Calling all blerds, nerds, comic book readers and collectors, the Schomburg Center has put out the Bat Signal and announced today that registration is now open for their 6th annual Black Comic Book Festival.
Oh, and it’s free by the way so yeah it’s L I T!
Presented by co-founders Jerry Craft (Mama’s Boyz), John Jennings (Black Kirby /University of California-Riverside), Deirdre Hollman (Black Comics Collective), and Jonathan Gayles (White Scripts and Black Supermen /Georgia State University), Black Comic Book Festival prides itself as a safe space where POC’s can express their love for comic book culture.
The 6th annual event will feature a cosplay show, panels featuring discussions on diversity and social justice in comics, black comics in digital spaces, black masculinity in comics and much more. This year looks to build off the moment from last years festival where more than 12,000 participants visited the Schomburg during the two-day event.
This year is even more special as it also backed by Lexus and will feature some exclusive content from Black Panther: Soul of A Machine. The car company will be featuring a special version of their LC Concept Coupe in the upcoming Marvel Film, Black Panther.
Schomburg Center Director Kevin Young, on upcoming festival:
“Comics and graphic novels have long entertained and educated, and continue to have always had significant mass appeal in encouraging and improving literacy among readers of all ages. As a library, archive and cultural center dedicated to the global Black experience, the Schomburg is proud to be home of the Black Comic Book Festival, where the comix community can continue elevating discourse around comics as literature, and about diversity on and behind comic book pages.”
Jerry Craft, co-founder of the Black Comic Book Festival.
“We’re extremely excited to bring the comic book festival back to Harlem for its 6th year and to offer a program that excites and engages thousands of comix creators and fans from all over the world. This is a program created and driven by the community, and its support continues to grow, showing that appetite for comix and creators of color is stronger than ever before.”
Sounds like two days of epicness and wokeness definitely needed for the culture. To register for the Black Comic Book Festival head over to schomburgcenter.eventbrite.com. Definitely an event we are looking forward to opening up the new year with.
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Photo: Cheryl Lathan/Schomburg Center
