Luke Cage: Your New Favorite Superhero Show

With the rise of superhero media in the early 2000s and the continued craze of the genre, there is a lot of talk on which superhero is the best. From Batman to Captain America, the debate goes on and on. However, an often underrated and underappreciated group of superheroes are Black superheroes. With Black History month being this month, it seemed topical to talk about an amazing black superhero and a riveting tv show, Luke Cage.

One of six Marvel Netflix shows, Luke Cage stands out for its imagery and symbolism, it’s use of music to emphasize a scene, and like all Marvel Netflix shows its fight scenes. Luke Cage follows the life of a black man who was framed for murder and sentenced to prison. Once inside the prison, he is forced to join a fight club. During one of these fights, he is badly injured and it’s up to the prison doctor to save him. The only way the doctor could save him is by trying a new (eventually botched) experiment. It’s through this experiment that he gains his superpower, super strength and more interesting, unbreakable skin. Eventually, breaking out of prison, Luke sets out to live his life like any other man.

However, when secrets from his past start being uncovered, and villains start roaming the streets of Harlem, it’s up to Luke Cage to become the unwitting hero. When it comes to music, no one delivers better than Luke Cage. Music genres like hip hop, jazz, blues, and funk really bring the show to life. These songs also tie into the story as the songs represent specific turmoil inside both the characters and the black experience. The symbolism doesn’t stop there though, Luke Cage continues to impress by using references to real world artists (like Biggie Smalls) in order to embody character experiences and emotion. Luke Cage isn’t all deep connections, though. For many, when people want to watch superhero tv shows they are not looking for deep interconnected stories that seem to miss the important action. Luke Cage isn’t like those stories though, as it manages to balance its deep thought with its awe inspiring fight scenes. Without too many spoilers, Luke Cage has many remarkable fight scenes like the restaurant fight scene, the fight club montage, and, of course, the infamous Marvel Netflix hallway fight scene.

While the Luke Cage tv show is the third Marvel Netflix show to be released, the character gets his debut in Jessica Jones. Luckily, the show can easily be binged without needing to watch the connecting shows. At most, a quick recap of season 1 of Jessica Jones and the knowledge of Claire Temple (a nurse who shows up in almost all the Netflix shows in order to save the bleeding heroes) is enough to prepare someone for starting Luke Cage. With that

said, the sheer quality of the show is good enough to stand on its own and exceed someone’s expectations. Luke Cage is only available on Netflix to the 28th of February and it’s unknown at this time where the project will be next. So, to anyone interested in watching Luke Cage, it is suggested to watch it with posthaste.

First Black Movie Star: Lincoln Perry

Lincoln Perry was known to have been the first black movie star. With his stage name Stepin Fetchit, he was also known to have been the first black millionaire of his time

He was born in Key West, Florida, his father being Joseph Perry a Jamaican man, and his mother (name unknown). Growing up Perry did different forms of performance, including song, tap dancing, and a tent show performer. In his twenties, Perry performed in Black vaudeville shows as one-half of a duo called the “Step and Fetch It”, where he later came up with his stage name Stepin Fetchit. After he moved to Los Angeles in 1920, a Fox Studio scout offered him a screen test, which turned out to be successful. During his career he was a part of more than 40 movies, including 1929 Heart in Dixie, 1930 A Tough Winter, and the 1934 Judge Priest. His earlier role was the 1927 silent film In Old Kentucky. Now although being a part of many films during a still segregated and racist time, he very quickly became the peak of fame by the 1930s and became a millionaire. Many articles featured him writing about his extravagant life, including how he had more than a dozen cars, 16 or more servants and chauffeurs, and expensive cashmere suits. He himself was respected for how well he was doing as a Black man, but many black people weren’t happy with his work due to the fact that most of the characters he played were black people portrayed as stereotypes. Being lazy, dumb, and unsophisticated. During his time working with Fox Studios, he tried to get equal pay for both black and white actors but was unsuccessful. By the 1940s, he quit Hollywood, and became bankrupt. He later died in 1985, at a hospital in Los Angeles. Many African American critics went on to say that although his movie and the roles he played were stereotypical, that people would still be able to find the humor in his work and that he worked hard and did well for being who he was.

Being Black in America: Poem

Black poetry is important because it showcases raw, intimate thoughts and feelings and also is very meaningful to lots of people. After years of having our voices silenced, I feel like black poetry has taken back our voices and released them back into the world for everyone to read. Here is an anonymous poem was written by a fellow black student.

Being black in America.

Moving to escape poverty and ungiven education,

just to come to a country they call “the dream.”

A place where you are welcome

and education is free, and everyone is

open with welcoming arms.

Only to realize that none of it is like that.

We are stripped from who we are,

we are terrorized and ripped away

for our beliefs and our ways.

We get called ghetto or unprofessional for

simply being who we are.

And we come here?

To a country that we thought was going to

give us everything?

Only to realize it’s worse.

Being black in America is the hope that one

day we won’t have to hide anymore.

To finally live the way, we want

and be treated the same.

I am black in America,

and even through my hardships,

I am proud.

-anonymous