My Super Hero Is Black, a new non-fiction book from Marvel Comics, will revitalize and illuminate several of the company’s important Black heroes and creators.
In conjunction with Marvel and Gallery Books Group, a division of Simon & Schuster, the initiative is presented by John Jennings, a noted comics expert and #1 New York Times bestselling author, and Angélique Roché, the celebrated producer and host of Marvel Entertainment’s Marvel’s Voices podcast.
“Angélique and I have endeavored to create a love letter to the characters we hold dear, a celebration of Black characters and creators in the vast Marvel Universe, and a document for future generations to come,” Jennings told EW.
The cover art is by Natacha Bustos, and it features a variety of superheroes such as Black Panther, Nick Fury, Misty Knight, Luke Caghers.
My Super Hero Is Black takes comic book fans and storytellers on a joyous trip through the Black Marvel universe’s history. The book will include testimonies from famous Black creators and celebrities about their relationships with Marvel superheroes, ranging from Stan Lee’s early efforts to combat institutional racism to the revolutionary work of Black authors like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Billy Graham.
“My Super Hero is Black is not only a reference book,” Jennings continued, “but it showcases the potential of these incredible Black characters via fresh windows and perspective points.” We hope that audiences will be as excited as we are to see the range of portrayals of Blackness in My Super Hero Is Black via the prism of the Marvel Comics universe.”
“The narrative of the Black superhero, its impact on individuals, and how it has evolved in our country—and around the world—tells not only an amazing, entertaining narrative of fictional stories but reflects the real-life complexities of Black representation in media,” Roché said. “As lifelong genre fans, John and I have taken great care to craft not just a historical reference but a narrative that highlights a journey of Black superheroes past, present, and future.”
