Cult hero Black Dynamite jives his way from the big screen to the page in the Black Dynamite comic Slave Island from Ape Entertainment. Question is would you be a sucka if you picked up this comic? 

When a traumitised black man washes up on the shores of ‘The Promised Land’ with chains attached to his wrists it’s clear that something isn’t right and that there is only one man who can solve this mystery, Black Dynamite. The super slick crime fighter embarks on a dangerous mission that takes him to the twisted Slave Island where a crazy Southern gentleman, Mister Noah, is trying to relive the American Dream, circa 1850. Once there it’s up to Black Dynamite to set things right the only way he knows how to, with his mad kung-fu skills that are only matched by his prowess in the bedroom.  

As far as comics goes Slave Island is just insane. There are fights with sharks, 61 hour sex romps, desperate calls to the President and enough ass-kicking action to have you craving more. While there is craziness and fun the comic’s story is also handled in a way that it’s never offensive, and it’s quite serious at times with a rather worthwhile message on the way racism is still engrained in Western culture after so long. This combination gives us a true Blaxploitation story  that’s full of soul. Sure there are a few weak moments that are purposely put in to advance the story, like the engraving on the slave’s chains, but these moments are few and far between. The story also gives the reader a sense of closure after 50 pages, but still manages to leave things open for future stories.   

What really sells the comic is Black Dynamite. He is probably the coolest cat ever, who has a clear sense of what’s right and what’s wrong and isn’t afraid to do what’s necessary. Whether that’s whipping a guy in the balls or going three nights with a lonely Southern widow Black Dynamite gets the job done in his own special way that’s just awesome to watch. The dialogue is fantastic, really capturing the essence of the Blaxploitation genre. It’s often funny and large parts are instantly quotable, like ‘once you go Black Dynamite, you never go back… to just plain black’. Parts of the dialogue are also reminiscent of Sirus’s speech in The Warriors given it a little dramatic weight. 

The first thing you’ll notice about the art is that it looks like a comic from the 70’s. The pages look dirty and old and the color scheme is wild and varied. That combination instantly gives Black Dynamite its own feel that really suits it. The team of Jun Lofamia and JM Ringuet also do a great job of showing facial expressions with the use of heavy lines and detail on the faces of many characters. A smirk from Mister Noah tells us as much about him as his acts do. Occasionally the action was a little hard to follow, as every fight was very dynamic with a lot of things going on but for the most part it was enjoyable to see.     

Black Dynamite: Slave Island is a great self-contained little story. Readers who aren’t familiar with the character may struggle a little, but to anyone who has even heard of Black Dynamite, well, you’d be a sucka not to be pick-up this kick-ass comic featuring the grooviest cat to ever master kung-fu.