African-American Comics 3 3

[sacentaur]

I don't know.

[Readcomix]

By OP request...

[Ameri]

[sacentaur]

42 minutes ago, Readcomix said:

By OP request...

There you go!

[Readcomix]

7 minutes ago, sacentaur said:

There you go!

I really do think this one's underrated....wartime villain caricatures aside, is there another major Golden Age hero cover with a caricature like this one? I'm sure I could be missing some, but I cannot think of any other where the character is of such central prominence to the cover image as in is case. 

[bluechip]

On 7/24/2017 at 6:43 PM, Sqeggs said:

Here's the guy usually thought to be the first African-American comicbook hero, although, as discussed in another thread, it's a bit ambiguous.

The suggestion that his race is ambiguous comes from the observation/suggestion that his hair and face suggested a blogger that the lead is a white man in "blackface".   Considering the topic that suggestion is a bit ironic in and of itself, but, even aside from that there is a native woman in the story depicted with similar hair and features, and a character specifically refers (derogatively) to the Red Mask as a "half breed native".   

Edited August 7, 2017 by bluechip

[bluechip]

[bluechip]

An early Disney book:

[Sqeggs]

11 hours ago, bluechip said:

The suggestion that his race is ambiguous comes from the observation/suggestion that his hair and face suggested a blogger that the lead is a white man in "blackface".   Considering the topic that suggestion is a bit ironic in and of itself, but, even aside from that there is a native woman in the story depicted with similar hair and features, and a character specifically refers (derogatively) to the Red Mask as a "half breed native".   

I think the ambiguity also comes from the fact that he is shown as white on the covers to the other issues.  That, at least, clouds the question of whether he should be counted as the first black comic hero.  I would think so, on the basis of issue 1, but it's not completely clear cut, imo.

[Sqeggs]

11 hours ago, bluechip said:

An early Disney book:

Is that the one that was published in the UK in the early 1930s?

[BOOT]

On 7/25/2017 at 3:52 PM, Sqeggs said:

 

Very tough book to find. This is the nicest copy I've seen...

[bluechip]

2 hours ago, Sqeggs said:

I think the ambiguity also comes from the fact that he is shown as white on the covers to the other issues.  That, at least, clouds the question of whether he should be counted as the first black comic hero.  I would think so, on the basis of issue 1, but it's not completely clear cut, imo.

I would agree it's ambiguous if he was white on the inside pages, but he's black (and referred to as black).  The white skin on the later covers seems to be an effort to hide his skin color from buyers and dealers, back in the day when large numbers of both groups would boycott anything like that (as they did, 26 years later, with "Lobo").     Actually, if you look at the pictures on the covers of 2-4 he's not only depicted as white but as an entirely different guy.   And, especially on 3 and 4, he bears no resemblance to the red mask inside the book.  And on 4 the cover scene bears no resemblance to the action or anyplace the action was likely to go.    The idea by the blogger in question, that he's actually a white man, depends not on reading the books but entirely on the observation that his hair and facial features don't appear black (to that blogger, who apparently didn't know or care that it's sort of a, well, racist thing to say, or that the character is referred to in the books as a "half breed."   So, based on all that his supposition is/was that at some point later on in the unpublished additional issues of the story they would reveal he was wearing blackface all that time which apparently was so effectively that it wouldn't come off in water or in battle, or any of the other situations depicted or alluded to in the book.   

[bluechip]

2 hours ago, Sqeggs said:

Is that the one that was published in the UK in the early 1930s?

Yes, early 30s, British book

[IngelsFan]

So, would this be the correct forum to discuss African-American comic book creators as well? Who were some of the earliest ones? I know of Tom Feelings, who would go on to do childrens books and win a Caldecott Medal but who got his start in pre-code horror and western comics. He also was the artist on the Golden Legacy series of black history comics.

[comicjack]

Down under rarely seen

[valiantman]

[sacentaur]

43 minutes ago, IngelsFan said:

So, would this be the correct forum to discuss African-American comic book creators as well? 

Absolutely!

Not sure if everyone realizes it, but Alvin Hollingsworth was African-American. A true pioneer, he started in comics around the age of 13 years old (1941)!

[Sqeggs]

1 hour ago, bluechip said:

I would agree it's ambiguous if he was white on the inside pages, but he's black (and referred to as black).  The white skin on the later covers seems to be an effort to hide his skin color from buyers and dealers, back in the day when large numbers of both groups would boycott anything like that (as they did, 26 years later, with "Lobo").     Actually, if you look at the pictures on the covers of 2-4 he's not only depicted as white but as an entirely different guy.   And, especially on 3 and 4, he bears no resemblance to the red mask inside the book.  And on 4 the cover scene bears no resemblance to the action or anyplace the action was likely to go.    The idea by the blogger in question, that he's actually a white man, depends not on reading the books but entirely on the observation that his hair and facial features don't appear black (to that blogger, who apparently didn't know or care that it's sort of a, well, racist thing to say, or that the character is referred to in the books as a "half breed."   So, based on all that his supposition is/was that at some point later on in the unpublished additional issues of the story they would reveal he was wearing blackface all that time which apparently was so effectively that it wouldn't come off in water or in battle, or any of the other situations depicted or alluded to in the book.   

I should probably crack these out and read the stories.  

[bluechip]

2 hours ago, Sqeggs said:

I should probably crack these out and read the stories.  

Wait.   Does that mean you own all those?   

[Sqeggs]

50 minutes ago, bluechip said:

Wait.   Does that mean you own all those?   

Who, me?