Although I get to talk to indie comic creators every week, It’s been a while since I’ve actually reviewed a comic here and I’ve decided to share some of what I’ve been reading. I’m starting 2019 off with an all-ages comic that I think is a wonderful read and is something that you can add to the list of Magical Books for Black Girls. The Invention of E. J. Whitaker by Shawnee and Shawnelle Gibbs. The Gibbs sisters first came to my attention in 2016 when they had a kickstarter for this comic, and since then they’ve worked on a ton of projects with everyone from BET and MTV to Lifetime and the Food Network. But it was this little story about a young Southern black girl inventor in the midst of the Industrial Age that caught my interest.

Ever scroll through Instagram and stumble across some amazing artwork by an artist that you’ve never heard of? That’s happened to me. When I thought about it, I realized that I’m probably not the only one. So every month, I’m going to start highlighting 10 (or more) artists that I think are pretty phenomenal. Every name is a link to their page, so follow and support folks!

1. Annie Wu

For those of you who were unaware, September 15, 2018 was officially Batman Day. The fifth annual holiday of DC and Batman fans. (For those of you Marvel fans who haven’t stopped playing Spider-Man PS4 since it dropped last week, take a break and check out some of what went on today).  On top of the comic book sales, toys and even special treats for kids it was also the day that DC Comics launched it’s new streaming service DC Universe. (Not to be confused with the DC gaming app DC Universe Online). The service has been teased for months. Mostly to promote several new original series,TITANS, Doom Patrol and the one I’m personally waiting for Young Justice: Outsiders. 

DC Universe didn’t launch any of those  shows today. But it did

For those of you who follow this blog, you’ll remember I wrote about the comicbook Ricanstruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico by Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez. The proceeds from the sale of that comic went towards Hurricane Maria relief in Puerto and teamed his original character La Boriqueña with Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Aquaman, The Flash, Harley Quinn, and many other DC classic characters, (with permission from DC COMICS). Now Miranda-Rodriguez is back with the second full trade of his creator owned work, La Boriqueña #2. 

from official press release

March 20, 2018 – Somos Arte, the studio behind the critically acclaimed La Borinqueña graphic novel, is pleased to announce the publication of RICANSTRUCTION: REMINISCING & REBUILDING PUERTO RICO, a comics anthology created to benefit ongoing relief efforts in Puerto Rico. Conceived and produced by EDGARDO MIRANDA-RODRIGUEZ, Ricanstruction teams up his original character LA BORINQUEÑA with some of the most iconic DC Comics superheroes (used with permission) of all time: Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, Aquaman, The Flash, Harley Quinn, and many others.

The CW’s Black Lightning, the new show based on the DC comic book character of the same name is actually an icon in the comic book world in that Jefferson Pierce was one of the first black comic book characters created by DC comics. I decided to explore 10 more Things You Might Not know about him and his daughters Jennifer and Anissa, ultimately heroes “Thunder” and “Lightning”. Check out the list below and see if you knew all of these:

At Library Journal’s “Library Con Live,” Lion Forge Unveils Plans to Publish Graphic Anthology to Benefit Victims of Hurricane Maria

from press release

Just over two months since Hurricane Maria plowed through Puerto Rico with a destructive force that left island residents desperate for survival or forced to flee to the U.S. mainland, the island is still struggling to rebound. Yesterday, the St. Louis publisher announced their commitment to relief efforts with the publication of Puerto Rico Strong, a comics anthology from some of today’s top talent!

Puerto Rico Strong is a comics anthology that explores what it means to be Puerto Rican and the diversity that exists within that concept, from today’s most exciting Puerto Rican comics creators. All profits will go to towards Disaster Relief and Recovery Programs to Support Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico Strong is co-edited by Lion Forge’s own Desiree Rodriguez, alongside Marco Lopez, Neil Shwartz, and Derek Ruiz. 

Happy Halloween folks! If you are looking for a comic book series to read this haunting season look no further than Victor LaValle’s Destroyer (BOOM! Studios). After I read the first issue of this comic I immediately went to comixology and downloaded as much of the series as I could. Written by Victor LaValle (The Changeling) and drawn by Dietrich Smith (Shaft: Imitation of Life) with cover art by the amazingly talented Micaela Dawn, the story is an updated version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.