February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate and recognize the achievements of Black individuals throughout history. And it's important to recognize that comics and graphic novels have become a powerful medium for telling diverse stories and amplifying marginalized voices. In celebration of Black History Month, we are spotlighting some of these outstanding comic books and graphic novels.
Works that demonstrate the diversity and richness of the Black experience in the world of sequential art. Stories that not only offer a glimpse into the past, present, and future of Black representation in comics, but also celebrate the creativity and impact of Black creators and characters in the medium.
MARVEL COMICS
(W) David F. Walker, Various (A) Various, Eder Messias (CA) Canaan White
Cornerstones of the Marvel Universe unite in this jam-packed special! Captain America graces the city skies - and dives headlong into the dangers of its alleyways. Misty Knight gets the anniversary treatment as she approaches fifty years of publication history! And - in a bold tale of corruption, abuse and the hope that springs eternal - Elijah Bradley makes an explosive return to the spotlight! All this and more from the program that brings you the world outside your window in real time - MARVEL'S VOICES kicks off a triumphant new year of stories!
RATED T+
In Shops: Jan 31, 2024
SRP: $5.99
PREVIEWS Page #56
Click to View
MARVEL COMICS
(W) Bryan Hill (A/CA) Stefano Caselli
THE NEW ULTIMATE BLACK PANTHER!
In the wake of ULTIMATE INVASION, Khonshu and Ra - the force known together as Moon Knight - are seeking to expand their brutal control of the continent of Africa. In response, the lone bulwark against them, the isolated nation of Wakanda, will send forth its champion...its king...the Black Panther! From the creative minds of Bryan Hill (BLADE, KILLMONGER) and Stefano Caselli (X-MEN RED, AVENGERS) comes a bold new take on the world of Black Panther and Wakanda!
Rated T+
In Shops: Feb 07, 2024
SRP: $5.99
PREVIEWS Page #85
Click to View
MARVEL COMICS
(W) Ta-Nehisi Coates (A/CA) Brian Stelfreeze
A new era begins for the Black Panther! MacArthur Genius and National Book Award-winning writer Ta-Nehisi Coates (Between the World and Me) takes the helm, confronting T'Challa with a dramatic upheaval in Wakanda that will make leading the African nation tougher than ever before. When a superhuman terrorist group calling itself The People sparks a violent uprising, the land famed for its incredible technology and proud warrior traditions will be thrown into turmoil. As suicide bombers terrorize the population, T'Challa struggles to unite his citizens, and a familiar villain steps out of the shadows. If Wakanda is to survive, it must adapt - but can its monarch, one in a long line of Black Panthers, survive the necessary change? Heavy lies the head that wears the cowl! Collecting BLACK PANTHER (2016) #1-4 and FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) #52, plus more than 25 pages of bonus content!
Rated T
In Shops: Nov 10, 2021
SRP: $16.99
MARVEL COMICS
(W) Bryan Hill (A) Valentina Pinti (A/CA) Elena Casagrande
Blade, the vampire-hunting vampire, returns for a brand new era of thrilling action!
True evil is patient. A dark, ancient power has been simmering quietly for centuries. And, when Blade himself is the one to unknowingly unleash it, Marvel's entire supernatural underworld will come out of hiding to demand he handle it - or pay a pound of flesh for his mistakes! Bloodbaths, blackmail and Blade - you won't want to miss this one!
COLLECTING: Blade (2023) 1-5
Rated T+
In Shops: Feb 21, 2024
SRP: $17.99
PREVIEWS Page #115
FAIRSQUARE GRAPHICS
(W) Karl Bollers (A) Rick Leonardi, Larry Stroman, Paul Mendoza (CA) Khary Randolph, Walter Pereyra
Harlem, Now. A missing girl case bring together the most famous dynamic duo in the world for the first time! Reinventing the classic detective team from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in a bold diverse way, WATSON & HOLMES comes to the hit NOIR IS THE NEW BLACK label with a brand new cover by EXCELLENCE superstar Khary Randolph!
In Shops: Jan 18, 2023
SRP: $25.00
PREVIEWS Page #307
FAIRSQUARE GRAPHICS
(W) Michele Monteleone, Giulio Antonio Gualtieri (A) Fabrizio Des Dorides, Francesco De Stena (CA) Fernando Dagnino
TWO LEGENDARY MONSTERS, ONE SCARY VOLUME!
TWO LEGENDARY MONSTERS, ONE SCARY VOLUME!
Straight out of Italy, here comes a bold new take on two classic monster stories... "Fumetti style!"
Dracula x Frankenstein is the perfect graphic novel to get this year for Halloween and beyond.
Jonathan Harker, a British solicitor, arrives in Transylvania to meet his client, Count Dracula. In the Count's castle, he finds himself playing the part of the bait in a cruel game that Dracula set up for his host.
July 31, 1797. During an expedition to the North Pole, Captain Walton is stuck with his ship in the ice and scans the horizon. Suddenly, someone emerges from the gloom, on a dog sled. The driver is an exhausted man, Victor Frankenstein. And once he has recovered from the cold he will have to tell the captain about his near-death experience with the mysterious creature to which he himself gave life to...
In Shops: Mar 13, 2024
SRP: $19.90
PREVIEWS Page #234
Click to View
FAIRSQUARE GRAPHICS
(W) Rachel Khan (A) Aude Massot
BLACK HISTORY MONTH!
Nina was born in a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic family. A mixed young woman with many questions about herself and her space in the world. Track and field competition will help her overcome her doubts. She runs, not to escape reality, but to be the champion of her own life!
It's the mid-1990s. Nina is 18. She's trying to find her place in a world constantly throwing her differences back at her face. Her father is black Muslim of Gambian origins, and her mother is of Polish-Jewish descent. But Nina will turn her differences into strength as she embraces track and field. She runs to escape injustice, history, the big and small things in her life.
This beautiful and inspirational graphic novel takes us through the various stages of adult life, including first loves, mourning, physical violence, self-acceptance, self-transcendence. We witness Rachel Khan's character (and quasi alter-ego) rise as a woman and a great athlete. Aude Massot sincerely and compassionately illustrates this touching story.
A critically essential message of tolerance and unity in a divided world.
In Shops: Feb 14, 2024
SRP: $29.99
PREVIEWS Page #306
Click to View
MARVEL COMICS
(W) Rodney Barnes (A) Ramon Bachs (CA) Caanan White
Luke Cage stars in the street-level crossover you've been waiting for! In the wake of the Anti-Vigilante Act, New York's new mayor has been trying to save the city from behind a desk. But when the Big Apple descends into a full-on Gang War, Luke must use every power he has to protect the innocent and save his city! Cage goes undercover, dons a mask and takes his battle to the streets to track down a new generation of Spider-Slayers, bigger and deadlier than ever! But he won't be alone: Danny Rand, Jessica Jones and Cloak & Dagger join the fight for the soul of New York! But after breaking the anti-vigilante law, can Luke still be mayor? And more important, will he even want to be? Collecting LUKE CAGE: GANG WAR #1-4.
Rated T+
In Shops: May 22, 2024
SRP: $15.99
PREVIEWS Page #90
ABLAZE
(W) Gianluca MacOni, Mattia Colombara (A/CA) Gianluca MacOni
Hendrix: Electric Requiem explores the life, career and music of a true rock n' roll god--Grammy-award winning musician Jimi Hendrix---who Rolling Stone ranked #1 on their Greatest Guitarists of All Time!
A compelling trip into the mind and world of Jimi Hendrix. Electric Requiem is an exhilarating ride, from Jimi's difficult beginnings in the South, plagued by racism, through his global stardom and triumph at Woodstock, and the excessive lifestyle of a rockstar. A rockstar who, even with all his experiences, never forgot where he came from. Skillfully illustrated by artist Gianluca Maconi, this gripping tale of music, personal demons and thirst for glory is a must-have for any Jimi Hendrix fan. Includes bonus material on Hendrix's life. Continues Ablaze's bio-graphic novel series of historical individuals and events.
In Shops: Aug 24, 2022
SRP: $24.99
PREVIEWS Page #234
Click to View
TITAN COMICS
(W) Mellow Brown, DJ BenHa Meen (A/CA) Tom Mandrake
Written by Mellow Brown, the critically acclaimed writer of Blade Runner: Origins, and DJ BenHa Meen. Drawn by award-winning artist, Tom Mandrake!
In a galaxy where a tyrannical force has silenced music and enslaved all life, Hendrix must embark on a perilous quest to find a magical talisman powerful enough to unlock the incredible latent power of his trademark sound.
In Shops: Aug 14, 2024
SRP: $29.99
PREVIEWS Page #153
ZOMBIE LOVE STUDIOS
(W) Rodney Barnes (A/CA) Jason Shawn Alexander
Los Angeles-the City of Angels. Two souls, one is looking for vengeance and one is looking for the truth. They share one thing in common, they are both searching for the legendary vampire Blacula. Tina Thomas is a reporter for the blog Dark Knights, which chronicles all things unnatural, uneasy, and undead. She meets a young man named Kross whose family was forever changed by the vampire. Kross asks Tina to help him kill Blacula. Blacula too is on a mission, he is searching for the one who forever changed his life centuries ago. His name is Count Dracula.
In Shops: Jan 18, 2023
SRP: $19.99
PREVIEWS Page #413
ABLAZE PUBLISHING
(W) Jim Lawrence (A) Jorge Longaron, Gray Morrow
The Friday Foster comic strip is the story of a former nightclub "camera bunny" turned photographer's assistant turned fashion model. With an innate inclination to help others and a natural beauty that makes her a magnet for men, Friday often finds herself in some very sticky situations and world-class adventures. The strip is generally cited as the first mainstream (i.e. nationally syndicated) comic strip starring a black character in the title role and features a mixture of adventure and romance, often with social commentary thrown in for good measure. The strip ran from 1970-1974.
In Shops: Mar 15, 2023
SRP: $39.99
PREVIEWS Page #247
ABRAMS COMICARTS
(W) Octavia Butler, Damian Duffy (A/CA) John Jennings
More than 35 years after its release, Kindred continues to draw in new readers with its deep exploration of the violence and loss of humanity caused by slavery in the United States, and its complex and lasting impact on the present day. Dana, a young black woman, is suddenly and inexplicably transported from her home in 1970s California to the pre-Civil War South. As she time-travels between worlds, one in which she is a free woman and one where she is part of her own complicated familial history on a southern plantation, she becomes frighteningly entangled in the lives of Rufus, a conflicted white slaveholder and one of Dana's own ancestors, and the many people who are enslaved by him.
In Shops: Mar 29, 2023
SRP: $26.99
PREVIEWS Page #258
ABRAMS COMICARTS - MEGASCOPE
(A) David Roach
The Last Count of Monte Cristo is a bold retelling of Alexandre Dumas's classic tale of love, betrayal, revenge, and redemption. This speculative update pushes the narrative into a future hundreds of years after the polar ice caps have melted and submerged our planet into a new era of technology and culture. In this Afrofuturistic reinterpretation, author Ayize Jama-Everett and illustrator Tristan Roach revisit the original inspiration of The Count of Monte Cristo-Alexandre Dumas's own father.Like the protagonist of his son's story, General Dumas was betrayed and spent years in prison before getting a chance to return to his beloved France. The Last Count of Monte Cristo is a radical and powerful graphic novel update that reclaims the cultural heritage of Dumas's tale and suggests the terrible future that could threaten the human race if we continue to destroy our planet.
In Shops: Apr 19, 2023
SRP: $24.99
PREVIEWS Page #258
ANYONE COMICS
(W) George Carmona, Joseph Illidge, Dimitrios Fragiskatos (A) George Carmona (CA) ChrisCross
The Access Guide to the Black Comic Book Community is a new sourcebook to provide answers for comic book fans, old and new. This handy reference guide is more than a
directory of Black comic book creators and the stories they produce. It is a road map for the uninitiated and the veteran comic book reader alike, to find the publishers, stores and conventions that provide kinship, safe spaces, and promote an imaginative variety of experiences through comic books!
In Shops: Jul 28, 2021
SRP: $9.99
PREVIEWS Page #249
ANYONE COMICS
(W) George Carmona, Joseph Illidge, Dimitrios Fragiskatos (A) George Carmona (CA) Jamal Igle
The premier directory of Black comic books, their creators, the support systems that sell and promote them, and the spaces that bring the fans together is back! Now in full color, with updated content, and new categories for podcasters and books, the second edition is ready once again to help guide readers on their exploration of Black comic book culture.
In Shops: Sep 28, 2022
SRP: $19.99
PREVIEWS Page #243
DARK HORSE COMICS
(W) Roye Okupe (A/CA) Godwin Akpan
Iyanu, a teenage orphan with no recollection of her past, suddenly discovers that she has abilities that rival the ancient deities told in the folklore of her people. It is these abilities that are the key to bringing back an "age of wonders," as Iyanu begins her journey to save a world on the brink of destruction! The Corrupt-cursed wildlife and strange, divine beasts-are determined to destroy humanity, unless Iyanu can stop them.
Dark Horse and YouNeek Studios launch a shared universe of African fantasy and superhero stories-the YouNeek YouNiverse!
Extraordinary stories about extraordinary characters inspired by African history, culture, and mythology.
In Shops: Sep 22, 2021
SRP: $19.99
PREVIEWS Page #98
DRAWN & QUARTERLY
Ivory Coast, 1978. It's a golden time, and the nation, too-an oasis of affluence and stability in West Africa-seems fueled by something wondrous. Aya is loosely based upon Marguerite Abouet's youth in Yop City. It is the story of the studious and clear-sighted 19-year old Aya, her easy-going friends Adjoua and Bintou, and their meddling relatives and neighbors. It's wryly funny, breezy account of the simple pleasures and private troubles of everyday life in Yop City.
In Shops: Apr 28, 2021
SRP: $29.95
PREVIEWS Page #254
DRAWN & QUARTERLY
(W) Ebony Flowers (A/CA) Ebony Flowers
Hot Comb offers a poignant glimpse into Black women's lives and coming of age stories as seen across a crowded, ammonia-scented hair salon while ladies gossip and bond over the burn. The titular story is about a young girl's first perm-a doomed ploy to look cool and to stop seeming "too white" in the all-black neighborhood her family has just moved to. Realizations about race, class, and the imperfections of identity swirl through Flowers' stories, which are by turns sweet, insightful, and heartbreaking.
In Shops: Jun 19, 2019
SRP: $21.95
PREVIEWS Page #296
HUMANOIDS INC
(W) Joseph Illidge, Hannibal Tabu (A) Meredith Laxton (CA) Jen Bartel
Theresa Booker was hardly the first singer-songwriter to be inspired by His Royal Badness-but she was the most determined.
Minneapolis, 1982. Dozens of young bands, playing day and night in bars and clubs across the city, dream of being noticed by the musical genius Prince, revered as a guru and a powerbroker. But when Theresa and her band, Starchild, are offered the opportunity of a lifetime-to be taken in and mentored by their idol-they soon find that there's a dark side to fame and fortune that could turn their dream into a nightmare.
MPLS Sound is the ultimate love letter to the legendary Minneapolis funk-rock sound of the 1980s.
In Shops: Apr 14, 2021
SRP: $19.99
PREVIEWS Page #272
Click to View
IMAGE COMICS
(A/CA) Ronald Wimberly
A look at Black History framed by those who made it. BLACK HISTORY IN ITS OWN WORDS presents quotes of dozens of black luminaries with portraits & illustrations by Ronald Wimberly. Featuring the memorable words and depictions of Angela Davis, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kanye West, Zadie Smith, Ice Cube, Dave Chappelle, James Baldwin, Spike Lee, and more.
In Shops: Feb 08, 2017
SRP: $16.99
PREVIEWS Page #190
LITTLE BROWN BOOK FOR YOUNG RE
(W) Whit Taylor (A) Kazimir Lee
Harriet Tubman did something exceptionally courageous: She escaped slavery. Then she did something impossible: She went back. She underwent some thirteen missions to rescue around seventy enslaved people, using and expanding a network of abolitionists that became known as the Underground Railroad. She spent her life as an activist, speaking out for Black people and women's suffrage. This modern account of her trip to save her brothers is detailed and authentic. Illustrated with care for the historical record, it offers insight into the life and mind of Tubman, displaying her as a woman with an unshakable desire to break the chains of an unjust society.
In Shops: Jun 16, 2021
SRP: $12.99
PREVIEWS Page #325
QUARTO PUBLISHING GROUP USA
(W) Pap Souleye Fall (A/CA) Pap Souleye Fall
In the near future, the Hakkinen army emerges to quell a worldwide war, adopting children to aid them. Oumi and her friends are enlisted to help find a cure and end the bloodshed, but with strange forces gathering against her continent, can Oumi overcome her own insecurities and lead her people to paradise?
In Shops: Aug 10, 2022
SRP: $13.99
QUILL TREE BOOKS
(W) Jerry Craft (A/CA) Jerry Craft
Jordan, Drew, Liam, and a group of other students from Riverdale Academy Day School are finally heading out on their long-awaited school trip to Paris. As an aspiring artist himself, Jordan can't wait to see all the amazing art in the famous city of lights. When their trusted faculty guides are replaced at the last minute, the school trip takes an unexpected-and hilarious-turn. But trying to find their way around a foreign city ends up being almost as tricky as navigating the same friendships, fears, and differences that they struggle with at home. Will Jordan and his friends embrace being exposed to a new language, unfamiliar food, and a different culture? Or will they all end up feeling like the "new kid"?
In Shops: Aug 23, 2023
SRP: $14.99
PREVIEWS Page #372
BOOM! STUDIOS
(W) Narcisse, Evan, Austin Walker (A/CA) Daniel Bayliss
WWE Superstars Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E debuted as a team called The New Day... changing the WWE Universe forever!
Everyone knows they're six-time Tag Team Champions-including the longest reign in WWE history-but now, discover the true origins of this unforgettable trio for the first time.
Follow young Kofi, Xavier, and Big E as they learn about the world of wrestling, take on opponents big and small, battle their egos (as well as those around them), and realize that they'll always be stronger together than apart!
Acclaimed writers Evan Narcisse (Rise of The Black Panther) and Austin Walker (Friends At The Table), and artist Daniel Bayliss (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), reveal the untold story behind one of the greatest tag teams in WWE history.
Collects the complete WWE The New Day: Power of Positivity #1-2.
In Shops: Aug 10, 2022
SRP: $14.99
PREVIEWS Page #194
Click to View
DARK HORSE COMICS
(W) Sybille Titeux (A/CA) Amazing Ameziane
An original graphic novel celebrating the life of the glorious athlete who metamorphosed from Cassius Clay to become a three-time heavyweight boxing legend, activist, and provocateur: Muhammad Ali. Not only a titan in the world of sports but in the world itself, he dared to be different and to challenge and defy through his refusal to be drafted to fight in Vietnam, his rejection of his "slave" name, and ultimately his final fight with his body itself through a thirty-year battle with Parkinson's disease. Witness what made Ali different, what made him cool, what made him the Greatest.
In Shops: Mar 16, 2022
SRP: $19.99
PREVIEWS Page #120
TITAN COMICS
(W) Jean-David Morvan (A) Rafael Ortiz
Award-winning writer JD Morvan and renowned photographer Abbas' stunning graphic novel masterpiece which uses iconic photos to uniquely illustrate the historical 'Rumble in the Jungle' boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
In Shops: Mar 17, 2021
SRP: $29.99
PREVIEWS Page #315
Click to View
BOOM! STUDIOS
(W) Frank Smith, Jared Reinmuth (A/CA) Ameziane
* The uprising at Attica Prison remains one of the bloodiest civil rights confrontations in American history ... but without Frank "Big Black " Smith it could have been even worse. Now for the first time, the late Frank "Big Black " Smith shares his experience at the center of this uprising, struggling to protect hostages, prisoners and negotiators alike.
* Before his death, Frank gBig Black h Smith worked with Jared Reinmuth, the son of his lawyer, to share the true story of his time in Attica State Prison. Adapted to a graphic novel by Ameziane (Dark Horse 's Muhammad Ali), this is an unflinching look at the price of standing up to injustice.
In Shops: Feb 12, 2020
SRP: $19.99
PREVIEWS Page #216
Click to View
DARK HORSE COMICS
(W) Mat Johnson (A/CA) Warren Pleece
A tenth anniversary edition of the acclaimed graphic novel! In the early 20th Century, Zane Pinchback, a reporter for the New Holland Herald, is sent to investigate the arrest of his own brother, charged with the brutal murder of a white woman in Mississippi. With a lynch mob already swarming, Zane, whose skin color is light enough that he can pass for white, must stay "incognegro" long enough to uncover the truth behind the murder to save his brother - and himself. Suspenseful, unsettling and relevant, Incognegro is a tense graphic novel of shifting identities, forbidden passions, and secrets that run far deeper than skin color. Features a new afterword by Mat Johnson, enhanced toned art and other additional material.
In Shops: Feb 07, 2018
SRP: $19.99
PREVIEWS Page #44
Click to View
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
(W) Blutch (A/CA) Blutch
In this freewheeling collection of short stories and vignettes, the famed French cartoonist examines not only the music, but the nature of the jazz subculture. The grumpy festival goer, the curmudgeonly collector, and many other fan "types" are the targets of his unerring gimlet eye, drawn in a range of styles as improvisational as Coltrane and Mingus.
In Shops: Feb 14, 2018
SRP: $19.99
PREVIEWS Page #350
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
(W) Marcelo D'salete (A/CA) Marcelo D'salete
Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Marcelo D'Salete boldly recreates a long-overlooked history of black resistance against oppression.
Founded in late sixteenth-century Brazil, Angola Janga was a beacon of freedom. For over a hundred years, this community of runaway slaves thrived in fierce opposition to the Dutch and Portuguese colonial powers. In the stunning follow-up to his critically acclaimed graphic novel debut, Run for It, D'Salete brings the history of this precarious kingdom to life-the painful stories of fugitives, the brutal raids by colonial forces, and the tense power struggles among its inhabitants.
At turns empowering and heartbreaking, Angola Janga, is a stark reminder that the fight for justice is an eternal battle.
In Shops: Jun 12, 2019
SRP: $39.99
PREVIEWS Page #316
TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING
(W) Eric Nolen Weathington
Kyle Baker may well be the funniest man in comics. But he does "serious" too - and you can't get much more serious than Nat Turner. His work has appeared in such diverse publications as The New York Times, Esquire, Rolling Stone, and MAD. This book presents a career-spanning interview and discussion of his creative process, plus plenty of rare and unseen art, including an 8-page color section, and a gallery of commissioned work.
In Shops: Mar 18, 2009
SRP: $14.95
PREVIEWS Page #329
Click to View