Peer-to-Peer

Brian James Kirk geeks out

by Brian James Kirk

Comic Book Workshops

Growing up with classics like Spider-Man and X-Men, illustrator Akinseye Brown wondered why there weren't more African-American characters in comic books. "I didn't at first realize it was a result of a lack of black creators," he says. For Brown, it took innovative titles like Kyle Baker's Captain America: Truth (pictured) and Dawud Anyabwile's Brotherman, which drew blacks into the graphic novel mainstream, to make that connection.

Brown works with East Coast Black Age of Comics Con, a nonprofit focused on increasing literacy in urban areas by introducing comics to kids. At a dozen winter workshops at various branches of the Free Library, the organization will exercise a new generation of comic creators' drawing and writing skills to improve their self-expression and critical thinking. "It's important for everyone to be more appreciative of heroes of many backgrounds," says Brown. First workshop Wed., Jan. 20, 4 p.m., free, Free Library, Blanche A. Nixon/Cobbs Creek Branch, 5800 Cobbs Creek Parkway, 215-685-1973, visit freelibrary.org for information on additional workshops.

Tesla Nights 2010

Nikola Tesla Inventors Club's creative director, Marko Passio, thinks the Serbian visionary's electrical research could solve the energy crisis. But the secret to tapping unlimited energy is kept mum by global energy corporations, he says, because free energy ain't a business model. To raise awareness of Tesla's solution, the group is hosting a series of concerts, with its first in the new year featuring metal acts Omegalord, Backwoods Payback and others. As if that weren't heavy enough, the club will also be demonstrating its 3-foot-tall Tesla coil — a device that can power a light bulb with a lightning bolt. Wed., Jan. 13, 7 p.m., $10, Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., 215-573-3234, therotunda.org.

(editorial@citypaper.net)