as African Film, and in South Africa, it was published as The Spear. In South Africa, Lance Spearman had a readership of approximately 20,000; 45,000 in East Africa and 100,000 in West Africa. Allies and Enemies The Spear's loyal allies are his agile assistant "Sonia", who is capable of dispensing impressive karate kicks when in combat; a twelve-year-old sidekick known as "Lemmy" who uses a catapult as his primary weapon; and a uniformed Police Officer called "Captain Victor". His enemies are characters such as "The Cat", a burglar who climbs walls of tall buildings; "Dr. Devil", an evil genius whose electronic wizardry directs international experimental rockets off course; Rabon Zollo; Themermolls; and Countess Scarlett. Fighting styles and vehicles Fighting Styles The Spear uses reverse karate kicks, and his fists. His favored handgun is a Beretta that he refers to as "my little friend". Vehicles The Spear's favorite vehicle is the Corvette Sting Ray. Cultural impact The adventures of Lance Spearman catered to the new urban youth, who had left the villages for the cities in search of a better life. The Spear combined re-appropriated Western references with a distinctly African cultural identity. He reflected a newly defined black Atlantic modernity and fostered a post-colonial pride in them by portraying The Spear as an urbanite who eats, loves, fights, drinks, smokes, and talks with ease, style and self-confidence. The adventures of Lance Spearman were illustrated with stunning photographs instead of drawings, giving them the uniqueness, creative flair and do-it-yourself spirit common throughout Africa. They preceded the explosion of Blaxploitation in America in the 1970s and its budget conscious DIY techniques were the precursors of modern Nollywood movie making. See also African Film (magazine), the magazine in which the series was published. James R. A. Bailey References External links African Film Facebook Page featuring Lance Spearman Nigerian comics 1968 comics debuts Comics characters introduced in 1968 1972 comics endings Black people in comics Fictional African people Fictional karateka Fictional secret agents and spies Detective comics Spy comics Photocomics Male characters in comics