October brought a new Black-owned/operated fandom-focused convention to the Oakland, California area: AfroComicCon.
At the same time that big comic/fandom conventions keep getting bigger, small local cons are popping up almost every month. There are a lot of reasons for this — local cons offer an easier access point for families and younger fans, for example, while also providing a great starting point for young talent. They also can showcase local creators and provide a way for fans to get to know and support favorites in their neighborhoods. These local cons can blow up into national events in just a few years, but the experience of being there “on the ground floor” is really special. With that in mind, I went to AfroComicCon ready to have some fun.
It was a great first-year convention held in the wandering halls of a local school. In addition to all the Black comic book artists, writers, jewelry designers, painters — creators of all kinds of media — there were workshops and panel discussions held throughout the day, with yours-truly holding it down about Women in the Comics Industry with a fabulous panel. It was a great experience with all of the passion and love that a local event can bring.
When I wasn’t on stage, I was buying comics and supporting my local talent. Here’s a roundup of the comics I picked up, and why you might want to download them too. Many are available on Comixology or on the creators’ websites.
Writer: Adrean Klein / Artists: Miguel Ruiz, Eugen Betivu / Sygns Media Wow. Like for-real: wow. The set up: a government science facility is experimenting on kids, all of whom have a brain abnormality that simultaneously gives them a disability — ranging from Multiple Sclerosis to mutism — and an ability — from telepathy to radioactivity. With echoes of the X-Men, and particularly Wolverine and X-23, this comic goes way past them in its own, complicated, dynamic, direction. The first issue has moral ambiguity, team conflict, and all the mystery you’d expect for a handful of kids who’ve never left the lab.
The story is compelling and the art is top-notch. The faces are wonderfully drawn and the action well detailed. You’ll form opinions about each of these kids in just 16 pages. Hand this one to your snob friends who claim indie comics aren’t as “well produced” as those from the Big 2. This one will shut them the entire hell up. Available at Comixology, for you digital-or-nothing collectors.
Website: Victory Children Instagram: @victorychildren
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