A
superhero's noble trading cards
June
30, 2003
A
Kansas City, Kan. comic book artist has gained national attention in
developing trading cards that educate the public on an issue he calls,
"America's Forgotten Children."
Meet
Alonzo Washington, a 35-year-old illustrator and anti-crime
activist. His leading superhero character spearheads a campaign to
guide mainstream awareness toward missing African-American children
through cards and comic books.
Washington's
Omega Man, the first of six black comic art idols the professional
cartoonist has created, came into being in 1992 as a protector of city
youths and foe of malevolent figures. After completing a signing
session of his Omega Man debut book, the artist gained notoriety
through a Newsweek feature that captured the attention of
national comics distributors.
The
summer of 2001 found Washington publicizing missing children's cases and
challenging media organizations and politicians into placing increased
scrutiny on the issue. He appeared on news and talk show forums
for CNN and MSNBC, guested on controversial commentator Bill O'Reilly's Radio
Factor and also served as a case consultant for FOX-TV's America's
Most Wanted.
"When
I first went on the (MSNBC) Donahue show with the cards and comic
book, we received extra tips," Washington said. "I can't
say we've recovered a child yet, but we're hoping. The goal is to
get it out into the public realm. Eventually, one tip might lead
to something else. I look at it as part of a process, not a
cure-all."
His
missing children trading cards have been included in the Omega Man
books and Washington's other titles. He also distributes the cards
at community functions, church meetings and comic book shows across the
country. The cards are also distributed at regional pharmacy
franchises in St. Louis, Chicago and Kansas City.
"Osco
Drug has been a supporter of my child safety program," Washington
said, while also pointing out the initiative's photo identification and
fingerprinting campaign for kids of all races and family income
ranges. "That is the local aspect. What goes out
nationally is a combination of my own financial resources and when I
travel to different comic shows and media tours."
Washington's
outrage over the media's scant coverage of vanished minority kids stems
from the gruesome discovery by Kansas City police of a decapitated girl
on April 29, 2001. The Precious Doe case has yet to be solved by local law
enforcement and the dead girl's identity remains a mystery. The
artist's fund-raising efforts in response to the crime have produced
about $33,000 in donations.
Washington
had been interviewed by newspaper and television reporters in his work
to rally support at keeping the Precious Doe murder story in regular
news cycles. What haunted him had been the subsequent
communications he received from despairing parents of other missing
children from around the U.S. His Web site
is a repository of information dealing with such cases. The most
recent incident took place in early June with the disappearance of
nine-year-old Christian Ferguson, of St. Louis. Washington said he
plans to produce cards depicting the child and also of Tionda and
Diamond Bradley, ages 3 and 10, who vanished from their Chicago home on
July 6, 2001.
Sadly,
many more cases are found on Washington's Internet site. Missing
kids are reported as far north as Anchorage, Alaska, to the southwest in
San Diego to the upper Midwest in Milwaukee and as south as
Florida. The basis of the illustrator's newest comic book, titled Forgotten
Kids, to be released this month, is currently posted. The
story line poignantly includes Washington struggling with his recurring nightmare, the
forces of justice embodied in his superhero creations and the
fundamental convictions of Martin Luther King and other famous
African-American leaders. The last page depicts Washington amid
the children he dreams of recovering.
The
trading cards represent one method of keeping the kids' unknown fate in
public view. What clues have been brought to light from the cards'
publication?
"That
is something I can't really track," Washington admitted.
"The police say the cards are a good thing, but they aren't in a
position to share information. But they welcome the extra
publicity and it gets the phones to ring and allows people to talk about
the kids."
According
to the comic book illustrator, he recently printed 8,000 cards; almost
all the expenditures were absorbed by Washington himself. Asked if
8,000 cards are enough to call attention to a vanished child, he
replied, "It really isn't, but I do what I can. (These cases
are) not at all like some of the other stories such as Elizabeth
Smart. But it seems if you are poor and have darker skin, you are
America's forgotten child. People say what I'm doing is noble, but
not a lot are willing to support (the effort) because they think it's
just a social problem."
Washington
has also created cards of Omega Man with safety themes aimed toward pre-schoolers,
grade school youngsters and teens. "They address a wide range
of issues," he said. "I've done cards on personal
hygiene like 'Washing Your Hands' for pre-schoolers; 'Stranger
Danger: Run, Resist, Report'; and HIV-AIDS, its transmission and
prevention for teenagers. The messages may sound corny or nerdy,
but when Omega Man says it, it's cool."
Washington's
Heroes Against Crime cards have been passed out not only by the
artist, but also by Kansas City police officers. Kids from lower
income households sense the tension that exists between law enforcement
and the general citizenry, he said. It remains a nagging problem
of varying degrees in all the nation's cities.
"I
try to create things that foster good relationships," Washington
said. "Some of these young kids won't have a negative
experience with the police -- turning it into something positive.
The cards have been a successful program because I already had the comic
books."
The
artist has garnered acclamation from both kids and adults. They
are impressed with Omega Man, Original Woman, Mighty Ace and the
other superheroes of Washington's imagination.
"People
say I shouldn't give the cards away, they are too good a product,"
he said. "When I attend comic book conventions and hand them
out, people sometimes want a complete set (about 30 cards).
Sometimes I'll ask three dollars for them all."
*****
