Super Sunday: Celebrating Black History Month, Celebrating Black Voices In Comics

With Black History Month coming to an end this week, we thought it high time we celebrated black creators and characters with a few previews across this week’s ‘Super Sunday’, but be warned, while we have a grid few comic book previews to share with you, when looking at the slate of forthcoming releases coming out this week, it makes for some dire reading.
In the 147 new comics due to come out this week, I counted only 5 comic books that featured prominent lead characters of color, suggesting that the comic book industry has a great deal further to go to reflect contemporary Afro-American voices. This isn’t including super hero ram books, however, which if included would swell the numbers somewhat.

Although, looking for the silver lining in any storm cloud, this was a rather crude statistic and doesn’t reflect the diversity of voices and characters out there in the marketplace today, of which there are many. I would still argue that we are in a better place today as we were a decade or two ago and here’s hoping that these early shoots are nurtured and grow and spread. I mean, if you’d told me that in a post-9/11, Trumpian world Marvel – or any American comic book company – would be publishing a book featuring a prominent Muslim superhero – Ms. Marvel – I wouldn’t have believed you. Hell, even the DCU has an Islamic Green Lantern in Simon Baz these days! Thing have certainly changed for the better.
So, rather than dwell on the negatives, let’s look at the positives with preview from Black Panther #21, Far Sector #4 and the debut issue of Marvel’s new buddy comic, Falcon & The Winter Soldier #1 all kicking off with a look at Christopher Priest’s new Vampirella collection, and Dynamite’s plans to expand Priest’s Vampirella universe into a spin-off series featuring prominent characters of color in the lead role, albeit blood-sucking characters of color.
As ever we’ll see you here on the hour, every hour across the afternoon.