The Bipoc Superhero Project

Superhero
Almanac

Illustrations by Carlos Sosa

The Great MC Powers: Invulnerability and Invisibility Weaknesses: Ironically, Invulnerability and Invisibility Origin Story: From a young age, Sylvester is instilled with the values of hard work, respect, and education by his immigrant parents, who uphold the ideals of being a "Model Citizen" in their culture. Embracing these principles, Sylvester adopts the title of "The Great MC." Remaining true to his chosen identity, he excels academically, maintains a quiet and respectful demeanor, and consistently strives for excellence. However, one day, while facing a daunting challenge, Sylvester discovers an unexpected aspect of himself: the ability to become invisible. Intrigued by this newfound power, he delves deeper, uncovering his invulnerability as well. These extraordinary abilities not only aid Sylvester in navigating societal pressures but also assist in making friends by promoting his embodiment of model citizenship. Nonetheless, as he embraces his powers, Sylvester grapples with the consequences, questioning the toll they may exact on his sense of identity and well-being. The Great MC is a young Asian man with black hair and brown skin, wearing a black jacket and a blue shirt with "The Great MC" on the front. He is standing in front of a brick school building and school kids who are walking away from him. He is visually solid on top but is fading away towards his grey pants. The Play is called The Great MC and was written by Susan Pak
The Watchoverers Origin Story: Sisters Shania, Rose, and cousin Billy-Sweet witness a meteor crashing to earth nearby. Their examination of the meteor, which they nickname "Fallenstar," is interrupted by a powerful machine, Earthchomper that is relentlessly searching for it. Fighting off the Earthchomper to protect Fallenstar and their lives, Shania, Billy-Sweet, and Rose discover radiation has unlocked their latent superpowers. Having brought the meteorite back home, the youths embrace the opportunity to use their powers for good. They adopt hero names based on animals that reflect their powers: the speedy Pronghorn, the flying Goshawk, and the sturdy Painted Turtle. When a more powerful Earthchomper 2.0 attacks the heroes at home, the heroes are overmatched, and they decide to destroy the meteorite to keep it out of the hands of the mindless machine and whichever entity is controlling it, even if this means that they will lose their super-powers forever. But destroying the meteorite only sends its powers into the bodies of Shania, Billy-Sweet, and Rose, and it gives them the ability to combine into a super-being, Fallenstar. Resolving to use their powers to protect each other, their people, and the land, the heroes dub their team the Watchoverers Three people stand in front of a desert background with tall mesas. The left woman has long brown hair, white and gold feather earrings, a red scarf, and a cape with feathers. She is the Goshawk. The center woman has long brown hair, blue earrings, and a blue shirt on with gold turtle shell armor on the front. She is the Sturdy Painted Turtle. The third woman has long brown hair, a red cape and the face of a pronghorn. Large brown eyes, white fur, and big pronghorn ears. She is the Speedy Pronghorn. The play is called Fallenstar: The Watchoverers and was written by Ramon Esquivel
J. Sonic Superpower: Fueled by the sonic powers of the funk, J. Sonic can move through space and time, galaxies and cosmos. A lyricist and composer of the African diaspora, through the making of rhythm and melody, lyric and connect, J Sonic can propel through the air and space, connect to souls in need on different worlds, bringing with him a coiled history of sacred song. Weaknesses: he is susceptible to all mortal maladies. Except for time, time is his canvas. Silence, stagnation, and solitude are how to keep him down. Origin Story: J. Sonic is a folk hero made flesh, traveling through the portals of rhythm. He was born somewhere in the lost chapters of the middle passage. It is, however, likely that he was rescued from the Atlantic’s floor by Oshun, the goddess of water in Yoruba, given just enough breath to be delivered to the hoppin’ foot of Br'er Rabbit, who taught him how to survive among the predators, and shown the ways of flight by the ancestors who learned to fly on American shores. He was created by the people. Before, Now and After. J. Sonic is a black man with short dreads. He has reflective sunglasses on. He is wearing a jean jacket, a pink shirt, and is holding an electric guitar. Behind him is a swirl of neon pinks and oranges, stars, and blue clouds. The Play is called J. Sonic and the Unknown and was written by Idris Goodwin
Super Abuela Origin Story: Born in Puerto Rico and later settling in New York City, Victoria Barrios becomes a symbol of strength and resilience in her community of El Barrio during the transformative summer of 1969. Balancing three jobs while supporting her granddaughter Vicky and her community, Victoria rises as "Super Abuela," a superhero in the eyes of those around her, inspired by her tenacity and dedication to justice and community support. Powers- Super Abuela (Victoria Barrios) possesses exceptional resilience and strength, both emotionally and physically, allowing her to multitask effectively by handling three jobs simultaneously. She has a profound ability to inspire and empower others, particularly in supporting her community and fostering justice. Weaknesses- Super Abuela faces societal challenges including prejudice and racism, which she combats with her indomitable spirit and strong community ties. Her age and the physical demands of her lifestyle also pose potential vulnerabilities. Super Abuela is a dark-skinned woman with a grey afro. She has blue cat-eye glasses on and gold earrings. She is wearing a blue dress with blue flowers, a red cape, and red oven mitts. She is proudly holding a soup ladle up high. Behind her is the sun setting on New. York City The play is called Heatwave: The Rise of Super Abuela and is written by Manuel Moran
Zipper, Zuvy, and Aaron Zipper, a Black girl, is the ’90s “Tomboy”; she is an amazing musician without training. She questions everything. Her logical demeanor could be interpreted as an angsty teen. She has the power of “beats.” She can ‘beat’ anyone having the power to manipulate everyday items and sounds to create beats that can control anyone’s movements that she wants to. She can fast forward, rewind, pause, and play like her favorite cassette player and can mix up things to set the record straight. She is wearing a pink hoodie that has a colorful record on the front. Zuvi is a 13-year-old Black girl. she’s a good student and regarded as innocent or a ‘late bloomer’. She’s a visual artist. She has the power of “editing.” She can ‘edit’ wrong doings and use her artistry to paint a different picture. She can only work with what’s in front of her, but she can sculpt it into anything that helps her cause. Lastly, she can drain the color from bad folks; the most complex villains can be turned into a simple line drawing. Shehas a colorful hoody on, has her dark hair up into two poofs, and is wearing a blue and yellow baseball cap. She is holding a big pencil. Aaron is an Afro-Latino boy. He is strangely simultaneously quintessential middle school awkward but also cool and calm. His family just moved to Southwest Detroit. He has no friends. He helps raise his 4 sisters and 1 brother. He has the power of “calm” He can put people in ‘timeout’ making them freeze in time. He is afraid of nothing (he has 5 siblings ha!) and can soothe even the angriest enemies. He is wearing a green hoodie with a pink lotus on the front and has pink glasses on. Play is called Cause Play and is written by Shavonne Coleman.
Super Aunty Origin Story: Super Aunty was raised by other Super Aunties, who taught her the power of compassion and confidence. Super Aunties believe in taking action rather than complaining about stuff, and they see the well-being of their community as their kuleana (responsibility, right.) Super Aunties are archetypal, existing through time to function as the leaders and guardians of their lāhui (nation, people) Superpowers: The all-powerful Aunty Voice, Aunty Eyes that see everything, the Aunty Finger Point that can stop you dead in your tracks, the overstuffed Aunty Purse that carries everything she could ever need, exceptionally strong pinky toes, the best recitpe for everything, and a deep love for the community. She is the one everyone can count on to help when you need an extra hand, someone to lead, someone to remind people of their responsibilities, and someone to bring the best food to a cookout. Weaknesses: When somebody doesn't appreciate her, she feels unappreciated. Her nemesis is the Anti-Aunty. The Anti-Aunty does nothing. They see someone who needs help, and they turn away. Super Aunty is a larger woman with wavy gray hair. She wears a big sun hat and yellow sunglasses. She has on a flowery dress of many colors, blue, orange, red, pink, and is wearing a lei. The Play is called Super Aunty and was written by Lee Cataluna
Evangelina Palmejar Origin Story: Evangelina Palmejar is the daughter of a Filipina immigrant and the granddaughter of a Filipino immigrant. She exhibited a strong bond with her grandfather growing up, as he taught her how to speak, read, and write Tagalog. One night while reading a book together during storytime, her grandfather replaced one section of the book with pages filled with scrambled words in Tagalog. When Evangelina turned to the new pages, she paused and felt a warm sensation in her fingers and eyes. Shaking it off, she proceeded to read the new pages — translating the Tagalog and deciphering the strange letters as if it were her favorite text. It is at this point that her grandfather shares with her that she is part of a legacy of translators who are responsible for preserving the languages of the world. When Evangelina’s mother finds out that her father shared this family secret with Evangelina, she begins to separate Evangelina from her grandfather. Evangelina’s mother forbids Evangelina from using Tagalog and moves them to a different part of the country. When Grandfather dies a few years later, Evangelina is deeply saddened to lose her link to the Tagalog language, now one of the endangered languages in their world. But Evangelina receives an encoded letter puzzle at her grandfather’s funeral and finds she is the only one who can translate it. Her powers grow with every new Tagalog word she learns and retains, and at every point, she must consider the legacy she wants to leave behind. Powers: Powerful subconscious learning ability. Can translate any written text from Tagalog to English upon seeing it for the first time. Can decode and unlock written work puzzles and cyphers. Weaknesses: Eyesight, Can't read in darkness or moving vehicles, people pleasing. The Play is currently untitled and is being written by Mara Palma

More coming soon!