50 Great Black Comics Characters

[Gothos]

Inspired by the "Bronze Age" thread on the Oddball board, I wondered what names would be first to come up in a sort of a collaborative listing of the best Afro-American or "black African" characters in comic books & strips.

In other words, add your favorites to the list but don't duplicate what others have named. Fun, huh?

My first ten:

THE BLACK PANTHER-- if not the first black superhero, then the first well-known one

LUKE CAGE-- he gets some bad press, but I still like him. He's had good stories and he's had bad stories. Pretty much like any Marvel character.

THE FALCON-- number two tries harder

ZULENA-- from "Brothers of the Spear." Her husband Natongo was really one of the strips' stars but I always thought him kinda dull. Like the other major female support-character Tavane, Zulena was a skilled warrior-woman, and thus was probably the first regularly-published black heroine in comic books, albeit as a supporting character.

THE BUTTERFLY-- probably the first black superheroine

CENTURIUS-- from NICK FURY #2-- possibly the first black villain whose ethnicity was not relevant to the story

JOHN STEWART-- started out a little rocky but was given excellent treatment by Gerard Jones

HEALER-- short-lived member of Tomahawk's Rangers

JACKIE JOHNSON-- Sgt. Rock's main man, who managed to improbably integrate a WWII unit-- I think before the next and last did the same--

GABE JONES-- Howling Commando & Agent of Shield, both in one package.

I can name at least two who should make the next poster's list, but I'll keep quiet for now.

[Lone Ranger]

Jack in the Box - The heart and soul of Astro City.

Robbie Robertson - Only man strong enough to go toe to toe with JJJ on a daily basis.

Black Manta - Is he the first major black villain?

James 'Rhodey' Rhodes - A very strong character, regardless of skin colour

Storm - She has beome such an icon that I really don't think people really think of her as a 'black' character.

[Agentum]

Wasn't that a black Iron man for i while?
Maybe that was the same who was War machine?
edit:James Rhodes but he was taken already, but anyway he was War Machine

I can clearly see that DC lacks in this, there are not many good black characters from them.
hmmm: Cyborg in New teen Titans is a good black DC character

Black lightning?

[prince hal]

Short-lived but interesting: Ulysses Hazard from DC's Men at War

Juma, Conan's buddy in quite a few comic stories

Lucius Fox, whose blackness was incidental

Black Manta, who actualy turned out to be black, one of the true surprises. Again, skin color just wasn't the focus.

Amazing Man from All-Star Squadron

And a question: Was Deathlok the Demolisher black? I mean the original.

[prince hal]

Short-lived but interesting: Ulysses Hazard from DC's Men at War

Juma, Conan's buddy in quite a few comic stories

Lucius Fox, whose blackness was incidental

Black Manta, who actually turned out to be black, one of the true surprises. Again, skin color just wasn't the focus. (Good call on Centurius, by the way, Gothos. I'd forgotten him and how unimportant his ethnicity was.)

Amazing Man from All-Star Squadron

The astronaut from EC and Ray Badbury's "home at Last." Was he the first significant black character in comics?

And a question: Was Deathlok the Demolisher black? I mean the original.

[Gothos]

Yes, the original Deathlok was black, and I believe a follow-up version was too, though I'm kind of fuzzy on specifics. So he makes 20 so far.

I will also add:

STATIC-- first black comics superhero to get his own cartoon

FRIDAY FOSTER-- first black heroine star of a wide-syndicated comic strip

M'SHULLA-- support-cast in good standing in KILLRAVEN

BLACK LIGHTNING-- first series not great; second series was better

That's 24...

[dan bailey]

And a question: Was Deathlok the Demolisher black? I mean the original.

i always gathered that he was, though the coloring in those ishes of astonishing tales was somewhat ... inconclusive.

[spoon_jenkins]

And a question: Was Deathlok the Demolisher black? I mean the original.
He wasn't black unless there were two different Deathloks name Luther Manning. The second Deathlok, introduced around 1990, was black. In Captain America #286, the first issue of a time travel story arc with Deathlok, Luther Manning is cloned. The clone is a white guy, so I think the first Deathlok was white.

[Mike Kuypers]

Static (Oops, duplicated one)

Icon

Steel

Black Racer

Vykin the Black (Forever People)

[MWGallaher]

Blade, the Vampire Hunter: supporting character -->occasional solos-->3 movies-->tv series.
Sabre: A leading light of the 80's independent comics movement.

[prince hal]

i always gathered that he was, though the coloring in those ishes of astonishing tales was somewhat ... inconclusive.

Yeah, that's why I asked. He always looked kind of... gray.

[Gingold]

Jake Jordan, the Manhattan Guardian from the Seven Soldiers series is a great character with a lot of potential.

[spoon_jenkins]

Captain Marvel/Photon (Monica Rambeau) - a very intriguing and non-stereotypical character. She's a former Avengers chairperson.

[Sir Tim Drake]

I would add:

Invisible Kid II

XS

Rocket (who was more important than Icon)

The black guy whose name I forget from Why I Hate Saturn

Riley from The Boondocks

Ginny from Doonesbury

Herschel/Harry from The Golem's Mighty Swing (though he was more of a supporting character)

Are there any important black characters in BD? Is Freddy Lombard's pal Sweep supposed to be black? I also thought of Said Boudiaf from The Road to America, but looking at it again, I don't think he's black.

[MWGallaher]

Yeah, that's why I asked. He always looked kind of... gray.
His wife was definitely Black. That probably led a lot of readers in the 70's to assume that Luther Manning was, also. I, too, was never quite sure of HIS ethnicity, but I concluded that he was Black. I don't know if it was based on a flashback to his pre-Deathlok days, or a presumption of "same-race" marriage.
I wouldn't put much stock in the Captain America Manning clone coloring; it's quite likely that whoever colored and whoever edited that story was just as uncertain as we original readers were. Ultimately, it didn't matter much, did it?

Oh, and though I don't particularly care for the character, Spawn's gotta be on the list, if based only on commercial success.

[Agentum]

hmm BLADE!!!

That one was not taken.
And it's a good character even if vampires have dissapeared.

[Scott Shaw!]

Here's a baker's dozen (plus one) of (mostly Oddball) black characters:

-- Ebony White (Will Eisner's stereotypic exterior masked a fully-developed, heroic personality)
-- Shooga Foots Jones
-- Steamboat (from CAPTAIN MARVEL)
-- Whitewash Jones (from YOUNG ALLIES)
-- Little Eight-Ball
-- LOBO (Dell's western hero)
-- Chuck Clayton (Archie Andrews' cartoonist pal)
-- FAST WILLIE JACKSON and his friends
-- Little Willie (star of an anti-VD comic)
-- Melba (from SUPERMAN'S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS LANE)
-- Flippa-Dippa of the Newsboy Legion (from Jack Kirby's SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN)
-- Lo-Cal (from Kirby's "The Dingbats Of Danger Street" in 1ST ISSUE SPECIAL)
-- Angelfood McSpade (by R. Crumb)
-- Lion Man (from ALL-NEGRO COMICS)

(Hey, Gothos, why didn't you post this on the board that originally inspired this thread?)

Aloha,

Scott!

[gentlesatirist]

...about this topic - and I still don't think we have 50 - says a lot about the American comics industry, which mostly makes products for white guys that are created by white guys.

(And I'm not passing judgment, but that's what it is.)

And it really shouldn't come as a surprise, since the genre was almost 25 years old before Black Panther came along. And while I'll give credit to Marvel for the characters of Joe Robertson and the Falcon - as well as for being at least a decade ahead of DC in this area - let me also point outthat by making Black Panther and Storm African, they were able to avoid all of the "touchy" issues about black Americans.

DC's failure in this area is pretty remarkable, and when they finally did get going, they made two of their first 5 or so black characters villains - Black Manta and Black Racer.

Remarkable.


- FE
Wickliffe OH

[twilight]

I am completely blanking on their names right now but in the late 90's Spider-Man had a supporting character who was a little,deaf black girl.

Her and her policewoman mother were both great characters.

I have a feeling the girls name was Hope.

[Anthony Palmer]

DC's Amanda Waller is a tremendous character who not only qualifies for this list but would probably be in my top five Great Female Comics Characters as well.

[Roquefort Raider]

I would add:

XS



Oh yeah... I liked XS a lot. She was definitely one of the highlights of the "in-between Legion" (the one between the TMK Legion and the current one). Heck, If you ask me, XS should be the new Flash! After all, she is a descendent of Barry Allen, and is a sweet character too.


Another good character: Zula, who like the aforementioned Juma was a comrade of Conan the Cimmerian. Zula was a skilled warrior, but his keen intellect pushed him to become a taented wizard too. He was a good friend of Red Sonja too, and being a gentleman never tried to grope her (unlike that lout of a Cimmerian).

I miss Zula. Too bad that due to Marvel losing the Conan franchise, we're unlikely to see him again.

[Pinball]

Albert Cleary from Damage Control

Here's one from a manga:
God from Dragonball :)

[Maleficentogre]

Spider-man for one issue. That one where he was black. It's my second favorite issue of spider-man ever.
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/8211/blackspidey3dg.jpg

[The Wayner]

I'll have to give a shout-out for Jim Wilson, who, as the Hulk's friend, came to an unfortunate end. And, to a lesser extent, I'll even mention Crackerjack Jackson. I always did like him...

[The Wayner]

And with the mention of other war characters, what about Gus Gray? That sucker was a crewman on a tank not only haunted by a dead Confederate general, but flyin' the stars 'n' bars, to boot!

[Reptisaurus!]

The always entertaining and usually spot-on DC comic blog The Absorbascon (http://absorbascon.blogspot.com/) is doing a series of profiles for Black History Month. Everyone from Bumblebee to Fatality to Mal Duncan. Good stuff.

[Brad Curran]

Spider-man for one issue. That one where he was black. It's my second favorite issue of spider-man ever.
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/8211/blackspidey3dg.jpg

It's a great story. Jenkins really excelled at these single issue stories. I'll also toss Natt the Hat from Hitman, Shilo Norman from Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle, Bishop, Synch (a very underrated character who got killed off in Generation X), Anarchist and the Spike from X-Statix, Mr. Terrific from the current incarnation JSA, Grandad, Huey, and Caesar from the Boondocks (I mean, if Riley's in there, they should be too), the Rocket Racer and the Prowler (okay, they shouldn't ever be mentioned in the same breath as great, but I like 'em anyway), Night Thrasher and Rage (this is really pushing it), and Franklin from the Peanuts (how did you guys forget him!) in the ring for consideration, because I don't think anyone has mentioned them.

[Brad Curran]

Oh, and Silohuette from the New Warriors! She should be in there if Thrasher and Rage are. And Black Goliath! I remember Black Goliath from something or other! I can't believe I forgot about Synthasia (I hope I didn't botch her name) and King Peacock from Top 10. There were black supporting characters in Preacher, foremost among them Jessie's dad's war buddy, but I don't remember their names. And Jimmy Corrigan's half sister. She should be in the discussion, although I don't remember much about her, specifically.

[Gothos]

Here's a baker's dozen (plus one) of (mostly Oddball) black characters:

-- Ebony White (Will Eisner's stereotypic exterior masked a fully-developed, heroic personality)
-- Shooga Foots Jones
-- Steamboat (from CAPTAIN MARVEL)
-- Whitewash Jones (from YOUNG ALLIES)
-- Little Eight-Ball
-- LOBO (Dell's western hero)
-- Chuck Clayton (Archie Andrews' cartoonist pal)
-- FAST WILLIE JACKSON and his friends
-- Little Willie (star of an anti-VD comic)
-- Melba (from SUPERMAN'S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS LANE)
-- Flippa-Dippa of the Newsboy Legion (from Jack Kirby's SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN)
-- Lo-Cal (from Kirby's "The Dingbats Of Danger Street" in 1ST ISSUE SPECIAL)
-- Angelfood McSpade (by R. Crumb)
-- Lion Man (from ALL-NEGRO COMICS)

(Hey, Gothos, why didn't you post this on the board that originally inspired this thread?)

Aloha,

Scott!

'Cause that thread was a b/w/o combo, and I thought it'd be interesting to see which characters got the first 50 slots in a "best" listing.

I think I've lost count tho anyway...

[Gothos]

...about this topic - and I still don't think we have 50 - says a lot about the American comics industry, which mostly makes products for white guys that are created by white guys.

(And I'm not passing judgment, but that's what it is.)

And it really shouldn't come as a surprise, since the genre was almost 25 years old before Black Panther came along. And while I'll give credit to Marvel for the characters of Joe Robertson and the Falcon - as well as for being at least a decade ahead of DC in this area - let me also point outthat by making Black Panther and Storm African, they were able to avoid all of the "touchy" issues about black Americans.

DC's failure in this area is pretty remarkable, and when they finally did get going, they made two of their first 5 or so black characters villains - Black Manta and Black Racer.

Remarkable.


- FE
Wickliffe OH

FE,
Well, Marvel did create one major African-American superhero in between the Panther and Storm, the high-flyin' Falcon, and Gabe Jones precedes all three characters. I don't know what year Jones first appeared in a contemporary Marvel comic, as opposed to his WWII adventures, though.

Re: DC, FWIW there was an attempt to create a black superhero around 70-71 in TEEN TITANS, name of Joshua, but some editor de-blackified him in the final comic.

Hey, it coulda been worse: the never-published "Black Bomber" might have actually seen the light of day. I'm not sure where one would go to get a good writeup of this bizarre item, but if you can find one, it's bizarre to the max.

I hope that doesn't make *Tyroc* DC's first black superhero. *Cringe*

To the list of good/great characters I'll also add Erik Killmonger, whose character I think Priest improved on greatly. I'm tempted to add one character whose name I can't recall, who made an appearance in a solo ZOT! story which was your basic look at a comics-nerd's daily life. Anybody know what I'm recalling? I can't look it up since I don't have my old ZOT collection.

[Gothos]

Also I should comment that though I wouldn't put the Bumblebee in a best list, the TT cartoon certainly did improve on the design and demeanor of the comics-character.

[prince hal]

I hope that doesn't make *Tyroc* DC's first black superhero. *Cringe*



Mal in the Teen Titans preceded him as a character; he was non-powered at first in 1970, but when the Titans were first revived, he became the hero known as (brace yourself) Hornblower. That was in Dec '76. Tyroc appeared in April, '76.

[Krypton King]

Vixen
Mr. Terrific II
Steel (John Henry Irons)
Skyrocket and Josiah Power from Power Company
Ultimate Nick Fury
Crispis Allen from Gotham Central and the new Spectre
Jakeem Thunder
Dr. Mist and Impala from Global Guardians
the new Crimson Avenger
Computo (Invisiblke Kid II's younger sister, Danielle Fouccart)

[Sir Tim Drake]

Welcome to CBR, King.

[berk]

Love and Rockets had several - Danita was probably the most prominent.

I liked Princess Zanda, from Kirby's 70's Black Panther series, her over-the-top personality and the way Kirby drew her.

Also, what was the name of the kid in Peanuts?

[Ed Cunard]

Also, what was the name of the kid in Peanuts?

The black kid is called Franklin.

[C.O. Jones]

Add Lt. Flap from 'Beetle Bailey'.

[B Smith]

There was Monica Lynne (and her dad) in the Black Panther's adventures...and didn't Ragman have a black girlfriend in his Ragman identity (while Rory wotsisname had a white GF).

Leila, the Falcon's girlfriend back in the early-mid seventies, didn't have a surname that I recall, but she sure didn't take no honky jive (been reading some of those old issues lately - certainly, um, interesting)

[B Smith]

And don't forget the old fellow who asked Green Lantern what he'd done lately for the black people, back in GL/GA #76...if not for him, the whole "relevancy" era might never have happened.

[BeastieRunner]

Nobody has said The Prowler or Cloak.

[BeastieRunner]

Spawn hasn't been said either.

[gentlesatirist]

...for the Falcon and Robertson, proving they were willing to write about an african-american character in a contemporary American setting, even though all the stories were being written by white guys. Gabe Jones, however, is an example of what I was talking about. Since most of his action took place in the past, the writers didn't have to sweat the details of modern race relations.

DC was tripping themselves up in this area well into the 90s. My favorite example was Bloodwynd, a black hero introduced in Justice League, who within a year was shown to be the Martian Manhunter in disguise. Don't worry, readers! It's not a real black person! You're safe! Keep reading our comics!


- FE
Wickliffe OH

[Gothos]

He wasn't black unless there were two different Deathloks name Luther Manning. The second Deathlok, introduced around 1990, was black. In Captain America #286, the first issue of a time travel story arc with Deathlok, Luther Manning is cloned. The clone is a white guy, so I think the first Deathlok was white.

I think that technically you may be right, but I remember an interview in which someone involved with the first Deathlok claimed that they had wanted to imply that Deathlok was black without saying it outright, for whatever reason. I think it may have been Doug Moench, though I could be wrong. In any case, even if both Deathlok were proven to be black guys I would only count them as one. I also tend to put together characters who are more or less dependent on one another as parts of an ensemble, like the Freeman family in BOONDOCKS and Natongo & Zulena in BROTHERS OF THE SPEAR.

[scratchie]

Welcome to CBR, King.I love Krypton King's tag-line.

[Gothos]

We've easily passed 50 now, but I'll also add:

MISTY KNIGHT was definitely a fresh take on the "tough black chick" stereotype, and her too-few teamups with Colleen Wing under the "Daughters of the Dragon" monicker were always enjoyable. (Unlike some posters on another thread here, I thoroughly enjoyed the two-parter in DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU by Claremont & Marshall Rogers.

FRICTION was one of the more well-rounded (heh) characters in Mark Gruenwald's D.P. 7, with a super-power that was a little more unusual than most. Ironically, every time Gruenwald tried to write black people who talked "street," he pretty much embarassed himself with a lot of phony "Sweet Christmas" dialogue, but Friction was a refreshing change.

Re: Franklin of PEANUTS-- not to critique others' choices, but I gotta say it: he really wasn't even a good character, much less great. And even though SOUTH PARK isn't even in the same artistic league as PEANUTS, the SP guys pretty nailed Schulz with their parody of Franklin, fittingly named "Token."

[scratchie]

I think that technically you may be right, but I remember an interview in which someone involved with the first Deathlok claimed that they had wanted to imply that Deathlok was black without saying it outrightThere's a flashback to Luther Manning's pre-cyborg days in Astonishing Tales #27 (This is on pages 7 & 10, which are pages 5-6 of the story). His skin is the standard comic-book "caucasian" tone, just like his friend Mike's. So he may have been conceived as black but he was definitely (you should pardon the expression) colored as a white man.

Interestingly, though, his hair (while colored G.I. Joe sandy blond shade) is kind of curly, and definitely could have looked "nappy" if it had been colored differently.

[Dr. Hfuhruhurr]

Nobody has said The Prowler or Cloak.

Nope.

And no one mentioned:

Night Thrasher, or

http://www.rapsheet.co.uk/GoldenHeroes/Images/Characters/NightThrasher.jpg

Rocket Racer either. For good reason.

http://webinstituteforteachers.org/%7Etonli/wit2002/images/exh-marvel-RocketRacer.jpg

[BeastieRunner]

Rocket Racer either. For good reason.

http://webinstituteforteachers.org/%7Etonli/wit2002/images/exh-marvel-RocketRacer.jpg


Haha forgot him.

[Rob Allen]

Here's an event that some of you might be interested in:

EAST COAST BLACK AGE OF COMICS CONVENTION PRESENTS THE INAUGURAL GLYPH AWARDS HONORING THE BEST IN BLACK COMICS AND BLACK CREATORS
Since 2002, the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC)
has been an annual gathering for black creators and fans from all
walks of life to meet and learn from each other. This year, ECBACC
reaches further out into the comics industry at large in presenting
the first Glyph Awards, for outstanding achievement in black comics.
The awards ceremony will take place May 19, 2006, at the African
American Museum in Philadelphia, with the convention to be held the
following day, May 20, 2006, at Temple University's Ritter Hall.

The Glyph Awards recognizes the best in comics made by, for, and
about people of color from the preceding calendar year. While it is
not exclusive to black creators, it does strive to honor those who
have made the greatest contributions to the comics medium in terms
of both critical and commercial impact. By doing so, we hope to
encourage more diverse and high quality work across the board and to
inspire new creators to add their voices to the field.

The Glyph Awards are named for the web log Glyphs: The Language of
the Black Comics Community http://glyphsonline.blogspot.com,
started in 2005 by comics journalist Rich Watson as a means to
provide news and commentary of comics with black themes, as well as
tangential topics in the fields of black science-fiction and
animation. Watson is on the Awards Committee along with the
following:

- Omar Bilal, creator of the Museum of Black Superheroes website
http://www.blacksuperhero.com.
- Guy LeCharles Gonzalez, senior comics editor at Pop Culture Shock
http://www.popcultureshock.com
- Stephanie Brandford, moderator of the Dwayne McDuffie forum at
VHive http://dwaynemcduffie.thevhive.com
- Eliot Johnson, co-founder of the fan club STEEL (Stop Trying to
Eliminate Ethnic Legends) and former columnist with Broken Frontier.

The nominees for the 2006 Glyph Awards are:

Story of the Year
Black Panther: Who is the Black Panther?, Reginald Hudlin, John
Romita Jr. & Klaus Janson
Lucifer's Garden of Verses: Darlin' Niki, Lance Tooks
Moped Army, Paul Sizer
Nat Turner, Kyle Baker
Seven Soldiers: Manhattan Guardian, Grant Morrison & Cameron Stewart

Best Writer
Reginald Hudlin, Black Panther
Aaron McGruder, Boondocks
Grant Morrison, Seven Soldiers: Manhattan Guardian
Paul Sizer, Moped Army
Lance Tooks, Lucifer's Garden of Verses: Darlin' Niki

Best Artist
Ho Che Anderson, Scream Queen
Kyle Baker, Nat Turner
Dougie Braithwaite, Justice
Jamal Igle, Firestorm
Lance Tooks, Lucifer's Garden of Verses: Darlin' Niki

Best Male Character
Black Panther, Black Panther
Guardian, Seven Soldiers: Manhattan Guardian
Huey Freeman, Boondocks
Nat Turner, Nat Turner
Papa Midnite, Hellblazer: Papa Midnite

Best Female Character
Agent 355, Y: The Last Man
Arisa, Perhapanauts
Niki, Lucifer's Garden of Verses: Darlin' Niki
Ororo, Ororo: Before the Storm
Simone Coleman, Moped Army

Rising Star Award for Best Self-Publisher
Glenn Brewer, Askari Hodari
Mark & Mike Davis, Blokhedz
Danny Kimanyen, The Adventures of EboNYC
Johane Matte, Horus
Robert Roach, The Roach

Best Reprint Publication
Birth of a Nation (softcover), Crown
Black Panther: Who is the Black Panther? (hardcover), Marvel
Fierce (trade paperback), Dark Horse
King: A Comics History of Martin Luther King Jr. (trade paperback),
Fantagraphics
The Lone and Level Sands (hardcover), Archaia Studios Press

Best Cover
Astro City: The Dark Age Book One #1, Alex Ross
Black Panther #1, John Romita Jr. & Klaus Janson and Dean White
JSA #76, Alex Ross
Nat Turner #1, Kyle Baker
Seven Soldiers: Manhattan Guardian #2, Cameron Stewart and Moose
Bauman

Best Comic Strip
The Boondocks, Aaron McGruder
Candorville, Darrin Bell
The K Chronicles, Keith Knight
Mama's Boyz, Jerry Craft
(th)Ink, Keith Knight

In addition, there is a tenth award in which the fans will have an
opportunity to vote for their choice for favorite black comic. The
nominees for the Fan Award for Best Story are:

Astro City: The Dark Age Book One, Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson
Black Panther: Who is the Black Panther?, Reginald Hudlin, John
Romita Jr. and Klaus Janson
Firestorm #10-13, Dan Jolley, Jamal Igle & Rob Stull and Dale
Eaglesham & Wade von Grawbadger
Seven Soldiers: Guardian, Grant Morrison and Cameron Stewart
Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle, Grant Morrison, Pasqual Ferry and
Billy Dallas Patton
write-in choice

Fans wishing to vote should go to the ECBACC website
http://www.ecbacc.com for more information. The deadline for fan
voting is March 31, 2006.

The Glyph Awards ceremony will also include the annual ECBACC
Pioneer Award, given to a trailblazing black creator from the past
who contributed significantly to the growth of black comics.

It is the Awards Committee's hope that the Glyph Awards will be the
beginning of a new tradition, in which black comics and black
creators help expand the overall comics market and bring in new
readers and new talent from across the spectrum. For further
information about the awards, please contact committee chairman Rich
Watson at cptsisko318@aol.com

About ECBACC:
The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC), in
association with the Temple University Pan-African Studies Community
Education Program, is an annual gathering of comic book creators and
retailers who create and sell material that caters to black readers
of all ages. In addition to selling their work, they also take part
in panel discussions and self-publishing workshops for aspiring
creators. The convention is held on the Temple University campus in
Philadelphia each May. There is also a pre-show reception held at
the African American Museum in Philadelphia
http://www.aampmuseum.org ECBACC is an outgrowth of the original
Black Age of Comics Convention in Chicago, founded by Turtel Onli.

For more information about ECBACC, contact event coordinator Maurice
Waters at maurice.waters@ecbacc.com

[howyadoin]

Yeah, that's why I asked. He always looked kind of... gray.That's because his skin was decomposing. He died before being turned into a cyborg.

[Mike Kuypers]

That's because his skin was decomposing. He died before being turned into a cyborg.

I hate when that happens...

[prince hal]

That's because his skin was decomposing. He died before being turned into a cyborg.


Hope he used some kind of robo-deodorant. Yukk!

[Gothos]

The always entertaining and usually spot-on DC comic blog The Absorbascon (http://absorbascon.blogspot.com/) is doing a series of profiles for Black History Month. Everyone from Bumblebee to Fatality to Mal Duncan. Good stuff.

Kudos to Reptisaurus for supplying a link to The Absorbascon, a comics-site of which I'd not heard tell before. I find it immensely funny, much better than the somewhat-similar & better-known "Superdickery."