Entertainment

Black Dynamite: A Comic Book Dripping with Racial Indecency

Published

11 years ago

March 12, 2015

He’s a powder keg of ass-kicking fury that’s about to explode

By Cory Alexander Haywood
Special to the NNPA from Our Weekly

Although Hollywood has become saturated with a preponderance of superhero films—namely those licensed by the Marvel Comics franchise—these projects rarely, if ever, feature an African American lead. In the comic-book realm, a sweeping wave of cultural diversity has inspired the “browning” of numerous, formerly European characters, including the ever-popular Spiderman, Captain America, and others. This infusion of minority participation is a complete turnaround from yesteryear’s rare inclusion of Black action heroes. A relative newcomer to the animation world is now famously known as “Black Dynamite.”

Joining the lineage of fictional Black “lawmen” including John Shaft and Undercover Brother, the 70’s inspired Dynamite is a hyper-masculine cross between rugged actors Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly. Armed with lethal combat skills, and motivated by a desire to defend his community from the forces of evil—White oppression in particular—the militant Dynamite willfully shoulders the immense burden of neutralizing crime and corruption throughout the inner-city. Operating as a protector of justice and consummate ladies man, his strapping physique intimidates foes and weakens the knees of numerous female admirers. On the cover of his self-titled comic book, the hulking detective is shown delivering knuckle sandwiches to the snout of a great white shark.

Originally a comedy starring co-creator, and martial-arts specialist, Michael Jai White (Why Did I Get Married, Universal Soldier, Never Back Down 2), the comic book adaptation of Black Dynamite pushes the racism envelope into another gear. It starts with him journeying to a secluded locale aptly named Slave Island, where visitors pay top-dollar to observe the interactions of Black captives in a controlled, Jim Crowe-esque environment. Dynamite intercedes by galvanizing his enslaved brethren to rage against their White counterparts, causing an uprising and subsequent blood-bath.

Dynamite attempts to initiate a mass exodus from the island, but his exorbitantly flattering description of American democracy fails to convince his new comrades that such a place exists. They watch in disbelief as he sails into the sunset, partnered with a female character reminiscent of the iconic movie siren Pam Grier. “This fool’s gotta be from the future,” declares one of the onlookers.

Another case Dynamite is called upon to solve involves the violent assassination of a professional basketball player wryly named Paul “The Pole” Monroe (clearly a fictional doppelganger of former New York Knickerbocker Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, also known as “Black Jesus”). In front of a packed stadium—featuring boxing legends Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, and Joe Frazier, as well as the volatile husband-and-wife music duo Ike and Tina Turner—Monroe smoothly executes a slam dunk requiring him to leap over a row of three stationary automobiles.

As he’s hanging from the rim, soaking in the roaring applause delivered by the crowd, one of the vehicles explodes and Monroe dies instantaneously. It’s eventually revealed that his demise was caused to prevent the production of his signature shoe line. According to Dynamite’s logic, the CIA intentionally stepped in the way of a Black man owning a pair of sneakers, thereby preventing him from having the bootstraps necessary for economic prosperity. The term “Boot Strapper” is designated to those who succeed by their own efforts.

Dynamite’s remaining excursions are linked together in a saga that ushers the hero from one part of the world to the next, in search of his arch-nemesis: “The Man.”

Racism has become more American than apple pie. Considering its intended purpose—poking fun at the senselessness of cultural bigotry, the satirical “Black Dynamite” hits the nail on the head. It’s everything writer Brian Ash presumably wanted it to be: offensive, insightful, daring, and more importantly, funny.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

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2 days ago

January 2, 2026

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Oakland Post: Week of December 24 – 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 24 – 30, 2025

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December 25, 2025

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Alameda County

Bling It On: Holiday Lights Brighten Dark Nights All Around the Bay

On the block where I grew up in the 1960s, it was an unwritten agreement among the owners of those row homes to put up holiday lights: around the front window and door, along the porch banister, etc. Some put the Christmas tree in the window, and you could see it through the open slats of the blinds.

Published

2 weeks ago

December 21, 2025

Oakland Post

Christmas lights on a house near the writer’s residence in Oakland. Photo by Joseph Shangosola.

By Wanda Ravernell

I have always liked Christmas lights.

From my desk at my front window, I feel a quiet joy when the lights on the house across the street come on just as night falls.

My father, the renegade of the block, made no effort with lights, so my mother hung a wreath with two bells in the window. Just enough to let you know someone was at home.

Two doors down was a different story. Mr. King, the overachiever of the block, went all out for Christmas: The tree in the window, the lights along the roof and a Santa on his sleigh on the porch roof.

There are a few ‘Mr. Kings’ in my neighborhood.

In particular is the gentleman down the street. For Halloween, they erected a 10-foot skeleton in the yard, placed ‘shrunken heads’ on fence poles, pumpkins on steps and swooping bat wings from the porch roof. They have not held back for Christmas.

The skeleton stayed up this year, this time swathed in lights, as is every other inch of the house front. It is a light show that rivals the one in the old Wanamaker’s department store in Philadelphia.

I would hate to see their light bill…

As the shortest day of the year approaches, make Mr. King’s spirit happy and get out and see the lights in your own neighborhood, shopping plazas and merchant areas.

Here are some places recommended by 510 Families and Johnny FunCheap.

Oakland

Oakland’s Temple Hill Holiday Lights and Gardens is the place to go for a drive-by or a leisurely stroll for a religious holiday experience. Wear a jacket, because it’s chilly outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at 4220 Lincoln Ave., particularly after dark. The gardens are open all day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with the lights on from dusk until closing.

Alameda

Just across the High Street Bridge from Oakland, you’ll find Christmas Tree Lane in Alameda.

On Thompson Avenue between High Street and Fernside drive, displays range from classic trees and blow-ups to a comedic response to the film “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Lights turn on at dusk and can be seen through the first week in January.

Berkeley

The Fourth Street business district from University Avenue to Virginia Street in Berkeley comes alive with lights beginning at 5 p.m. through Jan. 1, 2026.

There’s also a display at one house at 928 Arlington St., and, for children, the Tilden Park Carousel Winter Wonderland runs through Jan. 4, 2026. Closed Christmas Day. For more information and tickets, call (510) 559-1004.

Richmond

The Sundar Shadi Holiday Display, featuring a recreation of the town of Bethlehem with life-size figures, is open through Dec. 26 at 7501 Moeser Lane in El Cerrito.

Marin County

In Marin, the go-to spot for ‘oohs and ahhs’ is the Holiday Light Spectacular from 4-9 p.m. through Jan. 4, 2026, at Marin Center Fairgrounds at 10 Ave of the Flags in San Rafael through Jan. 4. Displays dazzle, with lighted walkways and activities almost daily. For more info, go to: www.marincounty.gov/departments/cultural-services/department-sponsored-events/holiday-light-spectacular

The arches at Marin County Civic Center at 3501 Civic Center Dr. will also be illuminated nightly.

San Francisco

Look for light installations in Golden Gate Park, chocolate and cheer at Ghirardelli Square, and downtown, the ice rink in Union Square and the holiday tree in Civic Center Plaza are enchanting spots day and night. For neighborhoods, you can’t beat the streets in Noe Valley, Pacific Heights, and Bernal Heights. For glee and over-the-top glitz there’s the Castro, particularly at 68 Castro Street.

Livermore

The winner of the 2024 Great Light Flight award, Deacon Dave has set up his display with a group of creative volunteers at 352 Hillcrest Avenue since 1982. See it through Jan. 1, 2026. For more info, go to https://www.casadelpomba.com

Fremont

Crippsmas Place is a community of over 90 decorated homes with candy canes passed out nightly through Dec. 31. A tradition since 1967, the event features visits by Mr. and Mrs. Claus on Dec. 18 and Dec. 23 and entertainment by the Tri-M Honor Society at 6 p.m. on Dec. 22. Chrippsmas Place is located on: Cripps Place, Asquith Place, Nicolet Court, Wellington Place, Perkins Street, and the stretch of Nicolet Avenue between Gibraltar Drive and Perkins Street.