I doubt many people noticed. I mean, yes, some have a pretty clear "I wrote this for Black History Month" vibe to them, but not everything, I think. Most of my posts this month, I expect, read more or less like any other set of posts I write here. A variety of comics-related topics with whatever my however-well-or-ill-informed perspective is. My same tone, my same voice. It's just been "Sean talking about comics." It did take a modicum of additional thought on my part to center topics on Blackness in/around comics, but not much. And that's coming from as-white-as-they-come me.
My point being that it's not all that difficult a subject to talk about.
Here in 2025, we're living in a time when the most powerful nation on the planet is actively encouraging racism. They're actively firing people for being Black. They're actively telling government institutions that their funding will be cut if they don't promote racism. That other people are being hurt in the process isn't even relevant to them; they're so keen to make things worse for Black people, they are willing to sacrifice literally everyone that doesn't have a net worth in the billions. They are willing to burn the entire country to the ground if it means killing more Black people.
Make no mistake, the people promoting this hatred are awful in every sense of the word. In every way possible. They are vile, disgusting excuses for human beings. And some people buy into it. Some people blame their own failings on whatever "other" is convenient and, right now, they're being told it's people of color.
I don't have their platform. I don't have anywhere near the reach or influence they do. But I'm telling you that Black people are doing some absolutely amazing and wonderful things in comics. Plenty of other industries, too, of course, but I'm a comics guy who talks about comics, and there are some incredible comics out there by Black creators, featuring Black characters, focusing on Black issues/concerns. If you're reading this, go back through this month's posts and check out some of the great comics and comics creators I've been talking about. Go back through my blog -- I've got nearly two decades' worth of posts and a not insignificant number of them highlight Blackness in comics. I've talked about the stereotypes of historical characters like Ebony White and Steamboat; I've done mini-biographies of Matt Baker and Orrin Evans; I've reviewed comics about the Buffalo Soldiers and Little Rock Nine; I've tried putting characters like Black Panther and Icon into their historical contexts... There is plenty there to dig through.
I'm no expert in Black culture or the Black experience or anything. Much of what I do know is from having deliberately sought out Black voices in comics. It has been fascinating and enlightening and, often, just downright fun. Take a moment to check out some of these pieces I'm talking. Not every one is going to be everyone's cup of tea -- hell, I don't necessarily like all the stuff I talk about here -- but there is plenty to work with and the least you can do to fight the hatred coming out of Washington DC is to trying to uplift some of the people they're trying to bootheel.
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