The Black Jedi seems to be the elusive unicorn in a never-ending fight for representation. I’m of course referring to the lack of one in Star Wars Episode VII, where Finn didn’t turn out to be the light-saber wielding master everyone hoped he would. As fleeting as it is, the Black Jedi, or lack of one, can be argued in all media and is indicative of the feelings of many marginalized groups, not just people of color. We all want to see ourselves represented in a way that gives thought to our humanity, struggles, power, triumphs, and ultimately makes us look cool while fighting each other with huge glow sticks in a distant galaxy.
That being said, I’m not going to stand around and wait for the Black Jedi to show up and represent me. Instead, I’m going to give you guys a list of fifty comics and their creators who, together, make up a massive Voltron-like machine of creations that are killing any notion of whether diverse storytellers exist. I’m not just talking black or white, male or female, gay or straight. I’m talking genre. I’m giving you sci-fi, action, adventure, fantasy, drama, comedy. All of it.
So if you see anything that you like, don’t just say, “oh that’s cool,” close the browser window, and hop on your Twitter soap box about the lack of diversity. It’s right here. For your face. One click away.
We’ll be spotlighting five comics a week until we hit fifty. If any of these comics grab you, actually support the creators who are giving you the diversity you say you want. Not with Facebook likes. With money. That they can maybe pay rent with. Feed their families. Things like that.
And on that note, you’ll find some comics here that are published through Rosarium Publishing, a company who has garnered a reputation for publishing books with a multicultural flair. Right now they are running an IndieGoGo campaign to raise money to help move their operation from print-on-demand to offset printing. You can read more and contribute here.
So without further ado, here we go…
BOUNCE!
The weirdest stories of two sci-fi and movie geeks as they deal with NYC’s craziest bar patrons.
Creative Team
Story and Art: Chuck Collins
Web
