University alum brings comic book characters to life

Superman and Batman keep Gotham and Metropolis safe from crime. But the brainchild of one University student alum fights crime in Miami.

Though the majority of comic book heroes are derived from the spacious land of America, most of them have lived in cities like New York City, or cities that were a close replica of that territory – think Gotham City and Metropolis. However, how many have been based in Miami? Socrates S. Alvarez III had the same question when he first began brainstorming his ideas for Blackman, the Miami Marvel. Two years ago, Alvarez brewed a rough sketch of the soon-to-be superhero in a University classroom, and from there, Miami’s first superhero was born.

Alvarez graduated last year from the University with a master’s in public administration. Born in Miami and raised in Little Havana with a Cuban upbringing, Alvarez dreamed of a superhero that could represent Miami, but preferably a minority that he, along with other minority readers, could identify with. Beginning with Blackman, Alvarez worked hard to incorporate the ideal hero that had a solid foundation of history in Miami, the city’s Overtown neighborhood, and its black history. Not only did Alvarez want to shape an idealistic superhero for the citizens of Miami, but he also wished to educate readers on black history, as well as the history of Miami’s Overtown neighborhood.

“It consists of really black South Florida history. We created an original hero. We came up with rings. You see the origin of the rings in South Africa,” says Alvarez, referring to Blackman’s source of power, as well as the origin of that power.

Creating a superhero to print onto paper may sound easy, but to incorporate history and background can be tricky. Alvarez made sure to do his research by burying himself in books, such as “Black Miami in the Twentieth Century,” and corresponding with Timothy Barber of the Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida. From there, other forms of inspiration tackled him as well.

“I wanted African-American mythology. I wanted something that was American, but black in the same way, but it can be revered,” states Alvarez. “Blackman takes on inspiration of John Henry Iron. He sacrifices himself in the same way John Henry did.”

With two years of researching history and developing the character for Blackman, Alvarez founded the nonprofit organization ComicEd. This organization collaborates with after-school programs and community centers in the Miami area, and provides access to comic books and graphic novels for various ages. ComicEd also strives to improve the literacy rate and comprehension skills of local children and teens.

The process of ComicEd’s first comic book had already begun, but it was in need of more artists and characters. Alvarez collaborated with other artists — including Amper Sand, University student Eric Gonzalez, Alex Rocky Ferrer, Matt Sagorski and Brian Bernard — and began creating more heroes, including the E-Male, the Manazon, King of the Amazons, Black Caesar and more.

The collaboration was a learning process for all. Alvarez, along with the rest of the staff, had to thoroughly research their history to put the story together. They considered the placement of panels, narrative boxes and word balloons. It was difficult to balance art and text, so pages had to be added just so words were not swamping the entire page.

Black culture is not the only one highlighted in Alvarez’s comic.

He also wants to provide a comic book with a series of Cuban jokes. With inspiration from his wife and friends, Alvarez will collect around 30 jokes and put them into a book that could appeal to people of all ages. For $100, readers can submit their ideas and receive a version of their ideal comic book in return.

Alvarez has grand plans for ComicEd. Although most of their readers are based in Miami, ComicEd plans on doing a convention circuit to get their name out. Digital publication is also on their agenda, with the help of Graphicly.com. From there, readers can enjoy comic books from their iPods or other mobile reading devices.

They will also relaunch their website, and the program will focus on letters for comics. With the hopes of moving to Broward County, ComicEd will work with middle and elementary schools at the end of this year.