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https://blackgirlnerds.com/bgn-explores-etan-comics-jember-and-hawi/
Etan Comics presents Jember and Hawi which tells the beautiful tales from the African diaspora.
While perusing the aisles at one of the summer conventions I attended, I ran across an unassuming gentleman. What caught my eye was a magnificent Black female superhero that adorned his booth and that some of his titles were not in English. While you occasionally run across a title here and there in Spanish, Amharic (the national language of Ethiopia) is not that frequent. The title available was Jember. It was created and written by Bererat Debebe, with the art done by Stanley Obende. There were two issues available at the table, so I took a chance.
It seems like our knowledge of the continent, not country,
of Africa comes from the dictator-led violence on the news, the endless safaris
on the nature channels, the focus on the grand ancient civilization in the
northeast corner of the continent, or the fanciful portrayal of a fictional
technologically advanced nation. While the major publishers tend to reinforce
the stereotypes of Africa through titles like Jungle Action, which held the first solo story featuring the Black
Panther, the routine life of people on the continent are normally ignored. There
was an attempt at normal people for a time at DC Comics with the Batwing series
in 2011, but the hero’s time in Africa was quickly ended as the character
immigrates to Gotham City and another rises to take his place.
What I liked most about Jember
was that it went through the day of a normal man, Amanuel Tilahun, who happens
to be in Addis Ababa, the capital of the country of Ethiopia. After a day of
job hunting, he is playing football (soccer in America) with his friends. He
scores, and the ball (as they tend to do without a net) goes off into a ditch. Everyone
else calls it a day, but Aman does not. He retrieves the ball, but the ground
disappears beneath his feel and he discovers something that changes his life
forever.
The second issue is a great way for the newly minted hero, Jember, to find out about his new abilities. The cohesiveness of Debebe, Obende, and the colorist Akanni Akorede enhances the storytelling. There is a page in the first issue where the character is playing football that really makes you feel the action. With two issues in, there is a reasonably likable character who gets powers, explores them, and has to use them to clean up a situation he created — think Greatest American Hero or the more recent Shazam movie. The source of the abilities, an ancient civilization that existed partially in Ethiopia and Eritrea, is hinted at but not really explored or explained. Also at this point, Jember seems to want to do good, but his motivations still remain unclear. I gave my issues to my brother and his comment was, “Black Panther without all the royal stuff.” I can’t argue with that, so I will just leave it there.
Although not head-over-heels with Jember, I remembered the magnificent Black female superhero and wondered about the status of the release of that title. I was in luck. It was available on the Etan Comics website and the Kickstarter was active. The hero is Hawi, and it is also by Debebe and Obende. The first issue starts with the early life of Ement Legesse and the mysterious death of her father in Ankober, Ethiopia. Not willing to raise her child in Ethiopia, her mother moves her family to the United States. A relative’s death leads Ement back home to Ethiopia, where she discovers her father, her friends, and several mysteries. Unlike Jember, Hawi seems to establish the conflict up front with the mysterious death of her father rather than focus on the supernatural abilities. I also found the ending compelling as we, like Hawi, have a WTF moment after she takes a literal leap of faith without any thought for the consequences and ends far from where she ever imagined.
There is something for everyone in the Etan Comics Universe, but the one I constantly watch the website for updates is Hawi. The Kickstarter is doing well, with them working on the stretch goals as they are at four times their goal the last time I checked. So if it is not clear, take a chance and support the Kickstarter or purchase either at the Etan Comics website. Of all the Black indy titles I read, I wouldn’t be surprised if Hawi is the one we see one day on the screen.
E.Angel is an engineer and holds a BS in electrical engineering from North Carolina A&T State University. In her spare time, she works at her comic book store — Brainstorm Comics and Gaming — when she is not writing. She’s a real nerd who loves all things Star Wars and Star Trek, and is an avid gamer. E.Angel can be reached at e9of10@gmail.com or on either game platform as Bunnehs Sister.
The post BGN Explores Etan Comics: ‘Jember’ and ‘Hawi’ appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.
Zoë Kravitz will star as Selina Kyle in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, but the announcement goes well beyond Gotham’s city limits. Her casting might have also revealed some unexpected news for the wizarding world. Variety‘s Justin Kroll says Kravitz had been atop the filmmakers wish list to play Catwoman since the summer, but it wasn’t clear she’d be available thanks to her Fantastic Beasts 3 schedule. That wouldn’t be a big deal if Kravitz’s Leta Lestrange didn’t seem to die in The Crimes of Grindelwald. But if she wasn’t really killed by the Dark Wizard, what exactly happened to her? The answer won’t be easy for the Scamander brothers to hear.
Couple things regarding this casting. Seems Kravtiz has been high on the list for some time going back to August but the worry was always scheduling with her FANTASTIC BEASTS schedule, which has caused talent like Ezra Miller to pass on things in the past
— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) October 14, 2019
There have been no previous reports that Kravitz would appear in another Fantastic Beasts movie, though it’s always been possible Kravitz could appear via flashbacks. The Harry Potter franchise has used them frequently, including in The Crimes of Grindelwald. But if her shooting schedule is potentially cumbersome enough it almost prevented her from playing Catwoman, it seems unlikely she will only be filming a handful of flashback scenes for the third installment. With Warner Bros. being the home of the Fantastic Beasts franchise and The Batman, it wouldn’t be a challenge to work out a way for her to have a small role in one film while also starring in another.
Leta Lestrange is almost certainly alive if she has a lot of shooting to do in Fantastic Beasts 3 (we doubt she’ll show up floating around like Nearly Headless Nick). According to Kravitz herself the original plan was for her character to survive The Crimes of Grindelwald. As Hypable noted, last December Kravitz told her Fantastic Beasts co-star Dan Fogler on his 4D Xperience podcast that Leta was initially supposed to survive. “I think it was kind of a last minute change that she gets toasted,” Kravitz said when discussing her character’s fiery end.
Warner Bros.
In the moment, Leta’s death was weird. The character’s importance had been teased in the first movie, and she became a major figure in the second, with a lot of the film dedicated to her tragic past and her relationship with Newt. It seemed strange J.K. Rowling took all that time to establish her history and connection to the Scamander brothers only for her to die so quickly. Leta’s role in the franchise makes way more sense if Rowling’s plans for the character extended past The Crimes of Grindewald. If Leta is alive, the obvious question is “how,” since the last we saw her she appeared to disintegrate in Grindelwald’s swirling blue flame. Unless that’s exactly what Grindelwald wanted it to look like.
Gellert Grindelwald is one of the most powerful wizards ever, and the raging magical blaze he created was unlike anything we’ve seen a magical being conjure before. It overtook and consumed numerous aurors before a team of wizards led by Nicolas Flamel was able to put it out. That fire had multiple properties though. It burned Grindelwald’s enemies, including his follower Krall whose devotion was in question. As Krall walked through it he screamed in pain as his body was torn to shreds.
via GIPHY
Those loyal to Grindewald though, which came to include Credence and Queenie, safely walked through it unharmed without Grindelwald doing anything to keep them safe.
Neither of those things happened to Leta however, at least not the exact same way. As Grindelwald focused his flame on the Scamander brothers, Leta called out to Grindewald. When he turned his attention to her, Leta’s fiancé Thesesus Scamander screamed her name, which Grindelwald had a strange reaction to. The Dark Wizard seemed caught off guard by their connection, as though it was new information he quickly processed as worth knowing. And anything worth knowing is worth exploiting.
via GIPHY
After pretending she was joining Grindelwald, Leta went on the attack so Newt and Theseus could escape. Over matched, she was quickly enveloped by the blue flame, but it didn’t immediately destroy her like it did the others. It was only when Grindelwald pointed his wand at Leta that she was “killed,” breaking apart like Krall, but without the pained scream.
via GIPHY
Why did Grindelwald need his wand to kill Leta when he didn’t need it to kill Krall? The obvious answer is because he didn’t kill her. Grindelwald’s followers were safely being transported out of the middle of the crypt with magic while the blue fire raged. It wouldn’t have been hard for him to also send the pure blood witch who he had hoped to recruit somewhere else, especially moments after realizing how important she was to the Scamander boys. Grindelwald knows how confident Dumbledore is in Newt’s ability to stop his’s war, so it would make sense to take a prisoner who could cause the Scamander family tremendous pain. Who will Theseus side with if the love of his life is still alive? How willing will Newt be to fight Grindelwald if it might result in Leta’s death? She’s more valuable to Grindelwald alive than she ever would be dead.
The final scene from The Crimes of Grindelwald takes place in the Austrian Alps at Grindelwald’s headquarters, Nurmengard Castle, which will one day become the prison he dies in. We might learn it might also be where he kept a presumed dead Leta Lestrange captive, an important insurance program against his enemies.
Hopefully not even a magical prison can keep Catwoman locked up.
Featured Image: Warner Bros.
The post Is Zoë Kravitz’s Leta Lestrange Returning for FANTASTIC BEASTS 3? appeared first on Nerdist.
Saturday August 24th was AfroPunk and god, I had fun. Given my health problems and work pressures intruding on every part of my Blerdy life, this was my vacation. My one chance to rock out and Boy did I take advantage of that...
Source: Paras Griffin / Getty
There are plenty of people who would love to have a body like Teyana Taylor’s. The 28-year-old singer, dancer and actress is slim, but also strong and busty (and bootylicious, too) at the same time. But before you run off thinking that her body is perfection, she says that’s not true. There are things about being very lean that she struggles with just like we all have issues with our own figures. In fact, she says there have been opportunities she’s wanted that she’s needed to put weight on for and hasn’t necessarily been able to.
“People may say I have a perfect body, but I have certain insecurities too,” she told Us Weekly recently. “You know what’s crazy? A lot of people think, ‘Yeah your body is cool,’ but, like, there’s been plenty of roles where it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, you have to gain weight’ and it’s very hard for me to gain weight, you know what I’m saying?”
In fact, Teyana says she sometimes loses weight unexpectedly and at her already small size, it’s not something she’s comfortable with.
“It’s not easy, or I lose weight for any little thing and I’m already small,” she said, “I can’t afford to lose any more weight, but that’s just my personal thing.”
The star likely finds herself smaller than expected on the scale sometimes because of her intense performances and even more strenuous practice schedule, which she told the publication can last for quite a few hours.
“I love to dance, I love to rehearse, I love to practice period,” she said. “I can rehearse for 12 hours.”
She also loves her Fade2Fit dance workout, which she says is for people who want to get moving but don’t want to go to the gym. She can relate to such an aversion due to what people might assume she’s capable of because of her body type.
“Especially me, if I walk into a gym, people think I’m gonna do backflips, lift 100-pound weights,” she said. “Like, that’s still a pre-judgement of, ‘Oh she’s got a 20-pack, so I know she’s about do some work,’. And I’m really just shy, so you never know. Never judge a book by its cover.”
Hit the flip to check out more photos of Teyana’s slim frame in action, and her embracing it — insecurities be damned.
Source: Dave Kotinsky / Getty