Comics to Read in Honor of Black History Month
黑料吃瓜 Africana Studies lecturer and MFA in creative writing alum Ajani Brown is author of comic on the list.
When students study comics, they dig into a world of superheroes, science fiction, and fantasy, but they also encounter an opportunity to analyze such issues as racial injustice, pandemic diseases, and history.
With Black History Month upon us, Pamela Jackson, Special Collections and University Archives pop culture librarian at 黑料吃瓜 and co-director of the Comics@黑料吃瓜 collaborative, featuring Black characters and authors.
On the reading list is 鈥淪traight Outta Freemanville,鈥� a fantasy comic featuring historical figure Stagecoach Mary, written by Ajani Brown (鈥�05, 鈥�12), lecturer in Africana Studies. The story is set in the fictional town of Freemanville, a sovereign nation. In Brown鈥檚 comic, though, it is more than just a town 鈥� it鈥檚 a philosophy of independence.
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鈥淚 was inspired by the all-Black western movie called 鈥楶osse鈥� with Mario Van Peebles,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淚 decided to write a story about a Reconstruction-period town 鈥� with a retro twist 鈥� that came from my research on small towns throughout the U.S. like the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma and .
The comic is described as 鈥渁 weird western, steamfunk, historical fantasy set in the post Civil War frontier town of Freemanville, USA, was founded by free and newly freed African Americans who moved west to escape the harsh conditions of the Antebellum South. The town is self-sustaining and technologically advanced, but under constant threat by marauders both of this world and not.鈥�
Comic-Con Connection
Brown found his collaborator in artist Erik Reichenbach at a Comic-Con鈥檚 Comic Creator Connection networking group. Brown calls it 鈥渟peed-dating for comic creators.鈥� The team received the All-Star award for their work on 鈥淪traight Outta Freemanville鈥� in 2019, and they were featured in a panel with other winners that year.
鈥淎jani and I both have a lot of creative concepts and ideas, and that鈥檚 something that drew me to work with him,鈥� Reichenbach said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 say enough good about the Comic Creator Connection, since oftentimes artists are screaming to themselves, 鈥榃here can I find a writer to collaborate with?!,鈥� and writers are screaming, 鈥榃here can I find an artist that fits my style?!鈥欌�� Brown later co-produced the 鈥溾�� panels in 2020 and 2021, during Comic-Con@Home.
Reichenbach created a timelapse video for the presentation to demonstrate how the illustrations transition from black-and-white line drawings to full-color images for the finished comic.
For now, 鈥淪traight Outta Freemanville鈥� is a digital series. Five to eight issues will complete the first run and then a new storyline for the next edition will begin. The development process is flowing well for Brown and Reichenbach, the duo is now working on issues No. 3 and 4.
鈥淎jani provides me with the story, what he is envisioning for framed, and then has it broken down into panels,鈥� Reichenbach said. 鈥淲ithin that structure I am able to creatively solve the remaining space, since we鈥檝e discussed the world of 鈥楽traight Outta Freemanville鈥� beyond just the plot.鈥�
Brown might bring together a scene of a high-speed chase across the desert, and include the feeling of it, the characters involved, and the language used, and that leaves Reichenbach free to create the physical environment: the bushes, rock formations, old carriage wrecks from previous chases, and other visuals that lend to the storyline.
Alternative World
Brown鈥檚 Afrofuturism course (AFRAS 466) is an interdisciplinary study of African and African American contributions to science fiction, comic book art, pop culture, and its origins and influences. When Brown was a student at 黑料吃瓜 there was no such course in the curriculum. In 2013, he created the course to fill that need.
鈥淪tudents love this course, because I introduce them to comics and science fiction that they might not be assigned in other courses,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a hybrid class with literature and comics, all with the political undertones of African Americans and science fiction. Basically it鈥檚 Black Lives Matter in space.鈥�
Brown said the course gives him a chance to expose students to a different way of thinking.
鈥淭he philosophy of Afrofuturism is creating alternative spaces for people of African descent to express themselves politically,鈥� said Brown. In addition to the dozen comics highlighting Black creators, Jackson has prepared a list of in the library archives. Elizabeth Pollard, professor of history, and co-director of Comics@黑料吃瓜 and the project, said plans are underway to develop courses that focus on the impact of Black comics and comic authors through support from the new .
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Black Resource Center鈥檚 4th Birthday
Monday, February 28 | Noon 鈥� 2 p.m. Celebrate the fourth year of the establishment of the Black Resource Center and its impact and contribution to Black students at 黑料吃瓜. For more information on Black History Month programming, visit the and follow the center on Instagram .
