Newt Leblanc is a young black man of Haitian decent.  He has a slender but athletic frame with impressively muscled legs.

Upon summoning the power of the Staff of Damballa, a hooded suit of green and black armor appears on his person (similar to the Green Arrow's).  His physical form changes as well.  He loses all his hair and his skin becomes glossy black with large speckled patches of neon blue. His fingers grow an inch longer, and his fingertips becoming round and flat.  His eyes become larger and rounder with yellow irises and black pupils shaped like horizontal hourglasses.  His mouth widens and his lips become so thin they almost vanish. [Yes, he's basically a BattleToad]