Characters of Colour in superhero Comics - the women (part one)

Someone on the facebook group recently asked where all the strong female characters of colour in superhero comics were.  This is a very good question and one that I feel needs answering.

I think there is a feeling that superhero comics tend to feature only white heroes (and male ones at that).  Whilst historically this was certainly the case, in recent years it has got better.  There are now several characters of colour in the superhero books (although not as many as there are white characters).  They are also in independent publications and manga.  I'm going to use this post to highlight a few particularly great female characters, and then do another post of the male characters.

Suicide Squad – Trial by Fire

Writer: John Ostrander
Artists: Luke McDonnell, Bob Lewis, Karl Kesel, Dave Hunt

Colourist: Carl Gifford

Letterers: Todd Klein, Albert Deguzman

Publisher: DC

What’s it about?

The Suicide Squad are a motley bunch of (mostly) supervillains looking for a chance to get a government pardon by joining a secret government group, more formally named Task Force X.  Task Force X was first established in World War 2, the members names themselves Suicide Squad once they realised the sort of work they were being asked to do.  It’s not pretty, it’s not glamorous and it sure as hell isn’t safe.

Now, with a brand new roster, the Squad is sent on dangerous, politically sensitive and unpopular missions to deal with superpowered threats.  Members are utterly disposable and utterly deniable.  The formidable Amanda Waller, otherwise known as ‘The Wall’, controls the group, and she makes sure people do what she wants, when she wants, as she wants.

Smallville - the other teams and some history

Anybody who has been watching Smallville over the last few years will have seen a host of DC's characters imported from the comics world to the glossy, highly polished world of Smallville.  You may be wondering about the origins of these characters, what they were like originally and how their stories changed in the leap from comic to small screen.  And that's where we come in!  This  the last in a series of five posts on Smallville's characters cast of heroes, villains and sidekicks, and the original characters that inspired them.
Today, the other teams from the Smallville universe and a little bit of comic history.