Black History Month Factoids -- Comic Book Edition

[ExcelsiorPrime]

Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month in America, is an annual observance in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom for remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated annually in the United States and Canada in February and the United Kingdom in October.

To Celebrate the rich history that exists in the Comic Book Publishing Field, Let's post amazing facts, anecdotes , etc. in accordance.


Move over STAR WARS!! Todd Johnson and Larry Stroman’s Tribe might have been incredibly short-lived, but its first issue sold more than one million copies in 1993, making it the highest selling comic produced by African American creators in industry history.




What is the highest selling Independent comic featuring an African American Lead. Why that honor goes to SPAWN #1 by Todd McFarlane Published once again by Image Comics .
Spawn No. 1 sold 1.7 million copies, still a record for an independent comic book.

[Kieran_Frost]

Storm; the first black female leader of a major comic team (the Xmen); and the black comic character with the most playable computer game appearances. Goddess be with you

[Mighty Roman]

The first African superhero was Powerman (not Luke Cage). A hero who was designed primarily for an African audience and whose stories were supposed to help with reading ability. Also, most of his adventures were drawn by Brian Holland, who also drew Batman: The Killing Joke.
The Falcon was the first black superhero in mainstream comics not to have 'black' as part of his codename. He was also the first African-American superhero.
The first black character to star in his own comic book series was Western hero Lobo. His title was cancelled after 2 issues, due to low sales.

[Michael P]

I think you mean Brian Bolland?

Also, that Powerman still doesn't predate Black Panther.

[SickAlice]

Marvel Studio's first licensed film and theatrical success was of course Blade which was at the dawn of a new trend of superhero films that continues to date.

[RLAAMJR.]

Storm; the first black female leader of a major comic team (the Xmen); and the black comic character with the most playable computer game appearances. Goddess be with you

Oh yeah!

[Kirby101]

This was a significant page, especially the last panel.



You can read more about it here, scroll down to "Judgement Day".

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources...-revealed-214/

[UltimateTy]

Nice thread prime

[ExcelsiorPrime]

Rage (Elvin Daryl Haliday, sometimes misspelled "Holliday", first name sometimes given as "Eldon") is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He is African American. Rage was created by Larry Hama and Paul Ryan in The Avengers vol. 1 #326 (November 1990)

Subject of an interesting CBR article. http://goodcomics.comicbookresources...-revealed-364/ <---GREAT LINK for Panels of his Origin

COMIC LEGEND: Larry Hama invented Rage as a substitute when he was denied the use of Luke Cage in the Avengers.

STATUS: False

I asked Hama about it, and he explained the situation like this:

Not true. I just always liked the whole Billy Batson thing, where the character is actually a little kid who somehow transforms into a powerful hero. I also liked the whole Aunt May thing, so that that got grafted on as the kindly grandmother. Making the character African-American was third down on the list, but it fit very well, and I changed the rest to make it all fit.




Original Costume






A great original in need of a make over..so in honor of Black History Month I gave him one.

[ExcelsiorPrime]

DAZZLER was originally created as an African-American Character.
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources...d-revealed-48/

Dazzler was created as a cross-promotion between Marvel and Casablanca Records.

The collaboration with Casablanca caused many development difficulties in the Dazzler concept, leading Marvel to cancel the book “five or six times” previous to the publication of its first issue (a possible record)
At one point, Casablanca wanted the character to be black, hence the following piece that John Romita drew for Casablanca president Neil Bogart in 1979 (with Bogart in the piece), during the creation process (drawing courtesy of Novaya Havoc).

[ed2962]

Valerie from Josie and the Pussycats was the first black female to co-star in a Sat morning cartoon. She was created for the show, but was moved to the comics

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Rage (Elvin Daryl Haliday, sometimes misspelled "Holliday", first name sometimes given as "Eldon") is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He is African American. Rage was created by Larry Hama and Paul Ryan in The Avengers vol. 1 #326 (November 1990)

Subject of an interesting CBR article. http://goodcomics.comicbookresources...-revealed-364/ <---GREAT LINK for Panels of his Origin

COMIC LEGEND: Larry Hama invented Rage as a substitute when he was denied the use of Luke Cage in the Avengers.

STATUS: False

I asked Hama about it, and he explained the situation like this:

Not true. I just always liked the whole Billy Batson thing, where the character is actually a little kid who somehow transforms into a powerful hero. I also liked the whole Aunt May thing, so that that got grafted on as the kindly grandmother. Making the character African-American was third down on the list, but it fit very well, and I changed the rest to make it all fit.




Original Costume






A great original in need of a make over..so in honor of Black History Month I gave him one.

I actually like some of the 1st design of Rage. I would of course drop some aspects like that dumb jacket deal and mask. I would give him the jeans and t-shirt deal. A complete jacket that covers his arms .On the back of his jacket I'd have the word... RAGE on the back. I debate on him having a mask . Maybe just a bandanna mask type deal...

[PretenderNX01]

I think you mean Brian Bolland?

Also, that Powerman still doesn't predate Black Panther.

I think he means the first African-African (if that's a term LOL) published superhero as it was initially distributed in Nigeria.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powerman_(comics)

Lothar was the first African supporting character in American comics debuting in the Mandrake the Magician newspaper strip 1934


All Negro Comics is the first known comics magazine done completely by African-Americans


They only put out 1 issue and it cost 15 cents at a time when most comics cost 10 cents.

[ExcelsiorPrime]

Dell Comic's Lobo was the first African-American character to headline his own comicbook series. He Debuted in the two-issue series Lobo (Dec. 1965 & Sept. 1966), co-created by writer D. J. Arneson and artist Tony Tallarico.

[Jumpoff AKA JohnnyBlazed]

Rage (Elvin Daryl Haliday, sometimes misspelled "Holliday", first name sometimes given as "Eldon") is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He is African American. Rage was created by Larry Hama and Paul Ryan in The Avengers vol. 1 #326 (November 1990)

Subject of an interesting CBR article. http://goodcomics.comicbookresources...-revealed-364/ <---GREAT LINK for Panels of his Origin

COMIC LEGEND: Larry Hama invented Rage as a substitute when he was denied the use of Luke Cage in the Avengers.

STATUS: False

I asked Hama about it, and he explained the situation like this:

Not true. I just always liked the whole Billy Batson thing, where the character is actually a little kid who somehow transforms into a powerful hero. I also liked the whole Aunt May thing, so that that got grafted on as the kindly grandmother. Making the character African-American was third down on the list, but it fit very well, and I changed the rest to make it all fit.




Original Costume






A great original in need of a make over..so in honor of Black History Month I gave him one.

As a 90's kid I will always love rage! I don't really draw anymore but I am going to redesign his costume at work tonight.