M.A.N.T.I.S.

"M.A.N.T.I.S." is a TV series that aired for one season on the FOX Network between August 1994 and March 1995. The original two-hour TV pilot was produced by Sam Raimi and developed by Sam Hamm. It starred actor Carl Lumbly. The show was unique, inasmuch as it depicted an African-American superhero.

Lumbly's character, Dr. Miles Hawkins, was a wealthy, mild-mannered doctor who was shot in the spine by a criminal. Paralyzed from the waist down, he uses his company's resources to invent a powered exoskeleton that not only enables him to walk but gives him superhuman abilities. He utilizes a vast array of technology, including a large underwater lab and a hovercraft called the "Crysalid" to fly around the city. With his newfound power, he vows to fight crime and assumes the hidden identity of the vigilante "M.A.N.T.I.S." (Mechanically Automated NeuroTransmitter Interactive System).

The bulk of the series' run depicted the M.A.N.T.I.S. operating in a vigilante role, frequently pursued by police, and battling industrialist Solomon Box (Andrew J. Robinson). Poor ratings led to an extensive retooling of the concept. Minor characters were jettisoned, and the premise incorporated more fantasy adventure elements, including parallel universes, super-villains, and monsters. In the series' final installment Miles Hawkins meets his death disposing of an invisible, prehistoric dinosaur.

The series was released on Amazon's Digital Download service Unbox on April 2,2008. A DVD release of the series is scheduled for January 27, 2009.

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