Press Release
The Access Guide To The Black Comic Book Community has more pages, more comics, stores and includes a new chapter for podcasts!
In February 2021, Anyone Comics published Access Guide To The Black Comic Book Community 2020-2021. Not only were comic books with Black creators featured, but Black-owned comic shops, conventions, and both indy and mainstream publishers, as well.
The industry has shown significant growth in all these categories with more books released than in 2020 and new stores opening! The Access Guide To The Black Comic Book Community is growing to show the market’s expansion. In addition to the larger page count, book designer George Carmona 3rd, editor Joseph Illidge, and publisher Dimitrios Fragiskatos have upped the ante with color pages, a new section for Black podcasters, and a new cover image by Jamal Igle depicting Stinger II from Ahoy Comics’ critically-acclaimed series The Wrong Earth.
“One of the connectors, for comic book culture, has been podcasts, whether it’s been people quarantining or simply commuting to work. The people who don’t get the experience of being in a shop, may have felt connected simply from the talking points of Black Nerd Problems or For All Nerds or The Blerd Gurl,” says Fragiskatos. “And these podcasts keep them informed for when they are placing orders on the Anyone Comics website, or visiting the store in person after being away.”
The first volume of Access Guide To The Black Comic Book Community was very well received, and the profits went to the Dwayne McDuffie Fund. The group has set up a Kickstarter campaign for the second volume and has raised over $7,000 to cover production costs. With a plan to include more content as they reach each stretch goal, Fragiskatos, Carmona, and Illidge will add another section to the book if they reach the $9000 mark. The section, titled “Books” would cover non-fiction reference material that talks about previously-released content, including Ablaze Publishing’s Friday Foster, and new graphic novels with materials created prior to 2021, including DC Comics’ upcoming Milestone Compendium One.
In addition to being a guidebook for fans looking to support Black businesses and content creators, the Access Guide to the Black Comic Book Community 2021-2022 is a tool for retailers to help their customers pivot to a wider selection of books and publishers. For stores that want early access, there is a retailer tier on the Kickstarter campaign page. Look for the book to be offered in Diamond’s Previews catalog at a later date!
Be a part of the Community!
