‘Black Superheroes of the Silver Age of Comics’ Webinar

The decade of the 1960s was one of the most turbulent in American — and world — history, sparking revolutions of all kinds in the political, socio-economic, cultural, and artistic spheres. The field of comic books also went through an era of change and rebirth — while superheroes up until that point were all white men (and some women), Marvel comic book art creator Jack Kirby decided to challenge the status quo. This is the story of the rise of black superheroes in comic books, and how they’ve been kicking butt ever since.

Join New York Adventure Club as we explore the very first black superheroes in comic book history — The Black Panther (1965), The Falcon (1969), and John Stewart of the Green Lantern series (1971).

Led by award-winning comic book art illustrator and historian Arlen Schumer, this “visualecture” of all three black superheroes of The Silver Age of Comics will include:

• Behind-the-scenes stories of the origins of The Black Panther, The Falcon, and John Stewart during The Silver Age of Comic Books (1956-70)
• Why artist/creator Jack Kirby’s original maskless Black Panther ended up wearing a complete facemask
• How an artist drawing Captain America came to create the first African-American superhero, The Falcon
• The reasons why John Stewart, the first black Green Lantern, wasn’t named Leroy Washington, and why he wasn’t another white Green Lantern

Afterward, we’ll have a Q&A with Arlen — any and all questions about black superheroes are welcomed and encouraged!

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Black Art Futures Fund (BAFF), a collective of emerging philanthropists promoting the elevation and preservation of Black arts & culture.

See you there, virtually! $10.