THE BLACK POWERS
Membership: Bazooka, Charlotte Beck, Blindspot, Chill, Indigo, Squirm
Purpose: To advocate for equitable treatment at the Clinic for Paranormal Research
Affiliations: The Clinic for Paranormal Research
Enemies: DDTeens (Dynamite, Ghost-Driver, Mothball, Quiver, Raindrop, Scuzz), Lenore Fenzl, Freefall, Shock, Stalagmite, Tangler, Jeff Walters, Wormhole
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: The Clinic for Paranormal Research, south of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA, (New Universe)
First Appearance: D.P.7 I#14 (December, 1987)
History:
(D.P.7 I#14) - On July 20, 1987, three Black patients at the Clinic for Paranormal Research - Chill, Indigo and Blindspot - decided to leave their assigned therapy group and form their own group, the Black Powers, as a means of collectively demanding equal representation and treatment from the Clinic staff. They began asking the other Black patients to similarly leave their assigned groups and join the Black Powers. When they approached Jeff Walters, he refused. Chill and Indigo visited Charlotte Beck in her quarters she was apprehensive about joining but Indigo insisted she was either "with" the Black Powers or against them.
The following day in Indigo's quarters, the Black Powers met for the first time, their ranks now including Charlotte and Squirm. Indigo insisted on calling Charlotte "Friction" although Charlotte didn't like the alias. Blindspot suggested the Black Powers should target the most racist people at the Clinic and noted Freefall and Tangler had joined the security team that same day and already hassled him twice. When Indigo pressed Charlotte for a name to add to the list, she told them Randy O'Brien was a racist (not mentioning she'd approached him romantically the previous evening but been rebuffed). The Black Powers sought out Freefall and Tangler in the Clinic's parking lot and started a fight against them. Blindspot, Chill and Indigo delivered a vicious beating to the two men while Charlotte and Squirm stood back, afraid to get involved.
Next, the Black Powers confronted Randy O'Brien in the gym and started a fight with him and his Anti-Bodies. Unwilling to join the fight against Randy or use her powers to stop the Black Powers, Charlotte fled the gym. Jeff Walters helped break up the fight.
(D.P.7 I#15) - Indigo successfully recruited Bazooka into the Black Powers, meaning Jeff was now the only Black patient they knew of who had refused to join the group. The group began wearing matching leather jackets. Bazooka, Blindspot, Chill and Squirm started a confrontation with Randy O'Brien, accusing him of using his Anti-Bodies to spy on Charlotte. Randy denied doing this but when Blindspot shoved him, his Anti-Bodies instinctively emerged to defend him. The fight was broken up by Lenore Fenzl, who used her parability to knock out all of the Black Powers and the Anti-Bodies.
(D.P.7 I#16) - The Black Powers went to the Clinic's cafeteria for breakfast and forced fellow patients Shock, Stalagmite and Wormhole to surrender their table to them. Scuzz, having formed the DDTeens out of the Clinic's teenage patients, attempted to stand up to the Black Powers lest he appear cowardly in front of his own gang. When Scuzz tried to start a conversation with Charlotte, Indigo assaulted Scuzz and made him cry. In retaliation, Scuzz led the DDTeens against the Black Powers that night while their group was relaxing in a lounge. Charlotte refused to fight at first but as the violence became more serious she used her parability to make everyone slide to the ground, then stuck them in place so they would stop fighting. This enraged Indigo, who attacked Charlotte with her energy fist. The fighting was finally broken up by Mothball of the DDTeens and Dave Landers. Indigo warned Charlotte she'd made herself a "powerful enemy" and ordered her out of the Black Powers. Charlotte angrily agreed, cast off her leather jacket and stormed out.
(D.P.7 I#17) - Squirm attempted to convince Charlotte to rejoin the Black Powers but she was reluctant. At the same time, Freefall and Tangler had recovered from their injuries and steathily murdered Blindspot and Chill; although the Black Powers didn't find their bodies, they suspected foul play and correctly deduced Freefall and Tangler were responsible. Indigo, Bazooka and Squirm confronted Charlotte and offered to let her back into the Black Powers if she helped them obtain revenge against Freefall and Tangler. Indigo and Bazooka planned to kill both men at the Clinic's assembly that day, with Charlotte and Squirm charged with guarding their backs. Once Squirm was left alone he was ambushed by Freefall and Tangler, who attempted to kill him.
At the Clinic's assembly, director Tanis Newhouse announced she wanted all of the special interest groups like the Black Powers to disband and patients return to their previously-assigned therapy groups. Indigo refused and Bazooka launched an attack on Tangler. This burst of violence a caused a riot at the Clinic as the patients warred with each other. Unfortunately, the crowded area prevented Indigo and Bazooka from successfully killing Freefall as they'd planned. Rather than committ to Indigo's plan, Charlotte contacted Lenore Fenzl and Lenore used her parability to stun all of the patients in the area of the riot, ending the violence.
(D.P.7 I#18) - Soon after the riot on December 23, 1987, Squirm survived Freefall and Tangler's attack and recuperated in the Clinic's infirmary, while Bazooka was hospitalized with burns on his forearms. Freefall and Tangler had both fled the Clinic, afraid of being killed by the Black Powers. That night, Indigo snuck out of the Clinic's infirmary and broke into Charlotte's room, attempting to kill her in retaliation for refusing to aid the Black Powers during the riot. Randy O'Brien helped save Charlotte from Indigo's attack.
(D.P.7 I#21) - Squirm subsequently quit the Black Powers and joined the DDTeens, leaving only Indigo and Bazooka in the Black Powers. On January 4, 1988, Bazooka and Indigo had fallen in love and were glad they had recovered from their injuries during the riot. However, deputies from the county sheriff's office came to the Clinic after discovering the bodies of the deceased Clinic staffers Reinforcer and Receptor on the Clinic's grounds. When a deputy with a drawn gun entered the lounge where Bazooka and Indigo were, Bazooka panicked and blasted him with his parability. A second deputy drew and fired at them but Indigo created a shield to deflect the blast. Bazooka attacked the second deputy and soon the entire Clinic erupted into violence as the panicked deputies and frightened patients fought each other. Bazooka and Indigo fought alongside other patients against the deputies but during the firefight, Indigo caught a bullet in her stomach and suffered a fatal wound. The deputies were all either beaten or killed but the violence ensured the Clinic had to be closed down permanently.
Comments: Created by Mark Gruenwald, Paul Ryan and Danny Bulanadi.
The fist on the back of the Black Powers' jackets is, of course, a famous icon in real-world Black Power movements.
Note that Mutator was also a Black paranormal at the Clinic - but none of the Black Powers knew at the time what his appearance had been prior to his becoming a paranormal, so he was never invited to join.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Black Powers should not be confused with:
images: (without ads)
D.P.7 I#15, page 6, panel 5 (main)
D.P.7 I#15, page 18, panel 1 (jackets' back)
Appearances:
D.P.7 I#14-18 (December, 1987-April, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
D.P.7 I#21 (July, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
First posted: 10/27/2026
Last updated:
10/26/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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