Were Black Lightning & Vixen Really The First Black DC Heroes?

[Timothy Hunter]

From the Golden Age to the end of the Bronze Age, comic stories were usually self contained. Because of this there are hundreds of heroes, villains, and other characters having only appeared in a single issue, fade into obscurity, never to be seen again.

Is it possible that a minor black hero or villain first appeared in the pages of DC Comics before Vixen or Black Lightning?

[abetterday]

Black Racer appeared before Black Lightning but at the time it wasn't clear if he was Black or not.

[Jim Kelly]

From the Golden Age to the end of the Bronze Age, comic stories were usually self contained. Because of this there are hundreds of heroes, villains, and other characters having only appeared in a single issue, fade into obscurity, never to be seen again.

Is it possible that a minor black hero or villain first appeared in the pages of DC Comics before Vixen or Black Panther?

Do you mean hero or super-hero? Before the super-heroes there were black heroes. If you count the Spirit that was published by Quality Comics (D.C. also has reprinted them all in Archives), there's Ebony White. I read the Spirit Section every Sunday--and despite the offensive visual stereotype, Ebony is a great character and a hero. There's Jackie Johnson of Easy Company, who first appeared in OUR ARMY AT WAR I13 (December 1961). There's Mal Duncan who debuted in TEEN TITANS 26 (March-April 1970)--later becoming a super-hero. Flippa Dippa from the new Newboy Legion starting with SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN 133 (October 1970). And there's John Stewart who became an alternate Green Lantern as of GREEN LANTERN 87 (December 1971 - January 1972). That's to say nothing of all the one issue story characters. And I'm sure there's been a few threads about these characters.

[Riv86672]

Edited for content

[Jim Kelly]

Black Racer appeared before Black Lightning but at the time it wasn't clear if he was Black or not.

I have the distinct memory of reading NEW GODS 3 (June-July 1971) in my dentist's waiting room and there was no question for me right then that he was Black. Certainly, Sgt. Willie Walker was an African-American. Also from Kirby was Shiloh Norman, Scott Free's apprentice, who premiered in MISTER MIRACLE 15 (August-September 1973).

[LordAllMIghty]

From the Golden Age to the end of the Bronze Age, comic stories were usually self contained. Because of this there are hundreds of heroes, villains, and other characters having only appeared in a single issue, fade into obscurity, never to be seen again.

Is it possible that a minor black hero or villain first appeared in the pages of DC Comics before Vixen or Black Lightning?

Vyking the Black - Forever People #1 (March 1971)
Black Lightning #1 (April 1977)
Bumblebee: Teen Titans #48 (June 1977)
Vixen - Action Comics #521 (July 1981)
John Stewart - GREEN LANTERN #182 (1984) First time he gains a ring

[Timothy Hunter]

Do you mean hero or super-hero? Before the super-heroes there were black heroes. If you count the Spirit that was published by Quality Comics (D.C. also has reprinted them all in Archives), there's Ebony White. I read the Spirit Section every Sunday--and despite the offensive visual stereotype, Ebony is a great character and a hero. There's Jackie Johnson of Easy Company, who first appeared in OUR ARMY AT WAR I13 (December 1961). There's Mal Duncan who debuted in TEEN TITANS 26 (March-April 1970)--later becoming a super-hero. Flippa Dippa from the new Newboy Legion starting with SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN 133 (October 1970). And there's John Stewart who became an alternate Green Lantern as of GREEN LANTERN 87 (December 1971 - January 1972). That's to say nothing of all the one issue story characters. And I'm sure there's been a few threads about these characters.

By hero I was refering to superhero.

[Jim Kelly]

Viking the Black - Forever People #1 (March 1971)
Black Lightning #1 (April 1977)
Bumblebee: Teen Titans #48 (June 1977)
Vixen - Action Comics #521 (July 1981)
John Stewart - GREEN LANTERN #182 (1984) First time he gains a ring

The first time John used a ring was in GREEN LANTERN 87. He was definitely doing the job of a Green Lantern in that issue. Vixen would have got her own comic in 1978--VIXEN No.1 (November 1978)--it was advertised but never came out because of the D.C. Implosion--however, the contents were published in CANCELLED COMICS CAVALCADE 2 (1978).

[Phoenixx9]

What about Tyrok from the Legion of Superheroes?

[SecretWarrior]

Vyking the Black - Forever People #1 (March 1971)
Black Lightning #1 (April 1977)
Bumblebee: Teen Titans #48 (June 1977)
Vixen - Action Comics #521 (July 1981)
John Stewart - GREEN LANTERN #182 (1984) First time he gains a ring

John Stewart debuted in December 1971, getting a ring in his debut issue, and he first joined the Justice League in 1972.

DC is releasing a 50 year celebration of John later this year.

[LifeIsILL]

Mal Duncan was the first. Black Manta was a bigger character in the 60s too.

[9th.]

I thought it was Mal aka Herald aka Guardian aka Vox?

[LordAllMIghty]

The first time John used a ring was in GREEN LANTERN 87. He was definitely doing the job of a Green Lantern in that issue. Vixen would have got her own comic in 1978--VIXEN No.1 (November 1978)--it was advertised but never came out because of the D.C. Implosion--however, the contents were published in CANCELLED COMICS CAVALCADE 2 (1978).

Sorry bout that, Google failed me. lol

What about Tyrok from the Legion of Superheroes?

Superboy and LoSH #216 (April 1976)

I thought it was Mal aka Herald aka Guardian aka Vox?

I think Mal was introduced as a character but he didn't become a superhero until later.

I'm sure a Mal fan can probably give you an issues number

[Will Evans]

To answer the question:

https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2021/0...lack-lightning

https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2021/0...n-superheroine

Nubia came before Bumblebee though

[Jim Kelly]

The thing is Mal was just an ordinary guy when he was first introduced. Actually the Titans wanted to be all ordinary guys--because of some tragic thing they did--so they started wearing their street clothes and hung out with Mal and Lilith (circa 1970). Then TEEN TITANS was cancelled as of 1973. They were revived with TEEN TITANS 44 (November 1976), edited by Joe Orlando--and that issue has Mal becoming the new Guardian. The very next issue--45 (December 1976)--was edited by Julie Schwartz--and that issue has Mal with his second super-hero persona of Hornblower. Also in that issue, Mal got a girl friend named Karen Beecher. Then in issue 47 (April 1977), Karen became Bumblebee for the first time.

Since Timothy Hunter clarified that these have to be super-heroes, Mal's earlier appearance doesn't count because he was just an ordinary guy with no costume or codename.

As far as super-villains go, I'd say that Black Manta's earlier appearances don't count, either, because it was only later that he was revealed to be an African-American. Before that no one knew what he looked behind the mask.

Nubia debuted in WONDER WOMAN 204 (January-February 1974), but she only had a handful of appearances and she wasn't exactly a super-hero--maybe a super-villain.

But if we're talking super-villains, one of my favourite was Johnny Dune. He was only in one issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA--95's "The Private War of Johnny Dune" (December 1971). He's a returning Vietnam War vet. The trauma of war generates his latent mutant power to control other people with his voice. To me, he was more an anti-hero than a villain. And if Slade Wilson could become a super-hero, then surely Johnny Dune could have also.