“This is a complete step back in the wrong direction,” the artist said.
A recent installment of long-running syndicated comic strip “Six Chix” tackling anti-mask rhetoric from a Black Lives Matter movement perspective was pulled from some newspapers last Tuesday.
Founded in 2000, “Six Chix” is a collaborative comic strip that’s been syndicated daily to more than 120 newspapers, focusing on a broad range of topics from a woman’s perspective, including gags about breaking news, the economy and even zombies.
The group features a rotating team of female creators, including Bianca Xunise — the Chicago-based cartoonist behind the controversial edition — who became the first Black woman to join the team and second to be nationally syndicated in comics history earlier this year.
The newest installment depicts a Black woman at a grocery store wearing a face covering and “I Can’t Breathe” written across her shirt — a nod to the death of George Floyd in police custody earlier this year, Xunise told NBC News.
A blue-eyed, older white woman says: “If you can’t breathe, then take that silly mask off!”
Tea Fougner, editorial director at King Features, the comic strip’s syndicate, confirmed to NBC News that angry responses to the strip resulted in some newspapers dropping “Six Chix” from publication entirely.
While the company is not allowed to share the names of its clients, Fougner said, an apology was printed at an undisclosed newspaper in the comic’s usual spot later in the week.
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