DC Comics has announced plans for a comic book miniseries from 12 Years a Slave writer John Ridley that will focus on the company's minority heroes and their dealings with real-world issues. Readers will get to see the perspectives of characters like Green Lantern (John Stewart), Rene Montoya, and Vixen in their lives outside of the costume.
Writer and director John Ridley is best known for penning the script for the critically-acclaimed period drama 12 Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen. Ridley's script earned him the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, along with a number of other prestigious awards. Ridley also wrote the 2012 film Red Tails which told the story of the Tuskegee Airmen. In 2016, Ridley co-wrote the latest adaptation of the Biblical epic, Ben-Hur. Ridley served as showrunner of the ABC series American Crime, which lasted for three seasons.
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Ridley is now teaming with DC Comics for a new literary miniseries, The Other History of the DC Universe. Ridley's series will go in a different direction than traditional superhero comics by putting the focus on the everyday lives of DC's minority heroes. In the series, fans will see how their favorite characters struggle with issues facing disenfranchised groups. Unlike most superhero stories, The Other History won't be about heroes saving the world. It's unclear what issues the story will explore, though racism, sexism, and poverty are likely to be addressed.
Characters featured in the series include John Stewart, Extraño, Vixen, Supergirl, Katana, and Rene Montoya. The Other History of the DC Universe will also analyze iconic DC moments and chart sociopolitical gains.
In discussing the opportunity to write the series, Ridley says he's "very impressed with DC's commitment to making their history as reverent and urgent as it is engaging and entertaining for all its many fans." Ridley feels that the characters in the series are heroes who have "earned their seat at the table."
The miniseries won't be Ridley's first foray into the superhero genre. Ridley is currently working on The American Way: Those Above and Those Below miniseries for Vertigo. Ridley was also reported to have been helming a secret project for ABC involving an existing Marvel character. However, there hasn't been any updates on that project in quite a while.
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The Other History of the DC Universe launches in winter of this year.