In 1947, journalist Orrin Cromwell Evans had a dream to create a comic book devoted to blacks, written and illustrated by black talent. His dream became a reality with All-Negro Comics #1. While another title beat Wilson to newsstands with the distinction of being the first comic book aimed primarily for black readers, All-Negro Comics was comprised entirely of all-new material and solely by black artists. The forerunner, titled Negro Heroes was made up mostly of comic strips that formerly appeared in black newspapers.
Orrin enlisted his brother George J. Evans, Jr. as well as John Terrell and an artist known only as 'Len' among others to craft an anthology series that offered an array of stories for all readers. The first issue introduced audiences to hard-boiled detective Ace Harlem who must solve the murder of a black restaurant owner, illustrated by Terrell. George Evans illustrates an adventure starring a black scientist known as the Lion Man uses science and legend to protect a cache of Uranium from thieves. Len satires black fashion trends in his 'Hep Chicks on Parade' comic strips.
Humor also abounds with Sugarfoot, a sly youth who runs a foul of a farmer and his very attractive daughter and then there's hen-pecked L'il Eggie who can't win against his overbearing wife.
My least favorite segment was the fanciful Little Dew Dillies, a pair of pixies that explore their wetlands habitat. While the story was an example of how Orrin C. Evan attempted to make it where All-Negro Comics offered a little something for everyone, I wasn't alone in my dislike of the Dew Dillies. According to the commentaries that accompany this reissue, original readers and historians have felt that the inclusion of those magical sprites were really juvenile and out of place for such a sophisticated read.
My favorite story was the two-page prose mystery, 'Ezekiel's Manhunt'. Normally, I am not a fan of the composition tales that are included to suffice the U.S. Postal Service for choice shipping fees. However, the amount of care and craftsmanship is unsurpassed, especially compared to the fodder I've dug through in many a Dell Comics or Gold Key offering. Did Orrin C. Evans write this? If so, did he ever write more stories about Ezekiel and his townsfolk? I'd really want to read more!
It was Evan's intention for there to be an issue #2. However, that just wasn't in the cards. For one thing, All-Negro Comics had a cover price of 15 cents when all other titles were only a dime. Mind you, the debut issue was 48 pages. But for black families in the post World War era, that nickel was a lot of money. Evans also had trouble with infiltrating the segregated South with his book. Though the book did reach black audiences in the Midwest and even Canada, several thousand copies were returned unsold.
All-Negro Comics was Evan's baby. However, the stress and effort of trying to make issue #1 a success along with the disappointing sales led Orrin C. Evans to never follow through with the promised sophomore issue.
In response to the legacy of All-Negro Comics, a number of modern day black artists and writers were assembled to produce a what-if retrospective of Orrin C. Evan's promised follow up. Sugarfoot gets under the skin of that hapless farmer once again and the Communist foe of Lion Man's goes round two for that uranium by kidnapping our hero's sidekick, Bubba. Ace Harlem takes another case, only it's left unsolved with a cliffhanger; albeit a rather ho-hum one at that. Eggie's wife browbeats him once more and those Little Dew Dillies return to help a young woman see her hidden talents, while those Hep Chicks arrive in the 21st century. But alas, Ezekiel and his friends are nowhere to be found in this long awaited sequel.
Darn, Darn, Darn.
Like most, I only heard of All-Negro Comics #1 in the past couple of decades. But when I did learn of it, I wanted to read it. And I've only seen maybe 2 of them in the wild. Both were slabbed and asking for insane prices. It was a stroke of sheer luck finding this anniversary edition at my local library on the new shelf. A Kickstarter type labor of love. Because it wasn't distributed by Diamond, I was never even aware of its existence. A must for multiple segments of the comic book collecting community. Black readers, comic historians, both amateur and professional, and fans of Golden Age comics must read this special edition hardback. It's a recreated artifact of pop culture history that should not be overlooked!
Many Thanks to editor Chris Robinson for assembling his team of talent as well as digitally remastering this issue for the next 75 years of readers. And many, many thanks to the Kickstarter backer who made the '1 for You, 1 for Them' pledge that placed a copy of this book in my local library!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
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