Black History Month Factoids -- Comic Book Edition

[ouroboros]

The Butterfly, first African-American costumed superheroine, appears in HELL-RIDER #1, cover dated August 1971.

Considering that comics so often follow trends, Skywald Publications very much got ahead of the curve on this one. Pam Grier had yet to achieve her breakout status with COFFY (1973), though she had appeared in a few movies that might have been playing in theaters in 1971, though said movies were not built around her, and anyway the Butterfly doesn't seem to owe anything to Grier's persona. I frankly can't think of any other regular female character of African or African-American ethnicity that functioned in a martial capacity...

With one exception: Zulena, the wife of Natongo, the black partner in Gold Key's BROTHERS OF THE SPEAR feature, which ran as a back-up in TARZAN from the early 50s to the late 60s. The "Brothers" were the stars of the show but both of their wives were also adept with spear-play.

[Agent Z]

Virgil Hawkins aka Static. The first of the Milestone characters to be introduced into the mainstream and is pretty much the breakout character of the imprint.

[ExcelsiorPrime]

With the announcement of Mark Waid & JG Jones mini-series STRANGE FRUIT I thought I would share these other powerful tales of racial drama.




For those interested in stories of this nature: There is john Lewis' graphic novel "March parts 1 and 2". Kyle Baker's "Truth." Dwayne McDuffie's Milestone title "Icon."




Kevin Grevioux's Blue Marvel

[Smoov-E]

Virgil Hawkins aka Static. The first of the Milestone characters to be introduced into the mainstream and is pretty much the breakout character of the imprint.

Goes to show the strength of the character as even McDuffie said he was the lowest selling Milestone title

[the4thpip]

Goes to show the strength of the character as even McDuffie said he was the lowest selling Milestone title

Lower than Kobalt? Wise Son? Deathwish?

I really doubt it.

[ExcelsiorPrime]

Dateline: Danger! is an American syndicated newspaper comic strip published from 1968 to 1974, created and produced by writer John Saunders and artist Al McWilliams. The series, about two intelligence agents working undercover as reporters, co-starred the character Danny Raven, the first African-American lead character of a mainstream comic strip.

[ExcelsiorPrime]

First African-American interracial romantic kiss in a color comic book: Amazing Adventures #31 (July 1975), feature "Killraven: Warrior of the Worlds", characters M'Shulla Scott and Carmilla Frost,
by writer Don McGregor and artist P. Craig Russell