Afrocentrism

Learn what it takes to become a member of the Dora Milaje--Wakanda's elite, all-female guard--with this exclusive in-world history and training manual. The world of Wakanda, a technologically advanced society with a deep history and culture, prides itself on tradition, honor, courage, and strength. There is no greater symbol of that strength than Wakanda's leader, The Black Panther. But protection of that symbol is tasked to the Dora Milaje--a team of women serving as Wakanda's special forces. For the first time, step inside this secret society of women warriors and discover what it's like to train as member of the Dora Milaje. Recruited from across all tribes, the selected initiates undergo intense training, both physical and mental. Passed down from elder Dora to initiates, with entries by General Okoye, Princess Shuri, and Queen Mother Ramonda, Black Panther: Protectors of Wakanda reveals not only the history and foundation of the unit, but collects the strategy, weapons, and combat training as well as the code of honor and nuances of service required to protect the Black Panther and the nation of Wakanda. Added commentary and guidance from notable warriors, such as Mistress Zola, Ayo, Aneka and M'yra, fill the margins of this treasured text. Find out if you have what it takes to become a member of the Dora Milaje and bring honor to your tribe!

Milestone Compendium is a can't-miss collection for any Milestone Comics or 90's comics fan! Some of your favorite Milestone comics from the 90's are collected together in this brilliant compendium edition featuring tales from Dwayne McDuffie and Bob Smith and stunning art from Denys Cowan and M.D. Bright! Milestone Compendium collects Blood Syndicate #1-12; Hardware #1-12; Icon #1-10; Static #1-8; Xombi #0-11; Shadow Cabinet #0

The wondrous nation of Wakanda is full of stories -- whether they star the Black Panther, his staunchest allies or his fiercest foes! Relive the rise of T'Challa through tragedy and triumph! Join his sister Shuri as she balances her spiritual side with her technological genius! Discover how the boy named N'Jadaka became the deadly Erik Killmonger! See the Black Panther battle Deadpool; assemble the mighty Agents of Wakanda; and tackle a Harlem murder mystery along with his Crew -- Storm, Luke Cage, Misty Knight and Manifold! Plus action-packed tales featuring the Dora Milaje, the Midnight Angels and more from the world of Wakanda!  

A war is raging, and he has a job to do; for Blade the Vampire Hunter, there are no shades of gray! Now, for the first time ever, the House of Ideas reprints the best of Blade in bold black and white from its legendary '70s-era horror magazines - including Vampire Tales and Marvel Preview! Collecting material from Vampire Tales #8-9, Marvel Preview #3 and #6, Blade: Crescent City Blues #1, and Marvel Shadows and Light #1.

Over 10 years in the making, Anderson's biographical graphic novel has theweight and depth of a lifetime of research. The book is a compelling and oftenmoving narrative of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Anderson follows Kingfrom boyhood through college and into the stormy civil rights movement. Butwhile the broad narrative of King's life may be familiar, this is hardly aClassic Comics approach to the man. In order to capture the complexity ofKing's life and times, Anderson employs a uniquely multifacted andmultilayered graphic and narrative technique that falls somewhere betweencartooning, painting, collage and documentary photography. It is deeplyeffective. At times, King's life is a straightforward narrative, but then aGreek chorus of voices will interrupt to comment on the action and otherdifferent versions of events. At other crucial moments, the pages errupt intocolor abstractions or expressionist renderings. Anchoring all this dazzlingtechnique is Anderson's acute ear for dialogue and profound understanding of hissubject. In the simplest scenes of King and his colleagues in discussion-in acar, a bar or a living room- Anderson makes history palpable. Through a variedgraphic arsenal and subtle prosse. Anderson's King comes alive.

In the United States at mid-century, in an era when there were few opportunities for women in general and even fewer for African American women, Jackie Ormes blazed a trail as a popular artist with the major black newspapers of the day. Jackie Ormes chronicles the life of this multiply talented, fascinating woman who became a successful commercial artist and cartoonist. Ormes's cartoon characters (including Torchy Brown, Candy, and Patty-Jo 'n' Ginger) delighted readers of newspapers such as the Pittsburgh Courier and Chicago Defender, and spawned other products, including fashionable paper dolls in the Sunday papers and a black doll with her own extensive and stylish wardrobe. Ormes was a member of Chicago's Black elite in the postwar era, and her social circle included the leading political figures and entertainers of the day. Her politics, which fell decidedly to the left and were apparent to even a casual reader of her cartoons and comic strips, eventually led to her investigation by the FBI. The book includes a generous selection of Ormes's cartoons and comic strips, which provide an invaluable glimpse into U.S. culture and history of the 1937-56 era as interpreted by Ormes. Her topics include racial segregation, cold war politics, educational equality, the atom bomb, and environmental pollution, among other pressing issues of the times. "I am so delighted to see an entire book about the great Jackie Ormes This is a book that will appeal to multiple audiences: comics scholars, feminists, African Americans, and doll collectors. . . ." ---Trina Robbins, author of A Century of Women Cartoonists and The Great Women Cartoonists Nancy Goldstein became fascinated in the story of Jackie Ormes while doing research on the Patty-Jo Doll. She has published a number of articles on the history of dolls in the United States and is an avid collector.

Shuri and T'Challa set out to remove a curse from Wakanda in this action-packed, totally original graphic novel! Twelve-year-old Shuri is a lot of things. Scientist. Princess. All around cooler person than her pain-in-the-butt big brother, T'Challa. Shuri knows she could do so much more to help Wakanda, but everyone is obsessed with the prince because he's the next Black Panther. That is, until Soul Washing Day, one of the most important rituals of Wakandan society. When an argument between T'Challa and Shuri leads to one of Shuri's inventions accidentally destroying the sacred ceremony site, chaos reigns instead of prosperity. Suddenly the people of Wakanda, including her mother the queen, are becoming sick! Could this be a curse from the ancestors? Desperate to save her mother, Shuri dives into research and finds an answer hidden deep in an ancient children's myth. It may be nothing more than a fantasy, but with the sickness spreading each day, the young princess must trust her instincts and travel deep into the mysterious Heartlands to save her family and her kingdom. Joining Shuri on her journey is none other than a meddling T'Challa. If Shuri and T'Challa can set aside their jealousy and resentment of each other long enough to survive this journey, they might just discover that they are far more powerful together than they could ever be apart. But if they can't face their fears in the Heartlands and lift the so-called curse, it may not be just the end for their family, but the end of Wakanda as they know it. No pressure, right?

DC's biggest, newest mystery starts here! Follow Naomi's journey on a quest that will take her to the heart of the DC Universe and unfold a universe of ideas and stories that have never been seen before. Join writers Brian Michael Bendis, David Walker and breakout artist Jamal Campbell in Wonder Comics' massively ambitious new series and star...Naomi! Aimed at providing readers with honest and innovative reading experiences, Brian Michael Bendis' Wonder Comics is a celebration of the moments of in life when discoveries are made - when purpose and meaning are revealed and destinies are defined. Featuring the young heroes of the DC Universe as penned by all-star creative teams in exciting new adventures that will celebrate the wonders of life, love and comics. Collects Naomi issues #1-6.

When the Peter Parker of the Ultimate Universe falls, the world needs a Spider-Man -- and here comes Miles Morales! But what's the secret behind his powers -- and can he master them before the Scorpion strikes? Family life gets complicated as Miles learns the truth about his uncle Aaron, and Captain America comes calling when war breaks out! Miles shares a multiversal meeting of the Spider-Men with the Marvel Universe's Peter Parker -- but what tragedy could leave the young hero swearing never to wear the webs again? There'll be familiar faces, heroic allies, deadly menaces, a startling return and a sprinkling of romance in the complete Ultimate Universe adventures of Miles Morales! COLLECTING: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man (2011) 1-28, 16.1; Spider-Men (2012) 1-5; Cataclysm: Ultimate Spider-Man (2013) 1-3; Ultimate Spider-Man (2014) 200; Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man (2014) 1-12; Material From Ultimate Fallout (2011) 4

In the early 1940s, Matt Baker became of one the earliest African-Americancomic book artists. But it wasn't the color of his skin which made himsuch a significant figure in the history of the medium -- it was his innateability to draw gorgeous, exciting women and handsome, dynamic men in a fluid,graceful style. Imagine Dave Stevens or Adam Hughes working in the '40s,drawing a new story every month, and you'll have a good idea of MattBaker's place in the industry throughout his career. Yet, few oftoday's comic book fans know of the artist or his work, because he died in1959 at the young age of 38, just as the Silver Age of Comics was blossoming andbringing in a new generation of readers. Edited by Jim Amash and Eric Nolen-Weathington, Matt Baker: The Art ofGlamour presents an impressive career cut tragically short. It features awealth of essays, interviews with Baker's friends, family, and co-workers,and a treasure trove of his finest artwork, including several complete stories,at last giving the wonderfully talented artist his full due.

At long last, the most famous face of the Milestone Universe makes his shocking return! Bullied nerd Virgil Hawkins wasn't the kind of kid you'd normally find on the streets at a protest-but like everyone else in the city of Dakota, he was fed up. Unfortunately, the first time he stood up to raise his voice, the world turned upside down. The experimental tear gas released that day left some of his classmates maimed or dead...but it left Virgil, and others, with stunning new abilities. Virgil has power inside him now-real power, the ability to channel and manipulate electromagnetic fields. But there's anger burning inside him, too. What is he supposed to do about all of this? And first and foremost-what is he supposed to do about his bullies, now that they've got superpowers too? A dynamic creative team of new comics voices including writer Vita Ayala and finisher Nikolas Draper-Ivey join Milestone Media veteran layout artist ChrisCross to tell a new chapter in the story of the most iconic Black teen superhero in comics history. Like every classic Milestone tale, it will take you places you could never dream! Includes Static (Season One) #1-6.

The Encyclopedia of Black Comics, focuses on people of African descent who have published significant works in the United States or have worked across various aspects of the comics industry. The book focuses on creators in the field of comics: inkers, illustrators, artists, writers, editors, Black comic historians, Black comic convention creators, website creators, archivists and academics--as well as individuals who may not fit into any category but have made notable achievements within and/or across Black comic culture.

Vampires are afoot! Somebody is leaving behind a bloody trail of bite marks and Blade's stake-ready to take them on. Could the figure in an iron suit be involved? And what about the new figure leaping around in a devil costume? By superstar creators MARK MILLAR (CIVIL WAR, KICK-ASS) and STEVE DILLON (PUNISHERMAX)! Collecting: Ultimate Avengers 3 #1-6

Miles Morales takes up the mantle of the Ultimate Spider-Man! Before Peter Parker died, young Miles was poised to start the next chapter in his life in a new school. Then, a spider's bite granted the teenager incredible arachnid-like powers. Now, Miles has been thrust into a world he doesn't understand, with only gut instinct and a little thing called responsibility as his guides. Can he live up to Peter's legacy as Spider-Man? As Miles grapples with his new life, Miles' Uncle Aaron - a.k.a. the Prowler - learns his secret! He's got plans for his nephew, but little does he know that the Scorpion is on his tail! Spider-Man story! COLLECTING: Ultimate Fallout 4 (SM story), Ultimate Comics Spider-Man (2011) 1-12, Spider-Men 1-5

On an ongoing mission to foster goodwill and safeguard both mankind and mutants, Ororo Munroe will travel the globe, confronting villains, gods, monsters and everything in between. She will overthrow tyrants, quell tsunamis and strive to see her dream for the world realized. She is Storm, a hero like no other... and the skies will tremble at the sight of their namesake. But now, Storm must handle the fallout caused by familiar faces from her past. Collecting: Storm 1-6

The Encyclopedia of Black Comics, focuses on people of African descent who have published significant works in the United States or have worked across various aspects of the comics industry. The book focuses on creators in the field of comics: inkers, illustrators, artists, writers, editors, Black comic historians, Black comic convention creators, website creators, archivists and academics--as well as individuals who may not fit into any category but have made notable achievements within and/or across Black comic culture.

Volume 1: Destiny decides -- Volume 2: Fire and foes.
"Follow the young queen of Madagascar from a young age to the day she contends with the formidable colonial powers threatening her country."--Publisher's description.

When the Peter Parker of the Ultimate Universe falls, the world needs a Spider-Man -- and here comes Miles Morales! But what's the secret behind his powers -- and can he master them before the Scorpion strikes? Family life gets complicated as Miles learns the truth about his uncle Aaron, and Captain America comes calling when war breaks out! Miles shares a multiversal meeting of the Spider-Men with the Marvel Universe's Peter Parker -- but what tragedy could leave the young hero swearing never to wear the webs again? There'll be familiar faces, heroic allies, deadly menaces, a startling return and a sprinkling of romance in the complete Ultimate Universe adventures of Miles Morales! COLLECTING: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man (2011) 1-28, 16.1; Spider-Men (2012) 1-5; Cataclysm: Ultimate Spider-Man (2013) 1-3; Ultimate Spider-Man (2014) 200; Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man (2014) 1-12; Material From Ultimate Fallout (2011) 4

Flame is about a kid named E.J. But he's no ordinary kid. He has extraordinary abilities, and uses melanin as a power. E.J. encounters obstacles beyond measure from enemies that want to destroy him. Eventually, E.J. learns to how master his melanated powers--not only to combat those who hinder him, but also to save the entire universe.

Half-man, half-machine and longtime member of the Justice League, Cyborg faces his faces a fatal systems crash over his latest indentity crisis- Is he truly more dead than alive? Vic Stone is about to get a real-life 404 error when his father doesn't recognize him and cybernetic implants that saved his life seem to be stripping away the last bits of his humanity. Will Cyborg's human side win out? Or will he find out he's really just a machine who thinks he's a man? From John Semper Jr.-one of the minds behind the hit 90s TV show SPIDER-MAN- THE ANIMATED SERIES-comes Cyborg's next adventure in his very own solo series! Collects CYBORG #1-6 and CYBORG- REBIRTH #1. Rebirth honors the richest history in comics, while continuing to look towards the future. These are the most innovative and modern stories featuring the world's greatest superheroes, told by some of the finest storytellers in the business. Honoring the past, protecting our present and looking towards the future. This is the next chapter in the ongoing saga of the DC Universe. The legacy continues.

Sam Wilson takes flight as the soaring Sentinel of Liberty - Captain America! Handed the shield by Steve Rogers himself, the former Falcon is joined by new partner Nomad to tackle threats including the fearsome Scarecrow, Batroc and Baron Zemo's newly ascendant Hydra! But stepping into Steve's boots isn't easy -and Sam soon finds himself on the outs with both his old friend and S.H.I.E.L.D.! Plus, the Sons of the Serpent, Doctor Malus -and the all-new Falcon! And a team-up with Spider-Man and the Inhumans! The headline-making Sam Wilson is a Captain America for today! COLLECTING: CAPTAIN AMERICA (2012) 25, ALL-NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA: FEAR HIM (2015) 1-4, ALL-NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA (2014) 1-6, AMAZING SPIDERMAN SPECIAL (2015) 1, INHUMAN SPECIAL (2015) 1, ALL-NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA SPECIAL (2015) 1, CAPTAIN AMERICA: SAM WILSON (2015) 1-6

The world building of Wakanda continues in a love story where tenderness is matched only by brutality! You know them now as the Midnight Angels, but in this story they are just Ayo and Aneka, young women recruited to become Dora Milaje, an elite task force trained to protect the crown of Wakanda at all costs. Their first assignment will be to protect Queen Shuri... but what happens when your nation needs your hearts and minds, but you already gave them to each other? Meanwhile, former king T'Challa lies with bedfellows so dark, disgrace is inevitable. Plus, explore the true origins of the People's mysterious leader, Zenzi. Black Panther thinks he knows who Zenzi is and how she got her powers - but he only knows part of the story! COLLECTING: BLACK PANTHER: WORLD OF WAKANDA 1-6

Meet Bungleton Green-an anti-racist time traveler and the first-ever Black superhero, created more than a decade before characters such as Black Panther and Falcon. In 1942, almost a year after America entered the Second World War, Jay Jackson-a former railroad worker and sign painter, now working as a cartoonist and illustrator for the legendary Black newspaper the Chicago Defender-did something unexpected. He took the Defender's stale and long-running gag strip Bungleton Green and remade it into a gripping, anti-racist science-fiction adventure comic. He teamed the bum- bling Green with a crew of Black teens called the Mystic Commandos, and together they battled the enemies of America and racial equality in the past, present, and future. Nazis, segregationist senators, Benedict Arnold, fifth columnists, eighteenth- century American slave traders, evil scientists, and a nation of racist Green Men all faced off against the Mystic Commandos and Green, who in the strip's run would be transformed by Jackson into the first-ever Black superhero. Never before collected or republished, Jackson's stories are packed with jaw-dropping twists and breathtaking action, and present a radical vision of a brighter American future.

She's the genius sister of T'Challa, who always believed she was destined to be the Black Panther! And when her brother unexpectedly falls, Shuri may get her chance -- if she can survive it! With Queen Ororo ruling Wakanda while T'Challa recuperates, Shuri must prove herself worthy to be her country's champion by braving the deadly Panther rituals. The stakes have never been higher -- but that's just how Shuri likes it! Though when her father's killer, Ulysses Klaw, returns with a deadly plan that will spill blood from the Savage Land to the streets of New York, Shuri must turn to some unexpected allies for help! And a transformative journey through the Djalia, the Wakandan spirit plane, will soon change Shuri forever! COLLECTING: Black Panther (2005) 2, Black Panther (2009) 1-6, Klaws of the Panther (2010) 1-4, Black Panther (2016) 8-11  

Jefferson Pierce has returned to Cleveland, ready to teach students by day and bring his brand of superhero justice by night. But when criminals with black-market weapons based on alien technology start wreaking havoc on the city, Black Lightning is going to need more than the tech built into his new costume to retake the streets. And once the villainous Tobias Whale reveals himself, turning the citizens and the police against Jefferson, the city's only hope is going to be if Black Lightning manages to recruit some new allies to take down Whale once and for all! Written by Black Lightning co-creator Tony Isabella with shocking art by Clayton Henry (The Uncanny X-Men, Suicide Squad) and Yvel Guichet (Black Panther: Soul of a Machine), this collection brings together the complete Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands six-issue miniseries and features a never-before-published afterword by Isabella.

Balancing his normal life, school, parents, etc. and super-heroing has never been easy, but when the Rhino and a cadre of mysterious criminals start plaguing Brooklyn, things take a dark turn. And Miles doesn't even know the half of it yet.

ANew York Times-bestselling graphic novel based on the true story of two families--one white and one black--who find common ground as the civil rights struggle heats up in Texas. This semi-autobiographical tale is set in 1967. A white family from a notoriously racist neighborhood in the suburbs and a black family from its poorest ward cross Houston's color line, overcoming humiliation, degradation, and violence to win the freedom of five black college students unjustly charged with the murder of a policeman. The Silence of Our Friends follows events through the point of view of young Mark Long, whose father is a reporter covering the story. Semi-fictionalized, this story has its roots solidly in very real events. With art from the brilliant Nate Powell (Swallow Me Whole) bringing the tale to heart-wrenching life. The Silence of Our Friends is a new and important entry in the body of civil rights literature...

African-American Classics presents great stories and poems fromAmerica's earliest Black writers, illustrated by contemporary African-Americanartists. Featured are "Two Americans" by Florence Lewis Bentley, "The GoopheredGrapevine" by Charles W. Chesnutt, "Becky" by Jean Toomer, two short plays byZora Neale Hurston, and six more tales of humor and tragedy. Also featured areeleven poems, including Langston Hughes' "Danse Africaine" and "The Negro", plusPaul Laurence Dunbar's "Sympathy" ('I know why the caged birdsings...')

A history of the trailblazing comics that broke color barriers and portrayed African Americans in heroic storylines What do the comic book figures Static, Hardware, and Icon all have in common? Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics, and Their Fans gives an answer that goes far beyond ""tights and capes,"" an answer that lies within the mission Milestone Media, Inc., assumed in comic book culture. Milestone was the brainchild of four young black creators who wanted to part from the mainstream and do their stories their own way. This history of Milestone, a ""creator-owned"" publishing company, tells how success came to these mavericks in the 1990s and how comics culture was expanded and enriched as fans were captivated by this new genre. Milestone focused on the African American heroes in a town called Dakota. Quite soon these black action comics took a firm position in the controversies of race, gender, and corporate identity in contemporary America. Characters battled supervillains and sometimes even clashed with more widely known superheroes. Front covers of Milestone comics often bore confrontational slogans like ""Hardware: A Cog in the Corporate Machine is About to Strip Some Gears."" Milestone's creators aimed for exceptional stories that addressed racial issues without alienating readers...

The most famous superhero duo of the Milestone Universe returns, reimagined for a new generation! Long ago, the stranded alien known as Arnus gave up hope of returning to his home planet. Tragically, he'd also realized that his adopted home of Earth was beyond saving. Content with wasting away his long life in a human guise, Arnus was past caring...until the day a young woman named Raquel Ervin crashed into his life. Soon she convinced him to put his incredible power to work again as the heroic Icon...and to transform her into his sidekick, Rocket! But an innocent question on Rocket's part-"Why can't we do something about the drugs on my corner?"-quickly set a chain of events in motion leading to the pair becoming the most hunted beings on Earth...and they're not just being pursued by Earthlings either! Writer, director, and producer Reginald Hudlin (Black Panther), co-writer Leon Chills, and superstar artist Doug Braithwaite unleash a tale of power and responsibility that will stretch from the boardrooms of corporate America to the jungles of South America and the depths of deep space! If you've ever thought there were certain things that a superhero story just couldn't do, it might be time to start thinking differently... This volume collects Icon & Rocket- Season One #1-6.

The world fell in love with her in the movie. Now, the Black Panther's techno-genius sister launches her own adventures written by best-selling Afrofuturist author Nnedi Okorafor and drawn by Eisner nominated artist Leonardo Romero! The Black Panther has disappeared, lost on a mission in space. And in his absence, everyone's looking at the next in line for the throne. But Shuri is happiest in a lab, surrounded by gadgets of her own creation. She'd rather be testing gauntlets than throwing them. But a nation without a leader is a vulnerable one - and Shuri may have to choose between Wakanda's welfare and her own. Collecting: Shuri 1-5

Academy Award-winning writer John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) and Stormbreaker artist Juann Cabal launch an all-new BLACK PANTHER series with an action-packed espionage story that will upend everything in T'Challa's life - and have ramifications for the entire Marvel Universe! Secrets from the Panther's past have come back to haunt him. Fresh from returning from his travels in space, T'Challa receives an unexpected and urgent message from a Wakandan secret agent. Now the Black Panther must race the clock not only to save his agent, but also to keep his true agenda under wraps. Because if the truth comes out, it could cost T'Challa everything... Collecting: Black Panther (2021) 1-6

Betrayal casts its shadow on the Black Panther's reign! The reveal of T'Challa's darkest secret has led to the Hatut Zeraze hunting him as a traitor, with orders to kill him on sight. The Panther must escape these tireless warriors before he can clear his name, but are even his skills on par for this challenge? And Wakanda's secret police are far from the only force T'Challa has to reckon with as the fallout from his lies explodes in ways he could never have foreseen! The Black Panther returns to the Avengers - but after the situation in Wakanda, Captain America isn't convinced T'Challa's head is in the game. When a dangerous galactic interloper called the Colonialist arrives to conquer the Earth, can T'Challa overcome his current woes and rise to the occasion? Collecting BLACK PANTHER (2021) #6-10.

Collects Amazing Spider-Man- Wakanda Forever, X-Men- Wakanda Forever, Avengers- Wakanda Forever And Black Panther Annual #1. The Dora Milaje are venturing out of Wakanda - and adventuring across the Marvel Universe! It's Wakanda's best warriors - Okoye, Ayo and Aneka - on a globe-trotting mission to protect the realm at any cost. When they discover a threat from their homeland causing trouble in New York, they'll leap into action - with or without their king. And that brings them to Spider-Man's friendly neighborhood! But former Dora Milaje member Nakia, A.K.A. Malice, has set a trap to lure the Black Panther into her obsessive clutches - beginning by taking out his one true love, Storm of the X-Men! And when T'Challa joins the fight, he brings a few mighty friends with him - and that means Okoye, Ayo and Aneka will assemble alongside the Avengers!

Join creators, writers, and comics legends as they discuss the impact of Marvel Studios' Black Panther in this gorgeously illustrated collection of essays   Marvel Studios' Black Panther has become more than just a movie--it has shaped conversations about art, culture, science fiction, representation, justice, fashion, comics, creativity, and so much more. Celebrate the legacy of the film with this collection of all-new personal essays and reflections that shed light on its monumental impact, including firsthand stories from artists involved in the film, cultural analysis from journalists and academics, and thoughtful insights from writers and comics legends. Each contributor brings their unique expertise and experience to explore the film's genesis and significance from every angle. Complete with gorgeous original illustrations, Dreams of Wakanda brings together a wide array of diverse and multifaceted perspectives that exemplify the many ways the film has impacted cinema, culture, and society.   In this collection: * Costume designer Ruth E. Carter takes us through her Afrofuturistic designs. * Writer Tre Johnson discusses the metaphoric qualities of vibranium. * Author Yona Harvey reflects on how the film has resonated with audiences across the African diaspora. * Journalist Hannah Giorgis uncovers how the soundtrack fits into sonic portraits of Blackness.

Black Panther, Storm, Luke Cage, Misty Knight and Manifold band together to take on a dangerous wave of street-level threats in a new series by co-writers Ta-Nehisi Coates (New York Times best-selling author of Between the World and Me and Marvel's Black Panther) and Yona Harvey (Black Panther: World of Wakanda), and legendary artist Butch Guice! The death of a Harlem activist kicks off a mystery that will reveal surprising new secrets about the Marvel Universe's past - and set the stage for a huge story in the near future! Fear, hate and violence loom, but don't worry, The Crew's got this: They are the streets. COLLECTING: BLACK PANTHER AND THE CREW 1-6

Surveying the range of Sun Ra's extraordinary creativity, this book explores how the father of Afrofuturism brought "space music" to a planet in need of transformation, supporting the aspirations of black people in an inhospitable white world. Sun Ra said he came from Saturn. Known on earth for his inventive music and extravagant stage shows, he pioneered free-form improvisation in an ensemble setting with the devoted band he called the "Arkestra." Sun Ra took jazz from the inner city to outer space, infusing traditional swing with far-out harmonies, rhythms, and sounds. Described as the father of Afrofuturism, Sun Ra created "space music" as a means of building a better future for American blacks here on earth. A Pure Solar World: Sun Ra and the Birth of Afrofuturism offers a spirited introduction to the life and work of this legendary but underappreciated musician, composer, and poet. Paul Youngquist explores and assesses Sun Ra's wide-ranging creative output--music, public preaching, graphic design, film and stage performance, and poetry--and connects his diverse undertakings to the culture and politics of his times, including the space race, the rise of technocracy, the civil rights movement, and even space-age bachelor-pad music. By thoroughly examining the astro-black mythology that Sun Ra espoused, Youngquist masterfully demonstrates that he offered both a holistic response to a planet desperately in need of new visions and vibrations and a new kind of political activism that used popular culture to advance social change. In a nation obsessed with space and confused about race, Sun Ra aimed not just at assimilation for the socially disfranchised but even more at a wholesale transformation of American society and a more creative, egalitarian world.

The ideas and practices related to afrofuturism have existed for most of the 20th century, especially in the north American African diaspora community. After Mark Dery coined the word "afrofuturism" in 1993, Alondra Nelson as a member of an online forum, along with other participants, began to explore the initial terrain and intellectual underpinnings of the concept noting that "AfroFuturism has emerged as a term of convenience to describe analysis, criticism and cultural production that addresses the intersections between race and technology." Afrofuturism 2.0: The Rise of Astroblackness represents a transition from previous ideas related to afrofuturism that were formed in the late 20th century around issues of the digital divide, music and literature. Afrofuturism 2.0 expands and broadens the discussion around the concept to include religion, architecture, communications, visual art, philosophy and reflects its current growth as an emerging global Pan African creative phenomenon.

This book brings Afrofuturism into conversation with digital humanities to pioneer the field of Digital Africana Studies, and shows how students and academics can engage with the vision of Afrofuturism, both theoretically and practically, in the classroom and through research. As Black people across the globe consider their place in the future following the past two decades of technological advancement, Afrofuturism and its relevance for the humanities has become ever pertinent. While Afrofuturism has thus far been discussed through a literary, artistic, or popular culture lens, growing use of new technologies, and its resultant intersections with the reality of our racial experiences, has created a need for approaching Afrofuturism from a digital studies perspective. Via detailed case studies, Bryan W. Carter introduces the field of Digital Africana Studies to demonstrate how this new area can be experienced pedagogically. Alongside the book, readers can also visit select Digital Africana Studies projects that exemplify the various technologies and projects described at the author's website: ibryancarter.com/projects. Given its unique approach to the path-breaking tradition of Afrofuturism, the book will be indispensable for scholars and students across fields such as digital humanities, media studies, black studies, African American studies, and Africana studies.

Singer. Dancer. Movie star. Activist. Queer icon. Afrofuturist. Working class heroine. Time traveler. Prophet. Feminist. Android. Dirty Computer.   Janelle Monáe is all these things and more, making her one of the most fascinating artists to emerge in the twenty-first century. This provocative new study explores how Monáe's work has connected different media platforms to strengthen and enhance new movements in art, theory, and politics. It considers not only Monáe's groundbreaking albums The ArchAndroid, The Electric Lady, and Dirty Computer, but also Monáe's work as an actress in such films as Hidden Figures and Antebellum, as well as her soundtrack appearances in socially-engaged projects ranging from I May Destroy You to Us. Examining Monáe as a cultural icon whose work is profoundly intersectional, this book maps how she is actively reshaping discourses around race, gender, sexuality, and capitalism. Tracing Monáe's performances of joy, desire, pain, and hope across a wide range of media forms, it shows how she imagines Afrofuturist, posthumanist, and postcapitalist utopias, while remaining grounded in the realities of being a Black woman in a white-dominated industry. This is an exciting introduction to an audacious innovator whose work offers us fresh ways to talk about identity, desire, and power.

Sun Ra (1914-93) was one of the most wildly prolific and unfailingly eccentric figures in the history of music. Renowned for extravagant performances in which his Arkestra appeared in neo-Egyptian garb, the keyboardist and bandleader also espoused an interstellar cosmology that claimed the planet Saturn as his true home. In Sun Ra's Chicago, William Sites brings this visionary musician back to earth--specifically to the city's South Side, where from 1946 to 1961 he lived and relaunched his career. The postwar South Side was a hotbed of unorthodox religious and cultural activism: Afrocentric philosophies flourished, storefront prophets sold "dream-book bibles," and Elijah Muhammad was building the Nation of Islam. It was also an unruly musical crossroads where the man then known as Sonny Blount drew from an array of intellectual and musical sources--from radical nationalism, revisionist Christianity, and science fiction to jazz, blues, Latin dance music, and pop exotica--to construct a philosophy and performance style that imagined a new identity and future for African Americans. Sun Ra's Chicago shows that late twentieth-century Afrofuturism emerged from a deep, utopian engagement with the city--and that by excavating the postwar black experience of Sun Ra's South Side milieu, we can come to see the possibilities of urban life in new ways.

This book interrogates the meeting point between Afrofuturism and Black Sound Studies. Whereas Afrofuturism is often understood primarily in relation to science fiction and speculative fiction, it can also be examined from a sonic perspective. The sounds of Afrofuturism are deeply embedded in the speculative – demonstrated in mythmaking – in frameworks for songs and compositions, in the personas of the artists, and in how the sounds are produced. In highlighting the place of music within the lived experiences of African Americans, the author analyses how the perspectives of Black Sound Studies complement and overlap with the discussion of sonic Afrofuturism. Focusing upon blackness, technology, and sound, this unique text offers key insights in how music partakes in imagining and constructing the future. This innovative volume will appeal to students and scholars of sound studies, musicology and African American studies.

Growing out of the music scene, afrofuturism has emerged as an important aesthetic through films such as Black Panther and Get Out. While the significance of these sonic and visual avenues for afrofuturism cannot be underestimated, literature remains fundamental to understanding its full dimensions. Isiah Lavender's Afrofuturism Rising explores afrofuturism as a narrative practice that enables users to articulate the interconnection between science, technology, and race across centuries.   By engaging with authors as diverse as Phillis Wheatley, David Walker, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Ann Jacobs, Samuel R. Delany Jr., Pauline Hopkins, Zora Neale Hurston, and Richard Wright, Afrofuturism Rising extends existing scholarly conversations about who creates and what is created via science fiction. Through a trans-historical rereading of texts by these authors as science fiction, Lavender highlights the ways black experience in America has always been an experience of spatial and temporal dislocation akin to science fiction. Compelling and ambitious in scope, Afrofuturism Rising redefines both science fiction and literature as a whole.  

Jordan Peele's Get Out: Political Horror is a collection of sixteen essays devoted to exploring Get Out's roots in the horror tradition and its complex and timely commentary on twenty-first-century US race relations. The first section, "The Politics of Horror," traces the influence of the gothic and horror tradition on Peele's film, from Shakespeare's Othello, through the female gothic and Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby and The Stepford Wives, to the modern horror film, including the zombie, rural, suburban, and body-swap subgenres of horror. The second section, "The Horror of Politics," takes up Get Out's varied political interventions--notably its portrayal of the continuation of slavery and the deformation of the black body and mind in white, so-called progressive America. Contributors address Peele's film alongside African American figures such as Nat Turner, W. E. B. Du Bois, and James Baldwin. Taken together, the essays illuminate how Get Out stands as both a groundbreaking intervention in the horror tradition as well as a devastating unmasking of racism in the contemporary United States.

A CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title for 2020 In Unstable Masks: Whiteness and American Superhero Comics, Sean Guynes and Martin Lund bring together a series of essays that contextualize the histories and stakes of whiteness studies, superhero comics, and superhero studies for academics, fans, and media-makers alike. The volume illustrates how the American comic book superhero is fundamentally a figure of white power and white supremacy and ultimately calls for diversity in superhero comics as well as a democratized media culture. Contributors not only examine superhero narratives but also delve into the production, distribution, audience, and reception of those narratives, highlighting the imbrication of forces that have helped to create, normalize, question, and sometimes even subvert American beliefs about whiteness and race. Unstable Masks considers the co-constitutive nature of identity, representation, narrative, production and consumption, and historical and cultural contexts in forging the stereotypes that decide who gets to be a superhero and who gets to be American on the four-color pages of comic books.  

A new take on Afrofuturism, this book gathers together a range of contemporary voices who, carrying legacies of 500 years of contact between Africa, Europe, and the Americas, reach towards the stars and unknown planets, galaxies, and ways of being. Writing from queer and feminist perspectives and circumnavigating continents, they recalibrate definitions of Afrofuturism. The editors and contributors of this exciting volume thus reflect upon the re-emergence of Black visions of political and cultural futures, proposing practices, identities, and collectivities. With contributions from AfroFuturist Affair, John Akomfrah, Jamika Ajalon, Stefanie Alisch, Jim Chuchu, Grisha Coleman, Thomas F. DeFrantz, Abigail DeVille, M. Asli Dukan with Wildseeds, Kodwo Eshun, Anna Everett, Raimi Gbadamosi, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Milumbe Haimbe, Ayesha Hameed, Kiluanji Kia Henda, Kara Keeling, Carla J. Maier, Tobias Nagl, Tavia Nyongo, Rasheedah Phillips, Daniel Kojo Schrade, Nadine Siegert, Robyn Smith, Greg Tate and Frohawk Two Feathers.

This research-based book foregrounds Black narrative traditions and honors alternative methods of data collection, analysis, and representation. Toliver presents a semi-fictionalized narrative in an alternative science fiction setting, refusing white-centric qualitative methods and honoring the ways of the griots who were the scholars of their African nations. By utilizing Black storytelling, Afrofuturism, and womanism as an onto-epistemological tool, this book asks readers to elevate Black imaginations, uplift Black dreams, and consider how Afrofuturity is qualitative futurity. By centering Black girls, the book considers the ethical responsibility of researchers to focus upon the words of our participants, not only as a means to better understand our historic and current world, but to better situate inquiry for what the future world and future research could look like. Ultimately, this book decenters traditional, white-centered qualitative methods and utilizes Afrofuturism as an onto-epistemological tool and ethical premise. It asks researchers to consider how we move forward in data collection, data analysis, and data representation by centering how Black girls reclaim and recover the past, counter negative and elevate positive realities that exist in the present, and create new possibilities for the future. The semi-fictionalized narrative of the book highlights the intricate methodological and theoretical work that undergirds the story. It will be an important text for both new and seasoned researchers interested in social justice. Informed and anti-racist researchers will find Endarkened storywork a useful tool for educational, cultural, and social critiques now and in the future.

This research-based book foregrounds Black narrative traditions and honors alternative methods of data collection, analysis, and representation. Toliver presents a semi-fictionalized narrative in an alternative science fiction setting, refusing white-centric qualitative methods and honoring the ways of the griots who were the scholars of their African nations. By utilizing Black storytelling, Afrofuturism, and womanism as an onto-epistemological tool, this book asks readers to elevate Black imaginations, uplift Black dreams, and consider how Afrofuturity is qualitative futurity. By centering Black girls, the book considers the ethical responsibility of researchers to focus upon the words of our participants, not only as a means to better understand our historic and current world, but to better situate inquiry for what the future world and future research could look like. Ultimately, this book decenters traditional, white-centered qualitative methods and utilizes Afrofuturism as an onto-epistemological tool and ethical premise. It asks researchers to consider how we move forward in data collection, data analysis, and data representation by centering how Black girls reclaim and recover the past, counter negative and elevate positive realities that exist in the present, and create new possibilities for the future. The semi-fictionalized narrative of the book highlights the intricate methodological and theoretical work that undergirds the story. It will be an important text for both new and seasoned researchers interested in social justice. Informed and anti-racist researchers will find Endarkened storywork a useful tool for educational, cultural, and social critiques now and in the future.

This book examines Afrofuturism in African American art, focusing specifically on images of black women and how those images expand the discourse of representation in visual culture of the United States. This volume defines a visual language of Afrofuturism that includes materiality, temporality, and black liberation. Elizabeth Hamilton discusses the visual progenitors of Afrofuturism. In the artworks of Pierre Bennu, Sanford Biggers, Alison Saar, Mequitta Ahuja, Robert Pruitt, Renee Cox, Dawolu Jabari Anderson, Alma Thomas, and Harriet Powers, the fantastic narratives of Afrofuturism are uncovered through in-depth case studies. These case studies engage with Afrofuturism as a black feminist visual theory that helps to unburden the images of black women from the stereotypical visual scripts that are so common in contemporary visual culture of the United States. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, visual studies, American literature, gender studies, popular culture, and African American studies.

The expansion of Marvel and DC Comics'characters such as Black Panther, Luke Cage, and Black Lightning in film and on television has created a proliferation of poetry in this genre—receiving wide literary and popular attention. This groundbreaking collection highlights work from poets who have written verse within this growing tradition, including Terrance Hayes, Lucille Clifton, Gil Scott-Heron, A. Van Jordan, Glenis Redmond, Tracy K. Smith, Teri Ellen Cross Davis, Joshua Bennett, Douglas Kearney, Tara Betts, Frank X Walker, Tyree Daye, and others. In addition, the anthology will also feature the work of artists such as John Jennings and Najee Dorsey, showcasing their interpretations of superheroes, Black comic characters, Afrofuturistic images from the African diaspora.

Alex Zamalin offers a groundbreaking examination of African American visions of utopia and their counterutopian counterparts. Considering figures linked to racial separatism, postracialism, anticolonialism, Pan-Africanism, and Afrofuturism, he argues that the black utopian tradition continues to challenge American political thought and culture.

Explore the fascinating historical and contemporary philosophical issues that arise in Black Panther In Black Panther and Philosophy: What Can Wakanda Offer The World, a diverse panel of experts delivers incisive critical reflections on the Oscar-winning 2018 film, Black Panther, and the comic book mythology that preceded it. The collection explores historical and contemporary issues--including colonialism, slavery, the Black Lives Matter movement, intersectionality, and identity--raised by the superhero tale. Beyond discussions of the influences of race and ethnicity on the most critically and culturally significant movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this book presents the moral, feminist, metaphysical, epistemological, existential, and Afrofuturistic issues framing Black Panther's narrative. The explorations of these issues shed light on our increasingly interconnected world and allow the reader to consider engaging questions like: Should Wakanda rule the world? Was Killmonger actually a victim? Do Wakanda's Black Lives Matter? Does hiding in the shadows make Wakanda guilty? What does Wakanda have to offer the world? Perfect for fans of the most culturally significant film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther and Philosophy will also earn a place in the libraries of students of philosophy and anyone with a personal or professional interest in the defining issues of our time.

In Janelle Monáe's full-length debut, the science fiction concept album The ArchAndroid, the android Cindi Mayweather is on the run from the authorities for the crime of loving a human. Living in 28th century Metropolis, Cindi fights for survival, soon realizing that she is in fact the prophesied ArchAndroid, a robot messiah meant to liberate the masses and lead them toward a wonderland where all can be free.Taking into account the literary merit of Monáe's astounding multimedia body of work, the political relevance of the science fictional themes and aesthetics she explores, and her role as an Atlanta-based pop cultural juggernaut, this book explores the lavish world building of Cindi's story, and the many literary, cinematic, and musical influences brought together to create it. Throughout, a history of Monáe's move to Atlanta, her signing with Bad Boy Records, and the trials of developing a full-length concept album in an industry devoted to the production of marketable singles can be found, charting the artist's own rise to power. The stories of Monáe and of Cindi are inextricably entwined, each making the other more compelling, fantastical, and deeply felt.

Hopeful and forward-looking futuristic short stories that explore how the power of storytelling can help create the world we need “This is a glorious book that challenges our conceptions of bookmaking as much as it questions our conceptions of world-building. We, as earthlings, will be better to the earth after experiencing this book. That is not hyperbole.” —New York Times bestselling author Kiese LaymonAfterglow is a stunning collection of original short stories in which writers from many different backgrounds envision a radically different climate future. Published in collaboration with Grist, a nonprofit media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions, these stirring tales expand our ability to imagine a better world. Inspired by cutting-edge literary movements, such as Afrofuturism, hopepunk, and solarpunk, Afterglow imagines intersectional worlds in which no one is left behind—where humanity prioritizes equitable climate solutions and continued service to one's community. Whether through abundance or adaptation, reform, or a new understanding of survival, these stories offer flickers of hope, even joy, as they provide a springboard for exploring how fiction can help create a better reality. Afterglow welcomes a diverse range of new voices into the climate conversation to envision the next 180 years of equitable climate progress. A creative work rooted in the realities of our present crisis, Afterglow presents a new way to think about the climate emergency—one that blazes a path to a clean, green, and more just future.

This book investigates how African authors and artists have explored themes of the future and technology within their works. Afrofuturism was coined in the 1990s as a means of exploring the intersection of African diaspora culture with technology, science and science fiction. However, this book argues that literature and other arts within Africa have always reflected on themes of futurism, across diverse forms of speculative writing (including science fiction), images, spirituality, myth, magical realism, the supernatural, performance and other forms of oral resources. This book reflects on themes of African futurism across a range of literary and artistic works, also investigating how problems such as racism, sexism, social injustice and postcolonialism are reflected in these narratives. Chapters cover authors, artists, movements and performers such Wole Soyinka, Ben Okri, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Elechi Amadi, Mazisi Kunene, Nnedi Okorafor, Lauren Beukes, Leslie Nneka Arimah and the New African Movement. The book also includes a range of original interviews with prominent authors and artists, including Tanure Ojaide, Lauren Beukes, Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, Benjamin Kwakye, Ntongela Masilela and Bruce Onobrakpeya. Interdisciplinary in its approach, this book will be an important resource for researchers across the fields of African literature, philosophy, culture and politics.

OutKast, the Atlanta-based hip-hop duo formed in 1992, is one of the most influential musical groups within American popular culture of the past twenty-five years. Through Grammy-winning albums, music videos, feature films, theatrical performances, and fashion, André "André 3000" Benjamin and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton have articulated a vision of postmodern, post-civil rights southern identity that combines the roots of funk, psychedelia, haute couture, R&B, faith and spirituality, and Afrofuturism into a style all its own. This postmodern southern aesthetic, largely promulgated and disseminated by OutKast and its collaborators, is now so prevalent in mainstream American culture (neither Beyoncé Knowles's "Formation" nor Joss Whedon's sci-fi /western mashup Firefly could exist without OutKast's collage aesthetic) that we rarely consider how challenging and experimental it actually is to create a new southern aesthetic. An OutKast Reader, then, takes the group's aesthetic as a lens through which readers can understand and explore contemporary issues of Blackness, gender, urbanism, southern aesthetics, and southern studies more generally. Divided into sections on regional influences, gender, and visuality, the essays collectively offer a vision of OutKast as a key shaper of conceptions of the twenty-first-century South, expanding that vision beyond long-held archetypes and cultural signifiers. The volume includes a who's who of hip-hop studies and African American studies scholarship, including Charlie Braxton, Susana M. Morris, Howard Ramsby II, Reynaldo Anderson, and Ruth Nicole Brown.

A dark and incisive collection of speculative short stories set in an alternate future of interstellar space travel, robots, mythical creatures, and the uncanny. "Newland easily engages readers with complex world-building, well-shaded characters, and stories as entertaining as they are meaningful. It's no small feat to so immediately and repeatedly appeal to readers' hearts and minds, and Newland's mastery of short-format storytelling is sure to impress. Speculative fiction fans won't be able to put this down." --Publishers Weekly, starred review "Newland's writing is in league with a host of SF subgenres, from pulpy space opera to N.K. Jemisin-style Afrofuturism to Jeff VanderMeer-esque eco-fiction. But his chief skill is weaving those tropes into stories that are both wildly speculative and on the news . . . Wide-ranging and deeply imaginative; Newland is equally at home in council flats and deep space." --Kirkus Reviews  In his exquisite first collection of speculative fiction, Courttia Newland envisages an alternate future as lived by the African diaspora. Kill parties roam the streets of a post-apocalyptic world; a matriarchal race of mer creatures depends on interbreeding with mortals to survive; mysterious seeds appear in cities across the world, growing into the likeness of people in their vicinity. Through transfigured bodies and impossible encounters, Newland brings a sharp, fresh eye to age-old themes of the human capacity for greed, ambition, and self-destruction, but ultimately of our strength and resilience.

Considered by many to be a founder of Afrofuturism, Sun Ra--aka Herman Blount--was a composer, keyboardist, bandleader, philosopher, entrepreneur, poet, and self-proclaimed extraterrestrial from Saturn. He recorded over 200 albums with his Arkestra, which, dressed in Egypto-space costumes, played everything from boogie-woogie and swing to fusion and free jazz. John Szwed's Space is the Place is the definitive biography of this musical polymath, who was one of the twentieth century's greatest avant-garde artists and intellectuals. Charting the whole of Sun Ra's life and career, Szwed outlines how after years in Chicago as a blues and swing band pianist, Sun Ra set out in the 1950s to impart his views about the galaxy, black people, and spiritual matters by performing music with the Arkestra that was as vital and innovative as it was mercurial and confounding. Szwed's readers--whether they are just discovering Sun Ra or are among the legion of poets, artists, intellectuals, and musicians who consider him a spiritual godfather--will find that, indeed, space is the place.

Sonic fiction is everywhere: in conversations about vernacular culture, in music videos, sound art compositions and on record sleeves, in everyday encounters with sonic experiences and in every single piece of writing about sound. Where one can find sounds one will also detect bits of fiction. In 1998 music critic, DJ and video essayist Kodwo Eshun proposed this concept in his book "More Brilliant Than The Sun: Adventures in Sonic Fiction". Originally, he did so in order to explicate the manifold connections between Afrofuturism and Techno, connecting them to Jazz, Breakbeat and Electronica. His argument, his narrations and his explorative language operations however inspired researchers, artists, and scholars since then. Sonic Fiction became a myth and a mantra, a keyword and a magical spell. This book provides a basic introduction to sonic fiction. In six chapters it explicates the inspirations for and the transformations of this concept; it explores applications and extrapolations in sound art and sonic theory, in musicology, epistemology, in critical and political theory. Sonic fiction is presented in this book as a heuristic for critique and activism.

Octavia E. Butler is widely recognized today as one of the most important figures in contemporary science fiction. Bringing together leading and emerging scholars and covering Butler's complete works from the bestselling novel Kindred, to her short stories and major novel sequences Patternmaster, Xenogenesis and The Parables, this is the most comprehensive Companion to Butler scholarship available today. The Bloomsbury Handbook to Octavia E. Butler covers the full range of contemporary scholarly themes and approaches to the author's work, including: · Cyborgs and the posthuman · Race and African American history · Afrofuturism · Gender and sexuality · New perspectives from Religious Studies, the Environmental Humanities and Disability Studies · New discoveries from the Butler archives at the Huntington Library The book includes a comprehensive bibliography of works by Butler and secondary scholarship on her work as well as an afterword by the novelist Tananarive Due.

ONE OF NPR'S BEST BOOKS OF 2019 The water-breathing descendants of African slave women tossed overboard have built their own underwater society--and must reclaim the memories of their past to shape their future in this brilliantly imaginative novella inspired by the Hugo Award-nominated song "The Deep" from Daveed Diggs's rap group clipping Yetu holds the memories for her people--water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners--who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one--the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu. Yetu remembers for everyone, and the memories, painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so, she flees to the surface, escaping the memories, the expectations, and the responsibilities--and discovers a world her people left behind long ago. Yetu will learn more than she ever expected to about her own past--and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they'll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identity--and own who they really are. Inspired by a song produced by the rap group Clipping for the This American Life episode "We Are In The Future," The Deep is vividly original and uniquely affecting.

The Black Speculative Arts Movement: Black Futurity, Art+Design is a 21st century statement on the intersection of the future of African people with art, culture, technology, and politics. This collection enters the global debate on the emerging field of Afrofuturism studies with an international array of scholars and artists contributing to the discussion of Black futurity in the 21st century. The contributors analyze and respond to the invisibility or mischaracterization of Black people in the popular imagination, in science fiction, and in philosophies of history.

Philosopher, Afro-futurist, and jazz legend Sun Ra (1914-93) constructed much of his complicated public persona during his sojourn in Chicago in the mid-1950s. Working with a still-shadowy underground fraternal organization, Ra amassed a library of books on the occult, Egyptology, race studies, Theosophy, and religion--all in service of drawing elliptical connections between these disparate bodies of knowledge. This work became the foundation of the personal mythology Ra employed in the 1960s when he began fronting his Myth-Science Arkestra and started drawing attention from more mainstream jazz fans.   Pathways to Unknown Worlds presents a kaleidoscopic range of materials from those years, including original record cover designs and production materials, paper ephemera, and photographs. These materials--most previously unseen--dramatically flesh out the story of Sun Ra's mystical journey of discovery and his lofty goals for the dissemination of his new knowled≥ they are certain to fascinate and delight Ra's legion of fans.

Sun Ra (1914-93)--self-proclaimed visionary extraterrestrial of the "Angel Race," prophetic jazz band leader and composer, and lyrical proponent of Afro-futurism--was one of the most influential figures of twentieth-century music. Though many of his fans are familiar with the philosophical and spiritual dimensions of Sun Ra's work, most remain blissfully unaware of how artists have continued to explore time and (outer) space through the invention and composition of his legacy.    The remarkable illustrations and essays of Traveling the Spaceways confront the visual manifestation of Sun Ra's philosophy and demonstrate how graphics and design were essential to his message of self-determination. The influence of Sun Ra's openness to new technologies and experimentation, his sense of personal identity as a construct rather than a given, and his playful attitude towards history and mythmaking are all evidenced by the remarkable writers and artists who have contributed to this volume, including Pedro Bell, My Barbarian, Dave Muller, and Charlemagne Palestine. A refreshing reconsideration of the impact of Sun Ra's life on American history and visual culture, Traveling the Spaceways is an unforgettable look at the Ra persona in the context of contemporary art.

Since launching his career at the Village Voice in the early 1980s Greg Tate has been one of the premiere critical voices on contemporary Black music, art, literature, film, and politics. Flyboy 2 provides a panoramic view of the past thirty years of Tate's influential work. Whether interviewing Miles Davis or Ice Cube, reviewing an Azealia Banks mixtape or Suzan-Lori Parks's Topdog/Underdog, discussing visual artist Kara Walker or writer Clarence Major, or analyzing the ties between Afro-futurism, Black feminism, and social movements, Tate's resounding critical insights illustrate how race, gender, and class become manifest in American popular culture. Above all, Tate demonstrates through his signature mix of vernacular poetics and cultural theory and criticism why visionary Black artists, intellectuals, aesthetics, philosophies, and politics matter to twenty-first-century America.   

Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller Octavia E. Butler's bestselling literary science-fiction masterpiece, Kindred, now in graphic novel format. More than 35 years after its release, Kindred continues to draw in new readers with its deep exploration of the violence and loss of humanity caused by slavery in the United States, and its complex and lasting impact on the present day. Adapted by celebrated academics and comics artists Damian Duffy and John Jennings, this graphic novel powerfully renders Butler's mysterious and moving story, which spans racial and gender divides in the antebellum South through the 20th century. Butler's most celebrated, critically acclaimed work tells the story of Dana, a young black woman who is suddenly and inexplicably transported from her home in 1970s California to the pre-Civil War South. As she time-travels between worlds, one in which she is a free woman and one where she is part of her own complicated familial history on a southern plantation, she becomes frighteningly entangled in the lives of Rufus, a conflicted white slaveholder and one of Dana's own ancestors, and the many people who are enslaved by him. Held up as an essential work in feminist, science-fiction, and fantasy genres, and a cornerstone of the Afrofuturism movement, there are over 500,000 copies of Kindred in print. The intersectionality of race, history, and the treatment of women addressed within the original work remain critical topics in contemporary dialogue, both in the classroom and in the public sphere. Frightening, compelling, and richly imagined, Kindred offers an unflinching look at our complicated social history, transformed by the graphic novel format into a visually stunning work for a new generation of readers.

The follow-up to Kindred, the #1 bestseller, comes Octavia E. Butler's groundbreaking dystopian novel In this graphic novel adaptation of Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower, by Damian Duffy and John Jennings, the award-winning team behind the #1 bestseller Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, the author portrays a searing vision of America's future. In the year 2024, the country is marred by unattended environmental and economic crises that lead to social chaos. Lauren Olamina, a preacher's daughter living in Los Angeles, is protected from danger by the walls of her gated community. However, in a night of fire and death, what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: a startling vision of human destiny . . . and the birth of a new faith.

This critical collection covers a broad spectrum of works, both literary and cinematic, and issues from writers, directors, and artists who claim the science fiction, speculative fiction, and Afro-futurist genres. The anthology extends the discursive boundaries of science fiction by examining iconic writers like Octavia Butler, Walter Mosley, and Nalo Hopkinson through the lens of ecofeminist veganism, post-9/11 racial geopolitics, and the effect of the computer database on human voice and agency. Contributors expand what the field characterizes as speculative fiction by examining for the first time the vampire tropes present in Audre Lorde's poetry, and by tracing her influence on the horror fiction of Jewelle Gomez. The collection moves beyond exploration of literary fiction to study the Afro-futurist representations of Blacks in comic books, in the Star Trek franchise, in African films, and in blockbuster films like Independence Day, I Robot, and I Am Legend.

In Speculative Blackness, André M. Carrington analyzes the highly racialized genre of speculative fiction--including science fiction, fantasy, and utopian works, along with their fan cultures--to illustrate the relationship between genre conventions in media and the meanings ascribed to blackness in the popular imagination. Carrington's argument about authorship, fandom, and race in a genre that has been both marginalized and celebrated offers a black perspective on iconic works of science fiction. He examines the career of actor Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed the character Uhura in the original Star Trek television series and later became a recruiter for NASA, and the spin-off series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, set on a space station commanded by a black captain. He recovers a pivotal but overlooked moment in 1950s science fiction fandom in which readers and writers of fanzines confronted issues of race by dealing with a fictitious black fan writer and questioning the relevance of race to his ostensible contributions to the 'zines. Carrington mines the productions of Marvel comics and the black-owned comics publisher Milestone Media, particularly the representations of black sexuality in its flagship title, Icon. He also interrogates online fan fiction about black British women in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Harry Potter series. Throughout this nuanced analysis, Carrington theorizes the relationship between race and genre in cultural production, revealing new understandings of the significance of blackness in twentieth-century American literature and culture.

In modern day Africa, a professor stumbles upon an ancient myth about masks that carry the power of the gods. In his expedition to uncover the past, he stumbles on one of these mark and it possesses him. Soon he realizes that he is not the first, and there are many more like him. What will happen now that he knows the truth about the powers of the ancient ones?  

A missing girl case bring together the most famous dynamic duo in the world for the first time! Forget what you know about Earth's finest detectives. Re-envisioning the classic characters as African Americans living in New York City's famous Harlem district, WATSON & HOLMES brings Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's heroes to the 21st Century. Watson, an Afghanistan war vet, works in an inner-city clinic; Holmes, a local P.I. who takes unusual cases. When one of them ends up in Watson's emergency room, the unlikely duo strike up a partnership to find a missing girl. Watson & Holmes bump heads along the way as they enter a labyrinth of drugs, guns, gangs and a conspiracy that goes higher and deeper than they could have imagined. Created by Brandon Perlow and Paul Mendoza, WATSON & HOLMES is the hard boiled Noir tale you can't afford to miss. Written by Eisner Award Nominee Karl Bollers with art by comic book legends Rick Leonardi and Larry Stroman. Original cover by superstar Khary Randolph!(Excellence, Black Panther) Previously available in a limited way, WATSON & HOLMES now comes to FairSquare Comics' NOIR IS THE NEW BLACK hit label and is ready to conquer the world!

40 Black Creators. 16 Noirstories. Unhinged. Unfiltered. Unstoppable...This is NOIR IS THE NEW BLACK! Therecertainly have been many Noir Comics written and drawn by black creators in thepast. Now, for the first time, the most revered Black American comic bookcreators (David F. Walker, Brandon Thomas, MD Bright, Melody Cooper, N.StevenHarris, Gary Phillips,...) as well as a new generation of writers and artists ofcolor are banding together for a unique anthology of 100% creator-owned BlackNoir comic stories! This new edition includes one new story: TheCircuit by TC Harris and David Brame, as well as a behind the scenes bonussection featuring black and whiteart. Brandon Thomas(Excellence) Gary Phillips Greg Burnham (Tuskegee Heirs) Brandon Easton (Judge Dredd) Melody Cooper(OMNI) Tyrone Finch (Swine, MajorUrsa) Mark MDBright Marcus Williams (Tuskegee Heirs) MD Marie(Vindication) Nick Allen TC Harris DonWalker (Agent: Wild) Hannibal Tabu(Artifacts) Greg A. Elysee (Is'Nana:The Were Spider) N.Steven Harris (MichaelCray) Christelle "TeeNa" Roche(Rodham Willows) Deron Bennett Mervyn McKoy Erika Hardison Dorphise Jean Vlad Alexis David Brame Karen S.Darboe Guile EricVan Elsande Dietrich Smith David Walker PatMasioni Paris Alleyne Quinn McGowan Roxxy Haze EliJohnson Toyin Ajetunmobi Jackson GodWin Todd Harris Robin L.Davis

A missing girl case bring together the most famous dynamic duo in the world for the first time! Forget what you know about Earth's finest detectives. Re-envisioning the classic characters as African Americans living in New York City's famous Harlem district, WATSON & HOLMES brings Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's heroes to the 21st Century. Watson, an Afghanistan war vet, works in an inner-city clinic; Holmes, a local P.I. who takes unusual cases. When one of them ends up in Watson's emergency room, the unlikely duo strike up a partnership to find a missing girl. Watson & Holmes bump heads along the way as they enter a labyrinth of drugs, guns, gangs and a conspiracy that goes higher and deeper than they could have imagined. Created by Brandon Perlow and Paul Mendoza, WATSON & HOLMES is the hard boiled Noir tale you can't afford to miss. Written by Eisner Award Nominee Karl Bollers with art by comic book legends Rick Leonardi and Larry Stroman. Original cover by superstar Khary Randolph!(Excellence, Black Panther) Previously available in a limited way, WATSON & HOLMES now comes to FairSquare Comics' NOIR IS THE NEW BLACK hit label and is ready to conquer the world!

Los Angeles - the City of Angels. Two souls, one is looking for vengeance and one is looking for the truth. They share one thing in common, they are both searching for the legendary vampire Blacula. Tina Thomas is a reporter for the blog Dark Knights, which chronicles all things unnatural, uneasy, and undead. She meets a young man named Kross whose family was forever changed by the vampire. Kross asks Tina to help him kill Blacula. Blacula too is on a mission, he is searching for the one who forever changed his life centuries ago. His name is Count Dracula.

In modern day Africa, a professor stumbles upon an ancient myth about masks that carry the power of the gods. In his expedition to uncover the past, he stumbles on one of these mark and it possesses him. Soon he realizes that he is not the first, and there are many more like him. What will happen now that he knows the truth about the powers of the ancient ones?  

Black Sands is a story about a young boy named Ausar whose life goal is to rule Kemet. This goal leads him on a journey to far off lands in the ancient world. He deals with the complicated issues involving wars and ancient gods that seek his death. He is accompanied by his kinfolk Seth, Auset, and Nehbet as they travel the world.   

In modern day Africa, a professor stumbles upon an ancient myth about masks that carry the power of the gods. In his expedition to uncover the past, he stumbles on one of these mark and it possesses him. Soon he realizes that he is not the first, and there are many more like him. What will happen now that he knows the truth about the powers of the ancient ones?

"The incredible series of a young moor pushed to the brink by the Crusades. Watch as we learns the ways of an assassin to turn the tide in the war for Spain."--Publisher's description.

Truly tired with the way of his normal life, Andika is determined to seek and search for a greater call to adventure. A story that will bring us to the mystical alternate realm of neosantara. A new and bold interpretation of the Malay Archipelago that has never been told. 

Los Angeles - the City of Angels. Two souls, one is looking for vengeance and one is looking for the truth. They share one thing in common, they are both searching for the legendary vampire Blacula. Tina Thomas is a reporter for the blog Dark Knights, which chronicles all things unnatural, uneasy, and undead. She meets a young man named Kross whose family was forever changed by the vampire. Kross asks Tina to help him kill Blacula. Blacula too is on a mission, he is searching for the one who forever changed his life centuries ago. His name is Count Dracula.

Black Sands is the most popular independent book series in the black community and it is clear why. Ausar leads his kin on an expedition to Minoa to find out the true threat of the ancients in the region.  Unbeknownst to them, their transport has alternative motives for bringing them, leading them to a deadly battle on a remote uncharted island in the Mediterranean. Ausar uses all of his skills to protect his family as they are forced to fight terrifying ancients and during the battle, he is gravely wounded. When they finally reach Minoa, Ausar needs time to recover before they set out to explore the coast of Cypress. While he is away, Seth, Auset, and Nehbet meet the Queen. It is at this time that they realize there is a god-touched within the city. A young boy named Menes, who wields the power of Magma. This complication leaves many questions to be answered but before they can figure out the details, an invasion begins. The Spartans are here and they want Minoan blood.