{"id":51802,"date":"2026-02-21T19:32:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T00:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=51802"},"modified":"2026-02-21T19:33:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T00:33:31","slug":"abar-the-first-black-superman-1977","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2026\/02\/21\/abar-the-first-black-superman-1977\/","title":{"rendered":"Abar, The First Black Superman (1977) [Black History Month]"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nAfter moving into a bigoted neighborhood, a successful scientist finds his family in peril and gives a super serum to a local revolutionary, Abar, in hopes of salvation.
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\nWhen I reviewed Meteor Man earlier this month I almost referred to him as the first black superhero to be in a movie, but some quick research guided me back to 1977’s Abar. The film’s narrative follows Dr. Kincade, a family man, and scientist, who’s created a super serum that’s waiting for the perfect specimen for a trial run. After moving his wife and kids to a new home closer to his work, Dr. Kincade’s family is promptly targeted by his aggressively bigoted neighbors. Luckily Abar, a local revolutionary with a posse of bikers, arrives to protect them in their time of need. After things escalate, and the family is pushed too far, Dr. Kincade decides that Abar just might be the perfect specimen he’s been looking for.<\/p>\n

I had zero expectations when approaching this film. The only thing I was predicting was that Abar would wind up with superhuman strength, or maybe the ability to fly. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Abar doesn’t receive his powers until the final act of the film, and when he does they turn him into something less like Superman and more like the child from the Twilight Zone who could simply will things into existence. Every time his powers are used, the movie uses the same closeup shot of his eyes and then focuses on what he’s doing. Whether it’s getting cops to start fighting one another, giving a prostitute the ability to beat up her abusive pimp, or transforming a wealthy racist’s meal into worms, you’re not going to be able to predict what he does with his short time as a meta-human.<\/p>\n

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The film’s concept comes from a Louisiana pimp by the name of James Smalley, who had the movie’s writing fleshed out by Frank Packard. While James’ business wasn’t even close to film making, Frank had experience acting in 1974’s The Specter of Edgar Allen Poe and had done gaffing work for 1972’s The Runaway. With Frank’s minimal film experience, and James’ access to a brothel as a filming location, Abar was born. The film was about successful African Americans who worked their way into wealth still being treated as though they were common criminals, as much as it was about the local African American community staying safe by having each other’s backs in times of need.\u00a0 Everything felt somewhat realistic until the final act’s use of superpowers. The last few scenes are a trip of wishful thinking that showcases what would happen if bigots and abusers faced instant onset karma… If only a superhuman could make it happen.<\/p>\n

Abar is played by Tobar Mayo, an actor with a tragically short list of credits. Mayo is the lifesaving element within the film as he brings energy, passion, and a classic sense of \u201ccool\u201d to every scene he occupies. In fact, Mayo was the only actor in the movie who ever starred in anything else. Dr. Kincade, his entire family, the hostile neighbors, and every other supporting character, is made up entirely of a crew of actors found exclusively in this film. This might explain why nearly everyone brings \u201cfirst-time\u201d energy to the final product. Acting is often either too flat, or too over-the-top, with the exception of the children, their mother, a few bad-ass bikers, and Abar himself, who all seemed to be having a great time making a movie. The resulting film feels less like a superhero outing and more akin to something like Shaft or Dolemite, with a brief western sequence that reminded me of Blazing Saddles. Overall, Abar is a melting pot of concepts, statements, and unbound creativity that wasn’t often seen in such films from its time. It’s unfortunate to see that such an effort has flown under my radar, only to be discovered accidentally. It feels like I should have known about this bizarre gem ages ago.<\/p>\n

If you’re looking to watch this incredibly unique, and oftentimes baffling, social commentary from the 1970’s, you can find it under multiple names. Completed in 1975 as SuperBlack, the first release was entitled Abar, The First Black Superman. When it was released on VHS it was rebranded as In Your Face. Finally, after dodging a Justice League sized legal issue, the film is simply called Abar and can be found in various quality uploads on YouTube.<\/p>\n

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