African characters in comics

African characters have appeared in comics since the very first comic strips were created. In the early 1900s, comics often showed Africans in unfair and hurtful ways, such as calling them spear-carrying cannibals just for laughs. This was a common mistake of that time.

Over time, these characters started to appear in different roles. They were sometimes shown as the so-called "noble savage," which was still not a fair way to portray people. This was similar to how Native Americans were sometimes shown in comics.

Eventually, African characters began to be drawn as everyday people, just like anyone else. This showed growth in how comics saw and told stories about people from the African continent.

History

American comics

In the early days of comic strips and comic books, many characters from different backgrounds were shown using old-fashioned and unfair ideas. Black characters were often shown in ways that were not true to life, acting silly or scared. Even in serious stories from the 1950s, Black characters sometimes looked unfair with big eyes and thick lips.

The first big Black character in comics appeared in Cartoonist Lee Falk's adventure strip Mandrake the Magician. This character, Lothar, came from a group of jungle tribes but chose to travel the world fighting crime instead of becoming a leader. He was known for being very strong. At first, he dressed in simple clothes and spoke differently, but later he started wearing normal clothes and talking like everyone else.

Another important comic was All-Negro Comics, published in 1947. It featured Lion Man, a young scientist from Africa who worked to protect a big supply of uranium. He wore simple clothes and worked with a young helper named Bubba to fight a bad guy named Doctor Blut Sangro.

It wasn’t until the 1950s that a comic showed an African character as a strong, independent hero. This character was Waku, a leader from Africa, and he had his own stories without any white characters. The first well-known Black superhero in American comics was the Black Panther, who first appeared in Fantastic Four in 1966. After that, more Black heroes like the Falcon and Storm appeared in comics.

African comics

In 1975, a comic called Powerman was made to teach children. It featured a super-strong character who could fly, and it was drawn in a simple style. Later, the name was changed to Powerbolt.

From 1965 to 1985, a comic and radio show in South Africa featured Jet Jungle and his friend Jupiter. Jet Jungle was ahead of his time and helped teach many children about nature and taking care of Africa’s forests and jungles.

In 2005, Nelson Mandela shared plans for a comic book called A Son of the Eastern Cape, which would tell the story of his early life. The comic was made up of 8 parts and was written and drawn by Nic Buchanan. It was planned to be translated into many languages spoken in South Africa.

Belgian comics

In 1930, a comic called Tintin in the Congo showed Africa using old-fashioned and unfair ideas. The artist later said he didn’t research much and the book showed what many Europeans thought at the time. In 1939, another comic named Blondin et Cirage showed a Black character named Cirage who was just as smart as his white friend, which was different from most comics of that time.

Dutch comics

In 1947, a comic called Sjors en Sjimmie introduced a Black African child named Sjimmie. At first, he spoke Dutch in a strange way, but later the comic was changed to remove these old-fashioned ideas.

Italian comics

One of the earliest Italian comic strips was about a little African boy named Bilbolbul. The comic was drawn between 1908 and 1933.

Listed by company

DC Comics

Several African characters have appeared in DC Comics stories. Some come from the group of gods called the Orishas, like Adiremi, who is the living wind, and Agemo, a shapeshifting chameleon. Other characters include Computo (Danielle Foccart) from Côte d'Ivoire and part of an alternate Legion of Super-Heroes, and Freedom Beast, a South African hero who works with the Global Guardians. There are also heroes like Invisible Kid (Jacques Foccart) and Kid Impala, each bringing their own unique stories.

Wildstorm (ABC/Homage)

In Wildstorm comics, Anansi is an illusion-casting hero from Kenya, and Flint is a superstrong Kenyan woman who has worked with teams like Stormwatch and the Authority.

Marvel comics

Marvel features many African characters too. Olumo Bashenga is an ancient king of Wakanda, and Black Panther is the heroic ruler of Wakanda, currently T'Challa. Other characters include Anansi, based on a well-known trickster, and Jetstream, a Moroccan mutant with special abilities. There are also many other heroes and villains from across Africa in Marvel stories.

Atlas Comics

In Atlas Comics, Waku Prince of the Bantu was a featured African chieftain in stories without regular white characters.

Marvel UK

Marvel UK introduced Afrikaa Ngala, who draws power from a special magma pool, and Doctor Crocodile, a magic user and chief from Mbangawi who is a friend of Captain Britain.

Strikeforce Morituri

In Strikeforce: Morituri, Silencer Akiya Bandaranaike became a powerful hero after choosing to undergo a special process, gaining superhuman strength and the ability to block sound.

Supremeverse

The Supremeverse includes The Five, five unnamed African heroes who asked the Squadron Supreme and Hyperion to leave Africa, and The Voice, General John M'Butu, a leader with strong psychic powers.

Small Press: Comic Book

Captain Africa is a detective living in Juba Castle near a high-tech city called Egyptica. His real name is Prince Najee M’Witu.

Lion Man is a scientist from America who was sent by the United Nations to watch over a mysterious mountain near the African Gold Coast.

Zwanna, Son of Zulu is a playful superhero with special powers linked to Zulu traditions. He carries a spear with magical vines that he can control with his mind.

Nighthawk and Noah are characters who appeared in the comic called the Soul Sorcerer.

Nubian Knight is an ordinary man from South Africa who gains super powers from an ancient, godlike being named "El".

Anansi is a character from the comic published by Comico.

NETERS is a high-science-entertainment series from Daathrekh Publishing.

The Horsemen are characters representing gods from the Yoruba pantheon, including Yemaya, Ogun, Obatala, Oshun, Shango, Oya, and Eshu.

C.U.S.H. is a team of black superhumans from the comic Liberator.

Ku-Zu'u is a jungle king who appears in Wildman Comics & Stories and meets Xal-Kor the Human Cat.

Oba is a member of the team UNForce.

Dreadlocks is a blind hero empowered by ancient African gods. He was taught by a master teacher named Pharohn, and his goal is to bring order, justice, and peace to people.

Dread & Alive is a comic series from ZOOLOOK that features Drew McIntosh, the first Jamaican superhero in comics, and includes elements of West African spirituality.

Small Press: Graphic Novel

Double Storey

Dave the Red Monkey is a fun character who looks like a red ape. He lives in a strange, imaginative version of Cape Town with regular humans. This story, called "Red Monkey: The Leaking Cello Case", was created and drawn by South African artist Joe Daly in 2003. Dave lives in old, fancy buildings and tries to avoid his lazy friends who always want money.

Gettosake

Credence Walker is an adventure hero inspired by an old character named Doc Savage. He lives in an imagined version of Africa. Travis G. Johnson wrote the stories, and Jeremy & Robert Love created the art. This was planned to be published in 2004 by Gettosake Entertainment.

Webcomics

Eleggua is a modern version of the Yoruba trickster deity, also known as Eshu. It was created for online comics by Alex Hernandez (writer) and illustrated by Korshi Dosoo. You can find the comic series in two parts: [Eleggua: Divine Infections]( and [Eleggua: Blood & Thunder](.

Other media

Television

• Anansi the Spider – a hero from Ghana, and one of the greatest heroes in west Africa. Anansi can make realistic illusions look real. He is named after Anansi, a clever spider from African stories. He appeared as a guest on the animated show Static Shock.