In honor of Black History Month, we’ve gathered recommendations of comics and graphic novels that highlight Black voices and creators and themes of representation, empowerment, and education.
YouNeek Studios: Enter the YouNeek YouNiverse
YouNeek Studios, founded by Dwayne McDuffie nominee Roye Okupe, features a YouNiverse of superheroes based on African stories by African creators, influenced by African history, mythology, politics, and more. Dark Horse Comics is proud to partner with YouNeek Studios to share the YouNeek YouNiverse with a global audience. More details here.
From YouNeek Studios founder Roye Okupe:
“As a creator, I spend a lot of my time reflecting on characters, world-building, plot, business ideas, etc. But come February, every year, I do my best to dive deeper into what I consider a more meaningful form of reflection: Black History.
Typically, my reflection begins with the question: what does Black History mean to someone like me who was born and raised in Nigeria for the first half of their life and then, for the other half, grew up in the United States? More often than not, the answer to that question is Legacy and Excellence.
I am a product of many who came before me and paved the way so that I can thrive in my craft as a writer (Legacy). Because of that, I’m motivated every single day of the year by one goal: to create the most authentic and compelling characters and worlds ever seen in comics via my stories—Iyanu, Malika, E.X.O., WindMaker, etc.—(Excellence).
With these two tenets, I hope to honor the sacrifice of the real-life superheroes who came before me.”
Coming up next: Iyanu: Child of Wonder Volume 3 will continue the popular tale of Iyanu and her new companions as they try to save Yorubaland from an ancient curse. Details and pre-order info here.
Iyanu will soon be an animated series on HBO Max/Cartoon Network, overseen by Black-owned animation studio LionForge Animation. More details here.
More YouNeek Studios titles now available:
Malika: Warrior Queen Volume 1
Roye Okupe, Chima Kalu, Raphael Kazeem, Spoof Animation, Godwin Akpan
Malika: Warrior Queen Volume 2
Roye Okupe, Sunkanmi Akinboye, Etubi Onucheyo, Toyin “Morby” Ajetunmobi, Spoof Animation
Iyanu: Child of Wonder Volume 1
Roye Okupe, Godwin Akpan
Iyanu: Child of Wonder Volume 2
Roye Okupe, Godwin Akpan
*Winner of the 2022 Nommo Award for Best Graphic Novel*
E.X.O.: The Legend of Wale Williams Volume 1
Roye Okupe, Sunkanmi Akinboye, Raphael Kazeem, Godwin Akpan
E.X.O.: The Legend of Wale Williams Volume 2
Roye Okupe, Sunkanmi Akinboye, Etubi Onucheyo, Tarella Pablo, Spoof Animation, Godwin Akpan
WindMaker Volume 1
Roye Okupe, Sunkanmi Akinboye, Toyin “Morby” Ajetunmobi, Godwin Akpan
WindMaker Volume 2, arriving March 2023
Roye Okupe, Sunkanmi Akinboye, Toyin “Morby” Ajetunmobi, Spoof Animation
All YouNeek books are suggested for ages 12-14 and up.
Find a full reading guide to the YouNeek YouNiverse of related titles here!
More Recommended Reading
Adora and the Distance
Marc Bernardin, Ariela Kristantina, Bryan Valenza, Bernardo Brice
Winner of the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics!
Adora and the Distance is a young adult fantasy graphic novel following the epic adventures of Adora, a brave young Black woman who lives in a fantastical world with underground pirates, ghosts, and a mysterious force called “the Distance” which threatens to destroy it all–and only Adora can stop it.
Written by Marc Bernardin, the award-winning television writer/producer on Star Trek: Picard, Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina, Masters of the Universe: Revelations, Castle Rock, and more; illustrated by Ariela Kristantina (Mata Hari). Originally released digitally on ComiXology Originals and now available in print from Dark Horse Books.
The story is a tribute to Bernardin’s own daughter and her journey with autism. He wanted to write a story that anyone could enjoy, and also: “I didn’t want to tell a story about those of us who love their autistic friends or family members. Instead, I wanted to try and imagine the story one of those kids could be telling about themselves, about the adventures they’re taking inside their own mind.”
“It’s a quest story, first and foremost… it’s just that the terrain our characters are traversing has quite a bit going on under the surface.” –Bernardin
Available now wherever books and comics are sold, Adora and the Distance is recommended for ages 14+.
Tephlon Funk!
Stephane Metayer, Nicolas Safe, David Tako
Stephane Metayer teams up with Dark Horse Books to bring his popular self-published comic, Tephlon Funk!, to comic shops! With art by David Tako and Nicolas Safe, this coming-of-age story masterfully weaves together inspiration from 90s NYC street culture, anime, and hip-hop.
Since the death of her parents, 14-year-old Inez Jozlyn can’t catch a break. Still, she’s determined to make a better life for herself. After Gabriel, a mysterious classmate helps her out of a tough spot, she finds herself in the middle of a drug conflict. Along with her strange new friend, Inez will work with a young female cop with a strong sense of justice and a sword-wielding bartender to help stop the new drug from spreading throughout New York.
“Tephlon Funk isn’t just popular, it’s dope.”–Complex
LaGuardia
By Nnedi Okorafor, Tana Ford, Sal Cipriano
Hugo and Eisner Award-Winner
“LaGuardia is unique, playful, heartbreaking, empowering and full of hope for the future. The wisdom Okorafor imparts in each panel pushes back against the darkest urges of our human nature and creates a space that lets us all live.”
—John Jennings (The Blacker the Ink, Octavia Butler’s Kindred graphic novel)
Written by Nnedi Okorafor, Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy Award winner (Who Fears Death, Binti, Akata) and illustrated by Tana Ford (Silk, Duck!), with colors by Sal Cipriano, LaGuardia won the 2020 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album – Reprint, and the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story or Comic.
In 2022, Dark Horse and Berger Books present a new Deluxe Edition celebrating this award-winning comic, packed with extras including a chapter of Dr. Okorafor’s script, a new cover and never-before-seen art from Ford, an extensive process art section, and more. LaGuardia is also available in a standard paperback edition.
Set in an alternative world where aliens have come to Earth and integrated with society, LaGuardia revolves around a pregnant Nigerian-American doctor, Future Nwafor Chukwuebuka, who has just returned to NYC under mysterious conditions via LaGuardia International and Interstellar Airport.
There, she and her sentient, plant-based alien friend become part of a growing population of mostly African and shape-shifting alien immigrants, battling against interrogation, discrimination and travel bans, as they try to make it in a new land. As the birth of her child nears, Future begins to change. What secret is she hiding?
LaGuardia is suggested for ages 16+.
Incognegro: A Graphic Mystery and
Incognegro: Renaissance
Mat Johnson, Warren Pleece
“A talented writer of both fiction and creative non-fiction, Johnson’s publications have established him as an important new voice in the African-American tradition.” —Walter Mosley
Part of editor Karen Berger’s imprint at Dark Horse, Berger Books, Dark Horse presents a 10th anniversary edition (2018) of Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece’s outstanding original graphic novel Incognegro: A Graphic Mystery. This is followed by an original prequel series, Incognegro: Renaissance.
Incognegro: A Graphic Mystery follows Zane Pinchback, a reporter 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. Suggested for ages 14+.
In the prequel series, Incognegro: Renaissance, a Black writer is found dead at a scandalous interracial party in 1920s New York and Harlem’s cub reporter Zane Pinchback is the only one determined to solve the murder. Zane must go “incognegro” for the first time–using his light appearance to pass as a white man–to find the true killer.
A page-turning thriller of racial divide, Incognegro: Renaissance explores segregation, secrets, and self-image as our race-bending protagonist penetrates a world where he feels stranger than ever before.
Incognegro: Renaissance is suggested for ages 18+.
Crema
Johnnie Christmas, Dante Luiz, Ryan Ferrier, Atla Hrafney
“This book is a love letter to love swathed in the richest flavor imaginable. And one that enchants and haunts you with the taste of coffee all around it.” –Comic Watch
#1 New York Times bestselling cartoonist Johnnie Christmas and Prism Award-nominee Dante Luiz present a haunted tale of love, ghosts, and coffee beans. The ComiXology Original digital graphic novel Crema is now available in print for the first time, recommended for ages 16+.
Esme, a barista, feels invisible, like a ghost. When Esme drinks too much coffee, she actually sees ghosts. Yara, the elegant heir to a coffee plantation, is always seen, but only has eyes for Esme. Their world is turned upside down when the ghost of an old-world nobleman begs Esme to take his letter from New York City to a haunted coffee farm in Brazil, to reunite him with his lost love of a century ago, bringing sinister tidings of unrequited love.
The story touches on the complex relationships between agriculture and industry, American-Brazilian trade, and independent and corporate businesses–told through the relationship of Esme, Yara, and coffee. As Christmas says, “The only way to a less haunted future is to make peace with the ghosts of the past.”
“I’m buzzing with excitement that Crema is coming to print in this wonderful new edition,” says Christmas. “I can’t wait to finally hold it in my hand, with an Americano in the other (ample crema of course). Two dark, sweet treats to raise the spirit and warm the heart.”
Delver Volumes 1 and 2
MK Reed, C. Spike Trotman, Clive Hawken
From Iron Circus Comics founder C. Spike Trotman and Eisner-nominated writer MK Reed, illustrated by Clive Hawken, Delver is an original action-adventure story. First presented digitally as part of ComiXology Originals, now Delver is collected in paperback volumes, available wherever comics and books are sold. Recommended for ages 12+.
When the door to a living dungeon surfaces in the tiny hamlet of Oddgoat, village girl Temerity Aster has two choices: abandon the only home she’s ever known to carpet baggers and sellswords, or carve out a place for herself and her family in the new and dangerous world of delving.
Co-writer Trotman says, “[Delver is] a fantasy adventure for folks who loved Terry Pratchett’s self-described unimaginative’ approach to world-building; an insistence on asking questions, wating to know why and how things worked the way they did. In my case, Delver is my answer to ‘Where are all these abandoned, treasure-laden dungeons coming from, anyway? And what happens when you unload all that loot in the tiny hamlet down the road?’ It’s for fans of Critical Role, Ursula K. LeGuin novels, and The Adventure Zone.”
Delver Volume 2 is now available at comic shops, and will arrive at bookstores/wherever books are sold in March 2023!
Source: Dark Horse
