A few weeks ago, I got asked to present on Pauline Hopkins at an upcoming conference. I accepted, and I chose to present on Hopkins’ Of One Blood, Afrofuturism, and Black Panther. Instead of looking at the film, as other scholars have done, I looked at the opening scene in Fantastic Four #52. As well, I did not focus on everything I could have … Read More Pauline Hopkins, Afrofuturism, and Black Panther
One of the things I love about graphic narratives, as I’ve pointed out numerous times, is how they engage the reader in construction of the story, specifically through the use of the gutter, that space in between panels where the reader must fill in the gaps of movement from one moment to another. The gutter, as well, serves as a visual marker that severs … Read More The Power of the Gutter in Saladin Ahmed and Sami Kivelä’s “Abbott”
On October 8, 1955, Jackie Ormes’ Patty-Jo ’n’ Ginger panel in the Pittsburgh Courier showed Patty-Jo standing next to a door as she tells her sister, “I don’t want to seem touchy on the subject . . . but, that new little white tea-kettle just whistled at me!” Ginger leans on a couch, looking at her younger sister. She hold a newspaper behind her back, hiding the … Read More Are We Protecting Our Children When We Don’t Answer Their Questions?
Since its debut earlier this year, I have really enjoyed Szymon Kudrański’s Something Epic. Specifically, I enjoy Kudrański’s exploration of the creation and role of art in lives, the ways that art informs us and tells us more about the world we inhabit. I’ve written multiple posts about Kudrański’s series, exploring the ways we use words and imagination to create worlds and the ways that our subconscious … Read More The Dangers of Art in Szymon Kudrański’s “Something Epic”
+ comics, frank yerby, nate powell, podcast, south
I consistently produce content, on this blog and in other venues. However, I am not a strong self promoter, even when it comes to things such a the edited collection I did on Frank Yerby a couple of years ago. I did have the chance to speak about Yerby at the 2022 Revival: Lost Southern Voices event. It’s just not in my nature to … Read More What Have I done Recently?
Interminable Rambling 