Mind's Eye Comics Pick!! -- DC Power: A Celebration (One Shot)

DC Power: A Celebration (One Shot)

Writers: Evan Narcisse, Lamont Magee, Stephanie Williams, Brandon Thomas, Dorado Quick, Jordan Clark, Morgan Hampton, Chuck Brown, John Ridley and N.K. Jemisin.

Artists: Darryl Banks, ChrisCross, Alitha Martinez, Natacha Bustos, Clayton Henry, Valentine De Landro, Petterson Oliveira, Oliver Coipel and Jamal Campbell.

Ever wonder the origins of Cyborg's famous "Booyah!" catchphrase? How about what happened to The Amazing Man from the All-Star Squadron after the war? How do Wallace West and Jackson Hyde come to terms with their legacy codenames? These stories and more await readers in the DC Power Celebration One Shot, a collection of short stories celebrating Black History month and showcasing minority characters in the DC Universe. Complete with a powerful introduction by John Ridley on the importance of representation in entertainment, this is a great collection of stories.

The first story stuck with me the most, featuring The Amazing Man from the All Star Squadron, a character I knew about, but wasn't too familiar with. Which, I think, is part of the point of collections like these. It tells a powerful story of him fighting the Nazi's during the war, only to come back home to a politically charged home front, having to fight racism, and for basic human rights here in the United States. I also really enjoyed the story featuring Wallace West and Jackson Hyde, two characters I don't typically enjoy reading, as they are "just" legacy versions of other characters I enjoy reading more. However, this is ironically exactly what the story is about. Them owning their identity as a new Flash and Aquaman, respectively, and representing hope and progress for many people in the process. I think the take away here is that its okay to have new characters, or different versions of the same codenamed characters, as long as everyone feels included and represented in the process.