Black Women in Sequence

Revised and updated edition of the groundbreaking book on Black women in comic art
The 2018 release of Marvel's blockbuster Black Panther film catapulted African American comics and animation into the limelight, with strong Black women characters at the forefront. Black Women in Sequence showcases the deep history of women of African descent in comics subculture. From the 1971 appearance of the Skywald Publications character "the Butterfly"--the first Black female superheroine in a comic book--to contemporary comic books, graphic novels, film, manga, and video gaming, a growing number of Black women are becoming producers, viewers, and subjects of sequential art.
As the first detailed investigation of Black women's participation in comic art, Black Women in Sequence, first published in 2015, examines the representation, production, and transnational circulation of women of African descent in the sequential art world. This new edition features additional interviews, updates, and a new chapter on the wave of Black female characters that appeared in TV immediately before and following Black Panther's success. An essential read for understanding the dynamics of race and gender in American comics, Black Women in Sequence demonstrates why narratives about women of African descent should and do matter to the comic book world and to writers, artists, fans, and readers.
Praise for the first edition
"Engaging and provocative, Black Women in Sequence is relevant not only to comic scholars, but to anyone with an interest in how difference is represented using visual rhetoric." --Feminist Media Studies
"For every little Black girl and Black woman, who imagine themselves coloring both inside and outside the lines, Black Women in Sequence literally fills in the blank spaces, highlighting the contributions of Black Women in the genres of comics, graphic novels, and anime." --Mark Anthony Neal, author of Looking for Leroy: Illegible Black Masculinities

Deborah Whaley is professor of American studies and African American studies at the University of Iowa. She is author of Black Women in Sequence: Re-inking Comics, Graphic Novels, and Anime (UWP, 2015) and Disciplining Women: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Black Counterpublics, and the Cultural Politics of Black Sororities (SUNY Press, 2010).