 Black Lightning, Final Crisis: Submit; Grant Morrison, writer, Matthew Clark, Norm Rapmund, Rob Hunter & Don Ho, artists; created by Tony Isabella & Trevor von Eeden
“A gold medal-winning Olympic decathlete, Jefferson Pierce returned to his old neighborhood in the Southside (Suicide Slum) of the city of Metropolis, with his wife Lynn Stewart and his daughter Anissa to become the principal of Garfield High School. Southside as it was once known was where his father renowned journalist Alvin Pierce had been murdered. Guilt over this event was a factor in his decision to leave the city of Metropolis. Suicide Slum was being torn apart by a local organized criminal gang called the the 100, shady corporations, and crooked local politicians like Tobias Whale. Peter Gambi, a family friend and tailor, had taught a much younger Jefferson how to suppress his inborn metahuman abilities so that he wouldn’t accidentally hurt any of the people he cared about. Upon his return Gambi suggested to Jefferson that he should use his powers to help the neighborhood, and refers him to a plaque with the paraphrased Milo Sweetman quote ‘Justice, like lightning should ever appear to some men hope, to other men fear’, the original text of which was ‘Justice, like lightning, ever should appear to few men’s ruin, but to all men’s fear. Of mortal justice if thou scorn the rod, believe and tremble, thou art judged of God.’ Appalled by the public murder of Earl Clifford, one of his more promising students, Pierce tried to intervene on behalf of the schoolchildren, but quickly learned that the 100 objected violently to any interference. Pierce adopts the costumed identity ‘Black Lightning’. Years later, he would tell fellow African American superhero Mister Terrific that he chose the name Black Lightning because he ‘was the only one of us around’ at the time, and he ‘wanted to make sure everyone knew who they were dealing with.’” – from Wikipedia
 Black Panther, Black Panther Annual #1; Reginald Hudlin, writer, Larry Stroman & Ken Lashley, artists; created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
“T’Challa is a brilliant tactician, strategist, scientist, tracker and a master of all forms of unarmed combat whose unique hybrid fighting style incorporates acrobatics and aspects of animal mimicry. T’Challa being a royal descendent of a warrior race is also a master of armed combat, able to use a variety of weapons but prefers unarmed combat. He is a master planner who always thinks several steps ahead and will go to extreme measures to achieve his goals and protect the kingdom of Wakanda.” – from the Marvel website
 Lwanga Moses, Unknown Soldier; Joshua Dysart, writer, Alberto Ponticelli, artist; inspired by the character created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert
“His family fled Uganda in 1979, so Moses grew up in the American immigrant experience and went to medical school… While growing up in the States, his home country slipped into ethnic, civil war. By 1985, rebels had overthrown the Ugandan government. The new regime brought a massive shift towards stability in the South. But in the underdeveloped north, the rise of extremist Christian spiritual military leaders began, culminating in the formation of the Lord’s Resistance Army, led by a very complex and cruel person named Joseph Kony who claimed to be possessed by spirits… By the time Moses is involved, 15,000 children have been kidnapped by rebel forces and forced to fight… Over one million displaced Acholis, the tribe in the north most affected by the conflict, have been pushed onto some 200 camps throughout Northern Uganda’s ‘Acholiland.’ They have no running water and no electricity. There is no more an unknown war than the real-life struggle between the Ugandan Peoples Defense Force and the Lord’s Resistance Army. This has gone on record as being the single longest running, most under-reported humanitarian conflict of our generation. Moses is an Unknown Soldier for an unknown war.” – writer Joshua Dysart @ Comic Book Resources
 The Spectre, Final Crisis: Revelations; Greg Rucka, writer, Philip Tan, Jeff de los Santos & Jonathan Glapion, artists; inspired by the character created by Jerry Siegel & Bernard Bailey
“While [Detective Crispus Allen]‘s body was in the morgue, the Presence bound the Spectre to Cris, making him the latest host for the Spirit of Vengeance. Some while later, the magic users of Earth assembled at Stonehenge to call forth the Spectre to help defend the realms of magic during the Infinite Crisis. Cris materialized in a ghostly version of his own form, before making his first official transformation into the Spectre, killing Star Sapphire for her past crimes. He then vanished, leaving the assembled magic users confused and fearful. Later, at Cris’s funeral, the Spectre appeared before Cris’s ghost. The Spectre informed Cris of his role and purpose, and told Cris he had come to realize that he needed a host to humanize him, in order to know what his mission really meant. He asked Cris to be his host, to join with him. Cris refused, the first in a long time to do so. The Spectre left Cris for a year, to reconsider his offer. Cris discovered that no-one could see or hear him, and that he was unable to touch anything around him. He was unable to help or communicate with his family, still shattered because Corrigan would not be called to account for Cris’s murder. Cris was still able to watch and observe the world around him, which he put to use solving crimes and uncovering the culprits, even discovering Batman’s secret identity as Bruce Wayne. He was frustrated, however, at being unable to bring the criminals to justice. After a year of being unseen and powerless, Cris received another visit from the Spectre. This time he finally accepted the Spectre’s offer, becoming his human host. However, their bond was not permanent – Cris was concerned what full acceptance would do to him, what he would become. In their missions together, the Spectre attempted to help Cris understand what they did and why they did it. Over time, Cris came to accept the necessity of what the Spectre did, involving himself more and more in the Spectre’s punishments. Before the bond between Cris and the Spectre could be permanent, however, Cris found he had to face his greatest trial. Cris’s son Mal, frustrated, angry, and grieving over his father’s death, shot and killed Jim Corrigan – and Cris had to punish Mal for his crime. Cris ended Mal’s life peacefully. Afterwards, Cris asked the Spectre if Mal had just been damned to Hell. The Spectre, taken aback, explained a point established during Hal Jordan’s tenure as its host – the Spectre does not ‘judge’ sinners, does not decide who is saved or damned. The Spectre ‘sends’ sinners to judgment. With this knowledge, Cris took on his role as the Spectre’s mortal anchor.” – from the DC Database
 Zane Pinchback, Incognegro; created by Mat Johnson, writer, and Warren Pleece, artist
“He’s a reporter in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance, and he’s kind of a minor celebrity, but he’s only famous on paper. Nobody can know what he looks like because of what he does. So he’s somewhat frustrated by that, being famous but not being famous. He?s dealing with his past, and part of what happens in the story is he’s pulled back into his personal past, his own story… He has a twin brother who looks much like himself but is dark-skinned. His brother has had none of the breaks that Zane had, largely because of his difference in appearance, even though they’re of the same mother and father. When he goes back, Zane has to confront this other life that he was able to escape, but that his brother instead had to dive deeper into. And that’s really the emotional heart of the book, the two of them and their lives, the convergence of them coming together.” – writer Mat Johnson @ Newsarama
 Destiny Ajaye, Pilot Season: Genius; Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman, writers, Afua Richardson, artist
“She’s a savant-level military genius… Now, she was born in South Central, L.A., into an environment that has been known to eat its young, or have its young taken by the authorities. She decides that enough is enough and secedes a two-square-block area from Los Angeles proper. And given her natural skill set, that involves lots of blood. This is a young woman that found her calling regardless of the implications… And it addresses the larger question, ‘Does someone with a God-given talent have a responsibility to use it?’” – co-writer Marc Bernardin @ Comic Book Resources
 Lee Wagstaff, Bayou; created by Jeremy Love, writer and artist
“Lee is the embodiment of the resilient spirit of southern blacks in the face of terror. Growing up as a poor sharecropper has made her body strong and durable. The big thing about Lee is her optimism and determination. Her struggle is to retain these qualities while she navigates the dangerous parallel world… Lee enters this world in order to save her best friend, a white girl, from the clutches of an evil force that rules the parallel world. The bond she has with her friend has far-reaching effects on our world and the parallel world.” – creator Jeremy Love @ Newsarama
 Storm, X-Men: Worlds Apart; Christopher Yost, writer, Diogenes Neves, artist; created by Len Wein & Dave Cockrum
“She went from worshippers to people who’d see her burn. That in an of itself is compelling enough, but then we got to see her journey from that Goddess, to a woman who found a family in the X-Men, and then became the leader… She’s fiercely passionate – quite literally a force of nature. If she’s got any flaw, it’s forgetting that she’s human, too. For so long she played the Goddess, or the leader – rarely do we see her softer side. Rarely does she allow any weakness to show. Although she did have that garden in the attic of the old X-Mansion. Storm’s a softie… With T’Challa, she is truly open. She lets him in… With the X-Men, especially recently, she’s on the job. Mutantkind is in a crisis situation, and she’s acting accordingly. She’s always up for a little thrill seeking ala Yukio, and enjoys daring all, and the big win – but she’s does have a very aloof persona that we see.” – writer Christopher Yost @ Comic Book Resources
 Vielle, Fungus Grotto; created by Shatia Hamilton, writer and artist
“Vielle is like any normal 17 year old girl with dreams, goals, and aspirations. On the eve of leaving home to step into her future she finds she’s not quite ready to go. Torn between ‘out there’ and ‘comfort’ Vielle takes a moment to daydream… Just dream… And she thought going out into the real world would be hard.” – from the FG website
 Vixen, Vixen: Return of the Lion; G. Willow Wilson, writer, Cafu, artist; created by Gerry Conway & Bob Oksner
“In ancient Africa, there was a legend that the warrior Tantu asked Anansi the Spider to create a totem that would give the wearer all of the powers of the animal kingdom, if they would use the power to protect the innocent. As shown in the pages of Animal Man, it is possible that the “Anansi” who Tantu met, may have been a member of the alien race who gave Buddy Baker the ability to “tap the morphogenetic field” – or, as shown in the pages of Justice League, the aliens may have been Anansi in disguise. This field allows Buddy to imitate the abilities of nearby animals. According to the Animal Man series, Mari’s Tantu totem may tap into that same field. Tantu used the totem to become Africa’s first legendary hero. The totem was later passed down to Tantu’s descendants until it reached the McCabes. Growing up in a small African village in the fictional nation of M’Changa, Mari Jiwe McCabe hears the legend of the “Tantu Totem” from her mother. Sometime later, Mari’s mother is killed by poachers and she is raised by her father Reverend Richard Jiwe, the village priest. Reverend Jiwe himself is killed by his half-brother (Mari’s uncle) General Maksai. Maksai wants the Tantu Totem, which Jiwe had possessed. Mari moves to America, where she establishes an identity as Mari McCabe and gets a job as a model in New York City. She uses her newfound wealth to travel the world. On a trip back to Africa, she comes across her uncle and takes back the Tantu Totem, using its power to become the costumed superhero Vixen.” – from Wikipedia
Bayou; Jeremy Love, writer and artist
“South of the Mason-Dixon Line, lies a strange land of gods and monsters. Born from centuries of slavery, civil war, innocent bloodshed, hate and strife lurks a world parallel to our own. LEE WAGSTAFF is the daughter of a poor, sharecropper in a depression-era, Mississippi Delta town, called Charon. She’s an introspective, brave child and hard labor in the fields has made her sturdy and strong. One day, Lee and her father help the sheriff retrieve the body of a boy who’d been lynched and thrown into the river. Lee dives into the depths to tie a rope around the boy. While under water, she catches a glimpse of a strange world. Ever since that day, Lee hears voices in the trees and rivers. When Lee’s playmate, Lily, is snatched by BOG, an evil inhabitant of that place she saw, Lee’s father is accused of kidnapping. The worst thing a black man could do in the 30′s was harm a white child. Lee must pursue Bog into his world in order to save her friend before her father is lynched. Lee enlists the help of a benevolent, blues-singing, swamp monster called BAYOU and together they trek across a Southern Neverland in search of Lee’s friend. Along the way, they meet several colorful characters, like BR’ER RABBIT. Lee soon realizes that Bog has some sort of hold on all the inhabitants in this world and feeds off of hatred and strife in our world. As the racial tensions grow, Bog grows more powerful, so not only are Lee’s friends and father in peril, but all of Charon.” – from the Zuda Comics website
Cafe con Leche; Charlos Gary, writer and artist
“Gary launched his newly syndicated comic strip, called Cafe Con Leche, in April 2007. Cafe Con Leche is about an interracial couple getting to know each other’s cultural background.” – from Wikipedia
 Fungus Grotto; Shatia Hamilton, writer and artist
“Vielle is like any normal 17 year old girl with dreams, goals, and aspirations. On the eve of leaving home to step into her future she finds she’s not quite ready to go. Torn between ‘out there’ and ‘comfort’ Vielle takes a moment to daydream… Just dream… And she thought going out into the real world would be hard.” – from the website
“Jefferson Jacks” from Crankshaft; Tom Batiuk & Tony Isabella, writers, Chuck Ayers, artist
A bit of explanation is needed for this one. Crankshaft is not normally a black-themed comic strip, but for about a month last year, veteran comics writer Tony Isabella was the guest writer for a story arc involving the tale of a Negro League baseball player. You can read the arc here, beginning with the September 15, 2008 entry.
 The K Chronicles; Keith Knight, writer and artist
“The K Chronicles is a weekly, semi-autobiographical comic strip based on the life of cartoonist /rapper/ne?er-do-well Keith Knight. Fresh, sharp, topical, and edgy, the strip offers a strange and hilariously twisted view of the world through the eyes and pen of a (not so) young, urban, African-American male. The K Chronicles threaten to bring the funny back to the funny pages.” – from the website
 Jennifer Crute, Jennifer’s Journal
“The graphic novel, Jennifer’s Journal: The Life of a Suburban Girl, chronicles the life of this quirky and petite, freckled-face African American illustrator and artist. Pages from actual journals illustrate this misfit’s troubled upbringing in the suburbs of New Jersey and her daily interactions as an adult in New York City. Jennifer’s Journal takes an honest and revealing look at her struggles with work, sex and sexuality, relationships, depression and religion while poking fun at the stereotypes she encounters along away. Simply drawn characters with round figures soften the complex and contradictory life situations she depicts. She introduces several colorful characters which include a host of grumpy family members, schoolmates that tease and gossip, New York City’s archetypes, and her close friends Josephine and Maryland’s own awkward takes on life. Jennifer’s imaginary companions also influence her actions; they range from the meditative ‘Miss Buddha Bear’ to her nemesis ‘Sister Sympathy.’ Each accompanies Jennifer as she tries to maintain a positive outlook and peace of mind while battling the insanity of popular culture in the city.” – from Crute’s blog
Damian Duffy & John Jennings, The Hole: Consumer Culture
“Artist/Illustrator John Jennings and writer/letterer Damian Duffy created a visually luscious and poignant graphic novel. The Hole: Consumer Culture is a science fiction horror story about the buying of selling of race in America, the simultaneous worship and degradation of African Americans in popular culture, and the bloody terror of boundaries being torn down. The Hole is spiked with a healthy dose of Voodoo and modern sardonic wit. Illustrative flair aside, The Hole is also an educational aid intended for academic use and comes with a teaching/lesson plan.” – from the Front 40 Press website
 Charlie Goubile, Blackbird
“Taking place in fictional city of Grimsburg aka Grim City, Blackbird tells the story of young Antwon Jenkins, who after loosing the only family member he has ever known to the streets, is moved to bring justice to the city by becoming the crime fighting hero Blackbird. With the support of his new family and friends Antwon struggles to rid the streets of crime and corruption as well as deal with trials of being a young adult.” – from the description at IndyPlanet
Starline X. Hodge, Candi
“Candi lives in a scholarship house with 5 other roommates. It’s cheap rent and they feed you, but there’s a lot of rules and regulations to follow as well. She’s pretty laid back about all of this though.Candi mostly has an optimistic personality, even though she does have her down times. She likes to see everyone happy, and hates conflict. Although she tries her best to be friendly to everyone, she has a tenedancy to not let people get really close to her. The only people that really ever get to see her when she’s sad and that trusts completely are Alex and Jon. Alex because she’s madly in love with the guy, and Jon because she’s known him since middle school. Her roommate is Laura, whom she gets along with. She hangs out with Linda a lot, Jess scares her a little, and she wants to get to know Trevor better.” – from the website
 Ashley Woods, Millennia War
“In the past, the Great War ripped the world apart and caused all its races and species to fall into oblivion ? all but the human race. Now, a thousand years later, a second Great War fueled by revenge is coming – only the humans of this day and age are no where near prepared for what they thought was only myth and legend.” – from the website
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Final Crisis: Submit
Matthew Clark & Norm Rapmund, artists; Richard & Tonya Horie, colorists
The Hole: Consumer Culture
John Jennings, illustrator
Pilot Season: Genius
Afua Richardson, illustrator
Unknown Soldier #1
Igor Kordey, illustrator
Vixen: Return of the Lion #1
Josh Middleton, illustrator
 Aya of Yop City
Drawn & Quarterly
“…a multifaceted romantic comedy that would satisfy even without any political agenda behind it… memorable in mood, capturing [Ivory Coast]‘s brief flicker of post-colonial peaceful prosperity before descending into the modern maelstrom of  corruption and violence we know only too well.” – Publishers Weekly
Me and the Devil Blues V1
Del Rey
“…Me and the Devil Blues not only thoughtfully details the historical underpinnings of its subject matter, but it also evokes the blues itself so effectively that you can practically hear the music reverberating off the plank boards of the 1930s juke joints… exciting, often thought-provoking, and full of surprising and sometimes innovative visuals.” – Graphic  Novel Reporter
Nat Turner HC
Abrams
“[Kyle] Baker’s intricately expressive faces and trenchant dramatic pacing evoke the diabolic slave trade’s real horrors.” – Washington Post
 Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #33-35; Christos Gage, writer, Sean Chen & Sandu Florea, artists
“To me, [War Machine]‘s a man who has always stood up for what he believes and never shied away from the tough battles.? From his childhood, surviving the streets of Philadelphia, to his service as a Marine, to his tenure as Iron Man and then War Machine, he’s the guy you want at your back when everything goes to hell. What he hasn’t been is the general; the guy who gives the orders that cause others to live or die. He’s always been the one on the front lines. Sure, he’s led others into combat, but he’s been right there with them. Now Rhodey is going to have to make the kinds of decisions Tony usually makes, when there is no positive outcome, just one in which fewer people die. He’s not happy about it… and whoever has the misfortune to take him on is going to find that out.” – writer Christos Gage @ Newsarama
Pilot Season: Genius; Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman, writers, Afua Richardson, artist
“I am most proud of the fact that we delivered a quality book. No matter what line of work you do, people always want to tell you what you CAN’T do. ‘You make  “widgets,” you couldn’t possible make “thing-a-ma-bobs.”‘ You have written books about monsters and explosions, not this. We took Genius to a lot of places and were told numerous times, ‘This is an amazing story. We just don’t think YOU can pull it off.’ Well, thanks for that. So I guess what I am most proud of is that we delivered a product that lived up to the great concept we sold.” – co-writer Adam Freeman @ Comic Mix
 Presidential Material: Barack Obama; Jeff Marriotte, writer, Tom Morgan, artist
“These stories had to be told in a balanced fashion, and everything Jeff [Marriotte] and Andy [Helfer] wrote needed to be credible and verifiable – we weren’t doing a Mad magazine parody of the two candidates, but actual graphic biographies – they would have to hold up under scrutiny or there’d be no hope to be taken seriously… We tried to show some of the key scenes that helped shape both candidates’ lives, but there’s only so much you can fit in – but I think readers will appreciate the amount of detail we have beeen able to present.” – editor Scott Dunbier @ Newsarama
Vixen: Return of the Lion; G. Willow Wilson, writer, Cafu, artist
“I had a lot of room to flesh out the world Vixen comes from and create a great story… She has so many interesting elements. Yes, she’s got these hardcore physical powers, but she’s not a cavewoman – she’s opinionated, she gets scared, she gets angry, she has doubts. For a superhero, she felt very approachable to me as a writer. She’s not a goddess. She’s a person.” – writer G. Willow Wilson @ Comic Book Resources
 Young Avengers Presents #1; Ed Brubaker, writer, Paco Medina, artist
“[I] decided to explore Eli’s character a bit, and get to the question of how it might feel to be a black kid with his history, with his family’s history, calling himself Patriot in the post-Civil War Marvel Universe. Might that be a difficult and conflicting thing in many ways? And how does he feel about the death of Captain America, who he’d actually come to respect recently?… the idea that the Super Soldier Serum was tested on black soldiers first seems fairly honest with the times it was set in, even if it is controversial.” – writer Ed Brubaker @ Newsarama
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE 2009 GLYPH COMICS AWARDS NOMINEES ARE NAMED; THE FAN AWARD POLL IS OPEN
Now in its fourth successful year, the Glyph Comics Awards (GCA) continue to honor the best in black comics and creators. Many new faces are among this year’s nominees, as well as some old familiar ones.
The nominees for 2009 are:
Story of the Year
Bayou, Jeremy Love, writer and artist
Incognegro; Mat Johnson, writer, Warren Pleece, artist
Justice League of America: The Second Coming; Dwayne McDuffie, writer, Ed Benes, artist
Pilot Season: Genius, Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman, writers, Afua Richardson, artist
Presidential Material: Barack Obama; Jeff Mariotte, writer, Tom Morgan, artist
Best Writer
Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman, Pilot Season: Genius
Mat Johnson, Incognegro
Jeremy Love, Bayou
Jeff Mariotte, Presidential Material: Barack Obama
Dwayne McDuffie, Justice League of America
Best Artist
Jamal Igle, Supergirl
Jeremy Love, Bayou
Warren Pleece, Incognegro
Afua Richardson, Pilot Season: Genius
Larry Stroman, Black Panther Annual #1
Best Male Character
Black Lightning, Final Crisis: Submit; Grant Morrison, writer, Matthew Clark, Norm Rapmund, Rob Hunter & Don Ho, artists; created by Tony Isabella & Trevor von Eeden
Black Panther, Black Panther Annual #1; Reginald Hudlin, writer, Larry Stroman & Ken Lashley, artists; created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
Lwanga Moses, Unknown Soldier; Joshua Dysart, writer, Alberto Ponticelli, artist; inspired by the character created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert
The Spectre, Final Crisis: Revelations; Greg Rucka, writer, Philip Tan, Jeff de los Santos & Jonathan Glapion, artists; inspired by the character created by Jerry Siegel & Bernard Bailey
Zane Pinchback, Incognegro; created by Mat Johnson, writer, and Warren Pleece, artist
Best Female Character
Destiny Ajaye, Pilot Season: Genius; created by Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman, writers, Afua Richardson, artist
Lee Wagstaff, Bayou; created by Jeremy Love, writer and artist
Storm, X-Men: Worlds Apart; Christopher Yost, writer, Diogenes Neves, artist; created by Len Wein & Dave Cockrum
Vielle, Fungus Grotto; created by Shatia Hamilton, writer and artist
Vixen, Vixen: Return of the Lion; G. Willow Wilson, writer, Cafu, artist; created by Gerry Conway & Bob Oksner
Rising Star Award
Jennifer Crute, Jennifer’s Journal
Damian Duffy & John Jennings, The Hole: Consumer Culture
Charlie Goubile, Blackbird
Starline X. Hodge, Candi
Ashley Woods, Millennia War
Best Reprint Collection
Aya of Yop City, Drawn & Quarterly
Me and the Devil Blues V1, Del Rey
Nat Turner HC, Abrams
Best Cover
Final Crisis: Submit, Matthew Clark & Norm Rapmund, artists; Richard & Tonya Horie, colors
The Hole: Consumer Culture; John Jennings, illustrator
Pilot Season: Genius, Afua Richardson, illustrator
Unknown Soldier #1, Igor Kordey, illustrator
Vixen: Return of the Lion #1; Josh Middleton, illustrator
Best Comic Strip
Bayou, Jeremy Love, writer and artist
Cafe con Leche; Charlos Gary, writer and artist
Fungus Grotto, Shatia Hamilton, writer and artist
“Jefferson Jacks” from Crankshaft; Tom Batiuk & Tony Isabella, writers, Chuck Ayers, artist
The K Chronicles, Keith Knight, writer and artist
Fan Award for Best Comic
Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #33-35; Christos Gage, writer, Sean Chen & Sandu Florea, artists
Pilot Season: Genius; Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman, writers, Afua Richardson, artist
Presidential Material: Barack Obama; Jeff Mariotte, writer, Tom Morgan, artist
Vixen: Return of the Lion; G. Willow Wilson, writer, Cafu, artist
Young Avengers Presents #1; Ed Brubaker, writer, Paco Medina, artist
The judges for the 2009 competition are: Valerie D’Orazio, president, Friends of Lulu; Mathan Erhardt, writer, Comics Nexus; Ed Mathews, columnist, Pop Image; Tim O’Shea, writer/interviewer, TalkingWithTim.com; and Elayne Riggs, comics reviewer and commentator.
The ballot for the Fan Award for Best Comic is now open at the website for the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC), www.ecbacc.com/wordpress, and will remain open through March 31, 2009. Write-in selections can be e-mailed to GCA Committee Chair Rich Watson at rich.watson@gmail.com. IMPORTANT: Write-in selections are ONLY for choices not on the online ballot. ANY WRITE-IN SELECTIONS FOR CHOICES ALREADY ON THE ONLINE BALLOT WILL NOT BE COUNTED AND WILL BE DISCARDED.
The 2009 GCA ceremony will be held May 15, 2009, in the Skyline Room of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Park Central branch, as part of ECBACC, which will take place at the Crown Plaza Philadelphia Center City, May 16, 2009.
About the Glyph Comics Awards:
The Glyph Comics Awards recognize the best in comics made by, for, and about people of color from the preceding calendar year. While it is not exclusive to black creators, it does strive to honor those who have made the greatest contributions to the comics medium in terms of both critical and commercial impact. By doing so, the goal is to encourage more diverse and high quality work across the board and to inspire new creators to add their voices to the field.
The awards are named for the blog Glyphs: The Language of the Black Comics Community (http://glyphs.popcultureshock.com), started in 2005 by comics journalist Rich Watson as a means to provide news and commentary of comics with black themes, as well as tangential topics in the fields of black science-fiction/fantasy and animation.
About ECBACC:
The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (www.ecbacc.com/wordpress) is an annual gathering of comic book creators and retailers who create and sell material that caters to black readers of all ages. In addition to selling their work, they also take part in panel discussions and self-publishing workshops for aspiring creators. The show is held in Philadelphia each May. There is also a pre-show reception held the night before the show. ECBACC is an outgrowth of the original Black Age of Comics Convention in Chicago, founded by Turtel Onli.
For more information about ECBACC, contact event coordinator Maurice Waters at maurice.waters@ecbacc.com.
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