Absolut grossartige Hommage von Hugo Canuto an den Marvel Meister Jack Kirby: Marvel Meets Orishas: A Brazilian Artist Is Turning African Gods Into Superheroes.
imagine if back in the 1960s, creators Jack Kirby and Stan Lee had found inspiration for The Avengers in Yoruba mythology. Instead of Iron Man, we’d have the warrior Oxaguiã. Taking the place of the blue-eyed, blonde-haired Norse god Thor would be the equally strong and black-skinned Xangô, the ruler of justice — who also happens to carry a hammer. Ant-Man, with his command of insects, gives way to Ossain, who in turn is the king of the forest, the sorcerer and knower of secrets of the plants. And who is Captain America compared with Ogum and his sword, always thirsty for battle?
That’s just what 30-year-old Brazilian artist Hugo Canuto had in mind when in August 2016 he reimagined the classic #4 Avengers cover, replacing all the famous characters with Orishas (spelled Orixás in Portuguese), the deities of modern-day Afro-Brazilian religions which trace their origins back to Nigeria and Benin. Hugo is a lifelong fan of Marvel and all-things comic and also a native of Salvador, home to one of the country’s largest Afro-Brazilian populations.
He named the title of his spin-off “The Orixás,” mixing both Portuguese and English on purpose, he says. And the day after Jack Kirby would have turned 99 years old if he were still alive, he posted his homage to Facebook.