Review by Choice Review
After becoming the first woman of color to win an Eisner award for her coedited work Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation (CH, Oct'13, 51-0714), communication professor Howard (Rider Univ.) fills a void in the scholarship of comics and graphic novels by authoring this new encyclopedia. She paints a full picture of the various ways people of African descent have contributed to the comics genre in the US, as writers and illustrators or owners of comic-book shops. Entries contain brief biographical information and focus on individuals' contributions to the world of comics. Not every entry includes an illustration, although there are many images and textual call-out boxes throughout. But despite the work's theme and the importance of good-quality graphics, there is the occasional pixilated image. Additionally, the book designer's omission of headwords at the tops of pages makes it difficult to quickly find an entry. The authoritative voices of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Christopher Priest are heard, respectively, in the book's foreword and afterword. The author offers more than 200 pages of short (one- to two-page), descriptive A-Z entries accompanied by a one-page selected bibliography and a longer list of further reading suggestions. The work fills a specialized niche, and is highly recommended for libraries supporting research in black studies and comics as literature, or those collecting graphic arts, illustration, or sequential art materials. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All libraries. All levels. --Olivia Miller, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Eisner-winner Howard (Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation, 2013) presents a much-needed compendium of artists and writers of African descent who have made significant contributions to comics in the U.S. She covers everyone from Marvel and DC writer Christopher Priest to Aaron McGruder, creator of the sometimes-controversial Boondocks. In addition to old-school comics like Jackie Ormes' Torchy Brown, she includes contemporary cultural touchstones like Jamie Broadnax's Black Girl Nerds, which she founded and edits; Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse, the only such business owned by a woman of color, Ariell Johnson, in the U.S.; and Ta-Nehisi Coates' reboot of Marvel's Black Panther, which inspired a forthcoming film. The hundred entries range in length from half-a-page to six pages and are presented alphabetically by personal last name; each includes a pull-quote summarizing the subject's achievements. Further reading, a select bibliography, and an index that includes character names are provided, which, along with ample illustrations and a conversational style, expand the book's appeal to a general audience. Recommended for high-school and public libraries and to selectors of graphic novels.--Maguire, Susan Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
This impressive reference pulls together key information on more than 100 of the many U.S. women and men of African descent involved with comics since the early 20th century: inkers, illustrators, artists, writers, editors, historians, founders of comic-cons, website creators, archivists, and academics. Lavish illustrations, some in color, give glimpses of the collective talent noted in the listings. With a foreword by Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and an afterword by writer Christopher Priest. © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
