Black Comic Book Superheroes Exhibition at Swiss Cottage Library (until 6 Nov)
Grandma Said by Lance Tooks
The exhibition at the Swiss Cottage Library spanned a hundred years of black comic superheroes in one small room off of the main library. As I walked in I noted what I had seen before such as Aaron Mc Gruder’s excellent The Boondocks and unfortunately Tintin in the Congo .
The exhibition closely examined how each comic made its mark and whether they exploited or debunked myths and stereotypes about black people and the black experience. There was the inclusion of black British talent in the form of Bobby Josephs from Skank Magazine (1994-1996) and new or overlooked artists such as Lance Tooks and the stunning Grandma Said; a short story based on Hurricane Katrina.
Looking at the exhibition as a whole the thing that stood out the most was how the comic book format has the potential to utilise the best of every storytelling tradition: the character complexity of the novel, the powerful subtlety of pictures and the oral tradition of re-telling stories. The most exciting aspect of the exhibition was exploring the use of the comic for retelling history – most fitting for Black History Month. The exhibition included a commemorative comic book on Obama’s Road to the White House , the successful comic book adaptation of Nat Turner’s life by Kyle Baker and more unknown histories such as the panel from Heroes of Blues Jazz and Country by Robert Crumb who is also responsible for images like Angelfood Mc Spade . It raises questions about how, and by whom, black history should be portrayed.
Unfortunately, this exhibition was simply a taster. It could have been and should have been bigger. This isn’t the fault of Swiss Cottage Library which is an excellent venue and a lovely library to visit. The exhibition could have done with more black female characters other than Storm . A character who although groundbreaking for having black skin and being proud of her African heritage, has white features, platinum hair and blue eyes. There have been many more black female characters since Storm, most of whom have been ignored in the mainstream and again in this exhibition
Notwithstanding the lack of black women present as both artists and characters, this was an excellent exhibition and a great place to start on the search for black heroes whether they are between the pages of a comic book or not.
The Black Comic Book Superheroes Exhibition at Swiss Cottage Library runs until November 6th
