Bow Regards

Comic books are getting something of a makeover. Inspired--or, rather, uninspired--by the dearth of positive black role models in the world of superheroes, a few enterprising entrepreneurs are taking it upon themselves to paint a new picture.

"When I read comic books [in the past], I liked the white characters, but I found myself not really gravitating to the African-American characters," says longtime collector and comic book creator Alonzo Washington, explaining the impetus for starting his Kansas City, Kansas, company, Omega 7 Inc. "The reason [I didn't relate to these characters] was that they were usually written in some degrading manner. They were typically ex-cons, not too bright--and they spoke in stupid slang."

Enter Omega Man. Washington's time-traveling, crime-busting Omega Man has given black superheroes increased visibility with his recent graduation from comic book character to action figure toy this summer. During the same time period, Will Smith's character from the box-office smash movie "Men in Black" also took a high-profile turn as an action figure toy.

"Hopefully, the color line will be broken and we'll get into more mainstream stores," says Washington, 30, whose Omega Man is sold through the Toys "R" Us retail chain. Omega 7--which has released six different comic book titles since its inception in 1992--is expected to superpower its way to sales of $1.5 million this year.

"For the most part, America knows only one note of the African-American existence," says a cautiously optimistic Washington. "They haven't seen the symphony. I think Omega 7 is [helping to change] that."

This article was originally published in the September 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Bow Regards.