An Afrofantastic Vision: Black Comic Creators, Futurity, and the 9th Art

In his definition of Afrofuturism, cultural critic Mark Dery called our attention to the fact that “African-American voices have other stories to tell about culture, technology, and things to come.” To truly understand Afrofuturism, he stressed that we must seek it in “unlikely places” and “constellated from far-flung points.” In his attempt to define what Afrofuturism could be, Dery relied heavily on a reading of comic books. He argued Afrofuturism “percolates” through “black-written, black drawn comics” by the groundbreaking publishing company Milestone Media. While the definition of Afrofuturism has expanded, the definitional nature of black speculative tradition in comics is worthy of exploration. Black comic creators offered important narratives about possible futures through their work. In this presentation, I will explore the ways comic creators embody speculative possibilities, helping to define what Afrofuturist scholar Lonny Brooks called the “imagined affordances” generated by people of color through critical and creative practice. This paper will consider independent black comics such as Steve Perrin’s Black Phantom (1964), Larry Fuller’s Ebon (1970), Turtel Onli’s Nog: Protector of the Pyramindes (1981), Brotherman: Dictator of Discipline by Dawud Anyabwile and Guy A. Sims (1990), C. Spike Troutman’s Templar Arizona (2005), and Tim Fielder’s Infinitium: An Afrofuturist Tale (2018). In doing so, this presentation will highlight characters and creators who have advocated for transformative practices, inclusive communities, and diasporic visions through the medium of comics.