By MARTHA IRVINE Associated Press Writer CHICAGO (AP) -
Black Lightning came and went.
``Pow!''
So did the Falcon and Power Man.
``Blam!'' ``Wham!''
All three were black superheroes created by major white comic book publishers; all have debuted and have all but disappeared since 1969.
That was the year Donald McQuay graduated from high school - a hopeful young artist who, like many others, eventually gave up his craft to take jobs that could support a family. So why in the world is McQuay - now pushing 50 - in a basement studio in his South Side home, drawing black, Asian and other comic book characters?
``It may seem a little crazy. Here I am on the back end of my life trying to do this,'' McQuay says, sitting amid a clutter of drafting tables, drawings and, just a few feet away, his daughters' toy oven and dishes. ``But it's my dream.''
That dream, so far, has led to a handful of comic books, self-published with the help of a North Dakota printer and distributed at comic book conventions and stores, mostly in the Chicago area.
But even with work published, McQuay, who is black, isn't about to quit his day job - nor are many other artists like him.
``You're lucky if you can break even,'' says Turtel Onli, a 47-year-old artist and teacher who also is black and lives in Chicago.
Black comic strip artists who draw black characters, including those who created the syndicated strips ``Curtis'' and ``Herb and Jamaal,'' have had a bit more success. And major comic book characters also haven't completely given up on their attempts to cross cultural boundaries.
DC Comics' Batman sometimes speaks Spanish - at least in editions distributed in Mexico, Spain and other Latin American countries. And at least one black character, known as ``Spawn,'' has made it to the big screen.
So far, though, there have been more failures than successes. DC, for example, tried its own series with black superheroes called Milestone in the early 1990s but dropped the line when it didn't make enough money.
``The black-only superhero line was a really good try in terms of getting the multicultural voice out there,'' said Francine G. Burke, manager of international rights for the New York-based company. ``But when you go for all women or all black superheroes, it's tough in a market that's looking for more than just those characters.''
It's also difficult to come up with new characters to compete with the long-standing popularity of Batman, Superman, Spider-Man and Wonder Woman, she said.
