Skip to main content
Displaying 1 of 1
Invisible men : the trailblazing Black artists of comic books
2020
Where is it?
Large Cover Image
Trade Reviews
Publishers Weekly Review
Eighteen African American comics creators receive overdue hero treatment in this collection that documents their essential roles in the rise of graphic pulp literature within the struggle for Black equality in postwar America. Quattro (who blogs at The Comics Detective) skillfully compiles comprehensive profiles of each creator with excerpts of their work in a variety of genres. Black artists, he notes, entered the golden-age world of pulp magazines and comics as outsiders filling the talent void left by white artists drafted into the war, often anonymously producing white jungle heroes and buxom women. Matt Baker, then a rising star, broke the mold by drawing tribal hero Voodah as a Black man, despite his pale appearance on the covers. Philadelphia journalist Orrin C. Evans and an all-Black team of creators delivered greater progress with the authentic strips and bold heroes of All-Negro Comics in 1947. Other standouts include Adolphe Barreaux, who passed as white and became a socialite and illustrator of sexy heroines, and Elmer Stoner and Robert Pious, who were noted painters among the Harlem Renaissance elite before becoming breakthrough pulp pencillers. Quattro grants African American newspapers special credit for publishing Black-created strips in support of the "Double V" campaign for wartime racial justice. Dogged research and choice archival reprints make this volume an essential reference for pop culture history. (Dec.)
Summary
Hear the riveting stories of Black artists who drew--mostly covertly behind the scenes--superhero, horror, and romance comics in the early years of the industry.

The life stories of each man's personal struggles and triumphs are represented as they broke through into a world formerly occupied only by whites. Using primary source material from World War II-era Black newspapers and magazines, this compelling book profiles pioneers like E.C. Stoner, a descendant of one of George Washington's slaves, who became a renowned fine artist of the Harlem Renaissance and the first Black artist to draw comic books. Perhaps more fascinating is Owen Middleton who was sentenced to life in Sing Sing. Middleton's imprisonment became a cause cel bre championed by Will Durant, which led to Middleton's release and subsequent comics career. Then there is Matt Baker, the most revered of the Black artists, whose exquisite art spotlights stunning women and men, and who drew the first groundbreaking Black comic book hero, Vooda!

The book is gorgeously illustrated with rare examples of each artist's work, including full stories from mainstream comic books from rare titles like All-Negro Comics and Negro Heroes , plus unpublished artist's photos. Invisible Men features Ken Quattro's impeccable research and lean writing detailing the social and cultural environments that formed these extraordinary, yet invisible, men!
Librarian's View
Displaying 1 of 1