Black Solstice Asks: What If Every Black American Got Superpowers?
A new graphic novel from Dark Horse Comics titled Black Solstice is imagining what it would be like if “every Black person in America gained superpowers.” From the Academy Award winning writers of Two Distant Strangers, the story is promising to be a thought-provoking adventure.
Dark Horse Comics is among the leading comic book publishers, known for telling original stories such as Hellboy, The Umbrella Academy, and Black Hammer among others. Often diverging from typical superhero content, Dark Horse has given creators the opportunity to tell their takes on what it would be like if regular people had powers of their own. From extra-dimensional creatures to orphaned children, the publisher continues to expand that simple premise with an upcoming graphic novel.
Dark Horse Comics has announced that Black Solstice will be a new story written by Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe, with art by Aremo Massa. After every Black American gains powers on the winter solstice, the new abilities vanish the following day. As the winter solstice approaches again, the world is waiting to see if it will happen a second time. The anticipation leading up to the solstice is causing a wide spectrum of emotions. As the Wallace siblings, Kesa, Quentin, and Deja prepare for a heist, they are relying on getting their new powers so their plan can go accordingly. Black Solstice is set to release this December.
Originally inspired by a conversation on Twitter, the idea of people getting superpowers on the winter solstice quickly took off. Recounting his main influence for the story, Travon Free spoke on Black Solstice saying, "This journey began on December 21, 2020, when practically every Black person on Twitter started declaring, almost spontaneously, what superpower they were gonna get on the winter solstice. It was an amazing day, one of those moments that reminds you why you love the Internet, where each post was cleverer than the last and every emotional beat you can think of got hit, from hilarious to disturbing to profound.”
When Black Solstice finally releases, it will be the two year culmination of many tweets and ideas from comic book fans. Free expanded on his creative process with the original tweets saying, “…it kinda formed piece by piece, bouncing from tweet to tweet, and from sincerity to irony in the weeks leading up to the solstice when it just dumped joy all over the timeline for everyone and proved, once again, that Black Twitter is the most creative place in the known universe.” Black Solstice debuts in December 2022.
Source: Dark Horse Comics