Given the lack of variety and interest that can be involved with assigned book reading, it can be beneficial for young Black readers to experience Black sci-fi and fantasy as early as possible. Thankfully, there has been a steady growth of Black speculative fiction books for middle and high school students within the last few years. Here are ten of the best Black SFF books for young readers....
Latonya Pennington
Latonya Pennington
Latonya Pennington is a freelance writer from the southern United States specializing in entertainment and pop culture. In addition to BlackSci-Fi.com, her pop culture work can be found on The Mary Sue, Black Girl Nerds, and Buzzfeed. When she isn’t freelancing, she can be found tweeting, reading, doing creative writing, or streaming music, shows and anime online.
Top Ten Reasons to Check Out Cowboy Bebop
Netflix recently announced that its live-action adaptation of the classic anime series Cowboy Bebop will premiere on November 19th. They also revealed the first images of the show's main protagonists: Spike Spiegel (played by John Cho), Faye Valentine (played by...
Review/ Can You Sign My Tentacle?
Some of the best speculative poetry often reexamines traditional aspects of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror through a modern lens. Linda D. Addison's How To Recognize A Demon Has Become Your Friend? has monsters, tech, and magic in an urban fantasy setting, while Tracy K....
Review/ Aurion Kajuta Gems Fighter
Five years after the release of the African action RPG platformer Aurion: Legacy of The Kori-Odan, Cameroonian game developers Kiro'o Games have released the mobile game Aurion Kajuta Gem Fighter in English and French on Android devices, with iOS currently in...
Review- Nubia: Real One
One of the best things that DC Comics has done in the past couple of years is reintroducing some of their most well-known and lesser-known characters to a younger audience via graphic novels. There have been books for Raven and Beastboy from Teen Titans and Zatanna...
What Got Me Through (December) 2020: Pokémon
Editor's Note: 2020 has been the year that we’d all like to forget. Without getting into specifics, this year has been difficult for all of us. Here at BlackSci-Fi.com we’re starting a series focusing on those “things” which go us through the year. They can be Blerd/...
Review: Nightfall- Michael’s Awakening #1
Written: Dwayne Robinson Jr. Art: Dwayne Robinson Jr. Colors: John Harley Letters: Terence Young Published: Animation Comics & Entertainment LLC Halloween might be over, but a chill in the air remains. This is not only due to the colder weather but also due to the...
10 Black Science Fiction/ Fantasy Works That Need A Netflix Adaptation
With the success of Netflix original adaptations like Gina Prince Blythewood's film The Old Guard, Netflix has announced that it wants more "Harry Potter and Star Wars-style" movies and films. Netflix needs to look no further than the plethora of Black sci-fi and...
Review: The Black Mage
Publisher: Oni Press Writer/ Co-Creator: Daniel Barnes Artist/ Co-Creator: D.J. Kirkland I can't tell you how many times I've watched a fantasy or sci-fi tv show or film and noted the one or two token Black characters in a mostly white cast. There's Dean Thomas in...
Review/ Nasomi’s Quest
Writer: Enock I. Simbaya Publisher: MVmedia MVmedia has an impressive catalog of African inspired fantasy and steampunk, known as steamfunk and sword and soul. I've been a fan of their body of work for years, having reviewed some of their first titles on an old blog...
Review- Bitter Root Vol. 1: Family Business
Entertaining audiences while challenging them to confront their worst fears, horror has been one of the most fascinating genres for Black creators. When combined with another medium such as comic books, the audience sees their nightmares within stunning visual art,...
Trendsetters: Janelle Monáe’s The Archandroid
Originally released in 2010, Janelle Monáe's debut album The ArchAndroid was the follow up to the 2007 EP Metropolis Suite I: The Chase. With its innovative sci-fi concept, eclectic musical production, and its symbolic alter-ego Cindi Mayweather, this album is a...
Review/ Adorned by Chi, Issues 1 & 2
Writer/ Creator: Jacque Aye Artist: Magus Ato Cover Artist: Tiana Mone’e In the late 90's, a generation of kids would grow up watching Sailor Moon, a Japanese animated series about five school girls transforming into magical superheroes to fight evil. Sailor Moon has...
BlackSci-Fi.com Interview with Nerdtino Expo Organizer Thomas Delfi
BlackSci-Fi.com: Tell us about yourself and Nerdtino Expo. Thomas Delfi: Nerdtino Expo is the First East Coast Latinx Comic Book Convention, coming to Philadelphia, November 18th, 2017, hosted at Taller Puertorriquenuo. Our hope is to use that traditional model of the...
Review: The Prey of Gods
Nicky Drayden's The Prey of Gods tells a story of a futuristic South Africa where things have seemingly gotten better. Almost everyone has a personal robot to attend them, genetic engineering is making the economy thrive, and the government is learning to harness...
Review: Ashalon
Bobby Lee Townsend is a 12 year old Mississippi country boy whose biggest worries are his siblings and the sting of his father's belt. When he starts having agonizing headaches, he finds that he has developed extraordinary special abilities. Soon, a series of tragic...
Review: Return of A.G.
Two years after the defeat of the android dictator A.G., the heroes known as The Elementals have their work cut out for them. Using clues and connections, The Elementals discover the Prudence Kids that brought A.G. to life are planning something major. At the same...
Review: The Keepers: Origins
Writer/ Creator: Jazmin Truesdale Illustrator: Remero Colston Publisher: Aza Entertainment Rating: PG-13 Although we've had black female characters like Storm, Vixen, and Misty Knight, we've had so few black female comic creators in mainstream comics. It took Marvel...
Review- Catalyst Prime: The Event
Writers: Christopher Priest and Joseph Phillip Illidge Pencils/ Inks: Marco Turini and Will Rasado Colors: Jessica Kholinne Letters: Andworld Design Publisher: Lion Forge Comics Rating: PG-13 On Free Comic Book Day 2017, Lion Forge Comics...
Why You Can’t Be Color-Blind In Sci-fi and Fantasy
In an article for Ebony magazine, actress Zoe Saldana stated that being in sci-fi film roles made her color-blind. According to her, she thinks starring in films like Avatar, Guardians of The Galaxy, and Star Trek has allowed her to "reinvent herself" and escape from...
Review: Of Cinder and Bone
Most people associate the word dragons with magic, knights, and other elements of fantasy fiction. Of Cinder and Bone, the first book of Kyoko M's newest series, takes dragons and puts them in a sci-fi setting that is reminiscent of "Jurassic Park". Two MIT scientists...