"You don't have to be Black to get yo' Black On!!"
"Once y'all go Black you may never go back!"
"Indie is always more than a Black Thing!!"
"Diversity is more than skin deep!"
"The Blacker da berry the sweeter its use!"
"Believe da hype!"
The world's first fully functional independent Black Age of Comics Convention, Chicago was boldly produced in February 1993 at the historic South Side Community Art Center in the Bronzeville District of Chicago. Others draft on that fact by making similar claims, but where were their events in 1993?
Black Age of Comics Convention, Chicago was always open to all positive folks. Whites, LantinX, The Queer Spectrum, The Disabled Spectrum, Trans-Generational, Asian Spectrum Blacks and even Martians! Its program included vendors, workshops, displays, exhibitions and a radio broadcast.
That first influential Black Age of Comics Convention was fortunate to have important tangible support from Milestone Media's Dwayne McDuffie & Matt Wayne plus Herbert Nipson who was the Executive Editor of EBONY Magazine and the President of the South Side Community Art Center.
Milestone Media is the most important indie Black Age publisher.
Both were launched in Feb. 1993!
The term, "Black Age of Comics" as both a genre & movement were conceived in 1980 when Onli published the 'zine, "Papers" with the OSUN Center For The Arts.
It was officially launched by Prof. Turtel Onli, M.A.A.T. in 1993. The convention benefited from planning and constructive participation by Craig Rex Perry and Cassandra Washington. Executive Producer, ONLI STUDIOS.
Again, we pose our prompt:
"How Black was this entire industry before we dropped that opulent Black Age of Comics bomb with the infectiously prophetic manifesto-type article that appeared in the Comics Buyers Guide, in February of 1993 in support of our first Black Age of Comics Convention, Chicago?"
.JPG)
