In my last post I turned over a bit of a new leaf, choosing to write something positive for a change instead of the harsh, negative criticism that has been the tendency of previous posts (don’t worry.  The mainstream comic book industry is always doing something stupid.  I’ll be back to my curmudgeonly self soon). The beneficiary of all this positivity was Voyage Comics, a small imprint releasing solid comic books, and their series “Finnian and the Seven Mountains”. Well, “Finnian” isn’t the only thing the good people at VC are cooking up. Another title in development at Voyage Comics is “The Phantom Phoenix”.

“The Phantom Phoenix” is about a WWI veteran turned crime-fighter in 1920s Chicago at the height of the gangster era.  Prohibition is in full swing, gangsters are flush with cash and full of hubris. They believe they own the city and are acting with impunity. A crime wave has the city in its grip, terrorizing innocent citizens and overwhelming the police. Making matters worse, corrupt cops are working with one of the biggest crime bosses in the city. A desperate city cries out for help. Who will answer the call?

Enter Martin Claver, a wounded, homeless veteran, eking out an existence on the streets.

Martin is given a second-chance as a vigilante known as the Phantom Phoenix, rising from the ashes, so to speak, to come to the aid of the good people of Chicago. His knowledge of the streets gives him an edge on the criminal element that the police can’t match. Given what we’ve all seen in the news over the past couple of years, Chicago could certainly use a Phantom Phoenix now.

TPP is, by nature of being a vigilante story, more action-packed than “Finnian”. And it does something I’ve been waiting for someone to do for a long time. Martin Claver is a new, interesting, dynamic, BLACK hero. Yes, you read that right. Instead of taking an established character and race-swapping him or her, someone created a hero that was already black. And DISABLED. Now someone might complain, saying “Mr. Knight, didn’t you recently complain about checking the woke boxes? Isn’t this just another example of woke invading comic books?” Well, the answer is no because the question is missing some important context.

When I criticize the woke agenda invading comic books, I am referring to the appropriation of existing comic book characters like Spider-Man, Thor, and Batgirl, for example, in order to cash in on their fan bases. The team at Voyage are taking a completely different approach, creating a new character from scratch in order to build their own fan base. This is what I’ve been advocating, and I’m all for it.

My criticisms of “Phoenix” are similar to those of “Finnian”. The plot lines, art, and story are all good, but the dialogue is not always up to snuff. But if you look back at the golden and silver age comic books, the dialogue in those wasn’t exactly Shakesperean, so I’m not going to complain too much. Besides, these guys are still just starting out. As good as these titles are now, they will only get better as time passes.

“The Phantom Phoenix” gets another solid Red Crosse Knight recommendation. Issues one and two are currenlty in print and available at the VC website. Check it out.