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Encyclopedia of Black Comics
by Sheena C. Howard, foreword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.,
afterword by Christopher Priest
c.2017, Fulcrum Publishing
$23.95 / $28.95 Canada
261 pages
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Truth Contributor
“Draw, Sheriff.”
Oh, how you loved to do that. It started with spider-legged
people and crooked houses. As you got better, you replicated
and created worlds, invented characters, and expanded your
tool use. Even today, with sharp pencil or fine pen, you can
still make a respectable doodle; in the new book
Encyclopedia of Black Comics by Sheena C. Howard,
you’ll see how you’re right in ‘toon.
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One-hundred-four years ago, the country was captivated by a
cat and a mouse.
The cat was appropriately called “Kat,” and he lived with
the Dingbat family in the comic strip, Krazy Kat. His
nemesis was Ignatz, and in each episode, Ignatz the mouse
threw a brick at Krazy Kat. It was an “incredibly simple”
strip but it became “one of the most respected and
influential works in comics history…”
The artist was a black man named George Herriman who was the
first major cartoonist of color. He would be far from the
last.
Today, countless black cartoonists, inkers, illustrators,
and writers toil behind-the-scenes to create comic strips
and comic books, as well as TV shows and movies. In this
book, Howard celebrates the firsts, the bests, the
noteworthies, and the historic.
In the early days, for example, many comic writers worked
through the Black Press; that included Jackie Ormes, “the
first published female African-American cartoonist.” Ormes
was the creator of Torchy Brown, a strong black cartoon
woman; and fashionista Ginger, whose little sister, Patti-Jo
offered wisecracks. In 1947, one of Ormes’ characters was
made into an “upscale” doll; in 2014, Ormes was posthumously
indicted into the National Association of Black Journalists’
Hall of Fame.
The first African-American cartoonist with “two nationally
syndicated comic strips” is in this book. Political and
social-commentary cartoonists are represented. The first
black woman to own a comic book store is profiled here, as
is America’s first black comic book publisher; the “first
and only black editor at King Features Syndicate;” an
animator and writer whose credits include Thundercats;
a 12-time Pulitzer Prize nominee; and many people who
use their talents to enhance your favorite superhero comic
books…
In his afterword, comics writer-editor Christopher Priest
points out that, to many African Americans, the Man of Steel
isn’t Superman, he’s “SuperWhiteMan.” That’s just one
reason, as Priest indicates, that a book like this is
needed.
The other reasons fill up these pages with a wide range of
biographies, achievements, and examples of many cartoonists’
work, in bite-sized articles that make quick reading. While
there’s a chance that you’ve heard of many of the people
included in this book, author Sheena C. Howard didn’t just
keep things familiar: she dug back into history for several
of her profiles, and she also includes people who are on the
periphery of – but important to - today’s comic book world.
Quick-minded readers may note some absences inside here, but
Encyclopedia of Black Comics is a good start for this
genre. For those who love the funnies, cartoons, or
pen-and-ink art, this book will be a big draw. |
