Newspaper Page Text
BUSINESS
Black super hero creator takes
on the toy distribution industry
By Lane Fields
AP BUBINESS Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo.
He's dark and handsome. He
leaps stereotypes in a single bound.
And he's facing his toughest mis
sion yet: to muscle his way off the
pages of a comic book onto the
shelves of major toy stores.
Meet Omega Man, the creation
of Alopnzo Washington, 30, a vet
eran civil rights and social activist
whose 5-year-old company, Omega
7'lnc., publishes comic books fea
turing socially conscious action
-urrha-ou of color.
Fast gaining favor with comic
book collectors in the United States
and abroad, Omega Man is the
first of Washington’s characters
'tfi take three-dimensional form.
is now a 6-inch-tall Omega
mmion figure, retailing for
' Washington was approached last
year by an Asian toymaker about
creatingan action figure. For him,
roduction of the figure — which
'oys R Us expects to test soon in
lected markets — fulfills some
-ling of a childhood dream.
" “I neverreally thought seriously
about doing my comic book work
ag action figures,” says Washing
ton, a popuhr guest speaker in
Qi:ooll and, since his teens, free
lance defuser of racial tensionsin
Kansas City, Mo., and his home
own of Kansas City, Kan.
«“But at a young age, I used to
take my action figures and paint
.I’d get some clay and change
ir features, give them an Afro
ar something and turn them into
rperheroes that I'd make up —a
black Superman or something.”
_lt’s not just facial features and
she braid down his back signifying
African royalty that distinguish
{)mega Man from other bodysuit
% men of supernatural powers.
There are, after all, other black
petion figures on the market.
+ “But he’s the first one that actu
ally comes out of a comic book
Wike up with
In the movning
6 A:M to lIOAM
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Thirty-year-old
entrepreneur attempts
to launch his Omega
Man comic creation
into the treacherous
waters of toy
distribution.
that’s not a sidekick. He's not do
ing what somebody else tells him
to do,” Washington says.
“A lot of these black superhe
mm"mhmgmmm“ ;
:l. Om;“p' Man comes from
future. He's intelligent. He carves
out his own destiny. He travels
through time, so that means he
knows a lot about history.”
‘Omega Man does have a recur
ring enemy —the evil Kuhl,
shapeshifting characters jealously
WWM of the
, racism-free future para
dise in which our hero dwells.
In one issue, the Kuhl seek to
create racial havoc by attempting
to kill O.J. Simpson. Revealing
Judge Lance Ito as a shapeshifted
Kuhl, Omega man dispenses with
the alien (“Kiss me, I'm the win
ner,” he tells the dazed creature)
and sets history back on its proper
course.
In another, Omega Man is zoom
ing into the middle of the Million
Man March, just in time to stop
white supremacists from assassi
nating minister Louis Farrakhan.
And through it all he makes points
about tough social issues — AIDS,
black-on-black crime, disrespect
of women.
But getting into the hands of
fans and collectors as an action
figure has taken a skill beyond
even Omega Man — marketing.
Washington, however, is an im
provisational master.
About 3,000 of the figures have
sold via typical Washington meth
ods. He takes orders during ap
pearances at comic-book and cul-
tural shops, comics expos,
churches. Mail orders from the
United States and elsewhere are
fulfilled under the management of
his wife, Dana Washington, and
his mother, Millie Wuhl:fi::.
This Christmas season, W -
ton has a kiosk at one of the city’s
v et
coverage has helped cre
ate demand. A story on Christmas
toys in Ebony magazine called at
tention to Omega Man, and the
monthly White’s Guide to Collect
ing Figures featured him in an
article on limited-release figures.
While Toys R Us makes its own
plans for Omega Man, the figure is
about to get a major boost from
Diamond Comic Distributors Inc.
The Timonium, Md.-based com
pany is the world’s largest dis
tnbutorofEngub-hchomxc
books, including Washington’s
Omega 7 line.
Diamond Comic will soon be dis
tributing the Omega 7 figure
among the 4,500 retail stores it
supplies coast to coast, said pur
chasing manager Mark Herr, who
has worked with Washington over
the years and calls him “nothing if
not persistent.”
“There are some relatively small
publishers out there taking a big
gamble and creating action fig
ures of their own without going
through big (toy) companies like
Kenner and Hasbro,” Herr said.
“Alonzo’s one of the first. And
for a small guy he’s actually done
very well in getting this toy dis
tributed.”
Even if the little figure doesn’t
make it as big as Washington
hopes, Omega Man will continue
his physics-and convention-defy
ing feats in the comic books.
“The book is really an extension
of my activism,” Washington says.
“I’m trying to raise the conscious
ness among young African-Ameri
cans, to build self-esteem. So I'm
not 100 percent about trying to
make money.”
Barnes & Noble’s
schedule of events
Barnes & Noble, 1336 Augusta
West Parkway, has scheduled the
following events for the next few
days:
«Dec, 18, Thurs, 7p.m. It'stime
for Christmas in the le Woods
and The Night Before Ci
stories.
-Dec. 19, Fri., 8 p.m. Christmas
m. Playwright Paul Jackson
bring his play, A Christmas
Present, in the form of a reader’s
theater to the Multimedia section.
- Dec. 20, Sat.,, 1 - 3 p.m.
ist Clyde who will discuss
and sign copies of Wells 25 Years.
7:80 p.m. Bungle Rye will enter
tain in the Case. They have re
cently completed a CD.
- Dec. 22, Mon., 10:30 a.m,
Children’s Story Hour will feature
Jingle Bugs and The Christmas
Bears. 7p.m. Reading Group. This
monthly group will meet in the
Multimedia Section to discussThe
Christmas Box by Richard Paul
Evans and A Christmas Memory
by Truman Capote.
. Dec. 23, Tues., 10:30 a.m.
Children’s Story Hour will enter
tain withThe Night Before Christ
mas and Get Dressed Santa.
Holiday hours will be: Wednes
day, December 24, close at 6 p.m.
The bookstore will be closed all
day on Christmas. _
Happy Holidays!
From the Augusta
Focus Newspaper,
Join James Brown Enterprises in toy giveaway -
The Christmas season is again
drawing near, and James Brown
Enterprises will again this year
celebrate the holiday by demon
stratiri{’:he true spirit of the sea
son: GIVING. This year’s toy give
away for underprivileged children
will be held on Tuesday, December
23,1997 at 11:30 a.m. at the Impe
rial Theatre on Broad Street.
Last year’s giveaway was a tre
mendous success. They were joined
by other fine area businesses such
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? HBO s Midnight Mac, Def Comedy Jam & Friday ’ i
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BT A Y
. With Special Guest Host Ali Leßoi
8 PM - SATURDAY - DECEMBER 20
AUGUSTA-RICHMOND CIVIC CENTER
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| or more in |
| gift certificates! |
Haven’t made plans for
your holiday party yet?
Call the Augusta-Richmond County
Civic Center. We have space for
parties of 50 to 1500.
Catering provided by Masterpiece Creations,
voted Best of Show in the 1995 & 1997
Gourmet Chef’s Auction.
&
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as Wal-Mart, International ¥or
mal Wear, Sho-Anes, Rader of Au
gusta, Days Inn, Heilig-Meyers
Furniture, J.C. Penney of Aiken,
and Seafood Palace among many
others.
James Brecwn Enterprisesinvite
you and your business to take part
in this year’s giveaway. They hope
to be able to give every child a toy
and bring a smile on Christmas
morning. Anythingothers are will
ing to give would be greatly appre
AUGUSTAF "8 DI EMBER 18, 1997
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B TURR TAT B T
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PR {) L .
LIVE BAND y
LOOK OUT, .
Don’t miss the
bus!!! ,
The Augusta Public Tran
sit will be trimming bus ser
vice hours for the Christmas
holiday. On Wednesday,
Christmas eve, all bus routes.
will end by 6:30 p.m. There.
will be no bus service on
Christmas or Friday the 26th."
The regular bus schedule will
resume on Saturday, Dec.
27. '
Party packages available.
Call 722-3521.
Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center
601 Seventh Street » (706) 722-3521
ciated, especially by the children.
Donations will be accepted at
James Brown Enterprises, 1217
W. Medical Park Rd, Augusta, GA
from now until noon Monday, De
cember 22. Donations will also be
accepted at the Imperial Theatre
on Tuesday, December 23 until
10:30 a.m. You may contact Ms.
Jeryl Booker at (706) 733-1052 for
pledges and additional informa
tion. ;
PLUS... i
Chris Thomas |
Mayor of Rap City & :
BET’s Comic View “
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