Black writers and creators are being left out of the publishing world in large numbers.
According to the latest data by Lee & Low, only 5% of the workers in the publishing industry are Black compared to 76% who identify as white.
Although companies such as DC have created initiatives to get more Black creators published, the comic book world faces the same issue when it comes to diversity.
While comic companies continue to work on giving BIPOC writers and artists a platform, here are five already published Black comic book creators to support.
- Tee Franklin: As part of comic book company Image Comics, Tee Franklin has garnered critical acclaim for her work on comic books such as “Bingo Love,” a graphic book about two women who were split apart after falling in love in 1963 and later reuniting at a bingo game. Franklin broke boundaries when the comic book was first released as she became the first Black, disabled and queer woman to have her work printed by Image Comics. With her work on “Harley Quinn: Eat. BANG! KILL TOUR,” she also became the first Black woman to create storylines for the Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy characters. Through her writing, Franklin works to destigmatize disabilities and depict healthy queer stories.
- Afua Richardson: Afua Richardson is a self-taught illustrator whose profile includes major Marvel comic books. In addition to “Black Panther World of Wakanda,” Richardson has credentials on works such as “X-Men 92,” “All-Star Batman” and “Captain America and the Mighty Avengers.” As a creator, Richardson worked on releasing “Aquarius: The Book of Mer,” a comic book that focuses on folklore legends from places all over the world like West Africa and Japan.
- Kwanza Osajyefo: Although he initially began his career as an intern for Marvel, Osajyefo made a name for himself while working for DC Comics. At the company, Osajyefo launched their first webcomics imprint and contributed to their online comics initiative. As of now, Osajyefo is most known for creating “BLACK,” a comic book inspired by his experiences in the comic book industry. The series follows protagonist Kareem Jenkins, a victim of police brutality, who discovers that some Black people have powers after getting powers of his own.
- Christopher Priest: As a writer, Christopher Priest, otherwise known as simply Priest, is credited as being the first Black editor and writer in the comic book industry. Priest was honored with the title after being given complete control of the Spider-Man series in 1985. Outside of his work on Spider-Man, Priest is known for re-inventing the Black Panther series. Although the character of Black Panther was created by Stan Lee and artist-writer Jack Kirby, it was Priest who helped flesh out the character in his work from 1998 to 2003 after the hero’s conception in 1966. Priest’s latest work includes writing for U.S. Agent and Vampirella.
- Brian Stelfreeze: Since 1988, Brian Stelfreeze has been an active member of the comic book industry, providing illustrators for Marvel and more. Early in his career, Stelfreeze became an original member of Gaijin Studios, a group of freelance comic book artists in Atlanta, where he received training. As an artist, he’s worked on the “Batman: Shadow of the Bat” series as well as the new reboot of Marvel’s Black Panther series in 2016. For the latter, he was nominated for the Eisner Award. As of now, Stelfreeze works as the art director at 12-Gauge Comics.
