Most major Black characters are usually a small group of well-known names. Storm, Black Lightning, Miles Morales, Black Panther, and so on. While these are legendary and iconic characters, they are not the only Black superheroes or comic characters out there.
Here is a list of seven major Black characters from the independent comics world.
1. The Power Fantasy
The Power Fantasy is a 2024 dystopian Cold War thriller by writer Kieron Gillen and series artist Caspar Wijngaard. It’s the year 1999. Only six people in the world have superpowers. Also, each individual is massively overpowered. Etienne, a middle-aged Black man, has telepathy that can reach anyone in the world. Etienne assassinates a world leader with long-distance telepathy.
In this context, Etienne is a Prof. X archetype. Heavy, a Magneto archetype, controls gravity and even has the power to destroy cities or states. Valentina is a Brazilian woman with superhuman strength and the power of flight. The issue is that each individual has the power of a nuclear arsenal, and if they meet and fight, the world will end.
The Power Fantasy Volume 1: The Superpowers is a 136-page paperback that collects the first five issues of the issues. Buy it now on Amazon for $9.31.
2. Into The Unbeing
Into the Unbeing is a 2024 ecological, cosmic, and body horror comic by writer Zac Thompson and artist Hayden Sherman. The world is slowly dying, and science has run out of answers. Climate change is worsening, and there is a slow-building mass extinction of Earth’s ecology that no one can stop. A group of four climate scientists, led by botanist Hildur Johansson, locate a living landmass, a holobiant, with its own ecology, in the Australian outback.
One of the major Black characters in the story, Zora McQueen, is a geologist who frequently challenges Hilda. The group explores the holobiant, gets lost in the wonders and burgeoning horrors within, and loses sight of their mission goal.
Into the Unbeing Volume 1 is a 120-page paperback that collects the first story arc. Buy it now on Amazon for $18.65.
3. Abbott: 1973
Elena Abbott is one of the most interesting major Black characters in independent comics that many do not know about. It is written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Sami Kivelä. Abbott is a seasoned reporter and mystic, making a living in 1970s Detroit. She battles overt racism and sexism and gives her all to protect her city by investigating crimes the police ignore. It’s 1973, and Detroit might elect its first Black mayor.
However, a dark, supernatural force endangers the mayoral candidates, Abbott herself, her family, and Detroit.
Abbott: 1973 is a 128-page paperback that collects the first five issues of the series. Get it now on Amazon for $17.
4. Bitter Root
Bitter Root is an acclaimed 2018 independent comic featuring major Black characters in a monster hunter setting. The comic is written by Chuck Brown and David F. Walker with art by Sanford Greene. The Sangerye family, led by matriarch Etta Sangerye, hunts monsters in Renaissance Era Harlem.
However, they don’t kill the monsters. The family uses their own methods to cure the monsters. A family schism soon develops. Some Sangerye members decide that curing the monsters is a waste of time when extermination is a more permanent solution.
The Bitter Root Hardcover Omnibus is 528-pages and collects all 15 issues of the series. Get it now on Amazon for $42.
5. Killadelphia
Some of the best urban horror stories feature major black characters that you want to root for. Killadelphia is a 2019 vampire horror series set in Philadelphia. It is written by Rodney Barnes with art by Jason Shawn Alexander. Detective James Sangster Sr comes home to bury his father and grieve. During his grief, he stumbles upon a mystery and the realization that the city is overrun by vampires. Worse, they have always been there, and he just never noticed.
Killadelphia Deluxe Edition Book One is a 360-page hardcover that collects all 12 issues of the series. Buy it now on Amazon for $27.37.
6. Excellence
Spencer Dales is a young black man who grew up in a society of magic. The Aegis is an order of Black magicians who strive to improve life around them and protect people from wrongdoers. Spencer’s father was a member of Aegis, and now Spencer follows in his father’s footsteps. However, Spencer sees Aegis for what his father couldn’t – it’s really a broken system in drastic need of change.
Excellence is written by Spencer Dales with art by Khary Randolph. Excellence Volume 1 is a 160-page paperback that collects the first six issues of the series. You can buy it on Amazon now for $8.
7. Livewire
Amanda McKee is one of the major Black characters in the Valiant Universe. Toyo Harada, the world’s deadliest psionic, has the power of telepathy, telekinesis, and mind control. He oversees the Harbinger Foundations, which recruits young people with powers that Harada can train and control. McKee was one such recruit. She has the power to control electricity and telepathically communicate with machines. As Livewire, she is also an expert martial artist.
Livewire Vol. 1: Fugitive Vol. 1 is a 112-page paperback. It collects the first four issues of the 2018 series written by Vita Ayala with art by Raul Allen. Livewire begins searching for others like herself. Meanwhile, she causes a lot of trouble when her powers cripple the energy grid of the United States, causing a nationwide blackout.
Buy it now for $8.97 on Amazon.
Major Black Characters
A major 2016 research paper reveals that over 86% of white comic book characters are white males or white in general. The other 14% comprises all other races, ethnicities, and genders put together. It’s easy to complain about “wokeness” or reverse racism when 9-out-of-10 comic book characters look exactly like you.
Modern, Digital Age comic book fans, especially casual readers and normies getting into comics, like to see characters that look like them. So, it’s important to check out other major black characters than the usual suspects, like Black Panther, Blade, or Storm.
This post includes affiliate links. If you purchase anything through these affiliated links, the author/website may earn a commission.
You May Also Like…
- 7 More Underrated Black Female Superheroes
- Blood Circuit: The Cyborg Who Remembered He Was Human
- From Garage Sale to Goldmine: When a $1 Comic Becomes a $10,000 Find
- 10 Superhero Replicas, Memorabilia, and Masks for Hardcore Comic Book Fans
- 9 Superhero Omnibus Collections for New and Casual Readers
The post 7 Independent Comic Books With Major Black Characters You Must Know About appeared first on Personal Finance Advice.
