Roughly eight years ago, we covered the sole issue of the anthology All-Negro Comics. Released in 1947, it featured seven comics handled by All-Negro Comics’ team of Black writers and artists. To be honest, the only remarkable thing about the comic is that it is a Black first in publication.

However, there is one story in those pages that was salvageable. Well, let’s say one-and-a-half. Let’s look at the stories “Ace Harlem” and “Lion Man”.

The Usual Loop of a Golden Age Comic

The antagonist typically had some scheme or committed some crime in any given issue. Our protagonist either investigated the situation before encountering their foe or they just so happened to know exactly where to go to confront them.

We can’t forget the protagonist either being able to escape any trap or having the luck to do so. If the antagonist was captured and meant to be a reoccurring character, they either escaped capture after their plot was foiled or just escaped prison.

Layered storytelling or even just backstory into the major characters involved didn’t become industry standard until the late-1960s or early-1970s when we’d see more multi-part stories, story arcs, and events. You know, the stuff that lays the foundation for a comics universe.

This was the same issue with Ace Harlem and Lion Man.

Lion Man

Of the two, “Lion Man” is the half of a story that was salvageable. By salvageable, I mean that it could’ve gone further with more tales, characters, and character development. It was very much an episodic comic but as mentioned, the majority of the dedicated comics from larger publishers were very “villainous act of the issue”.

In All-Negro Comics, Lion Man is an intelligent ambassador of sorts for the United Nations. Now, it’s briefly explained how and why he was sent to Africa to protect some uranium but there could’ve been more backstory here.

This guy had collegiate or professional-level athleticism and a college education, so he’s a good pick for a powerless superhero but for him to be a pick to go protect uranium for the UN means there’s something more there. Also, he went alone. The UN can rally a peacekeeping force to provide some backup to Lion Man or something.

Then again, his main threat in the issue were resource thieves which he handled readily with his martial arts. He definitely pieces these guys up solo. He must have had quite the background but we wouldn’t know. He’s just a pre-cooked badass.

Salvaging the Uranium Warden

The best way to expand upon “Lion Man” is just to provide some lore to this guy and give him a regular foe. An organization that traffics in multiple crimes in the country or throughout the continent. Even easier, just give Lion Man similar situations and adventures as the titular character in Lee Falk’s The Phantom.

I mean, Lion Man was basically The Phantom but leaned more Tarzan. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, “Lion Man” could’ve gotten by with just that storyline loop without that much lore and world building.

Plus, like many heroes who were around during the Silver Age, he would have enough prior adventures and character to retcon and build upon for future audiences.

Ace Harlem

“Ace Harlem” was my favorite comic in All-Negro Comics. It was definitely a product of the Golden Age approach to writing but I love pulp and detective comics and comics such as Dick Tracy, The Spirit, and Black Mask. Since detective stories like this tend to lend themselves to more storytelling even during this period, I’d say this is an easier comic to salvage.

The titular character was a private investigator with what I figure is a boxing background. You couldn’t be a private detective without some martial arts background or being a marksman with handguns. You’ll need more than observation and deductive reasoning, here.

These crime fighters were often dealing with masterminds with violent streaks or criminal groups and their main opposition were Golden Age cops. In the comics, they were still patrolling by foot and largely ineffective outside of chatting outside of the deli and putting goons in the police wagon.

They needed either private eyes who were on a case that happened to involve this criminal the cops were getting slammed by or a masked vigilante who happens to have investigation skills.

Certainly there were comics with heroic, able police officers from this period but even then, that was often one exceptional cop who always made the collar. The rest of that department was mid at best while Officer Hero stopped bank robbers…with a service revolver 1 v 4…with no harmed or killed hostages. All money returned.

Officer Hero gets a medal and the chief is happy.

Salvaging Ace

No, these cops needed Ace Harlem to solve a crime they probably wouldn’t have actually bothered with. These weren’t exactly cops from the community. Harlem was just on good terms with them in this instance.

The “Ace Harlem” story could’ve easily been expanded with a couple of multi-part cases. Some private work that has ties to the larger criminal underworld in the community (or beyond). Then tie in a big, underworld-civilian world-altering event. Very basic stuff but it gives lore and continuity to the series.

Like “Lion Man”, it would exist at a time where a chain of one-off, “Crime doesn’t pay” cases would suffice. However, I see something in the Ace Harlem character for a comic strip or just ongoing short stories.

It would be an interesting take on the pulp detective given the period in time. It’s post-Renaissance and pre-Civil Rights movement and immediately post-war.

If you’re wondering about the other stories in All-Negro Comics and how they could be salvaged or revived: those stories aren’t particularly good or interesting .

They probably wouldn’t have made it out of 1947. I know the stories included were meant to be a little something for everyone but the everything else just seemed like cutting room floor funnies.

If you’ve read All-Negro Comics, what were the stories that stood out to you? Haven’t read it? The sole issue is available on the Internet Archive and the Digital Comic Museum free to read online.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Here are three times when not only the city but the country—everyone—failed a hero.

Spawn’s Country Failed Him

Let’s warm things up with one we’ve talked about in the past. Detroit native Al Simmons was a top-tier lieutenant colonel in the U.S Marines as part of Force Recon. He moves up to become a member of the Secret Service and eventually the CIA.

In the CIA, he becomes an assassin and is dropped into various hotspots and the like carrying out dirty work for the U.S. Simmons becomes disillusioned with work as it isn’t how he wanted to serve his country.

He’s a good man who does very bad things and it wears on. On a mission in Botswana, his boss Jason Wynn orders Simmons’ field partner—who later becomes Chapel—to kill him.

Burned to death, Simmons is sent to Hell—half because his mother was worshipped the devil and half because his great grandfather survived a lynching but refused to sell his soul—so his soul was damned off the bat.

The rest is history: he wants to see his wife again, makes a deal with devil, and is sent back to Earth as one of the devil’s soldiers as Spawn. Yeah, the country failed him hard.

The Big Bang in Dakota’s Paris Island

Most of this list is how the country failed eventual vigilantes. In a case of the city failing the heroes you don’t have to look further than the early 90s—and recently revived—Milestone Comics imprint. Especially the 1993 comics from the publisher.

The Big Bang—inspired by Black urban legends—was an event where several street gangs went to a spot in Paris Island for a big end-all-be-all fight for control of the island. With such a large event, of course the police are notified and the mayor greenlights the use of an experimental tear gas of dubious origins and research.

What results is death and/or mutations both horrific and amazing. This is the birth of villains and heroes in Milestone Comics’ Dakotaverse such as Virgil Hawkins who becomes the popular Static, his foe/school mate Francis Stone who becomes Hotstreak, and my personal favorite of the Milestone series, the superhero group Blood Syndicate.

Dubbed “Bang Babies”, there’s no way to say that they weren’t failed by their city. As a matter of fact, with any incident where characters are failed by their city or country, the situation is covered up.

The Death of Tak Se’Young’s Parents and the Trauma of Siyeon in Rooftop Sword Master

When this article is dropped my review of Rooftop Sword Master might have already been posted or you can expect it sometime after this one. RSM is a superhero fantasy revenge tale about a rail-thin victim of bullies who becomes a sword-wielding, muscle bound behemoth and sets out to gain revenge for himself, his girlfriend, and his parents.

After an incident that leaves middle schooler Tak in a coma and his girlfriend locked away in a mental hospital, his parents try to appeal to the public for justice. The bullies went unpunished, their parents went unbothered, and they were so rich and powerful that the whole thing was covered up.

They get nowhere and end up immolating themselves in front of civilians as a last-ditch effort to get the government to do something about it.

After coming out of a coma, living alone, depressed, unable to do anything about it, Tak gets a blessing of sorts in a large otherworldly sword. The sword gives him powers and immense strength and now he has the means to handle it directly.

Violence and revenge are never the answers but the city failed Tak and everyone close to him so horribly that violence and revenge seem pretty damn reasonable. After all, the incident was largely covered up until his parents killed themselves and something had to be done.

On that note, the government failed further as the bullies were only expelled, their parents issued a public apology and sent their kids out of the country, and Tak got hefty compensation. The bullies still have their parents and got to live life while he’s mostly orphaned—outside of his aunt.

Bruce Wayne’s Parents Were a Pack in the Batman Franchise

The Batman franchise has been around since 1939, so everyone knows Batman. He comes into existence because his parents are killed by a mugger or hitman often identified as Joe Chill but the police are unable to do anything about it.

Not only do the police fail Bruce Wayne but Gotham City in general fails him. Hell, the city is such a mess that it fails multiple characters—heroes and rogues alike.

As a result, it ends up with corrupt police, a commissioner who tries his best to turn things around, a ton of criminals and crime bosses, and a hero who breaks the law not merely for revenge but also to make sure no one else goes through what he went through.

Gotham City messed a bunch of people up, folks.

Aunt May Was On Death’s Bed During Marvel’s First Civil War

A while back, I discussed why I enjoyed the original “Civil War” story arc from 2006 and 2007. Two groups of heroes duked it out in a series of battles over the “Superhero Registration Act”.

The Act was meant to reign superheroes and superhumans in as they were too destructive even when doing the right thing or protecting others. It had been batted around for some time and is technically a wider version of the “Mutant Registration Act” from decades earlier—or years earlier if we’re going by Marvel’s mess of a timeline.

Peter Parker sides with Tony Stark who is in favor of SRA. The Act is supposed to hold everyone accountable for their actions—basically making them government employees. As a trade-off and to answer the concerns of technically vigilantes about their families and private lives, civilian relatives are supposed to be protected.

Given upgraded gear, Spider-Man is presented as a poster boy of the pro-SRA side. Part of being the poster boy is revealing his true identity as Peter Parker. Not only does this prompts J. Jonah Jameson to sue but also his enemies start making moves after he Spidey defects to the anti-SRA side.

While in hiding Aunt May is critically—technically mortally—wounded by a sniper bullet. Aunt May probably would’ve remained safe if Peter remained with pro-SRA side, so Peter failed Aunt May in that respect.

However, with the direction that the Registration Act was going, Peter was failed by the government. If things had gone differently and if some semblance of peace between the opposing sides could’ve been achieved things obviously would’ve gone differently and no one would’ve been annoyed by the “One More Day” arc.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

A City in Danger

Psi-Division is a wing of the Judges who are able to use psychic abilities. The most valued ability is precognition. You know, it’s the 22^nd century and pre-crime would assist in keep the order in a city of hundreds of millions.

One dying Psi-Judge has a vision that Mega-City One would experience a major catastrophe in several years. He also says that the person who can save the city would be a young Cursed Earth-dwelling pre-cog named Owen Krysler.

Since the Psi-Judge’s accuracy is 88-percent, the heads of the Halls of Justice issued a mission to find the Judge Child and bring him back. The kid is identifiable by an eagle birthmark on his forehead.

As you probably guess, the toughest Judge in Mega-City One is given the task. The last vision of the Psi-Judge has the boy living in Texas City. However, if going into Judge Dredd stories for a year has proved anything, it’s that Dredd’s cases tend to spiral out of control.

Texas City or Bust

Dredd rolls into Texas City only to find that the Angel Gang—a vicious group of outlaws—have been causing trouble. This doesn’t concern Dredd since his mission is clear—oh, but it will concern him in a big way.

The Judge Child is first in possession of a slaver. After “getting some answers,” Dredd finds out that the slaver sold the kid off to the Brotherhood of Trash. To get in proximity of the kid, Dredd auctions himself off as a slave and is won by the Brotherhood of Trash for 300 credits.

As previous stories have shown, Judge Dredd ends up turning the Brotherhood of Trash’s camp upside down. By the end of this leg of his quest, the leader of the Brotherhood has been killed as Owen predicted.

In the chaos, a member of the Brotherhood kidnaps Owen and heads off to another city. This member takes on the identity of a fortune teller with Owen telling him the outcome. We also find out that the kid can predict deaths.

With the captives being freed and taking over the Brotherhood’s camp, Dredd is back on the trail. Once he rolls into town, things go to hell for the “fortune teller” as the Angel Gang want him and the kid plus there’s a lawman hunting him down.

While Dredd catches up and deals with the fortune teller, the Angel Gang decides to skip town and leaves the two in a sticky situation with the Mutant from the Pit.

Dredd manages to kill the monster and escape the situation. The Angel Gang have jacked a ship and left Earth. Giving chase, Dredd takes a small squad of young Judges onboard Judge-1 to search the stars and complete their quest.

The Judge Child Quest

This was quite the adventure and that was just part one. We have Judge Dredd going from planet to planet, jumping star systems, there’s necromancy, beasts, and space monster that disguises itself as a planet and more.

There was just so much going on in this story arc that it deserves to be considered an epic. It would take two parts to fully go into the story as it was mainly a chase with the Angel Gang trying to pawn the kid off for safe harbor.

On one hand, things had gotten just that bad for them with Dredd escaping every near-death situation.  They had to find somewhere the Judge couldn’t reach them.

Also, Dredd was acting extrajudicially in a lot of cases. Mega-City One’s laws are hard and Dredd carries them out to the letter but he just didn’t really have jurisdiction half of the time.

Not that this would’ve stopped him. His sense of judgment is at ridiculous levels in this story as he manages to escape being shrunken and put to sleep and knows that Judge Lopez is the guy who should take the Oracle Spice.

If you’ve read Dune then yes, it works the same way as spice only it’s almost guaranteed to be lethal. And yes, after one gnarly trip Judge Lopez dies. Oracle Spice gives the group a big break and they eventually reach Xanadu where the last two members of the Angel Gang land.

The conclusion of the story comes during Dredd’s showdown with Pa Angel, who has reached Grunwalder’s fortress. Xanadu is a planet of robots and Grunwalder holds the most sway and power.

This fortress was to be the Angel Gang’s safe base. Dredd’s initial suspicion on the kid is correct as Owen loves seeing people meet their deaths and got his revenge on Pa Angel before Dredd could bring him down.

The story ends with Dredd looking into Owen’s eyes and seeing evil in him. Dredd deems the boy too evil to become Chief Judge of Mega-City One and leaves him with the Grunwalder.

Far-Reaching Consequences

Judge Hershey, one of the Judges who joined along with Judge Lopez and pilot Judge Larter, becomes a major character in later programs of Judge Dredd. She would eventually become Chief Judge, putting her over in rank to Dredd.

Another Judge—Judge McGruder—is introduced in the standalone story following The Judge Child Quest. McGruder feels it wasn’t Dredd’s call to leave Owen behind on Xanadu and questions his judgment and ability to remain a Judge. She eventually become Chief Judge as well but it’s during a rough time for Mega-City One.

Owen Krysler returns as a villain in Destiny’s Angels—which we’ll be looking at later. For now, check out this wild story arc!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

While Rob Liefeld’s Youngblood would be the first series launched by the company, Spawn would be the company’s anchor and the company’s longest running series. The comic also picked up honors from the Guinness World Records as the longest running indie comic.

Needless to say, Spawn is a franchise with a lot of crossover appeal for film. Even better, it has enough canonical material for another animated series or a live action series—both of which McFarlane wants to attempt. Of course, he was successful on both fronts with the awesome HBO series that ran from 1997 until 1999 and the 1997 film.

Todd McFarlane’s Spawn on HBO

The series came first and serves as a strong case for my point that comics rock it on TV. Animated, live-action—it doesn’t matter. Comics translate better when it has a couple of episodes to get stories translated to screen. Whole arcs can be given the time to sprout, grow, and breathe when working with a season.

Some comic books do well as either TV shows or films. The Flash or Spider-Man can go either way. Image Comics series Walking Dead was never proven for film but with as much stuff that goes on in the comic and the pace that the writing room treats it with on TV, I don’t see TWD translating as a summer blockbuster comic book film.

Spawn translated wonderfully as an animated series. It even retained the art style of McFarlane and Greg Capullo! It was exactly like watching the comic, something that you didn’t get from any series in the 90s. X-Men, Batman, and Spider-Man are all favorite cartoons of mine from the decade but they had animation studios with a specific style to handle the style of the series.

You knew that you were watching Batman. It was 100-percent worth sitting through FOX Kids until 4PM to come on. However, this stuff didn’t look like it does in the comics. Spawn went for authentic from storytelling, animation, and even McFarlane in his role as show host.

Each episode started with Todd McFarlane in some kind of eerily lit, dark room. It might have been a set that was meant to look like an abandoned church or warehouse. All I know is that McFarlane was there and it was supposed to be dark because the series is dark. Like many cartoon adaptations that run for a while, the last season was a head scratcher.

The 1997 Film

Now, this was mixed. The film started Michael Jai White, my introduction to the actor. I was 13 and wasn’t really keeping up with anyone not named Adina Howard or Selma Hayek, honestly. While the film did make its budget back and then some at the box office, it didn’t live up to the hype or potential. I’d say there are three reasons for this.

One, Spawn is basically a street-level hero with galactic hero powers. If Image Comics had a shared universe across the imprint for its superhero stuff, Spawn is someone who would be brought in to fight a universal threat. The Dragon from Savage Dragon is the same way. Choreograph the action accordingly—just like Marvel’s Blade a year later.

While the visual effects were ahead of their time for the late 90s, I’d say that visual effects weren’t where they needed to be in 1997 for superhero films in general—especially if powers, demons, and aliens needed to be depicted.

The other reason is one that most feel is where the film dropped the ball. It was supposed to come in with an R-rating but dropped to PG-13 by the producers. Spawn should’ve been R-rated. The comic would’ve gotten the “Mature” or “Mature Readers” label it would get years later. Reflect the comic.

Casting Issue of the Film

That went for the casting too. McFarlane is a white Canadian-born creator but he designed Al Simmons (Spawn) as a Black character who had a Black wife  (Wanda) who married his Black best friend (Terry Fitzgerald) and fellow CIA agent after his death at the hands of Chapel, his friend and another Black CIA agent.

The film would re-cast Terry as white with D.B Sweeney playing him. Also, since there was a rights issue with Chapel, a new character—Jessica Priest—was created film. Melinda Clarke played her and while Chapel would’ve been awesome, Clarke wasn’t bad in the role. The decision to re-cast Terry Fitzgerald was made by the studio because it didn’t want an abundance of Black leads to make moviegoers believe Spawn was a Black film.

In the 90s, this is pretty much the kind of decision you’d expect a studio to make. While there were Black-led (and Black-directed) films at the time that became cult films or films of the culture, many of them weren’t runaway successes in ticket sales. Most of them—such as my favorites, New Jack City, Menace II Society, Set It Off, and Dead Presidents—made their budgets back and then some. The Meteor Man had a budget bigger than it needed at $30M to Spawn’s $45M but only made $8M back domestically.

None of those films really stole the show revenue-wise to warrant sequels or spin-offs. I mean, we got some strong acting performances but studios look at sales and drawing potential. Waiting to Exhale came close enough while 1998’s Blade which had a balance similar to Spawn’s blew the doors off for comic book films and Black leads in comic book films. It’s an honor that should’ve gone to Spawn since it was actually hot in the 90s.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

What Are Comics Anthologies?

Regularly when you get a comic book, it’s 20-24 pages of story content with the rest being ads. It can be more depending the book and publisher. As you know, publishers had comic books dedicated to a particular character and their stories—it’s the backbone of how books are planned out for publishing. Decades ago, another regular book was the comic anthology.

This was a book that was usually the same length as dedicated comic books but featured multiple stories. We’re talking between 3 or 4. These books really became a thing in the late 1930s. While you had some superhero anthologies back then, the main thing was theme books.

For instance, Weird Science was a science fiction anthology that featured several stories. All Negro Comics was an anthology. Three of the most famous were Action Comics where Superman made his debut, Amazing Fantasy, where many of Marvel’s top shelf heroes debuted, and Detective Comics—which is where DC Comics gets its name and where Batman made his debut. Strange Tales gave us Dr. Strange

You also have my personal favorites 2000 A.D and Heavy Metal. Popular HBO show Tales From the Crypt got its start as an anthology series as well. By the late 1960s, the anthology approach was starting to be scrapped from many Marvel and DC books.

As a matter of fact, many morphed into other titles. In other cases, a comics anthology is scrapped entirely. It didn’t mean the total end of anthologies but full-length books had always been the thing. After all, an anthology could be hard to fold into a large story arch.

Why Were These Books So Awesome Then?

For me, the main thing is you got a few stories in one issue. It was like reading a sampler only the sampler has long-running, dedicated stories. On top of that, stories are shortened. In full-length, dedicated comics, that month’s book will tell a part of a story.

Since all the pages are dedicated to this part or stage in the story, more detail goes into different nuggets of the story. Also, the pace is different and splash pages get their shine more often.

In an anthology, eight pages will be dedicated to a story of a particular character. Or it might be longer—if it’s in a magazine format—and focus on a short story as in Heavy Metal. Some world-building details might be left out if they’re not related to the story. As for the pacing, it comes off as faster. That’s only because it’s telling a portion of what would’ve been told in a full-length comic.

On top of that, comics anthologies tend to be released weekly or at least more than once a month. The most popular comics anthology in the world today is Shonen Jump which surged forward during the early stages of anime boom. If it could be a popular anime series in the West, the source material could be found in Shonen Jump.

If They Were So Cool Then Why Were So Many Cut?

For one thing, anthologies ate up a lot of paper and resources. Sure, they were the same length as dedicated, full-length comics but they came out weekly. Some characters generated multiple spin-off books as well. So, you ended up seeing the same character and their related cast every week.

Superman and Supergirl one week, the following week Super Boy and Man of Steel, and the third week Krypto and Superman & Lobo—or whatever. That could be publishing schedule.

Add in a weekly anthology series and it’s like “What is this?!” It keeps popping up, every week, the same title. That could’ve been three additional titles instead of a continuation of this one book.

Of course, beyond the U.S, there are publishers who run their new content in anthologies first before collecting a series in a graphic novel. For a market like the UK or Japan, weekly comics anthologies do well.

A Use For Comics Anthologies Now

I believe they could serve as good character test run books. Instead of the risk on running books that are likely to end in six issues, run those stories in an anthology. They would even work as a way to use characters that don’t get used often. You know, the folks that are fans of strong support characters or villains. Maybe Taskmaster could get a story in such an anthology?

I’m just saying, these kinds of comic books allowed publishers to introduce and develop several characters at once in their own separate stories. Bringing them back could be a low-risk way to test out characters and ideas. If Marvel just ran with Rebellion’s approach for 2000 A.D, two regular series could be Nighthawk and Taskmaster.

Speaking of that character, the post-Marvel Civil War Initiative period could’ve been a starting point for this. This part of the storyline introduced several interesting characters and put a spotlight on others. I’d never figured Constrictor could be that funny. An anthology series covering this would’ve been nice but probably would’ve interfered with the larger story being told.

For other publishers, it allows for these stories to continue being told with a few constant characters and new ones getting their stories. Or even just returning series. The medium is flexible, can be anything or have any demographic the publisher wants, and you can run several in a fairly-priced book.

Being paired with some stories could pull popularity for another series. On the other hand, if there are three or four mediocre or dying books the series can all sink slowly in one book together.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Besides their creativity, what made this group of founders so lethal is that they could all either write the stories or handle the penciling and inking for them. In essence, they had the same skillset as many manga artists. In manga, it’s kind of expected that a writer can draw as well while their assistants cover what is needed.

The X-odus and Forming Image Comics

These seven were working for Marvel Comics at the time, sometimes working on the same titles. Most had created characters and like before even getting into comics and aspiring to see their creations in Marvel and DC. As they went through the industry at the highest levels in the 70s and 80s, they found that creator rights weren’t a thing.

By the 1990s, they had all gained a ton of influence and pull. Before their departure, the Image Comics group had done a lot to freshen up Marvel’s characters and bring them into the 90s.

Todd McFarlane—creator of Spawn—co-developed the Venom character, created the Carnage character, added the webbing to Spider-Man’s costume, re-designed his webbing, and introduced a ton of poses for him. He had also taken the character into darker territory with violent action and somewhat downer stories.

While his art was appreciated his later Marvel writing wasn’t at the time. He’d take this approach with own creation Spawn.

Image Was So 90s

He basically flipped Spider-Man. His writer and art style—along with those of his fellow founders—defined 90s comics. Even though most of the big four core series—Spawn, The Savage Dragon, Witchblade, and The Darkness—would continue into the 2000s, the comics were very much products of 90s. However, it was the first publisher to actually reach the 90s.

“Extreme” was hot buzzword at the time. Everything was “too extreme!” or “xtreme.” The UFC was in its blood sport days, Extreme Championship Wrestling brought more blood and barbed wire to wrestling, extreme metal had it’s final Infinity Stones in black metal and death metal, Mortal Kombat and other fighting games were all the rage, and comics were going to get darker and more violent.

All of this was new following the 80s. Also new was giving creators more rights over their creations. This was a big issue with these guys and a core group of them told Marvel’s head that they were going to bounce. They also let DC know why they wouldn’t be able to get their services in the future and that they were forming their own publisher.

Over the years, several of the founders have gone back to the bigger companies. Jim Lee, who created W.I.L.D Cats and Gen 13 for Image, is currently the Publisher for DC Comics.

The Original Big 4

Today, Image Comics is known for series with great artwork and stories such as Walking Dead and Saga. It had a number of series during the 90s. Since the debut roster had all come from Marvel or DC prior, the company was still in its superhero period. The company’s big four titles at this time were Spawn, Savage Dragon, W.I.L.D Cats, and Youngblood.

This gave the company two solo hero titles and two team titles. These four tends to be the line-up that many 90s kids might have some familiarity with as all of the series had incredible action figures and all series bar and Youngblood managed to get cartoons on TV. Savage Dragon and W.I.L.D Cats had toons on the USA Network as part of the week Cartoon Express block while Spawn scored an Emmy Award-winning show on HBO.

While Spawn was the ace of the publisher, Youngblood was the first out the gate and showcased what to expect from Image Comics. Youngblood would also be one of Image’s most inconsistent series.

The Second Big 4 Series

The four series that held Image Comics up for years was flagship title Spawn, the other flagship Savage Dragon, Witchblade, and The Darkness. These four series had the most crossover success with TV shows, films, games, and cartoons.

As a matter of fact, there is supposed to be a reboot of the Spawn film with Jamie Foxx as the lead. Then again, the status of a second Spawn movie has always been in the air. We’ve gone into Spawn and Savage Dragon but the Marc Silvestri-created The Darkness and Witchblade might be new to some.

We’ll get into both in depth in upcoming articles but like Spawn, both series are dark and deal with battles with demons and angels. Also, like both of the flagship series, they are set in the underworld and involve organized crime, police corruption, and lead characters being used as tools as themes.

Of these series, even though Spawn is in my top five Western comics, The Darkness and Witchblade delivered in the art department. The coloring when it came to Marc Silvestri’s work was also incredible. Artistically, those two series were the perfect package in Image Comics.

Stay tuned as we get into major storylines and characters from this second lineup of series!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

However, this hasn’t been without some static. You have the whole racist #NotMyAriel and Make Ariel White Again thing on one end. Pretty much expected once anything is announced to either be no longer white, not to center white people or it’s gender swapped. Things get nasty and folks get dragged then roasted in response. Things die down but the bigots often go grumble and whine in their Facebook groups or Twitter communities.

On the other end, there’s a bit of sourness from Black creators. While some are stoked that there will be a Black Ariel, others took the opportunity to point out “Hey support Black created stuff.”

The Weird Situation For Black Creators

One artist, Drayonis, did several art pointing out the hypocrisy around people getting excited about Black Ariel but not supporting original Black-created content. While I think it’s cool that little Black kids—especially girls—are getting another Black Disney princess, I do agree with Drayonis to a degree. Black-created needs support and should get it, especially from our folks because we’re the first ones to sound the bell about a lack of representation from mainstream companies and not back our own.

That said, the reason folks go so hard on mainstream companies is because…they’re mainstream companies. Their content has millions and in some cases billions of fans of different races, backgrounds, sexual orientations, ages and physical and mental capability. You might a demographic and an intersection, there’s fans of this mainstream stuff.

Nine times out of ten, mainstream content is going to be your first exposure to a medium and a medium you might enter in the future. The first comics I ever got weren’t Brother Man or Blood Syndicate but some bronze age DC botched prints that you could get three for $2 from a dollar store. Now, as an older comic book reader I run Black-created series by my kids and give them the option to read them but Marvel and DC have that allure off the bat.

It’s a weird situation for Black comic creators to be in. “Why should I support this creator if I’ve never heard of this comic?” and “How will people hear of this comic if you don’t support this creator?” Like people need to be buying these comics and supporting the writers and artists to warrant them putting more money in and pushing their series forward.

Consistency Is Key

If you look a number of series, they have a few issues before they just stop. Either the creators go on to a new project, a hiatus, join up with another Black indy to work with them or quit. One thing that comic book readers want is consistency. I mean, some creators will tell you DC and Marvel’s art and storytelling has been “Meh” for a while but DC and Marvel has release consistency out the wazoo. They have consistency with releases that indy creators can only dream of—because DC, Marvel, Image and Valiant have a bank roll.

If a comic isn’t coming out on a regular schedule or at least consistently for a specific amount of time with everyone knowing this, people are going to be hesitant to back it. No one wants to put their money into something where they have to ask “When’s the next issue coming out?” They backing it with money, the next issue should just come out next month around the same time.

Folks will overlook story issues if a title is coming out like clockwork. That means a series can be salvaged from story to story. There will be hits, there will be misses the story itself isn’t going to be consistent. However, it has more working for it than a series that drops four or five issues a year. That’s four or five issues where the story has to be A to A+ off the bat, no lulls, no inconsistency—there’s no room for mistakes or “We’ll get better with the next issue.”

Plus, I’m not even going to mention how tired I am of seeing some sort of origin story, powers of the gods or costume elements involving Ancient Egypt in a hero from America. It’s comics, you can do what you want, it is original when you compare it to mainstream offerings but within creator circles…ehhh.

Ultimately, support Black creators if you dig their stuff. You’re not obligated to support their stuff just because you’re also Black or brown. You can also dig a Black Ariel and support Black creators. Hell, people have listened to underground artists for years while also enjoying mainstream artists.

With that said, support Keef Cross and his work on DayBlack, Robert Jeffrey’s Route 3 and Mine To Avenge, and YouNeek Studio CEO’s Roye Okupe’s Malika – Warrior Queen. YouNeek Studios are really doing some things with comics and have a sound ground game together.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Merce: Going Through the Motions

Merce currently works as a tattoo artist in the city after trying a variety of jobs between his transformation and becoming a tattoo artist. He moves from job to job because he views being a vampire and being immortal as being fairly boring. He’s really in no risk of being killed since vampire hunters are really just now spreading in the U.S. (we’ll get to that shortly) but his stepson, an adopted Mexican orphan grew into becoming a vampire hunter.

Our protagonist does most of his feeding thanks to Hazel, his tattoo machine. It features two needles, one for the ink and another to draw blood. Once drawn, he warms the blood in a special coffee machine and drinks it. Of course, he’d prefer it the old school way but the government had plans for vampires and this method doesn’t draw suspicion.

The City of DayBlack

Eventually Merce settles down in the city of DayBlack. The city gets its name from an industrial accident that spewed pollution into the air years prior. As a result, the sun is blacked out and the city sits in perpetual night. This makes it the perfect place for Merce to live since he can navigate the world any time of day.

The nature of DayBlack also makes it a possible mecca for vampires–which can definitely be a problem. More vampires in an area means Merce’s food source is being invaded. Since Merce is the sole vampire there, one would figure he establishes what is courtesy in the area but what if these invading vampire start slaughtering people? Vampire killers would show up and pretty much clean house in DayBlack.

A handful of hunters passing through is something Merce can easily handled. An organized front against these creatures of night would likely force Merce to leave DayBlack and the lifestyle he’s gotten familiar with.

Vampire Lore in DayBlack

Keef Cross’ approach to vampire lore is very interesting. The first thing is that really stood out is the effect of symbolism on vampires. A crucifix or cross only works on a vampire who was Christian at the time of their death so it wouldn’t work on a Muslim vampire. Merce wasn’t religious when he turned so religious symbols do nothing to him.

That doesn’t stop him from going to church and taking in the behaviors of everyone around him then noticing the hypocrisy of those same church-going folks. In short, it helps to be dogma-proof as vampire.

There’s also all vampire hunters being of Mexican descent. Now, there isn’t a static timeline in DayBlack to show when this occurred but one Black Panther nicknamed Bolo wanted the Panthers to direct their attention to fighting the vampires. This means they had to be something of a threat at the time or a growing threat. The Panthers weren’t with Bolo’s idea and he was booted from the organization. Bolo traveled to Mexico and became lost in alcohol and skin magazines. Who knows, he probably hunted vampires down there as well. I mean, he had to if he trained all these legendary hunters.

It’s not really explained how it happened but eventually, all vampire hunters were Mexican. Apparently, it works since the hunters who arrive in the U.S. take on labor jobs which give them easy access to tools good for hunting. Merce’s adopted son, Rodamez took the money given to him via a “Feed the Children”-type program and put some towards training under Bolo. The two have an odd relationship where Rodamez looks out for him when it comes to hunters and Merce tries to help Rodamez however he can.

Pull or Pass

Keef Cross’ DayBlack has a great story and the artwork to match. “Trippy” comes to mind when explaining the art style. If you’re into vampire literature but want something way beyond the usual “pale vampires with piercing eyes, love triangles, and a woman main character who makes everything worse but she still has to choose,” pull DayBlack. You can find it on Amazon or PeepGameComix.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

So, in keeping with the initial question, I here’s a cult classic in Black comics. This is one that if you hadn’t heard of it, don’t be stunned. Brotherman: Dictator of Discipline was created by the brotherly trio of Dawud Anyabwile, Jason Sims, and Guy A. Sims in 1989 and first published in 1990.

Of the three, Anyabwile (formerly known as David Sims) will be the most recognizable as he worked for Cartoon Network on the show Level Up and Viacom on The Wild Thornberrys, Daria, and Rugrats–among other shows. Guy Sims is an accomplished author who does a variety of genres. Of note, personally, is the Duke Denim detective series.

Brotherman: The Dictator of Discipline

The series was in its creative stages in 1989. The three Sims brothers saw there were just the same couple of Black superheroes in mainstream comics and decided to create their own. By the time that the 1990 New York Black Expo rolled around, they had everything in print.

Brotherman detailed a lawyer-by-day, vigilante-by-night named Antonio Valor. He believes his work as a lawyer is work that is making a difference but Big City is grimy, crime-ridden place where hope pretty much goes to die. I would liken to Gotham City with a large Black population.

Crime and corruption are the order of the day and it really wears on Valor’s feeling that his legit work is making a dent. As Brotherman, Valor dispenses justice. If I were to explain him off the top of my head, I’d say Brotherman is Batman without the bank roll and the gadgets. He uses his strong hand-to-hand skills and logic. That’s it. No Brotherangs, Brothergas, Brothermobile–none of that.

“Okay, cool. So does he have powers?” He has hand-to-hand skills and his mind is quick. Honestly, he could’ve been a detective like the district attorney he works under, Duke Denim, was at one time. He leans closer to comic book legend The Spirit than mainstream heroes.

The Legacy of Brotherman

While it wasn’t the first time Black siblings created their own comic book and characters, it is the first time that it spawned into a series. That said, it didn’t run for long throughout the 1990s thanks to numerous problems when it came to marketing and getting the comic on shelves. Brotherman is a great comic that served as social commentary as well.

The series was recently inducted into the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. It also served as both the torch for the 2000s Black comic movement and as a giant what if. What would have become of Big City Comics if it had the capital at the time? Personally, I feel as though it would’ve spun off into several series in a shared universe.

Today, it has pretty much done that with Brotherman: Revelations comic and the Duke Denim novels–both prequels. That said, I’m sure there’s more stories to tell across Big City because there will always be a need for Brotherman. As a matter of fact, an aging Brotherman or a newly trained Brotherman in a Big City facing today’s threats would be great.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

1. Abbott

The black comic book Abbott will be out in October 2018. It features a black female protagonist Elena Abbott. She has lost her husband and everyone she loved. Abbott is a chain-smoker, a reporter who is trying to uncover crimes ignored by the police department. She knows that there are occult forces working in the city and they are responsible for her husband’s death. Abbott is on a mission to destroy them in this crime thriller.

2. Bingo Love

Two strong African-American women that hide their feelings for each other finally meet after years. After going through a lot of pain and social injustice they meet coincidentally They belong to that part of the LGBTQ community which was not accepted by their families and they were forced to spend life without each other. The journey of these two beautiful lovebirds who come out of their families to preserve their feelings for each other can is worth reading.

3. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

Want a good comic book for kids? Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is one of the best black comics you can gift them. Moon Girl is a kid with inhuman gene and that’s the reason she feels threatened. The girl meets a dinosaur when the giant monster chases a group of people called the Killer. While dealing with her normal life at school, she ends up partnering up with the dinosaur. The comic book features the conflict of thoughts and good vs evil concept in a unique way.

4. The Wicked + The Divine

Since its arrival in stores in 2014, The Wicked + The Divine comic series has given us many things to get excited about. From pop stars appearing in incredible ways to characters from mythologies justifying their presence, the story in the comic series has a lot of twists and turns. It’s a perfect movie material.

5. Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands

With Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands, the series creator Tony Isabella has given the black character Jefferson Pierce a complete reboot. The creator has broken the series’s 40-year old pattern and released a six-issue series. Now the character, in his electrical form, is almost invulnerable as he can’t be poisoned or hurt from physical objects thrown at him.

6. Motor Crush

Do you love motorcycle racing? This comic book is for you and it’s pretty fun. The team that worked on several other titles like Batgirl aims to attract an older audience with this masterpiece. Domino Swift is the main character in Motor Crush. She is a young woman with a passion for racing and violence. She also has a white lesbian partner Lola del Carmen and the story is interesting.

7. Falcon: Take Flight

Originally released in July 2018, Falcon: Take Flight features Sam Wilson and his new partner, Patriot. As Wilson trains his partner, he finds himself in the middle of a fight as gangs try to overtake the streets in Chicago. In order to connect himself again with American people, Falcon manages to fight against a demonic enemy Blackheart. Falcon: Take Flight is a mini-series of eight chapters.

8. Wildstorm: Michael Cray

One of the best assassins in the world, Michael Cray can be seen fighting not only against enemies but he also battles a deadly tumor. Cray is known as Deathblow, but in this new Wildstorm piece of art, his approach looks bit different. Smart dialogues, some emotional twists, and a story filled with suspense make Wildstorm: Michael Cray one of the best black comics.

9. The Terrifics

It’s entertaining and even if it feels stupid because of the team of not so popular heroes, the story keeps you busy. At some point, the comic book feels like you’re reading something about the film Fantastic Four. The unique superpowers of each character and dialogues are little more out of the box and many people will appreciate the uniqueness and fresh ideas brought in by the writers.

10. Black Panther

The new Black Panther issues are action-packed and suspenseful in a true sense. The writers have created some very interesting questions that set the mood and right tone. The first issue draws people into the galactic world. Some scenes stand out well and storytelling keeps you hooked. The previous series was stuffed with so many things and hardly some of them worked out well. This time, the new Black Panther series is more fun and it’s highly recommended among all the best black comics that are ready to dominate 2018.

Staff Writer; Jay Baker

Have any Gaming Tips? News? Hit up our Video Games Guru at; JayBaker@AfroGamers.com.