The Tumblr Superheroes in Full Color started up a monthly art challenge last month. This time around, in honor of Black History Month, they selected three black female superheroes for people to draw. The choices were Bumblebee, Butterfly, and Adept. Adept, the hero I chose to draw, is part of the Strikeforce Morituri team from the 80s. These were supersoldiers given an experimental treatment that granted them incredible superpowers for one year. After a year, their powers would peak and they would die. Adept developed the ability to decipher any dangerous situation and find the proper solution. Sadly, much of her last year on Earth was spent in isolation. She was tasked with decrypting enemy alien code she absorbed on a space combat mission. The results made no sense without the artifacts in hand she pulled the data from. Her team staged her kidnapping so she could sneak onboard the same ship, hold the objects, and decrypt the data in an instant. This was, sadly, when her power peaked. She spent her last moments serving humankind by reciting the secrets to countless alien techologies so we had a chance to fight on a level playing field. A beautiful and tragic end to a very unusual superhero.

Marker and pastel pencil.