Black History in Comics

[bluechip]

1902, from the creator of the Yellow Kid.

 

 

1906

 

 

1937 -- the first images on covers of modern comics

 

 

 

1939 -- first attempt at a black hero -- wins the girl from the white man and smacks him in the fact on the cover.

 

 

1939 issue #2 -- the hero is still black inside the comic, but has been changed to a white guy on the cover.

 

 

1943 -- comics decide to return to portraying black people stereotypically.

 

 

1944 -- hey if we;'re going stereotypical why not go all the way?

 

 

1947 -- Trying once again to be more positive

 

 

 

Those don't sell, but they try it again in 1950

 

 

Trying to be positive and serious.

--1956

 

Let's try the hero again -- 1965

 

 

Nice try but doesn't succeed. How about a cool hero with some great backstory, and debut him in a magazine that's already a success?

 

1966

 

 

Finally some more heroes, including some that took hold.

 

 

 

and some relevant stories, too.

 

[deathlok]

Black Goliath?

Black Lightning?

Steel?

Night Thrasher?

Storm?

Chapel?

War Machine?

Rage?

Triathalon?

Mister Terrific?

[grandz-migration]

Robbie Robertson ( he is a hero to Peter ).

[Fandango]

Ebon #1 by Larry Fuller (1970)

 

[Brother J]

here's a book that I've been searching for a long time, anyone ever come across a copy? I got this scan from ugcomix.info, but have never seen a copy in person.

 

[Ares]

The museum of Black Superheroes

[ArnoldTBlumberg]

You'll also be able to see a lot of these touchstones in a new Special Edition exhibit we're having at Geppi's Entertainment Museum starting this Saturday February 3. It's a selection of comics and collectibles from the collection of Professor William H. Foster III and titled "Finally in Full Color." It runs until March 10 or so.

[bluechip]

Robbie Robertson ( he is a hero to Peter ).

 

The only character I can think of that doesn't work for me in the spider-man films. In the comics Robbie is a quintessential newsman, smart, steady and fit. In the films he is overweight and a little goofy.. .

[Wally's Comics]

Robbie Robertson ( he is a hero to Peter ).

 

The only character I can think of that doesn't work for me in the spider-man films. In the comics Robbie is a quintessential newsman, smart, steady and fit. In the films he is overweight and a little goofy.. .

 

I like black charaters as long as it was designed that way.

 

I can't wait until a Luke Cage or Panther movie,

But I can't stand when they throw a character in a movie

that was clearly white for several decades and make him black

for the sake of being PC. i.e. Kingpin in Daredevil and Nick Fury in the Avengers cartoon.

 

I wonder what the black (comic fan) community would do if they made

Luke Cage white?

 

 

[the blob]

"and make him black

for the sake of being PC. i.e. Kingpin in Daredevil"

 

honestly, i didn't think it was such a problem in Daredevil. I can't think of too many (any?) white actors (as opposed to wrestlers-turned-actors) who could have pulled off being physicially imposing like that and still done some acting. Not sure how it's PC to take a white bad guy and make him a black bad guy anyway, if anything, it's kindah the opposite.

 

What's his name in Sgt. Fury was pretty early and in C land, wasn't there a Teen Titan or Legionnaire in the 60s?

[shadroch]

Titans had a member named Mal for a heartbeat or two.I don't think he had any powers.

Legion had a member in the early/mid 70s that was pretty much written out quite quickly.

 

Alan Moore did a character for Ugandan Comics called Power-Man,which was reprinted by Eclipse. This character gained his power by mixing electricity and showering.

Lets not forget that great shoe-shine boy from Joe Simons Green Team.

[the blob]

Oh yeah, let us not forget John Stewart.

[lizard king-migration]

I can't wait until a Luke Cage or Panther movie,

But I can't stand when they throw a character in a movie

that was clearly white for several decades and make him black

for the sake of being PC. i.e. Kingpin in Daredevil and Nick Fury in the Avengers cartoon.

 

For me - it never even clicked - what color Kingpin was - never even crossed my mind - and frankly should may no difference - as it may relate to his background or storyline - sure......but his COLOR? WTF? who cares???

[Monstro]

You'll also be able to see a lot of these touchstones in a new Special Edition exhibit we're having at Geppi's Entertainment Museum starting this Saturday February 3. It's a selection of comics and collectibles from the collection of Professor William H. Foster III and titled "Finally in Full Color." It runs until March 10 or so.

 

how is the museum doing?

[ArnoldTBlumberg]

You'll also be able to see a lot of these touchstones in a new Special Edition exhibit we're having at Geppi's Entertainment Museum starting this Saturday February 3. It's a selection of comics and collectibles from the collection of Professor William H. Foster III and titled "Finally in Full Color." It runs until March 10 or so.

 

how is the museum doing?

 

We're still open.

 

Seriously, we have a lot of exciting things coming up, but I can talk about that somewhere else. This thread is for the topic at hand.

[TomG]

Here is one of two examples I found about 10 years ago. Never seen any additional copies turn up and the paper quality is ok at best.

 

[TomG]

Here is the Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story comic in Spanish. The original print run was 250,000 copies with 125,000 in Spanish.

 

[1st-and-keys]

Nice thread Bluechip.

[bluechip]

Nice thread Bluechip.

 

 

Thanks. I am amazed to see so many things I've never heard of before. Keep em coming. Those early attempts must've had some incredibly small print runs.

[mjacobs8]

Some one help me. Who is the black guy in the GA young allies books?