Rewind: WB100 Black History Month Part 4 (1994-2003)
Natasha Irons (Steel), DC Comics, 1994
"We don't discriminate. We'll use a hammer or a particle beam, whatever gets the job done."
John's niece Natasha Irons has become just as much as a hero as her uncle, even donning the Steel name herself as well as making her mark as one of DC Comics' LGBT heroines.
The Wayans Bros, 1995
The Parent ‘Hood, 1995
On January 11, 1995, The WB Television Network launched, and the very first series to air on the young network was The Wayans Bros, a sitcom about a pair of brothers played by Shawn and Marlon Wayans living and working in New York City.
A week later, The Parent 'Hood, a series about a former English professor played by Robert Townsend raising his four children in a brownstone in Manhattan while his wife played by Suzzanne Douglas returns to the workplace, premiered. Both shows helped bring in a young urban audience to the channel.
Friday (New Line Cinema, 1995)
"You win some, you lose some. But you live. You live to fight another day."
Ice Cube's Friday remains a certified comedy classic and a fan-favorite flick. It also spawned two sequels and an animated series & was the 1st film directed by acclaimed director F. Gary Gray.
Waynehead (Warner Bros Animation/Nelvana, 1996)
Very loosely based on iconic comedian Damon Wayans' childhood in New York, Waynehead was Warner Bros' first animated series created by a Black person. The 13-episode series, co-produced by Nelvana, had a fantastic vocal cast, including Friday's John Witherspoon.
The Jamie Foxx Show, 1996
In Living Color's Jamie Foxx led a fantastic cast in one of The WB's breakthrough sitcoms about a young Texan singer working at his relatives' hotel in California staffed by a stuffy accountant and a beautiful and intelligent front desk clerk, and when it was all done, the series had 100 episodes and Foxx became a much bigger star who was now truly ready for the big time.
Thunder (Anissa Pierce, left) and Lightning (Jennifer Pierce, right), DC Comics, 1996 (Lightning)/2003 (Thunder)
The Pierce sisters, Anissa (Thunder) and Jennifer (Lightning), are the daughters of Jefferson Pierce, better known as DC Comics' Black Lightning.
Both heroines become a great part of his legacy across comics, animation, and live action.
Michael Holt (Mr. Terrific), DC Comics, 1997
"Just call me a concerned citizen who doesn't like having his brain hijacked."
Michael Holt is not only the 3rd-smartest man in the DCU but also the 2nd man to call himself Mr. Terrific. It's fair to say he's of DC Comics' most important pillars and team leaders.
Miss Evers' Boys (HBO NYC Productions, 1997)
Miss Evers' Boys is an Emmy-winning historical drama based on the shameful Tuskegee Syphilis Study in which 400 Black men were purposely infected with syphilis by the PHS and left untreated over a 40-year span.
HBO has a knack for revealing these stories to audiences.
OZ (HBO Original Programming/CBS Studios [Viacom], 1997)
Before The Sopranos and The Wire, there was HBO's OZ, an unflinching look at an experimental prison where the lowest of the lows fight to gain power within its walls. It's one of the best dramas of the 20th century incubating future award-winning acting & writing legends. And much like The Wire, it never won any Emmys.
Todd McFarlane's Spawn (HBO Animation/Todd McFarlane Productions, 1997)
Spawn (New Line Cinema, 1997)
One of the first Image Comics titles to break out in the mainstream was Todd McFarlane's Hell-spawned antihero, a former soldier named Al Simmons. Keith David brought Spawn to life in a critically-acclaimed Emmy-winning animated series co-produced by Madhouse some felt was on-par with Batman: The Animated Series. Michael Jai White brought Spawn to the big screen that was... well, it was not great
Blade (New Line Cinema/Marvel Studios, 1998)
"Say what you want, but I promise you, you will be dead by dawn."
Blade is the movie that made Marvel Studios. It was the genesis of every Marvel film that followed. The MCU wouldn't exist without it.
Wesley Snipes embodied an unconventional hero and made the role his own.
Why Do Fools Fall in Love?, 1998
Why Do Fools Fall in Love?
It's a popular Frankie Lymon song, the title of his 1998 biopic, and the question three women from the legendary singer's past asked themselves in a case that still oddly feels relevant to artists' rights today. Quite an amazing cast to boot.
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (HBO Pictures, 1999)
“Have you ever caught sight of yourself by accident and you see yourself from the outside? That's who you really are."
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, co-written by Shonda Rhimes, earned Halle Berry a Primetime Emmy for playing the legendary Oscar-nominated singer/actress.
Any Given Sunday, 1999
"Maybe it's not racism, maybe it's 'placism.' A brother has to know his place, right, coach?"
Any Given Sunday is still one of the best sports films ever produced, and a lot of that praise goes to Jamie Foxx's movie star-making breakout role as superstar quarterback Willie Beamon.
The Matrix (Warner Bros/Village Roadshow, 1999)
"I'm trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. You're the one that has to walk through it."
The Matrix was such a revolutionary sci-fi film when it came out and still is regarded as one of the best in the genre. What's really not talked about is how, at times, it was unapologetically Black.
Laurence Fishburne's Morpheus exuded that cautious optimism and nobility, and he remains an iconic character to this day.
Judge Mathis (Telepictures, 1999)
Judge Greg Mathis, a former Judge of the District Court of the State of Michigan, became the second-longest-running jurist on broadcast television helming this fan-favorite courtroom series for 23 seasons and over 3000 episodes.
Love & Basketball (New Line Cinema, 2000)
"I've been in love with you since I was 11, and the shit won't go away."
Love & Basketball is a brilliantly lovely sports romance drama about a pair of friends and their complicated relationship on and off the court. It's also the directorial debut of writer Gina Prince-Blythewood.
Static Shock, 2000
Three years after the original Milestone Media comic title ended, Warner Bros Animation brought Static back to the mainstream audiences in a critically-acclaimed animated series that led him to become a part of the DCAU and fully integrating the Dakotaverse heroes into DC Comics lure to a new generation of fans.
Training Day (Warner Bros/Village Roadshow, 2001)
"You made the decision. Live with your decision. Ain't like I put a gun to your head."
Antoine Fuqua's groundbreaking film Training Day took filmgoers into a day-long experience with the LAPD and earned Denzel Washington his long-awaited Best Actor Oscar as a corrupt cop.
The Wire (HBO Entertainment, 2002)
"You come at the king, you best not miss."
What can I say that hasn't been said about The Wire?
SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT.
It's one of the most-critically-acclaimed crime dramas ever produced, and much like OZ, had one of the best casts and writers ever assembled. Also, much like OZ, it was screwed out of Emmys.
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