Black Comics History

The face of Western comics is changing, but it’s been a long road and a journey that still has many hills to climb. Black characters are taking on more prominent roles in the panels we read, and more Black creators are shaping their stories behind the scenes. But what of the creatives who came before? This column traces the path of Black comics creativity throughout the decades, with each year focusing on a book that features a Black writer, artist, colourist, letterer, or editor. From underground comix through Black Panther and beyond, this series will reveal the evolution of diversity in the comics industry, and shed some light on the unsung Black heroes that have helped to shape it.

 

– 1970: Ebon #1 and Larry Fuller
by Wendy Browne
– 1971: Creepy #43 and Billy Graham
by Wendy Browne
– 1972: Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 and Billy Graham
by Matthew Cowans
– 1972: Super Soul Comix #1 and Richard “Grass” Green
by Touissaint Egan
– 1974: Jungle Action #10 and Billy Graham
by Jay Rincher
– 1975: White Whore Funnies #1 and Larry Fuller & Raye Horne
by Wendy Browne
– 1976: Fast Willie Jackson and Golden Legacy and Bertram A. Fitzgerald
by Wendy Browne
– 1977: Black Lightning #1 and Trevor Von Eeden
by Terrence Sage
– 1977: The Love Rangers #1 and Vernon Grant
by Wendy Browne
– 1979: Amazing Spider-Man #194 and Keith Pollard
by Kenneth Laster
– 1980: Weird War Tales #94 and Denys Cowan
by Matthew Cowans
– 1982: Hugo #1 and Milton Knight
by Wendy Browne (with Milton Knight)
– 1983: The Falcon #1 and Jim Owsley
by Kenneth Laster
– 1984: Blue Devil #1 and Paris Cullins
by Kenneth Laster
– 1987: Daredevil #246 and Priest
by Adam Karenina Sherif
– 1988: Black Panther: Hero No More #1 and Denys Cowan
by Matthew Cowans
– 1988: Wolfpack #1 and Ron Wilson & Kyle Baker
by Matthew Cowans
– 1989: Damage Control #1 and Dwayne McDuffie
by Latonya Pennington
– 1990: Brother Man: Dictator of Discipline #1 and the Sims Brothers
by Matthew Cowans
– 1993: Static #1 and Robert L. Washington & Dwayne McDuffie
by Kenneth Laster
– 1993: Hardware #1 and Dwayne McDuffie & Denys Cowan
by David Brothers
– 1993: Icon #1 and Dwayne McDuffie & M.D. Bright
by Lucius Illuminux
– 1993: Blood Syndicate #1 and Dwayne McDuffie & Trevor von Eeden
by Jordan Clark
– 1993: Kobalt #1 and Arvell Jones
by Kenneth Laster
– 1998: Black Panther #1 and Priest
by Brandon Davis
– 1998: The Legion of Superheroes #122 and Olivier Coipel
by Matthew Cowans