Comic publisher Image is celebrating Black History Month with a new list of in-house comics and graphic novels that were made by Black creators. February is an important month every year because it allows people reflect on the influence and discoveries made by Black creators, scientists, leaders and more. Recognizing its significance, Image Comics' list of graphic novels by Black artists is made to shine the light on lesser-known authors and illustrators and celebrate their creativity for Black History Month.
Image Comics is known for being a more independent comic book studio. With its focus on independent creation, Image has become a massively popular organization for comic creators because they're able to have free reign over their stories and can focus on telling the stories that they want without interference. This has led to a wide variety of comics coming out of the company with various genres being represented. Now, Image just released a curated list of some of its best comics with Black creative teams.
Among the list of graphic novels and comics provided by Image, there are 15 in total, but each ranges vastly in genre and concept. For the horror buffs, there are stories like Killadelphia by Rodney Barnes & Jason Shawn Alexander, a must-read for fans of vampires. If someone is in the mood for romance, Bingo Love could be an appealing read as Tee Franklin, Jenn St-Onge and Joy San weave a tale of two women torn apart by society but work to find a way to reconnect and follow their hearts. Science Fiction also gets some love with New Masters by Shobo and Shof, a story about a futuristic West Africa where humanity has been colonized by aliens but have a glimpse at hope in the form of an ancient artifact. On top of these are stories for fans of thrillers, action, history, satire and more. Basically, if there's a genre that appeals to someone, this list will have something for them.
By highlighting these stories for a broader audience, Image Comics is passing the microphone to those that might not have as big a following. Giving Black creators the stage though for this list is a move that's important. It's giving unrecognized talent a chance to show what they can do and give positive representation for members of the Black community. Seeing stories like Killadelphia or New Masters gaining recognition and support by comic fans could give young Black artists the inspiration they need to know that their voices can be heard and celebrated. Representation is crucial in the artistic medium, and this list of comics distributed by Image is a great start.
It's yet to be seen if this will become a tradition by Image Comics to highlight comics created by minority voices in future months. The potential of including a list for stories by members of the LGBTQ community for Pride month or Latinx creators for Hispanic Heritage Month could be a game-changer for the studio as it encourages of representation and unique voices. Until then though, focusing on these stories by independent Black creators is a great leap forward for Image Comics as they hold up these new storytellers for recognition in their talents and creating a place in history to inspire comic writers for generations to come.
Source: Image Comics