“Saab Lofton’s latest work, The Matriarchs, cuts brave new ground in the superhero/sci-fi genre, with an all-female superhero team that combines brains with brawn and a social conscience to get the job done. It is a creative decision whose time has certainly come, and it’s a bit puzzling that no one has done it before. Lofton, the most original writer in the New Millennium, gives us a widely diverse cohort of characters: Captain Thunder, a Nordic librarian with an abusive husband, who conjures herself into having the combined powers of the Norse gods Balder, Odin, Loki, and Thor [hence the magic word, B.O.L.T.]. Ghostshadow, a black stuntwoman and world class martial artist, who obtains a suit that renders her invisible and intangible. Vengador, an impoverished, gigantic Mexican outcast as a girl, who grows up to hold the world wrestling title over male opponents, and whose millions from her winnings support the other Matriarchs. The Elemental, a Native American grandmother who is granted the powers of wind, fire, water and earth by the medicine spirits. Most unique of all, Dragonwoman, a thousand-year-old half Human, half dragon with a brilliant intellect, but who can only emit hisses instead of words, making communication with others a bit of a difficulty, which the other Matriarchs, a bit exasperated, work to overcome. Each woman is a distinct individual, and they don’t always agree with each other, but their chemistry as a team is scintillating. Enjoyable and fresh, they make great strides for women’s empowerment. Lofton’s trademark unexpected and droll humor in a dire situation is in fine form here; living in different parts of the world, the women try to ascertain the best means of alerting each other when they are needed as a group, and Vengador suggests, not an ‘Avengers assemble!’ cry, but ‘maybe we should all exchange phone numbers or something …’ Saab Lofton’s encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture combines with his scholarly background in the arts and social sciences to make this work a bobsled ride of entertainment, through an icy course with probing social questions. He has opened new doors in the superhero mansion, and added new stars to the universe.”
–Wendy Joseph, a merchant marine with two master’s degrees in literature (UCLA and the UW)
… NOT JUST ONE, T W O MASTERS DEGREES IN LITERATURE OF ALL SUBJECTS! BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE …
“All the characters are so good. It’s inspiring to see a group of women working together, especially women of different ethnicities. The patriarchy paints us as catty and jealous, and white supremacy tries to divide us by ethnicity. All those barriers are overcome by The Matriarchs. I feel empowered.”
–Ester Gracia, Topeka, Kansas (as in, the very heart of the American Empire)
… EMPOWERED, SHE SAID …
“I can’t seem to quit daydreaming about what the world would be like if women actually had that kind of power like The Matriarchs. Nice to escape yet still feel grounded. So many relevant issues and truth bombs perfectly mixed with the stretches of your imagination. And the talking cat. Lol, yes, I love the cat.”
–Clairessa Brumett, the Norma Rae of South Carolina
… AND MORE …
“If Marvel Studios had the rights to Saab Lofton’s all female team, The Matriarchs, there’d be enough material for ten movies [all it’d cost is homeownership and a lower middle class existence to go along with it]! The Matriarchs contains origin stories for each of the five heroines and their adventures as they learn to work together. Each starts with a familiar oppressive situation faced by women and turns into a female empowerment tale. Across the many adventures they face, new themes not commonly addressed in current superhero movies take hold: Battles don’t have to be won by annihilating every combatant; negotiations, empathy and letting others fight their own battles can win the day. The socio-economic issues of our times appear throughout the narrative, such as veganism, worker’s rights, the Taliban and a woman’s right to an education all come thru in less than a hundred action packed pages. In forming their loosely-coupled alliance, The Matriarchs discuss superheroic morality, saying: ‘The point is, what does it say about us, if we’re willing to sacrifice our principles in order to survive? [Morality] isn’t for their benefit, it’s for ours, so we’ll always have bragging rights; so it can be honestly said we’re better than — as in, superior to — our enemies.'”
–Ramona Ferrara, Arizona State University
“I just finished [Saab Lofton’s The Matriarchs]. Fantastic story. I really enjoyed it. Glad there will be a Christmas Special. Would you consider giving the bi-lingual cat a superpower other than talking? Yes, I recall his murderous origin. Thought maybe he could become enlightened from being around The Matriarchs [LOL!] I enjoyed the conversations with The Matriarchs and the cat. All the other characters are great. I’m quite impressed. Reminds me of family.”
–Carla Korrick, Lakeland, Florida
… TWO THINGS: One, I find it pleasantly ironic that there are five members of The Matriarchs, while in reality, a handful of women, from all across America, have complimented my work; without them; without their support, neither my characters — nor myself, for that matter — would’ve been around for very long. Thank God they gave me a chance …
… and finally, the “Christmas Special” Carla Korrick referred to will be displayed here as a free sample (which happens to be in a script/screenplay format, but The Matriarchs itself is in short story form, and for the record, I consider this material to be PG-13). I’m homeless, and of color (readWDSM.com) so the sales from this site — and my novels/other online literary serials — quite literally mean the difference between life and death …
… for a one-time, twenty dollar ($20.oo) fee, you’ll see what means the most to me; of all my creations/franchises, The Matriarchs is the closest to my heart because it represents a return to my roots …
“Their mission: To fight injustice, to right that which is wrong, and to serve all [wo]mankind.”
–from the 1973 opening credits sequence of The SuperFriends
… and an attempt to pay it forward, as the expression goes …
HAMMERSCHMIDT: Ach! You think I like licking myself, fräulein? I vas Human once.
VENGADOR: Señoras, ¿por favor? “Dear Matriarchs, my name is Charleena Lyles, I am fifteen years old and I am your biggest fan. I watch all of Vengador’s matches. I love how the world heavyweight champion is a woman! I loved it when I saw on the news how the Matriarchs destroyed all those giant insects and then stopped that nut who controlled them. That still brings a smile to my face and Lord knows I need as many smiles as possible while living with my step-dad. He keeps touching me and touching me and whenever I say no or don’t do that, he slaps me. Hard. I wish my jaw was as bulletproof as Captain Thunder’s. I wish I could fight like Dragonwoman. I wish I could hurl fire and tornadoes like the Elemental. Please, come rescue me like I see you rescue folks on the TV. Somebody save me. All I want for Christmas is to be saved.” ¡Camaradas, debemos ayudar a esta chica! [Comrades, we must help this girl!]
CAPTAIN THUNDER: By the eye of Odin … Tragic and horrific as that is, we can’t be in two places at once. We were just about to embark upon our international mission to eradicate marital rape. Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Lesotho, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Tanzania — that’s a lot of ground to cover, even for us …
THE ELEMENTAL: And unlike you single ladies … I assume you’re all single, since Ghostshadow gets all anal about the whole secret identity thing.
GHOSTSHADOW: For damn good reason.
THE ELEMENTAL: Anyway, I have children and grandchildren who’ll be expecting the normal me this Christmas, so …
DRAGONWOMAN: Hissss …
DRAGONWOMAN HASTILY WRITES A SENTENCE IN ANCIENT TIBETIAN
GHOSTSHADOW: Girlfriend, don’t tell me you done lost another palmtop computer? Cap’n, what she scribbling now?
CAPTAIN THUNDER: She says she’ll be one thousand years old next month — at least, she thinks she’ll be …
VENGADOR: I suppose that’s your way of asking that I buy another computer with a translation program as a birthday present, huh? ¡Dios mío! I might have a net worth of a billion, but still … Getting back to Señorita Charleena Lyles, I say one of us stays behind to help her while the rest of us take the Earhart and fly to Ghana and Indonesia and Tanzania and everywhere else on our tour.
GHOSTSHADOW: I’ll do it. If I can strike fear in the heart of the underworld, I can certainly put an abusive parent in his place.
CAPTAIN THUNDER: Just remember — we don’t take the law into our own hands …
GHOSTSHADOW: Damn it, I done told yo’ ass about getting on my case!
VENGADOR: ¡Ay, caramba! They’re fighting, again — I’m a professional wrestler and even I don’t fight this often …
THE ELEMENTAL: (under her breath) Dearie, you gals are too young to know a lovers’ quarrel when you see one.
DRAGONWOMAN: Hisss …
THE ELEMENTAL: Hang on, I’ll translate this time (grasps a plastic bottle of pure water). Fine, so I’m young compared to you! Jeez! Who ain’t? Besides Yoda, maybe … Both of y’all are green, so maybe you two are related.
DRAGONWOMAN: (pissed off) Hisss!
THE ELEMENTAL: Okay, all right! Gawd! Don’t lay on egg, honey!
L A T E R . . . AFTER THE EARHART HAS DEPARTED WITH THE MATRIARCHS, GHOSTSHADOW DRIVES HER PRIVATE CAR, THE PHANTOM CRUISER, TO THE HOME OF CHARLEENA LYLES
STEP-DAD: Bitch, it’s six o’clock! Where dinner at?MOTHER: I told you, I’d be late from school today!
STEP-DAD: The fuck?! Whatchoo takin’ classes fo’? Got a house to keep!
MOTHER: I’m not a prisoner here! I’ve a right to better myself!
STEP-DAD SLAPS MOTHER SO HARSHLY EVEN IKE TURNER WOULD BLUSH
CHARLEENA: Stop slapping mommy!
STEP-DAD: Shut the Hell up — I’ll deal with you later …
GHOSTSHADOW: (voice only) Speaking of Hell …
STEP-DAD: Who said that? Who’s voice is that?
GHOSTSHADOW: (voice only) Charleena? Listen to me very carefully — take your mother outdoors and call the police … Do it now.
MOTHER: What’s going on? Who is this speaking?
GHOSTSHADOW MOMENTARILY MAKES HERSELF VISIBLE, THEN RESUMES HER INVISIBILITY
CHARLEENA: It’s Ghostshadow, mommy! Like on TV! The Matriarchs must’ve gotten my letter! The Matriarchs are here!
STEP-DAD: Sheeeeet … I don’t bit more believe them bitches actually exist than I do the man on the moon!
GHOSTSHADOW: (gritting her teeth to such an extent that doing so becomes audible) Like I said, Charleena, take your mother to your neighbor’s and call the cops from there. Your step-father and I have much to discuss.
FROM OUTSIDE THE HOUSE, CHARLEEENA AND HER MOTHER CAN ONLY, BARELY, OVERHEAR THE CLAMOR — AS THE SOUNDS OF A MORON GETTING AN ALL AMERICAN SMACKDOWN CAN BE DISCERNED …
CHARLEENA: Aren’t you glad I wrote that letter, mommy?
MOTHER: (stunned) Uh huh …
ABOARD THE EARHART
CAPTAIN THUNDER: I’m telling you, ladies — trust someone with the wisdom of Odin, it was a bad idea to let Ghostshadow go alone … She will kill that man.THE ELEMENTAL: Maybe it’s just that you wanted to go with her? To look over her shoulder — whisper in her ear …
CAPTAIN THUNDER: What’s that?
THE ELEMENTAL: Nothin’ honey.
CAPTAIN THUNDER: I’m turning the ship around — we’ll be a day or two behind schedule, but I’d rather that than read a scandalous newspaper headline about how one of the Matriarchs beat a man to death …
VENGADOR: ¡Por el amor de Cristo! You chicas must think I’m made out of money! Now I’ll have to reschedule my title defense against George the Animal Steele, and yes, doing so is costly.
DRAGONWOMAN: (scribbles glyphs) Hisss …
THE ELEMENTAL: Focus on steering this space ship, captain, I’ll translate (holding that bottle of water alongside Dragonwoman). She’s saying she wants George “the Animal” Steele’s autograph.
VENGADOR: Oh, no you don’t. I’m now well aware of your amorous obsession. Bam Bam Bigelow has already placed a restraining order against you. (Dragonwoman lowers her head and frowns) So has Big Van Vader, Kamala the Ugandan Headhunter and the Missing Link.
CAPTAIN THUNDER: Really?
THE ELEMENTAL: Kinda, yeah. She’s worse than Pepé Le Pew when it comes to the more, ahem, monstrous wrestlers.
DRAGONWOMAN SLAMS HER WEBBED HAND ONTO A COUNTERTOP, SHATTERING IT
THE ELEMENTAL: Hey, we all have our type! You should see who I ended up marrying sometime!
CAPTAIN THUNDER: (sighs) Great, so now there are two members of the Matriarchs I have to worry about.
INSIDE CHARLEENA’S HOUSE
GHOSTSHADOW: What’s my name, you worthless bastard?STEP-DAD: Guh … Guh … Ghostshadow …
GHOSTSHADOW: And what yo’ ass gonna do when the pigs get here?
STEP-DAD: Tuh … Tuh … Turn muh … muh … Myself in …
GHOSTSHADOW: And why the fuck is that?
STEP-DAD: Cuh … Cuh … ‘Cause I’m an abyoo … abyoo … abusive piece of shit ..!
GHOSTSHADOW: What do you know? There might just be hope fo’ yo’ ass after all (noticing the entrance of Captain Thunder and going from being content to resentful) Didn’t trust me, did ya? Just had to check up on ol’ Ghostshadow; make sure she didn’t cross the line, eh?
CAPTAIN THUNDER: Well, I’m glad you proved me wrong.
GHOSTSHADOW: Uh huh … Now that this shit’s taken care of, what’s say we show those countries that still permit marital rape the true meaning of Christmas?
CAPTAIN THUNDER: After you … Okay, so, after Vengador gives little Charleena her autograph …
GHOSTSHADOW: Oh, lord … Look at this here … Now it’s, after all the other kids in the neighborhood get one too — Gawd, we might be here for a while …
… again, a one-time, twenty dollar ($20.oo) fee and you’ll see what means the most to me …