This book is absolutely gorgeous! Its beauty is unimaginable! This was such a magical read. It is so important to have representation and this book is the perfect one! I loved being able to find more cultures and learn about them!

Damian Duffy, John Jennings, and their collaborators have produced a magnificent piece of book art that you should know, and if you have even a spark of curiosity about comic art, you should own it or have ready access. I am writing this post as a paean/review of Black Comix Returns, published 2018 by the Lion Forge, LLC. I had access to this title courtesy of #Netgalley.

My stamp of approval is such that halfway into to reading it online, I knew I had to have a copy of my own. Fortunately, this oversize, full color book is very affordable because the organizers held a Kickstarter campaign to assist in covering costs. However, don’t wait in getting your copy because this is the kind of book that will only increase in value when it is sold out.

On to the book itself: it is a broad survey of African American comic talent ranging from recent self published breakouts to established syndicated strips. The book is a follow up to the 2010 Black Comix: African American Independent Comics, Art and Culture. Each artist has a two page display that includes a biographical entry and several images. From sweet superheroes like Jamar Nichols’ Leon to sleek steampunk figures created by the Gibbs Sisters, there is a panorama of artwork to explore. The spectrum of comic characters, from movie inspired superheroes to pin up style beauties, and styles of artwork--sketch, full color, fairy tale, movie poster...in trying to write this review I simply revert to turning the pages slowly and soaking in the colors and stories. But despite my inability to resist the joyful distractions of these pages, I would be remiss in telling you that it also includes artists that tackle history in comic form, like Joel Christian Gill, and artists like Keith Knight that address current social issues one box and panel at a time.

The richness of images and artist information is supported by essays about the industry, taking to task the consumers and the mainstream media. Joseph Illidge shares what it is like for an artist of color to break in and hold space in a media world that values sameness and financial security. Enrique Carrion takes the measure of comics as an art style like hip-hop and a place of identity. Comic artist Brandon Thomas offers the challenge to readers to support this art--to support it in the most meaningful way, which is to buy it. So where do you buy comic art? There is a helpful section labeled “Conventional Wisdom” that describes the locations and scope of what are called Comic Cons across the country. You might have heard about the massive San Diego ComicCon, but in addition to events like the Black Comix Art Festival in San Francisco and Onyxcon in Atlanta there are also specialized book fairs and small press events around the country where you can buy comics, books, and artwork. Thomas’ essay addressing the basics of supporting diverse artists applies to library collections. You can’t have a truly diverse collection if you don’t buy those materials, and if your library has “policies” about not buying materials that don’t arrive pre-catalogued or that can only be purchased from a specific distributor...well, guess what? You are going to have to work a little harder to get these meaningful materials into your collections and into the hands of readers who seek representation.

I would also like to praise the book designers for the beauty of this book. To pack so much content into one book and make it a seamless reading experience must have been a tremendous task. The harmony of the layout, fonts, and borders make an excellent package. The heavy, coated pages rest inside sturdy covers with a sewn binding, and to add an additional flourish, a purple ribbon bookmark.

Start with acquiring this book. The ISBN is 1942367376 and you know what to do, get it from your favorite independent bookseller or ask your favorite librarian to get it for your local library.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley

This was a beautiful collection of artwork black comix. It isn't a Comic book but a book of artwork. Every few pages is a biographical note about a black comic or graphic novelist and some of their artwork in whatever style they use. It was fascinating to read about their artwork and their inspiration.

'Black Comix Returns' edited by John Jennings and Damian Duffy is a not so much a sequel to their 2010 book Black Comix as it is an update.

This A to Z volume focuses on the amazing African American artists working in the field of comics. From Leisl Adams to Ashley A. Woods there is a wide variety of styles. There are short bios of each artist and samples of their art. In some cases, the artist has a creator owned series, and these also get a paragraph or two within the artist's entry. In some cases, the entry is an essay by the artist. The end of the book has a list of black comics conventions in the US.

I liked the book. The layout is good, the art is great. While it all wasn't my favorite, I found some artists I was pretty familiar with, and it was nice to learn a bit more. If you are looking for more representation in the comics you buy, this is a good resource of people that you can support.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

This is a MUST have book if you call yourself a true comicfan. Often African American/Black artists are overlooked in regards to comics, so I'm truly impressed and happy to see Jennings and Duffy compile such a work into one to help promote these works. For each reference artist, there was a short blurb about them and their previous works and samples of their comic strips. I believe the provided sample was a small sampling of the greater work to come, if this is true then I am definitely purchasing it to add to my permanent bookshelf. I forgot to mention the vivid imagery of the cover is soooo beautiful that I will find a print of it to have framed!

Beautiful artwork. An excellent resource for those interested in supporting black artists nd looking to broaden there horizons in graphic novels without knowing where to begin.

Thank you to John Jennings, Damian Duffy, Diamond Book Distributors, and Netgalley for this advanced reader copy of “Black Comix Returns” for an honest review.

From the stunning cover alone, I knew I wanted to be on the inside of this book, both receiving a review copy and devouring the content that would be taking up all the space inside of it — and I was not let down in the slightest.

While I had expected more in-depth, longer content, per author or artist, I quickly figured out this was more of a sample book. The artwork ranged from the questionable to the, all but literal, heart stompingly gorgeous. I will be tracking down several of these author/artist to be able to read their works that went with the art I fell in love with.

While not what I expected, I did find one beautiful artwork. Still I was hoping for more story type essays, but I guess I should have read better. My bad.

I expected this to be a collection of short stories or teasers for upcoming comic books. It wasn't that. It is instead a gorgeous collection of art teasers. You cannot read any of the stories, but through this anthology you do get a great overview of black comic artists and their work. Most of the artwork was absolutely beautiful & there are definitely a couple that I want to read in the future. This is a great resource for people who want to read comics by black authors, but don't know where to start.

An interesting anthology. It's interesting and entertaining. Definitely worth getting.

A fascinating and diversified collection from some very unique comic artists and storytellers. Treat yourself!

This is more of an anthology about people of color involved in graphic novel industry. This is an updated version of a prior publication. It was great for a novice to find aesthetic and styles that appeal to you. This encourages the reader to go out and find artists to support. As a bonus, there were essays on women, being an influencer for others and others. This anthology is definitely a great resource.

This is a great work of art and important for everyone to read. Everyone should see themselves in a work of art such as this. Important for this time. Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read this. I will recommend to everyone, that is for sure.

This is a very awesome collection of authors and writers. I look forward to seeing more from them!

I liked this, and I made quite a few notes on artists I want to check out in the future, but I fully expected this to be an anthology of some sorts, not just a collection of black artists. Oh well, guess I should have read the reviews beforehand... XD

What a beautiful collection highlighting black comix. Every few pages is a biographical note about a black comic or graphic novelist and some of their artwork in whatever style they use.

It's absolutely like standing in front of an awesome cafe or candy aisle and getting to take in all of the beauty of what's before you except you're a little closer to the art, yet you can still smell, touch, and feel the complexity, beauty, simplicity, thoughtfulness, and artistic talent of these amazing artists. It's truly a celebration and it has several extra pages throughout discussing the significance of a collection like this. So, so beautiful.

As I was not familiar with the out-of-print artbook Black Comix, I was intrigued by the description and had to learn more. This is a pretty cool collection of art and essays by black comic artists in the industry. I only recognized a few of them by name, so I really loved learning more about others. I've made notes and will be getting more familiar with some of these artists and their works. I just wished the profiles were a bit longer. Overall, I enjoyed reading and appreciate this as a guide to learn more about Black Comix. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an amazing resource!! I will be recommending it for my library to purchase.

When I was growing up, when I first started reading comics, I fell in love with Supergirl, because she was like me. We all look for ourselves in what we read, even if we are trying to escape. We like to think that if we find someone like us, that looks like us, or is from our part of the country, or talks like us, or is any way like us, that we can project ourselves into this world of make believe.

Later, of course, as I grew up, I looked at what was then called the Underground comics, to find people more like me, that thought the way I did. It was the time when women were drawing their own comics, and I was, again drawn to that.

Representation, anywhere is important. We need to see ourselves in books and stories, so that we feel part of it. When we see women in power, we know we too can grow up to have power. When people of color see themselves in books and stories, they feel more engaged.

So that is why this book is so important, although it is more of a taste than anything else. There are so many great artists, so many different styles out there, it makes you want to go and seek all of them out. Amazing stuff.

The only problem with this collection, as some of the reviewers pointed out, is that there is not enough of each artist. That it is only a taste, and we need more than that. What we probably need now, is an anthology, more like what some of the reviewers though this book was.

Here are just some of the examples of the huge number of artists mentioned far too briefly in this collection:

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-293" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Screen-Shot-2018-02-26-at-5.53.12-PM.png" alt="" width="997" height="964" />
<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-292" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Screen-Shot-2018-02-26-at-5.53.40-PM-1012x1024.png" alt="" width="840" height="850" />
<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-289" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Screen-Shot-2018-02-27-at-10.42.35-AM-1024x964.png" alt="" width="840" height="791" />
<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-290" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Screen-Shot-2018-02-27-at-10.35.16-AM-1024x994.png" alt="" width="840" height="815" />
<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-291" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Screen-Shot-2018-02-26-at-5.59.40-PM-1024x1011.png" alt="" width="840" height="829" />
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.