The long-anticipated “Black Panther” film debuted in theaters on Feb. 17, and the response from critics and fans has been overwhelmingly positive. The movie earned $387 million in its opening weekend, which makes it the highest-grossing film of all time by a black director. If you want to dive deeper into the world of black comics, here are three books to start you off.
BLACK COMICS
Politics of Race and Representation
Edited by Sheena C. Howard
288 pp. Bloomsbury Academic. (2013)
Howard, who wrote “Encyclopedia of Black Comics,” presents a collection of analytical essays that explore the historical and vast contributions of black artists to the graphic book genre, including comic strips, political cartoons, manga and graphic novels. One essay, “Brief History of the Black Comic Strip: Past and Present,” chronicles the work of black creators starting in the 1920s, while other contributors contextualize the work of black creators, explaining how they tackled themes such as the intersection of gender and race and incorporated political and social commentary in their comics.
BLACK PANTHER
A Nation Under Our Feet (Book 1)
By Ta-Nehisi Coates, Illustrated by Brian Stelfreeze
144 pp. Marvel. (2016)
If watching “Black Panther” left you wanting to know more about the Wakanda universe, consider Coates’s first book in his reprisal of the classic comic. Wakanda is threatened by a superhuman terrorist group called The People, which is deploying suicide bombers and poisoning the population against the king and current Black Panther, T’Challa. He must quell a violent uprising and lead the country through necessary change. Other heroes, like Storm and Luke Cage, join him to help save Wakanda.
BROTHERMAN
Dictator of Discipline, Revelation (Book 1)
By Guy Sims, Illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile and Brian McGee
110 pp. Big City Entertainment. (2016)
Originally conceived in the early 1990s by three brothers, the “Brotherman” comic series is considered a cornerstone of contemporary black comic culture. It follows Antonio Valor, a public attorney in Big City who doubles as Brotherman, a realistic hero who combats delinquency in his crime-ridden city. This graphic novel — the first in what will be a series of three — tells Brotherman’s origin story, and reintroduces the character to a modern audience.
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