Supporting Black Creators (Follow-Up)

At the start of the month, I wrote about some good ways to support black comic book creators, and in addition to the monthly charitable donations I mentioned there, I promised all proceeds from that post would be donated.

Supporting Black Comics & Creators

I’ve crunched the numbers, and thanks in part to the fact that supporting black comics creators is *easily* my most frequently shared post on social in some time, the guide was a top 20 most viewed page on CBH throughout June. Likewise, the page was the 28th most searched landing page throughout the month, with an encouraging number of searchers looking for “black comic book artists/writers.”

As you’ve likely noticed, the momentum has slowed, but has certainly not evaporated, and the problems of systemic racism are still very much worth doubling down on keeping top of mind for everyone. This follow-up is not a tidy bow and a pat-on-the-back for a job well done.

If supporting black artists speaks to you, then I’d highly recommend this thread from Donna-lyn Washington:

I’m going to give you all a syllabus of #comics #indiecomics #graphicnovels that will help you all in not only this ongoing situation of the #pandemic and racist tactics by the police but you can find out a way to actually do something about it. Buy these straight from publisher pic.twitter.com/PNtUBCOQ9e

— Donnalyn Washington, MA ConversationsJohnJennings (@Notingshaw) June 1, 2020

One thing I’ve realized, is if I just swim along the path of least resistance, and read the comics I would most commonly read, I don’t just organically find too many black voices. I find even fewer stories that so head-on tackle problems of racism, gentrification, and the litany of social evils perpetrated upon black Americans. For a host of reasons (industry-wide challenges, my own unconscious bias, a dearth of featured black talent at major publishers), I have to make a concerted effort to read black creators in the space I cherish so much.

Again, it’s such a small thing, but it’s an effort I am committed to making, and I’ve been enjoying so many works that escaped my notice as a result. I now consider Ezra Claytan Daniels one of the most exciting comics creators of the last 5 years, and I hadn’t heard of him until two months ago. Victor Lavalle’s “Ballad Of Black Tom” (read as part of the My Marvelous Year Slack book club) and his comics work, “Destroyer,” were absolutely excellent. Ngozi Ukazu’s “Check Please” is impossibly hilarious and up my alley.

I know this is all very “Junior High white kid discovers Outkast,” but I suppose that’s why I open up about it – I refuse to let complacency and a lack of curiosity operate as barriers to supporting minority voices. The work is *very easy to do*, I just have to make a point of doing it.

And onto the earnings, modest as they are:

$1.72 adsense
$12.66 display advertising
$36.85 via affiliate earnings
$51.23 Total!

I’ll be donating this to Black Lives Matter Chicago. Thanks to all who support the work, and have shared this content. Let’s keep it going.