We spotlight the legendary artist’s legacy in comics and entertainment. Read a handful of Cowan’s stories for free today.
For the past four decades, Denys Cowan has been a celebrated voice in comic books as a skilled artist, a force of innovation, and a tireless advocate for creatively pushing the envelope. This month on marvel.com, we celebrate the career of Denys Cowan with spotlights on some of his seminal Marvel work with a look back at his unparalleled journey!
It’s December of 1980 and in the front half of PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #49, writer Roger Stern and artist Jim Mooney pit the Wall-Crawler against the fearsome Smuggler. However, for our purposes today, we focus on the back-up story in this issue, also written by Stern, featuring the original White Tiger, Hector Ayala, and drawn by a relative rookie named Denys Cowan.
“It was nerve-racking,” exclaims Cowan of his initial effort at the House of Ideas, an assignment he got only months into his fledgling run as a professional comic book artist. “I sweated out the whole thing.”
Cowan would work sporadically for Marvel throughout the ‘80s, most notably drawing several issues of POWER MAN AND IRON FIST (1978) as well as providing art for the 1988 BLACK PANTHER limited series written by Peter B. Gillis. Luke Cage and T’Challa would be the first prominent Black characters the illustrator helped to shape, but not the last.
“From almost the beginning of my career I sought out and was given characters of color to draw,” Cowan shares. “This has always been important to me.”
After his contributions on the 1990 DEATHLOK revival acquainted Cowan with writer Dwayne McDuffie, the duo, along with Dingle and Michael Davis, founded Milestone Media, a comics imprint run by Black creators devoted to creating characters across a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. During this period, Denys met Reginald Hudlin who he would work on CAPTAIN AMERICA/BLACK PANTHER: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS with in 2010.
“I remember sitting on the desks of [the Milestone offices], hearing great stories, like the time when Clarence Thomas was a fan,” recalls Hudlin, at the time already a successful screenwriter, director, and producer. “And talking about [how] rival creators, none of which are in the business now, were hating on them for being successful. I told them don’t worry about the haters, time will tell the story. And it did.”
Later, Cowan joined Hudlin, then the President of Entertainment for BET—Black Entertainment Television—as the Senior Vice President of Animation for the channel. In this role, he created a full slate of animated projects, most prominently the critically-acclaimed and much-beloved series The Boondocks. In recent years Denys has remained active in animation as well as comics.
“Denys was always a pleasure to work with both as a writer and a colorist for me,” praises Gregory Wright of his time working with Cowan on DEATHLOK (1991). “[He] has a powerful sense of story and his characters have deep presence. The body language, the facial expressions and the compositions of Denys’ work help tell the story better than words can.”
An example of Denys’ powerful composition from DEATHLOK (1991) #1.
With a catalogue of peerless work built up over 40 years and, undoubtedly, exciting initiatives still ahead of him, Cowan remains passionate for his mission to diversify the mediums to which he contributes.
“The entertainment industry as a whole has made some strides, comic books included,” he reflects. “However there’s so much more that has to be done. There has to be representation, not just creatively but also in editorial, marketing, sales, and at executive levels.”
Stay tuned to marvel.com for upcoming spotlights and deeper dives on Denys Cowan’s work, with the inside stories of how DEATHLOK (1991) and CAPTAIN AMERICA/BLACK PANTHER came to life!
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You may not have heard of the name Clarence Avant, but you’ve definitely heard of the people whose lives he’s changed and whose careers he’s launched. Known as the Black Godfather — from which the Netflix documentary about him takes its name — the 89-year-old is a legendary behind-the-scenes kingmaker who quietly brokered deals for and advised luminaries across entertainment, sports, politics and finance, taking on a mythic quality for those in the know.
“I heard about Clarence from the beginning of my professional career. I was doing music videos … and we were dealing with the record label and they said, ‘Yeah, but we also gotta talk to Clarence.’ And I was like, ‘OK, Clarence,’” Reginald Hudlin, who directed “The Black Godfather,” told Gold Derby during our Meet the Experts: Documentary panel (watch above). “And he was kind of referred to the same way you’d talk about Zeus.”
An Oscar nominee for “Django Unchained” (2012) and an Emmy nominee for producing the 88th Academy Awards, Hudlin eventually met Avant when he flew to L.A. to discuss a possible film starring Janet Jackson. “I got to know the man and I got to know others whose careers were due to him and I just realized how important he was,” he said. Avant’s daughter, Nicole Avant, who was the U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas from 2009-11, had wanted to tell her father’s life story since she was 8, suggesting a book, but Avant, who got his start in music, always dismissed the idea. That is until, Nicole pitched a documentary, after which Avant handpicked “Reggie” to direct it. “It was like drop everything and make the Clarence Avant movie, which was a dream come true,” Hudlin stated.
As Hudlin started doing interviews with high-profile figures from all walks of life and different fields, including Quincy Jones, Hank Aaron and Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, he started to realize that Avant’s incalculable influence and reach were greater than he even imagined. “We found that every time we interviewed someone, they would say three new names. ‘You know who you need to talk to?’ And the three names would have nothing to do with each other and seemingly nothing to do with Clarence. And I’d ask, ‘Why do I need to talk to them?’ ‘Just do it!’ ‘OK!’” he recalled. “It was like Russian [nesting dolls]. Each door opens another door opens another door. So you’re talking to Jim Brown and you’re talking to Bill Clinton and you’re talking to Snoop. And they all love Clarence. Clarence has made a difference in everyone’s lives.”
And the reason Clarence Avant has not been a household name is because this unsung hero wanted to be unsung — he didn’t even charge people for his services. “He’s so perfect for Hollywood because he doesn’t want fame. So everyone who wants fame feels comfortable working with him because it’s like, ‘Well, he’s not trying to get his shot. I want my shot!’” Hudlin declared. “He’s the guy who just wants things done. His disposition was perfect for his goal.”
However, the man under the Black Panther’s mask was not T’Challa. Instead, it was T’Challa’s grandfather, Azzuri the Wise, who fought and befriended Cap. Although neither Steve Rogers nor Azzuri could have predicted it, their shared experience in ‘Flags of Our Fathers’ paved the way for Cap’s long friendship with T’Challa. A bond that’s still playing out today.
Marvel Unlimited is currently offering CAPTAIN AMERICA/BLACK PANTHER: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS for free. It’s an important chapter in Black Panther’s canon, and has a fresh take on historical events told through an action-adventure lens.
CAPTAIN AMERICA/BLACK PANTHER: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS (2010) #1
Surprisingly, Steve and Azzuri are not the point of view characters in ‘Flags of Our Fathers.’ The events actually unfold through the eyes of Gabriel Jones, the only Black member of Sgt. Nick Fury’s Howling Commandos. In the first issue, Gabe expresses how he feels to be among the Howling Commandos at a time when the United States armed forces weren’t integrated. Gabe was keenly aware of the racism and bias in his own nation, yet was proud to storm the Nazi’s strongholds to knock down evil in its path.
A large part of ‘Flags of Our Fathers’ also follows Gabe’s reaction to the very concept of Wakanda itself. He even receives a rare opportunity to become its citizen after saving Azzuri’s family. Gabe’s loyalties are also tested by the demands from his commanding officer, Fury, as well as his feelings of kinship with Azzuri and his connection to the Wakandan way of life.
Both Steve and Azzuri also walked away as different men following this series. Although BLACK PANTHER (2005) depicted their battle as a largely one-sided fight in favor of Azzuri, ‘Flags of Our Fathers’ #1 made it even more of an encounter. In the aftermath, Azzuri and Steve were fast friends, much to the amazement of Fury and Gabe.
Azzuri was one of the first to realize that Captain America had the potential to be a powerful symbol for Americans, just as the Black Panther is for Wakandans. The king also offered an education that allowed Steve to see beyond the conflict between the Allies and the Axis. When Azzuri told Cap that Wakanda had chosen their own side, he wasn’t being flippant. Azzuri was demonstrating that Wakanda could easily stand alone. But he also showed Steve that Wakanda’s vision for its own future was far more important than any global empire.
Speaking of which, this limited series also featured early clashes between Captain America and the Red Skull, as well as Fury’s lifelong enmity with Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. The Nazis intended to overrun and conquer Wakanda with some of its heaviest hitters. But between the efforts of Black Panther, Cap, Gabe, the Wakandan warriors, and the Howling Commandos, Wakanda remained unbroken and unbowed.
It should also be noted that T’Challa’s father, T’Chaka, and uncle, S’Yan, both appeared as children in this run. Their sibling rivalry nearly led to tragedy, but they also learned some valuable lessons from their father. In turn, the inspiration for Cap’s iconic shield came from the final showdown in issue #4. Even Azzuri embraced new ideas by series’ end.
The spirit of that friendship was reflected decades later, when T’Challa fought by Steve’s side in landmark issue CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #100. In AVENGERS (1963) #51, Cap even asked Black Panther to join the team. Their bond was further strengthened in CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #169-171, when T’Challa designed the Falcon costume for Steve’s new partner, Sam Wilson.
Years later, when Steve had resigned as Captain America, T’Challa gave him a magnificent new Vibranium shield in CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #342. That gesture echoed Azzuri’s offer to let Steve keep his first Wakandan shield. It should also be mentioned that T’Challa stood by Cap’s side during CIVIL WAR (2006), another example of their enduring friendship and alliance.
Within the pages of AVENGERS (2018), Steve and T’Challa’s mutual respect remained strong. Black Panther was instated as the current team leader, to Cap’s full support and approval.
Together, Captain America and the reigning Black Panther have saved the world several times over. And that’s a tradition that won’t be ending any time soon, as their bond has crossed nations and spanned generations.
