Chadwick Boseman is dead at 43

  

Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall. Before Chadwick Boseman became a superhero he played the figures that shaped black history. His dignity, grace and charm shined through in all of his roles. But it was his amazing performance as King T'challa that changed the world.

Black Panther is what got into Afrofuturism, afrofantasy and African history. I wanted to know more about the cultures that the film drew from, the nations and kingdoms that inspired Wakanda. I found an entire genre and friends because of it.  

Thank you, Mr.Boseman for being an inspiration an icon for an entire generation of not just African Americans but for the world. Rest in Power.

Chadwick Boseman died of stage III colon cancer.

The death of a Modern Myth Maker: Stan Lee

The world keeps losing heroes. Stan Lee, one of the men who changed comics forever by creating/ co-creating Marvels biggest heroes:

Black Panther

Thor

Captain America

Spider-Man

The X-men

Dr. Strange

Characters whose names and origins have become so icon that they're known the world over. They have been likened to the Greek myths, in terms of how deeply they have ingrained themselves into American culture. Phrases like "With great power, comes great responsibility" are part of the cultural lexicon. All thanks to Stan Lee.

Even thought his characters had larger then life abilities, super strength, spider sense, super speed, flight, magic Stan championed that his heroes are people first.  By grounding them in the real and giving them very human flaws his heroes have been able to evolve with the times.

He championed civil rights in a time when saying that all people, regardless of race, are equal was seen as political.  In his "Stan's Soapbox" column in 1968 he wrote."Bigotry  and Racism  are among the deadliest social ills today"  Here's a great collection of some of Stan's most powerful Stan Soapbox columns. They still ring true to this day.

With out Stan Lee, I wouldn't be who I am. His heroes and heroines did more then just entertain me, they showed me the good that all of us are capable of doing. Today is also Random Acts of Kindness day (although it really should be everyday), so I know it sounds super dopey but be someones hero. Be a shoulder to cry on, a friend to laugh with or just do something to brighten the world. Your act, no matter how small, can help. Be the hero that Stan Lee would write about.

Stan, thank you for the 95 wonderful years that you gave this world. Your love and spirit that you poured into your characters lives on forever. Thank you.

(Yes, I know Kamala Khan  wasn't created by Stan Lee but she embodies so many of the ideas he championed that this panel fits perfectly)

Housekeeping Note: This weekend, dear readers, the Weekend of W.I.T.C.H. will start! I'll try to post the start of my retrospective on W.I.T.C.H.

The Passing of a Master

Today, at the age of 94, one of the Father's  of the Wuxia genre, Louis Cha, who wrote under the pen name of Jin Yong passed away. The author of over 14 novels and countless short stories his prolific pen gave life to characters that are famous in Asia and are now becoming popular in the West.

I stumbled across the 2017 drama adaption of Legend of Condor Heroes purely by chance on Youtube.  It was my first true dive into the world of Wuxia and while at first the special effects made me the laugh and the drama felt a bit campy, I was completely entranced.

The sweeping epic scale of Jin Yong's storytelling transferred to the screen and I found myself eagerly binge watching episode after episode. A world of noble heroes, smart heroines and truly evil villains all in a back drop of Song Dynasty China. Soon I was digging into Chinese history and culture beyond just the Song Dynasty. I found a welcoming community of fans from all over the world who shared their love to Wuxia and Xianxia .

When I found out that his Condor Heroes novels were officially being translated into English I immediately ordered the first book off Amazon. While the translation has many issues (And I'm still not done reading it but I may post a review one day), at heart it captures the complex world of heroes and villains.

His writing introduced to me my favorite character, Huang Rong (Li Yitong)

She checks all my "This woman is my favorite character boxes". She's confident, spunky, cunning and down right fun! It was characters like her and Mu Nianci (Meng Ziyi)  who is another amazing character, that got me searching for more heroines.

Villainous women like the terrifying and powerful Mei Chaofeng (Mi Lu) kept me glued to my computer screen.

I have issues with how he handles his female characters, especially how most of their goals are focused on men, but there is no denying that they are great. So, to honor the memory of a true master of the genre, whose tales are modern legends, give Condor Heroes a read. Here's the Amazon link for the English translation of the 1st novel.
A Hero Born:Legend of Condor Heroes vol 1
 Or if you want to explore other Wuxia writers both classic, such as Jin Yong's friend and fellow Founding Father of Wuxia, Gu Long check out WuxiaWorld, which is were you can read free and legal translations of Chinese and Korean novels.
WuxiaWorld

What would you like me to write about next? While I enjoy Wuxia, I love fantasy novels, anime, comics and pretty much most nerdy things. So tell me in the comments what my next post should be about and I may just write it!