Beau Smith Or B’Wana Beast….Or Are They One In The Same?

by Beau Smith

The untapped gems are out there waiting to be uncovered, discovered and put on the screen, large or small. That will in turn, get them back in the printed page. Think about the ones already on the screen, Green Arrow, Supergirl, Suicide Squad, just to name a few. DC Comics has more, many more, that could be the next cool thing. Granted, they will need an equal budget for special effects, but that can be done.

Blackhawk: It Can Be This And Much More.

Three that come to mind are Challengers Of The Unknown, The Sea Devils, and Blackhawk. Those would all work with a little change and modern slant. What wouldn’t work would be being too weird. Quirky is good, but just don’t over do it on being in a writer’s room and feeding off the sparks of each other. Yes, sparks can warm you up, but they can also set you on fire…the bad kind where there’s nothing but cinders left.

B’Wana Beast. Bad As He Wants To Be.

I can’t go into much detail on what would make these characters work because I have pitches ready for all of them. Pitches that I know I would love to read as comics. The same goes for B’Wana Beast. I have a pitch that would make readers enjoy this weird King Of Jungle. I’m talking about the original B’Wana Beast, Mike Maxwell, not the “Freedom Fries” version that we had during the most PC of times in comic books.

My point is that there are many obscure or backup superheroes that have a much better chance of making TV and movie viewers happy than even the Big Three-Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. If anything, they could make these characters ever better through interaction. It would make them more relatable, friendlier.

Skull The Slayer

Marvel has done this with Black Panther, Ant-Man and Guardians Of The Galaxy. They have a long list of characters that don’t get to sit at the big table just itching for their shot at the feast…Skull The Slayer, Red Wolf, The Champions, US Agent, The Defenders, and Wonder Man…..we really need Wonder Man out there. (Not to mention villains like the original Plant-Man and Paste Pot Pete.)

I’m stoked to see Luke Cage and Iron Fist out there. It’s time the rest of the Legion Of Non-First Stringers were brought out. I could see a great Ka-Zar, Shanna, and Zabu TV series based upon the Bruce Jones, Brent Anderson, Ron Frenz era. Smart, witty and romantically fun. Re-read those issues and discover what I’m talking about. It was hip adult reading long before folks realized what hip and witty was.

I bring all of this up because I’m a selfish man. This is stuff I would like to write, read and see. Yes, you and other readers and viewers would reap the rewards of my greed, but trust me, it’s an afterthought to a man of my selfish desires.

The Sea Devils

This world of entertainment is large enough for those that can’t stop a speeding bullet, think that criminals are a cowardly lot and don’t think men belong on Paradise Island. They just need a fighting chance. That’s all. All I ask you do to is to ponder what the screen would look like with some of these characters parading around on it. If you aren’t familiar with these characters, then look through some back issues, paper and digital, grab some trade paperbacks and find out. There’s nothing wrong with being a comic book explorer.

When it’s all said and done, come back to me and say thanks. That’s all I ask. (Well, no it’s not, as I mentioned before, I’m a greedy man. Demand that I write these adventures for your entertainment. )

Your subtle buddy,

Beau Smith

The Flying Fist Ranch

www.flyingfistranch.com