For the past month and a half the Black World has been wrapped up in Black Panther fever. Though the inevitable descent in hype is certainly in effect, excitement and engagement with the film and all things associated has been surprisingly resilient, with debates on the politics of T’Challa vs N’Jadaka (Killmonger) continuing to dominate social media & the Black Bloggersphere. The fact that Black Panther is now the first film by a Black director to break the $1 Billion mark has no doubt contributed to the sustained prominence. (1)

 

What is undoubtable is the fact that for all intents and purposes, Black Panther is much more than just a film. Whether it’s the Afrikans worldwide who flocked to cinema’s in their millions in Traditional Attire and natural hair conducting drumming processions; the nods to Pan-Afrikanism as encoded by Black Panther’s director Ryan Coogler (2); or the personal testimonies of the cast (3), the multi layered cultural, political and economic significance of this film has dominated the public space and Black people have truly embraced it as our own. It’s also a hit for Americas corporate interests as “Black Panther has become a symbol for promoting diversity in the movie industry.” (4), thereby cementing the idea that this film truly has something for everybody.

 

The politics of T’Challa vs N’Jadaka are not limited to the silver screen however as among the Afrikan community, Black Panther has revealed a significant rift between 2 schools of thought:

 

• a) Those who just want to enjoy the film and consider Black Panther a victory in and of itself. Highlighting the fact that portrays Afrika in a positive life, featuring a majority Black cast, with a Black director and significant Black presence in departments such as Costume Design, this film represents a revolutionary achievement in today’s world.
• b) Those whose enjoyment of the film is tempered by that fact that it is owned by Disney, as a product of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For this group, Black Panther may be enjoyable, it may even be positive, but the real victory lies not in white corporate representation of Black culture, but in Black ownership and control of this representation. Some in this group consider Black Panther more victory for white institutions than black people.

 

In some ways these different perspectives are easily reconcilable, except that some in group a) (which is by far the larger of the two), views group b) as naysayers, pessimists (5) and even “culture vultures” (6), intent on being miserable and unable to appreciate Black excellence.  In all fairness, the prolonged efforts of Nate Moore, a Black Marvel Studios executive, in bringing Black Panther to the big screen have been lost on many (7). In fact many black writers from Christopher Priest to Wesley Snipes have expended must energy in bringing a Black Panther of depth and respectability to the comics and the big screen.

 

For group b), as well as significant critiques on the politics of the film, the enduring question remains who stands to gain the most from the success of Black Panther and whether Black audiences should be satisfied with intermittent Black representation in largely white cinematic universes.

 

Furthermore if Black representation can make billions of dollars for white companies why can it not make billions for Black Companies? The answer may lie in the long history of independent Black comic book creators. In 1989, siblings Guy Sims & Dawud Anyabwile, got together to create Brother Man: Dictator of Discipline (8), a comic around which they “built a distribution network that eschewed comic shops for black bookstores and barbershops. It is considered the cornerstone of the African-American superhero movement.” As co-creator and illustrator Dawud Anyabwile explains:

“We did a test print for Black Expo, where we thought maybe if we sold a few thousand at two bucks each we’d do okay. By the end of the year, we were at 40k books sold. Reprinting issues and selling out issues before they released.” (9)

 

The success of Brother Man triggered the rise of what is referred to as the Black Comic Renaissance of the 90’s. As Black Enterprise Magazine (November 1994) reported:

“A new reality has entered the fantasy world of comic books, and it’s being created by a wave of Black independent publishers. In the last four years, nearly half a dozen newcomers have become masters of their own comic book universes.” (10)

 

This culminated in ANIA – “an association of four black publishers-Atlanta’s Dark Zulu Lies Comics Inc., Africa Rising in San Jose, Calif., UP Comics in Greensboro, N.C., and Afro Centric Comic Books in New York”. (11)

 

ANIA adopted a decidedly Afrikan-Centred approach, producing comics such as Original Man, Dark Force, Zwana: Son of Zulu. Heru & Purge; Protector of Paradigms created by Roosevelt Pitt. Essentially this cooperative was the basis for an entirely independent parallel industry, it stood out even among the rest of the Black companies of the time.

 

The highest profile of these Black companies was Milestone. Founded in 1993 by Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle, Milestone rose to prominence among the masses by managing to secure a distribution deal with DC Comics, the only rival to Marvel. This deal was monumental in that it allied Milestone to take advantage of DC’s distributions network, while essentially retaining creative control as well as rights to their intellectual property. Monumental though it was, the deal did drew much criticism from many including members of ANIA, who “generated controversy and gained media attention by accusing milestone of being a front for DC”. (10)

 

Ultimately the divergence may have been even more fundamental. In his book  – Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics, and Their Fans, Jeffrey A. Brown opines that the debate:

“…stems from the fundamental ideological difference between the two organisations. Ania’s perspective was more radically political belief in Afrocentrism as an empowering force. Whereas Milestones approach to presenting Black characters is not an attempt to create overtly political role models, but to demonstrate the diversity and complexity of the Black experience in contemporary life.” (12)

 

An aliance between these strategies could well ultimately serve a Black agenda. Still -This ideological difference is important for two reasons. Firstly, it indicates that there is a limit to which one can be uncompromisingly Black and Afrikan-Centred while working within the mainstream. Secondly, when it is considered that the urban legend surrounding Ania is that Marvel & DC’s response was to develop more Black characters and employ more Black writers, co-opting the growing Black market in the process; this may be a cautionary tale in the results of prioritising inclusion and diversity over self reliance and self determination.

 

Certainly, the first full time Black writer of Black Panther came in 1998 with Christopher Priest, who faced all kinds of challenges gaining respect for his work and trying make Black Panther more than a side piece for The Avengers (13). Then came Reginald Hudlin, whose Black Panther run remains by far the most overtly politicised. For his sins, Hudlin ran in to all kinds of trouble after managing to turn his book into an animated mini-series that was only minimally broadcast years later and struggled to make it to DVD nearly a decade after it was produced (14). There are no official stats on how the rise in Black mainstream characters affected the independent market, but a lull in the industry is an almost universally accepted fact of history.

 

In recent years however, there does appear to be a resurgence. Novelists such as Octavia Butler,  Nnedi Okorafor among many others, have been joined by a slew of Black comic creators in the popularisation of what has come to be known as Afro-Futurism. Animated, as well as live action film shorts such as Oya: Rise of the Orisha (15) have become a mainstay of this movement as artists attempt to raise their profile enough to create full length pieces.

 

The mainstream is certainly on the ball where this is concerned. Last year Komotion Studios in Nigeria released the animated short SHONGO: God of Thunder. In a Ted Talks earlier this year Komotion’s founder, Kolawole Olarewaju, speaks to the fact that Disney, owners of marvel, came to Nigeria running a story writing competition in order to “mine stories”. (16)

 

Years later, Marvel Studio’s shells out $200 Million for Black Panther, a figure completely out of reach for Black independents and a budget which allows Marvel to scoop the Black audience who with all the pride and dignity in the world, will naturally bypass independent producers for the more accessible mainstream offering.

 

Black creators therefore have a long way to go on an upward hill climb, unless of course they are associated with the mainstream; an association which inevitably compromises the more strident Black political & cultural representation.

 

However many Black creators are not interested in the mainstream. Dawud Anayabwile & Guy Sims have recently revamped Brother Man with artist, Brian McGee. Roosevelt Pitt, creator of Purge: Protector of Paradigms, has also revived his series with a Kick Starter campaign (http://www.kid-comics.com/purge.html). He then linked up with Jay Kelley creator of “The Brother”, to combine their characters in BLACKOUT: Eradication Protocols, published via Vince White’s Powerverse  (http://willpowercomic.com/blackout/).

 

Milestone is also making a comeback with some of its flagship characters, Static Shock and Icon (http://milestone.media/). Kugali.com and thecomicrepublic.com are two hubs representing creators from west Afrika, Nigeria in particular. With all this and more happening, Black Comics and Afrikan Sci-Fi represents one of the highest quality creative industries in the Afrikan World. We are certainly not wanting for material.

 

But the question still remains a – will Black audiences appreciate this work enough amidst the haze left by the Black Panther euphoria. Unfortunately the initial indicators do not look promising. Blerds (or Black Nerds) make up significant portion of the overall comic book market. It would seem logical that Blerds would be the primary target audience for Black creators telling Black stories. However this appears far from the case. “Super Black Comic” Reviewer, Johnathan Soul recently dedicated an entire 40 minute video Blog to the fact that Black comic enthusiasts tend not to support indie creators. If we extend this to the Black community at large, it can justifiably said that Black audiences don’t really want Black Characters in Black universes – they want Black Characters in the Marvel & DC Universe (17). The coming of Black Panther appears to have compounded the effect of this dynamic, as in an interview with Kelvin Gumbs (creator of Black Sun Comics https://blacksuncomics.com/) Mr. Soul states “[The Blerds] are currently being held hostage in Wakanda.” (18)

 

Luckily, in the UK we have creators including Wayne Riley of All Knights Comics (http://www.allknightz.com/), who is currently leading the way in creating powerful Black characters and ready to take the bull by the horns in developing an independent industry.

 

The political, cultural & economic trajectory of Afrikan Centred Sci-Fi must also be consciously engaged if Black art is to serve Black agendas. An issue which lies at the foundation of the upcoming Nommo Session – Black Panther, Afrofuturism & the Afrikan Revolution –  Fri 30th March 2018 | 7:00pm – 10:30 | Mama Afrika Kulcha Shap, 282 High Road Leyton, E10 5PW | Entry: £3 – Under 21’s FREE | https://www.alkebulan.org/2018/02/24/afrofurtism/.

 

So Tonite we ask the question

BLACK PANTHER: CAN WE TURN BLACK REPRESENTATION INTO BLACK POWER?

1. Is Black Panther the ultimate triumph for Black representation?
2. Or have Black audiences overestimated the significance of the blockbuster film?
3. Should we just enjoy the film or is critical analysis necessary.
4. Are Black People more inspired by Black Characters in a white universe than with Black Characters in a Black Universe?
5. How is the independent Black Comic book industry surviving and developing?
6. Can we create big budget Sci-fi films independently?
7. Who are the Black creators & where can we find them?
8. How do we channel the Black Panther energy towards Afrikan artists and institutions?

Our very special guests

Baba Dawud Anyabwile: is an Emmy Award Wining artist, illustrator and co-creator of the groundbreaking Comic Book Series, Brotherman: Dictator of Discipline.

He and his brother Guy A. Sims, the writer and co-creator of Brotherman Comics, are pioneers of the contemporary Independent Black Comic Book movement. Selling over 750,000 copies in the early 1990’s without a major distributor and have currently released Book One of a three part graphic novel series entitled “Brotherman: Revelation”

Roosevelt Pitt, Jr.: The creator of Purge, and a thirty year plus veteran in the comic book industry. He was a part of ANIA – The Association of Independent Black Comics Book Publishers in the 90’s. He publishes under his company’s banner AMARA Entertainment.

 

International Listeners:

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Bibliography:

1. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-10/-black-panther-surpasses-1-billion-in-sales-after-china-debut
2. Ryan Coogler Scene Break Down: https://youtu.be/SNHc2PxY8lY
3. Black Panther Cast interview: https://youtu.be/gsTitt-VDuU
4. ‘Black Panther’ Surpasses $1 Billion in Sales After China Debut https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-10/-black-panther-surpasses-1-billion-in-sales-after-china-debut
5. Brother Keidi Obi Awadu Radio Show: https://youtu.be/qdNv4SbzeXo?t=6m17s
6. Sister Zaza Ali Vlog Black Panther & the Rise of Black Consciousness https://youtu.be/HFE43WtuVQ4?t=4m2s
7. The man who put Marvel in the black https://theundefeated.com/features/marvel-nate-moore-black-panther/
8. http://www.brothermancomics.com/
9. https://www.inverse.com/article/9910-where-is-brotherman-when-we-need-him
10. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=dFwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA88&lpg=PA88&dq=ania+association+of+black+comic+book+publishers&source=bl&ots=Oo1qt8M81v&sig=_pgA8Xr0_pBcaBkhC76_KvqIwZc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiloKLLlLXZAhUnKcAKHbPGBp0Q6AEINjAC#v=onepage&q=ania%20association%20of%20black%20comic%20book%20publishers&f=false
11. Black Publishers Launch Superbattle For Comic Book Heroes, Chicago Tribune, April 18, 1993 http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1993-04-18/business/9304200048_1_milestone-media-black-superheroes-white-superheroes
12. Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics, and Their Fans Paperback, by Jeffrey A. Brown https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Superheroes-Milestone-Comics-Their/dp/1578062829
13. The Man Who Made Black Panther Cool, http://www.vulture.com/2018/01/christopher-priest-made-black-panther-cool-then-disappeared.html
14. Reginald Hudlin On the Trials of the Animated BLACK PANTHER https://www.newsarama.com/6831-reginald-hudlin-on-the-trials-of-the-animated-black-panther.html
15. Oya: Rise of the Orisha, https://vimeo.com/118213327
16. https://www.facebook.com/komotionstudios/videos/985802771568122/
17. SOUL SUNDAYS – BLERDS and the TOWER OF BABEL – https://youtu.be/jf27XvdveIc
18. Soul Sundays – Black comics creator Kelvin Gumbs on Black Sun series – https://youtu.be/qY_V4TIkn0c