Black History

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Fiction House Nov 1944

Jumbo Comics #69

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First published interior art in the comic book industry by Matt Baker, the first known black artist in comics
Baker is credited as having illustrated the first graphic novel, It Rhymes With Lust
Baker's name is synonymous with the term 'Good Girl Art' which referred to stimulating illustrations of women
Baker defined the classic Phantom Lady imagery which caused him to be a target of Dr. Frederic Wertham, author of "Seduction of the Innocent"
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$40
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$120
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Final appearance of Steamboat, a character portrayed through racist stereotypes whose depiction sparked protests from schoolchildren demanding his removal from Fawcett Comics
Parents' Magazine Press Mar 1947

Negro Heroes #1

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$440
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Biographies of famous and influential African Americans including George Washington Carver, Charles Thomas and Paul Robeson
All Negro Comics Jun 1947

All Negro Comics #1

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First comic book produced in full by black creators including writers, artists and the publisher
As quoted by editor Orrin C. Evans "every brush stroke and pen line in the drawings on these pages are by Negro artists"
Inside back cover has an advertisement for #2 but it was never published
Fawcett Jan 1949

Jackie Robinson #1

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$220
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$825
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Biography of Jackie Robinson, the first black Major League Baseball player in the modern era who started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947
A Jackie Robinson 1952 Topps rookie card graded 9 by PSA sold for $960,000 in 2021
EC Mar 1953 Vol 2

Weird Fantasy #18

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$130
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Classic story titled 'Judgement Day' that reveals the protagonist to be an African-American man which, at the time was uncommon for creators to depict a black man in a leadership role
Atlas Sep 1954

Jungle Tales #1

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$75
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$190
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$750
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1st appearance of Waku, Marvel's first heroic black character - Marvel was publishing under the name Atlas at the time
1st appearance of Jann of the Jungle
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$75
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$190
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$750
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Reprint of 'Judgement Day,' a story about an astronaut who is revealed to be black in the final panel
The self-regulating committee, the Comics Code Authority (CCA) ordered the final panel to be replaced but the decision was reversed after the creators threatened to inform the press
The Fellowship of Reconciliation Jan 1958

Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story

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One-shot educational comic book that told the Rosa Parks bus incident story to teach non-violent resistance in a politically-charged atmosphere
Other stories include a brief biography of Martin Luther King Jr. and Ghandi's independence protest
Reprinted in Spanish and Arabic
First print run was 250,000 and can be identified by the copper-coated staples
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$25
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$75
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1st appearance of Jackie Johnson, a member of Easy Company and one of the first non-stereotypical African-American characters in DC Comics
1st appearance of Wildman, aside from Sgt. Rock, the most prominent member of Easy Company who earned his nickname from his wild, sometimes reckless behavior in battle
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1st appearance of Sgt. Nick Fury
1st team appearance of the Howling Commandos: Happy Sam Sawyer, Dino Manelli, Dum Dum Dugan, Junior Juniper, Rebel Ralston and Gabe Jones, the first ongoing black character in the mainstream Marvel Universe (post Fantastic Four #1)
In the book, Stan Lee's Amazing Marvel Universe, Stan explains Gabe Jones was intended to be black but due to a printing error, he was the same color as the other soldiers. Gabe's skin tone is noticeably different in the next issue though it doesn't appear to be a natural skin color
Dell Dec 1965

Lobo #1

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1st appearance and origin of Lobo
First comic book title featuring a black character
Fitzgerald Publications Jan 1966

Golden Legacy #1

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Premiere issue of a sixteen-issue series of biographical content related to black men and women who had a significant impact on history
Featured: Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Robert Smalls and others including an issue dedicated to black cowboys
Gilberton May 1969

Classics Illustrated #169

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$8
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$25
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$80
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Biographies of influential black Americans from the colonial era: Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Harriet Tubman, Crispus Attucks and Dr. Daniel Hale Williams
Final issue of the Classics Illustrated series
Marvel Sep 1969

Captain America #117

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$60
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$180
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$650
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1st appearance and origin of the Falcon, Sam Wilson, the first African-American superhero in mainstream comics
1st appearance of Redwing, a falcon and Sam Wilson's sidekick
SF Comic Book Co. Jan 1970

Ebon #1

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First independent title with a black superhero headlining the series preceding Marvel's Luke Cage, Hero For Hire by two years
DC Apr 1970 Vol 2

Green Lantern #76

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$85
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1st appearance of Appa Ali Apsa, a Guardian of the Universe
Retitled Green Arrow/Green Lantern
Issue considered by many to mark the end of the comic book Silver Age
Introduction of controversial social themes in comics - Green Lantern is reprimanded by a black man which was an expression of frustration by the creators for the lack of accurately presented black people in comics
Marvel Feb 1971

Captain America #134

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Captain America retitled Captain America and The Falcon
1st appearance of Stone-Face, a crime lord based in Harlem
1st appearance of Sarah Wilson, Sam Wilson's sister
Skywald Jul 1971

Hell-Rider #1

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$12
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1st appearance of Butterfly, the first super-powered black female in comic books
1st appearance of Brice Reese, a vigilante with a customized motorcycle that included a flamethrower
Prototype of Ghost Rider, also created by Gary Friedrich
Marvel Jun 1972

Hero for Hire #1

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1st appearance and origin of Luke Cage, the first black superhero to headline a title in mainstream comics
Luke Cage became invincible to harm through a Super Soldier program called Project Power aka Weapon VI
1st appearance of Diamondback, Comanche and Shades
Dell Oct 1972

Friday Foster #1

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One-shot based on the the first syndicated, newspaper comic strip that featured a black woman
In 1975, three years after the comic was published, Pam Grier starred in a film of the same name
DC Jan 1973

Wonder Woman #204

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1st appearance of Nubia, Wonder Woman's sister and the first black super-powered female in DC Comics
Death of I-Ching, killed by a sniper
Return of Wonder Woman's classic costume which had been absent since issue #179
Marvel May 1975

Giant-Size X-Men #1

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1st appearance of the new X-Men: Storm (1st), Nightcrawler (1st), Colossus (1st), Thunderbird (1st), Wolverine (3rd)
Many resources label this the 2nd full appearance of Wolverine and The Incredible Hulk #182 a second cameo
1st appearance of Illyana Rasputin as a child, later becomes Magik
Introduction of Krakoa, the Living Island
First use of the sound effect 'snikt' associated with Wolverine's claws
DC Jun 1977

Teen Titans #48

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1st appearance of Karen Beecher as Bumblebee, DC's first black, female superhero - appeared in Teen Titans #45 not in costume
Nubia appeared before Beecher but was not a hero at the time
Bumblebee joins the Teen Titans
Duela Dent takes the name 'Harlequin'
Dark Horse Comics Jun 1990

Give Me Liberty #1

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1st appearance of Martha Washington, an African-American teenager on a heroic journey in a dystopian landscape
Critically-acclaimed four-part limited series
Written by Frank Miller with art by Dave Gibbons
Milestone Apr 1993

Hardware #1

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1st appearance of Hardware, an inventor who created a battle suit to fight crime
1st appearance of Edwin Alva, a genius inventor
Debut title published by Milestone Media, an imprint of DC founded by black artists and writers
Milestone Jun 1993

Static #1

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1st appearance of Static Shock, the first black superhero to star in his own cartoon series
1st appearance of Hotstreak, a villain with the power to control fire
[April 2026 - Variety reported a Static film is in development]
Image Aug 2008 Vol 2

Savage Dragon #137

Variant
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$10
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$35
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$110
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1st cover appearance of Barack Obama
Variant cover art by Erik Larsen that has a second, third and fourth printing with alternate-colored backgrounds
The Savage Dragon ran for President of the United States four years earlier but lost

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