#dcsowhite

As you may know, there was recently a DC Comics boycott as a part of the DCSoWhite movement since DC has not had a mainline ongoing solo with a Black lead for over 1200 days. You can read more about this here, here, here, and here. The boycott has been cancelled (link), but that doesn't mean we can't still show support for Black comic creators!

One of the things the movement called for fans to do was to "[Support] Black creators through independent and creator-owned projects." So this post is meant to provide tips on how to do this.

Check out other works of Black creators you're already familiar with

The Black comic creators you're already a fan of who have made comics for DC or Marvel have likely also made comics for other publishers too. You can usually find out about other comics they've worked on through their Wikipedia page, social media pages, and their own website if they have one. And it's a good idea to follow their social media to learn about any of their projects in the future!

Look through indie publisher websites

A great way to find out about indie comics is to check out indie publishers' websites. There will almost always be a page on their websites with all their comics so you can easily look through them and the creators will be listed so you can look into the creators too. This is one way to find out about Black comic creators who you might not already be familiar with.

The publishers that are listed as examples in the webpages linked above are Image Comics, BOOM! Studios, Vault Comics, Ignition Press, and Stranger Comics.

Check out existing lists

There are already lists online that specifically recommend Black creators to check out and comics by Black creators. You can also find recommendations and lists on social media. This is another great way to find out about Black comic creators you're not yet familiar with.

Speaking of lists, I would like to point you to this post by @bimboopo which includes a list of many Black webtoon creators which you can go check out!

There should be more opportunities for black creators at DC and there should be more stories for characters like Nubia, Steel, Vixen, The Signal, Mr Terrific, everyone from Milestone and more.

Even if you're not a comics buyer, you can still sign the petition and you can share your favorite independent comics from black creators. I'll start: Everyone should read Prince of Cats by Ronald Wimberly.

The Black Comic Alliance, the collective of content creators behind the viral #DCSoWhite campaign, has officially announced Stage 2 of its advocacy movement: DCBlackout, a coordinated protest calling on readers, supporters, and content creators to withhold financial support and pause content creation tied to DC Comics publishing initiatives until meaningful structural changes are made around…

The longest reoccurring modern day super without an ongoing.

Over 500 appearances but less than 10 center focused stories.

Nat has existed since 1994, why is it that I can finish her entire chronology in a week or less? Nat has an established origin, family, strong principals and reasons for being a hero, friendships and relationships; All waiting to be told to new and old audiences. It’s more of a world than even some popular characters get. So much to work with but none of it is ever largely expanded on. Natasha deserves a new story; one that highlights her as a black woman, an inventor, and an amazing form of queer representation. Not just now but for years to come.

DCblackout:

DCblackout is the second stage of the DCsowhite discussion that took place earlier this year, which pointed out that DC hasn’t publtished a solo, on-going black title in over 1200 days

DCblackout has 3 main goals: 1. establish and announce 1-3 black on-going titles (with black creative teams) that have cancellation immunity for a minimum of 2 years, 2. educate fans on how sales work so they can accurately support the titles they love, & 3. greenlight a power company book if the titles do well (which would help a fanbase grow)

the goal of DCblackout is to raise awareness of the lack of black DC stories and give fans heroes they can relate to and see themselves in.

blackgirlnerds.com

their official public statement is as follows:

bleedingcool.com

DCsowhite and why now:

DCsowhite brought attention to the fact that there has been no black on-going title in over 1200 days. the last title was ‘I Am Batman’, which ran from 2021-2023 and ended on its #18 issue.

dc heavily relies on mini-runs or one shots for black characters, and black female characters receive even less.

james portis III (aka JPenumbra) posted a piece to comicsbeat.com focusing on the issue.

comicbeats.com

this has been an issue for a long time, but it doesn’t have to continue this way !! below is a link to the DCblackout petition, and blow that are links to JPenumbra’s original piece, the DCblackout website, and blackgirlnerds.com and bleedingcool.com’s pieces (in that order).

heres the petition mentioned in the statement:

and for more info on the boycott check out this site:

And that sucks, as a long time comic reader.

My entire life I've enjoyed stories about people that in no way reflect me or my experience, because that's most of what there was to pull from. If I want to see myself, I have a couple options every now and again, and I better hope I like the writing and characters enough. There will always be comics about White men. Always. One getting cancelled or selling poorly will not change that reality, nor will the conclusion be "Well, nobody wants to buy books about White characters."

But the implication that it's on *me as the consumer* to buy every Black led-book ever to make sure they try again in 5-7 years maybe is insane. DC caters to a certain demographic because they want them to buy their books. Why would a demographic that is not consistently, meaningfully included, keep showing up?

Really, what bothers me the most is the reminder the fanbase they've cultivated isn't simply not one that resembles me, but actively doesn't want to see me present. You can only be reminded of that so many times before you decide it's time to move on. I'm stubborn for personal reasons, ideas I'm invested in and the like. But I think I've become pretty sour on this whole slice of the hobby.

Boycotting dc right before the pride special could send a dangerous message that fans are uninterested in queer characters and stories

I understand your concern anon but the timing of the boycott is simply because it hit 1200 days without a Black-led ongoing (an already inexcusable amount of days) - I've seen this concern about timing in other places but it worries me that people see this as 'Black-led ongoings' versus 'queer stories' when we all know there are Black queer characters (Jo comes to mind) who could be honoured with a mainline ongoing during Pride Month as well!

I totally get people being hesitant about this, but the fact is there is no good time to do a boycott & that's the point. The idea that we should wait until a more convenient time to boycott is antithetical to the purpose of the protest. I truly truly understand it will be hard for some people - I just cancelled my subscription to Batgirl and I am genuinely worried about the comic's longevity as well as if DC will invest in her later - but the issue at hand is Black fans, creatives, and characters, whom DC has failed again and again. A Black-led ongoing will be a victory for us all because it shows the power of collective action and solidarity, and that is worth sacrificing some things to me personally.