Black Images in the Comics: A Visual History

A single-issue, oversize softcover published by Fantagraphics in 2012, Black Images in the Comics: A Visual History offers a sweeping, scholarly survey of the depiction of Black characters in American comic strips, comic books, and political cartoons from the 1890s to the 2010s. Assembled by a team of historians and scholars, the book presents a critical visual archive, tracing stereotypes, pioneering creators, and evolving representation across more than a century of sequential art. It stands as an essential reference work for understanding the complex, often painful, yet vital role of Black imagery in the history of the medium.