A Look At Cloak & Dagger
I loved today's trailer for Marvel's Cloak & Dagger coming to Freeform!
I am all about a teen angst drama. I'm that adult who loves things like Riverdale and Vampire Diaries. LOL! I know some people will disagree and who can't stand teen angst. But, hello? They are two teenagers who are forcibly experimented on and given super powers. They're going to have angst. And, if you don't understand that, you were never a teenager.
I've always loved Cloak & Dagger since they first appeared in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #64 in 1982. That was the year I became a teenager myself. So, I was drawn to these teenagers who had super powers. And their powers were like Yin and Yang. They are opposite, but compliment each other. He is the darkness and she is the light. They need each other to survive. Their powers were also created by drugs which was a big topic at the time. Nancy Regan had a whole "Just Say No To Drugs" campaign. So, I thought it fascinating that their target wasn't really super villains, but the drug trade.
I actually still own the issue of Peter Parker in which they first appeared as well as the original 4-issue mini-series. I like to take them out every so often and thumb through them and read them.
Given that drug trade is alive and well and with opioid abuse being an epidemic, I think this new television series can definitely address drugs on a contemporary level while retaining the essential teen angst drama. Also, instead of using stereotypical racial backgrounds with the white person being rich and the black person being poor, the television series flips them.
I'm unfortunately not familiar with Aubrey Johnson who plays Tyrone Johnson (aka Cloak), but, thanks to Kickin' It having been my nephews' favorite show on Disney XD at the time, I am familiar with Olivia Holt who plays Tandy Bowen (aka Dagger). I always liked her on the show and felt that, of any of the actors, she could have a career beyond the Disney Channel (although, yes, I know Freeform is technically a "Disney channel." LOL). I think she will be fantastic as Dagger and, if the trailers and other promos I've seen, I can already see that she is.
There is always a small part of me that is sad when they use characters I love in television series because this reduces their chances of being in the movies. But, I think that this will be the perfect medium for the show on a network who's demographic is all about teen angst. I can't wait until it premieres on June 7!