“Write the words, Brother Ben, the words that will lead us out of the darkness onto the path of righteousness. Write the words, Brother Benny. Write the words!”
Star Trek Deep Space Nine “Far Beyond the Stars”
Truth is, being a Black comic book/sci fi fan in the early/mid 80s wasn’t easy.
What for me started as a high school hobby became a passion as I got older. In the mid 80’s my life was pretty much going to classes at the University of Washington, going to work, and going to Golden Age Collectibles, Zanadu and the Time Travelers, the Seattle book shops that specialized in comic books (and what was then called “comic book culture”)
Those books, and that community/culture played a role in getting me through some painful times in my life. They kept me sane, helped me get over the pain of my mother’s passing, and made me smile when there were times I really just wanted to lash out at everyone and everything. The books came with me into my marriage, to the annoyance of my wife, but I kept them out of her way and would read them whenever I wanted to go back to the days when a stack of books and the time to read them was a good day.
A few years back I sold my collection, which at one time was over 10,000 books. When I sold them, I had a library of closer to 5,000 books and it went for a good cause, seed money for my daughter’s college education.
During the height of my time collecting comics, there were not a lot of Black faces at the shops I went to–and there was a reason.
Even as I was reading Dubois, Booker T, Malcolm, and Dr. King, some of the people who looked like me people would see me with a comic book and ask “Why are you dealing with that white stuff?”
As if 7-foot, 1,000 pound gamma powered green creatures recognized color.
As for the emerging comic book/sci fi events, let’s just say there’s a reason that Comic Book Guy and Sheldon Cooper were designed the way they were. And those attending them were overwhelmingly White and male—and that continued as I reconnected with that community over the last decade.
But over the last few years, I’ve noticed more Black and Brown faces, men and women, cosplayers and those like me who primarily went to these events in a T shirt celebrating their favorite comic book, anime or TV show, looking for bargains and taking photos with the performers who portrayed childhood heroes.
As I walked around during the just completed 2022 Emerald City Comic Con seeing all of these new faces, it struck me:
This the generation that as kids grew up watching He-Man, She-Ra, Lion O, and Optimus Prime. They shouted “GO JOE,” “Go Go Power Rangers,” and “Turtle Power!”
These are the tweens and teens who watched Q put humanity on trial, understands the significance of “Wolf 359” and saw a Black man command a space station.
These are the high schoolers who know about Denys Cowan, Dwayne McDuffie, Static, Blood Syndicate, Icon and Milestone Comics.
Growing up they not only read Le Guin, Herbert, and Asimov, they ALSO read Octavia Butler, Tananarive Due and Walter Mosley.
And they are now the young adults in theaters cheering the King of Earth’s greatest kingdom and greeting friends by crossing their arms together and saying “WAKANDA FOREVER!!”
They are quite literally the first generation of Black and Brown people who grew up where liking comics and science fiction wasn’t an automatic accusation of “acting White”
And they’re starting to have children!!!
Children who when they see Spider-Man will see him as a Biracial teen (something that I hope we’ll see happen soon on the big screen as well as the comics)
Children who are watching a Black woman COMMAND a star ship.
Children who will grow up watching reruns of Luke Cage and Black Lightning.
Over the last month, much has been written about the passing of Nichelle Nichols, who I was blessed to see at a Con a few years back. She told the two stories that have now become legend:
The story of Rev. Dr. King telling her she couldn’t leave the bridge of the Enterprise.
And the story of a young child named Caryn Johnson telling her mother to come into the living room and see this Black woman on TV who wasn’t playing a maid.
Nichelle’s voice got soft when she said that young lady, better known as Whoppi Goldberg, reached out to her after she accepted the role of Guinan in Star Trek: The Next Generation and said that Nichelle not only played a part in her accepting the role, but in her becoming a performer.
Dr. King realized it when he spoke to Nichols 50-plus years ago, and Whoppi voiced it in the message she gave to Nichols.
Seeing somebody that looks like you IS important.
Just as important, seeing somebody who looks like you, and it being acceptable to your community, is life-affirming.
This makes my heart sing.
And it makes me look forward to just how this generation, and their children, will help grow this comic/sci fi and cultural seed they are planting.
One Con at a time.
Instead of Until Next Time, let’s end with the favorite word of the late, great Stan Lee (Who if you don’t know—shame on you)
EXCELSIOR!!
Thoughts From A Short Round Black Man 