All-Negro Comics: America's First Black Comic Book by Orrin C. Evans
(edited by Chris Robinson)
Big thanks to image Comics and NetGalley for providing me
with an advanced copy of All-Negro Comics: America’s First Black Comic Book.
This was an incredible artifact that documents the first (and only) issue of All-Negro
Comics, the work of Orrin C Evans, a Philadelphia journalist, and a team of
talented Black artists who sought to share Black stories Black audiences and
schools by creating this series. Although it ended up being the only issue,
Image Comics work with Chris Robinson and the informative essay by Qiana
Whitted helps to preserve and share the story of this important work that helped
to redefine Black characters in comics for future generations. I was also
excited to learn more about Orrin Evans’s story as a journalist who sought to
create a comic book dedicated to Black readers. I can’t believe that I have
never heard of him or this issue. I wish that I was aware of his story when I
was teaching in Philly because this would have been such a great topic to
research and learn more about. Regardless, it’s exciting that this work has
preserved and digitized copies of the initial issue. The digital version I read
is exquisite and shows no signs of wear. The colors are vivid, yet retain some
of that muted comic color you’d see on the page. I was surprised at how vibrant
and fresh some of the dialogue was in some of the stories as well, especially the
Ace Harlem detective story. That character along with Lion Man were my two favorite
sections from this collection. They were both more in the traditional mode of
comic characters, a detective and a kind of superhero protecting the land from
invading mercenaries. The others comics were also interesting to read, although
as Whitted notes in her essay, they also have similar issues of representation
that Evans and his team were probably trying to address yet also maintain some
kind of audience attention (like Bubba in Lion Man or the women portrayed in
Sugar Foot and Snake Oil and Ace Harlem). Some of these characters run the risk
of perpetuating stereotypes that other comics engaged in, but Whitted explains how characters like Lion Man
and even the Dew Dillies present opportunities for Evans and his team to show
that Black characters were capable of being brave and adventurous, as well as
noting that some Black children may have struggled with companionship and
finding friends amid segregation. The messages in these comics were not blatant
and explicit, but rather subdued and implicit, which allows the stories, action,
characters and humor to be more fully noticed.
I really appreciated the essays that were contained in this
collection as well. Whitted’s essay explaining the history of this collection
and how the second issue never came to be was fascinating to learn more about.
It was also cool to see that Evans envisioned this comic being in schools as a
way to appeal to more Black students. Her essay noting Evans’s intention
reminds readers of the importance of representation and how meaningful that can
be for students of color, especially considering that this issue was published
around the time that Kenneth and Mamie Clark conducted their doll studies that
eventually influenced the Brown decision. Whitted’s research also helps to
explain why there is a longer narrative in the collection that has no real
comic panels, reminding readers that comics were highly regulated at this time.
I was actually wondering whether there was some pushback from government and
parent organizations that tried to strictly regulate comics in the 40s and 50s.
While I’m sure that they would face racism, I also wondered whether some of the
stories in this comic that featured murder and violence might have faced
similar scrutiny to other comics.
The latter part of this collection contains other essays from
Black comic artists that testify to the power of discovering this collection,
and updated versions of the comics. This was really interesting to see as well
since the artists presented the stories in more modern ways that also tried to
address some of the problematic characters and representations in the initial
issue. The art in these updates is also more diverse in style, yet still
manages to be distinct and captivating. The stories are equally interesting. I
really enjoyed reading this collection both for the historical significance of
this collection but also for the aesthetic elements of these comics. Highly
recommended!
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