Sundays are known for folks gathering around tables on television and pontificating about some of the hottest topics out there, offering their expertise. We bring that tradition to Graphic Policy as the team gathers to debate in our Sunday Roundtable.

On tap this week?

In honor of Black History Month, what black comics character would you like to see headline their own comic, why, and what would you like to see plotwise in that comic?

Logan: Definitely Prodigy because he is one of the few male bisexual characters in the Marvel U. And with his abilities to absorb any mutants’ knowledge, I’d want him to be like a superhero consultant and travel the Marvel U pinch hitting on various teams.

Brett: That’d be a cool concept for him.

Logan: Tbh, I need to read more his of back appearances in New Mutants and X-Men. I just connected with him personally in Young Avengers, and he was fun in Ryan North’s Original Sins too.

Brett: I remember liking him back in the day, but I came in towards the end when he was a regular.

Paul: I like your idea for Prodigy, Logan. Just keep him away from Teddy and Billy…just saying tongue emoticon

Elana: Oh that’s such a cool use for him! And they definitely need to use him more. I’d love him written as being like 21. At this moment of “so I guess I’m an adult now? Ok let’s tackle this step by step”

Logan: I mean even if he doesn’t get his own solo title, I’d love for him to show up in Hellcat and help Patsy w/ her temp agency whilst romancing Ian Soo;)

Elana: Yes!!

Paul: I love that idea!

Troy: Wakanda has always resonated with me, mostly because it flouts most of the propaganda and history of Africa we see in our world. Having never been conquered by colonial interests and being a technological utopia in perfect balance with nature. Ever since the post AvX mutant revival I have always wanted to see a Wakandan team, something Alpha Flight-esque perhaps. There are quite a few interesting characters, out there, like Onome from the Future Foundation, and Nezhno the biracial new X-Man. I would love to see a a tittle dedicated to superhuman Wakandans, and see how Wakanda’s xenophobia and isolationism is explored in this context particularly with a disavowed former Mutant Queen. The politics and intrigue of such a story would be awesome.

Troy: Logan you should check out the Too Much Information New X-Men story arc which focuses solely on prodigy. They really gave him some solid character development, especially after losing his powers post M-Day, (although he had some residual carryover abilities due to the nature of his power set)

Brett: I loved the revival of Heroes for Hire with Misty Knight in charge. It riffed off of the Warriors which is a favorite film of mine. I’d like to revisit that but go hardcore in that 70s vibe. She’d either put together a different team for each arc to deal with an issue, or might be cooler in that there’d be villains trying to escape post heist and she’d be leading the team trying to catch them.

Elana: Anything with The Warriors and / or Misty Knight sounds amazing

Brett: I’m liking the idea more and more of having the villains being the ones trying to get somewhere and dealing with heroes Misty is throwing at them.

Alex: I’d like to see Shadowman headline a series again – although I’ll admit that my only exposure to him has been in the recent Ninjak comics and the N64 game I never played, so I really just want to read more about him.

Paul: I’d like to see Cloak and Dagger headline a book. Get back to their roots; street level book, dealing with drugs and runaways and homeless kids. Maybe have them more grown up, working as some sort of outreach organization who happen to be superheroes and uncover some sort of human trafficing ring/human smuggling, drug running something. Sorry, thoughts just coming out hehe

Alex: Other than Shadowman, though, I would be over the bloody moon to see Maggott return. I think he was killed off panel during Tieri’s Weapon X series, but y’know, comics. Seeing him return to the X-Men’s comics would seriously make me consider picking them up again.

A dude who’s mutant power is two external stomachs that eat anything and give him super strength? Aside from one of the most interesting mutant powers I read during the late 90’s, he was a character who I genuinely resonated with; he felt like an outsider among outsiders.

Paul: a thousand times yes!

Brett: Interesting pick with Maggot.

Alex: I can’t see him ever returning, honestly. He was very emblematic of the time I started branching out into more of the X-Books… I’ve always had a soft spot for Maggott and his stomachs.

Brett: I feel like there’s a metaphor waiting to happen with him and all of today’s various dietary things going on.

Alex: I think you’re absolutely right.

Alex: Also, I just found out Maggott isn’t dead – he was in Uncanny X-Men #600 (I never read the issue, meself).

Brett: Yup

Meghan: I’ll second Prodigy and Misty Knight. I also liked DeConnick’s guest-starring version of Monica Rambeau superhero-ing in New Orleans. A series like that could be pretty great. But she’s in space now, so… ?

Elana: Ooo a Monica: Superhero of New Orleans with gorgeous art would be to die for

Troy: Oh man Gabriele Del’otto would work wonders on that setting.

Elana: Marvel:
So glad that Luke Cage is back to co-lead his own series (he’s the best!)

– Storm needs her own book again. She is one of Marvel’s most high profile characters thanks to movies and cartoons and they continue to under-use her. I’d love either Storm: World Leader of Mutants. Or Storm doing things in Kenta and Egypt but it would NEED to be buy a writer from either of those countries. I don’t want another US perspective on African countries.

I really loved Pak’s Storm book. They could have her go back to Madripoor on “unfinished business”. Or have her try to work with the Morlocks.

Misty Knight needs her own book. I’d love a straight-up Brubaker-ish detective story staring her. One set today OR in the 70s would be amazing.

A Doctor Voodoo book rooted in Caribbean mysticism would be great in the right hands. Again, you’d need someone who understands that spiritual tradition though.

DC:
Thunder and her girlfriend Grace Choi fighting their way through a bushel of DC supervillians could be a lot of fun. Just humor and hitting people.

Bumblebee could be DC’s “college student/super hero with a sense of humor” book. They really don’t have anything like that. You could write some important things about her being a young black woman studying science. I would make it skew a bit older then Squirrel Girl does by having more romance. Then it would be a really unique book with a clear audience.

Alex: The Doctor Voodoo would be right up my alley, and I know somebody who would devour a Storm solo book

Logan: I know nothing about Bumblebee. (Except that she’s in the Superhero Girl toy line.) But I’d read that comic. Plus it could cross over with Batgirl of Burnside.

Ryan: John Shaft. And I’d like to see David Walker writing him. And I’d like it to be a gritty, hard-boiled, “street-level” crime drama than delves into Shaft’s past a bit more than the movies did. Oh, that’s right — that’s already been done, and the sequel comes out next week. Life is good. And yeah, Marvel, give Misty Knight her own series — preferably without that absurd costume you put on her in the last issue of “Captain America.” Just when you think the depiction of women in comics is getting better, along comes something like that to remind you that, hey, we still have a long way to go. Oh, and can I just add that now that the Wonder Woman/Superman romance is history (thank God!), he’d better get hopping and ask Lee Lambert on a date? She’d be the best love interest for Supes in decades.