black Lightning, Storm, Luke Cage, Blade, the Falcon, Nubia, and others, some of whom also appear on the small and large screens, as well as how the imaginary black superhero has come to life in the image of President Barack Obama. Super Black explores how black superheroes are a powerful source of racial meaning, narrative, and imagination in American society that express a myriad of racial assumptions, political perspectives, and fantastic (re)imaginings of black identity. The book also demonstrates how these figures overtly represent or implicitly signify social discourse and accepted wisdom concerning notions of racial reciprocity, equality, forgiveness, and ultimately, racial justice.

Full Product Details

9780292726741

Table of Contents

Reviews

Adilifu Nama's Super Black: American Pop Culture and Black Superheroes does a great job of introducing many of today's comic book fans with the history of African Americans in comic books and pop culture generally - something our current comic book-to-movie craze has failed to do. Nama doesn't just focus on African-American superheroes, he focuses on race relations in comic books generally and between comic book characters specifically. Additionally, his analysis of race as a plot device used to address larger political issues - like drugs, crime and the prison industrial complex - within a contextual framework makes clear the point that comic books aren't just for kids [...]Super Black is a short, yet illuminating analysis of Black Superheroes and race relations, primarily in the 2-D world. Obviously, at only 180 pages, it couldn't cover all aspect of American culture and Black superheroes. However, as a short book, it does one hell of a good job. - Tony Pecinovsky, People's World

"""Adilifu Nama's Super Black: American Pop Culture and Black Superheroes does a great job of introducing many of today's comic book fans with the history of African Americans in comic books and pop culture generally - something our current comic book-to-movie craze has failed to do. Nama doesn't just focus on African-American superheroes, he focuses on race relations in comic books generally and between comic book characters specifically. Additionally, his analysis of race as a plot device used to address larger political issues - like drugs, crime and the prison industrial complex - within a contextual framework makes clear the point that comic books aren't just for kids [...]Super Black is a short, yet illuminating analysis of Black Superheroes and race relations, primarily in the 2-D world. Obviously, at only 180 pages, it couldn't cover all aspect of American culture and Black superheroes. However, as a short book, it does one hell of a good job.""- Tony Pecinovsky, People's World"

This well-conceptualized, well-written book is enriched by Nama's witty turns of expression, occasional corrections of earlier errors and omissions, and fascinating background material. Choice Throughout, Nama takes a refreshingly nuanced approach to his subject. Nama complicates the black superhero by also seeing the ways that they put issues of post-colonialism, race, poverty, and identity struggles front and center. Rain Taxi

Author Information

Adilifu Nama is Associate Professor and Chair of the African American Studies Department at Loyola Marymount University. He is the author of the award-winning Black Space: Imagining Race in Science Fiction Film, the first book length examination of the topic.

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