The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC) is the Philadelphia region's first
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...
comic book convention
A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book Fan (person), fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events ...
, bringing together hundreds of comic book, science fiction, and fantasy creators, their colleagues, and their fans. The ECBACC is a
501 (c)(3)
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of ...
non-profit community-based organization focused on education, literacy and the arts. ECBACC, Inc. was founded in 2002 by Yumy Odom, a multidisciplinary educator, scientist and researcher affiliated with
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptists, Baptist minister Russell Conwell an ...
,Broussard, Meredith "In Full Color: The 2nd Annual East Coast Black Age Of Comics Convention," ''Sun Reporter'' (26 June 2003), p. 4. and Maurice Waters."Motor City Black Age of Comics: creators and fans urged to learn together," ''Michigan Citizen'' (18 Jan 2009), p. A8.
ECBACC is an outgrowth of the "Black Age of Comics", a movement (ca. 1981–present) and era (ca. 1990–1997) dedicated to people of African descent creating a plethora and range of Black (Pan-African/Africentric/Afrocentric/African-centered) characters in the U.S. comic book industry. (The earliest documented "Black Age" comic book character is NOG: Protector of the Pyramids,Caruthers, Chrystal "Blacks Bring Own Reality to Comics," ''Chicago Tribune'' (13 Sep 1993), p. 3. introduced in 1981 by Chicago-based artist Turtel OnliNOG" is an acronym for "Nubian of Greatness."
ECBACC is generally held on a May weekend in Philadelphia, with festivities kicking off on Friday evening for the
Glyph Comics Awards
The Glyph Comics Awards is for the best comics made by people of color from the last calendar year. The goal is to award the People of Color for their awesome work in the comics industry and also to inspire young writers from diverse backgrounds ...
ceremonies (often held at the
African American Museum in Philadelphia
The African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) is notable as the first museum funded and built by a municipality to help preserve, interpret and exhibit the heritage of African Americans. Opened during the 1976 Bicentennial celebrations, th ...
),Peters, Monica "Celebrating blacks' work with comics: Two-day convention in Philly," ''Philadelphia Inquirer'' (18 May 2012), p. W.28. followed by a full-day convention on Saturday. The ECBACC STARS Workshop (an acronym for Storytelling That Advances Reading Skills) is an ECBACC initiative designed to use comic book art and imagery as a vehicle to foster creativity and promote literacy, with a secondary focus on introducing participants to the various career options that exist within the comic book industry. ECBACC STARS participants learn what it is like to be comic book creators via the "Create Your Own Hero" exercises while they put their imaginations to work as they pen their own stories for the characters they create. Along with panels, seminars, and workshops with comic book professionals, ECBACC now features a
costume contest
"Costume Contest" is the sixth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series '' The Office'', and the show's 132nd episode overall. Written by Justin Spitzer and directed by Dean Holland, the episode aired on NBC in ...
.
History
Originally slated to be called the Pan-African Comic Convention (PAC-Con) or First World Komix Con (1st World Con), and after over a decade of deliberations, networking and consortium-building (from 1990 to 2001), the first convention was held in Temple University's Ritter Hall, in the Walk Auditorium, on May 11, 2002. Guests at the inaugural show included
Arvell Jones
Arvell Jones (whose earliest work is billed Arvell Malcolm Jones) is an American comics artist best known for his work for Marvel Comics and for DC Comics and its imprint Milestone Media.
Biography
Jones and his brother, Desmond, were raised ...
Jerry Craft
Jerry Craft (born January 22, 1963) ''Lambiek's Comiclopedia''. Accessed Jan. 22, 2014. is an Glyph Comics Awards
The Glyph Comics Awards is for the best comics made by people of color from the last calendar year. The goal is to award the People of Color for their awesome work in the comics industry and also to inspire young writers from diverse backgrounds ...
became part of the annual ECBACC convention.
The 2007 show featured guests
Dwayne McDuffie
Dwayne Glenn McDuffie (February 20, 1962February 21, 2011) was an American writer of comic books and television, known for producing and writing the animated series ''Static Shock'', '' Damage Control'', ''Justice League Unlimited'' and ''Ben 10 ...
,
Kyle Baker
Kyle John Baker (born 1965) is an American cartoonist, comic book writer-artist, and animator known for his graphic novels and for a 2000s revival of the series ''Plastic Man''.
Baker has won numerous Eisner Awards and Harvey Awards for his wor ...
, and
Taimak
Taimak Guarriello (born June 27, 1964), known mononymously as Taimak (), is an American martial artist, actor, and stuntman, known for his lead role as Leroy Green ("Bruce Leroy") in the 1985 martial arts film ''The Last Dragon''.
Personal life
...
Jerry Craft
Jerry Craft (born January 22, 1963) ''Lambiek's Comiclopedia''. Accessed Jan. 22, 2014. is an Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols (, born Grace Dell Nichols; December 28, 1932 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress, singer, and dancer best known for her portrayal of Nyota Uhura in ''Star Trek'' and its film sequels. Nichols' portrayal of Uhura was g ...
, who received the ECBACC Pioneer /Lifetime Achievement Award in-person.
The 2009 convention featured such guests as
Kevin Grevioux
Kevin Grevioux (; born September 9, 1962) is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and comic book writer. He is best known for his role as Raze in the ''Underworld'' film series, which he co-created, as well as his voicework in the cartoon ...
,
Jamal Igle
Jamal Yaseem Igle . jamaligle.com. Retrieved November 28, 2012. is an American
Reggie Byers
Reggie is a given name, usually a short form of the name Reginald. It may refer to:
People
* Reggie Bonnafon (born 1996), American football player
* Reggie Brown (disambiguation), multiple people
* Reggie Bush (born 1985), National Football L ...
Reggie Byers
Reggie is a given name, usually a short form of the name Reginald. It may refer to:
People
* Reggie Bonnafon (born 1996), American football player
* Reggie Brown (disambiguation), multiple people
* Reggie Bush (born 1985), National Football L ...
Larry Stroman
Larry Stroman is an American comic book artist and writer. After first gaining attention illustrating the Epic Comics series '' Alien Legion'' (vol. 2), he went on to illustrate various Marvel Comics books such as ''The Uncanny X-Men'', ''X-Fact ...
.
The 2011 ECBACC featured guests
Jerry Craft
Jerry Craft (born January 22, 1963) ''Lambiek's Comiclopedia''. Accessed Jan. 22, 2014. is an Alex Simmons, and Eric Battle. And was celebrated as the event's 10th anniversary.
The 2012 show featured ECBACC's first annual costume contest, dubbed "AfriCoz", was held on Saturday, May 19th. Guests at the show included William H. Foster, III, Alex Simmons, and Eric Battle.
The 2013 ECBACC included the screening of the documentary film ''White Scripts and Black Supermen''. And the second annual costume contest and aJordan, Chri "Comics convention representing black superheroes opens this weekend," ''Metro'' (May 16, 2013).
The 2014 show featured ECBACC's second celebration of Black women in he comic book and sci-fi industry.
The 2015 show was billed as ECBACC AT THE MOVIES, which highlighted up and coming filmmakers of Black Sci-Fi content.
The 2016 show was held on May 21st, and included guests; Milton Davis,
Tony Isabella
Tony Isabella (born December 22, 1951) is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, artist and critic, known as the creator and writer of Marvel Comics' Black Goliath; DC Comics' first major African-American superhero, Black Lightning; and ...
N. Steven Harris
N is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet.
N or n may also refer to:
Mathematics
* \mathbb, the set of natural numbers
* N, the field norm
* N for ''nullae'', a rare Roman numeral for zero
* n, the size of a statistical sample
Sc ...
,
Karama Horne Karama may refer to:
Geography
* Al Karama, Dubai, UAE
* Al Karama, Syria (disambiguation)
* Electoral division of Karama, an electoral division in Australia
* Karama, Northern Territory, a suburb of Darwin, Australia
* Karama River, a river in ...
Don McGregor
Donald Francis McGregor (born June 15, 1945) is an Americans, American comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics; he is the author of one of the first graphic novels.
Early life
Don McGregor was born in Providence, Rhode Island, ...
, and
Uraeus
The Uraeus (), or Ouraeus (Ancient Greek: , ; Egyptian: ', "rearing cobra"), ''(plural: Uraei)'' is the stylized, upright form of an Egyptian cobra, used as a symbol of sovereignty, royalty, deity and divine authority in ancient Egypt.
Symbol ...
.
The 2018 show was held on May 19th, and included guests; Eric Battle,
Mshindo Kuumba I
Mshindo is an administrative ward in the Iringa Urban
Iringa Urban District is one of the five districts of the Iringa Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north, east, and west by the Iringa Rural District
Iringa Rural District ...
,
Sheeba Maya
Sheeba were an all-girl pop trio popular in Ireland in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were Maxi, Marion Fossett and Frances Campbell. They are best known for representing the host nation, Ireland, in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981 ...
, and
Regine Sawyer
Regine L. Sawyer is an American comics writer, editor, and founder of Women in Comics NYC Collective International. She is the author of ''The Rippers'', ''Eating Vampires'' and ''Ice Witch''. She is owner, writer, and creator for Lockett Down Pro ...
.
The 2019 show was held on May 18th, and featured guests such as:
Aaron Beatty
According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek ( Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother ...
.
The 2020 ECBACC had to be cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
; as an alternative, a one-day virtual event, entitled, ECBACC's first "E-Convention", was held on July 11, 2020.
The 2021 ECBACC was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
.
The 2022 show, which marked the organization's return to a physical event, was billed as ECBACC IN THE PARK, and featured guests as: Kaloni Davis,
Nakia Dillard
Nakia Reynoso (born February 20, 1975), known professionally as Nakia, is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actor living in Austin, Texas. He is a native of Fort Payne, Alabama.
Professional background
Nakia moved to Austin in 20 ...
,
Ariell Johnson
Ariell Johnson is a business owner and accountant and is the first African-American to own a comic store on the east coast of the United States.
Early life and education
Johnson was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Growing up, she originally w ...
, and
Javier Winnik Javier may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Javier, in video game '' Advance Wars: Dual Strike''
* Javier Rios, a character in the Monsters, Inc.
''Monsters, Inc.'' (also known as ''Monsters, Incorporated'') is a 2001 American com ...
.
Events
Awards
ECBACC Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award
The ECBACC Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award honors those men and women, many unsung, who have made innovative, dynamic, and lasting contributions to the comic book and science-fiction industry, and who have paved the way for others.
* 2004: Samuel Joyner — political cartoonist of ''
Philadelphia Tribune
''The Philadelphia Tribune'' is the oldest continuously published African-American newspaper in the United States.
The paper began in 1884 when Christopher J. Perry published its first copy. Throughout its history, ''The Philadelphia Tribune' ...
Tony Tallarico
Anthony F. Tallarico (September 20, 1933 – January 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist, and children's book illustrator and author. Often paired in a team with his generally uncredited penciler, Bill Fraccio, Tallarico drew primarily f ...
— creator of
Lobo
Lobo may refer to:
Places
*Lobo, Batangas, a municipality in the Philippines
*Lobo, Texas, a ghost town
*Lobo, Indonesia
*Lobo, Cameroon, a town in Cameroon
*Lobo Hill, near Belchite, Aragon, Spain
* Lobo, Ontario, near London, Ontario, Canada
Pe ...
, the first African-American character to headline his own comic
** Turtel Onli, the "Father of the Black Age" concept
* 2007: Larry Fuller — "One of the Kings of
Underground Comix
Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...
"
* 2008:
Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols (, born Grace Dell Nichols; December 28, 1932 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress, singer, and dancer best known for her portrayal of Nyota Uhura in ''Star Trek'' and its film sequels. Nichols' portrayal of Uhura was g ...
— ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vario ...
s Lt.
Nyota Uhura
Nyota Uhura () is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. In the original television series, the character was portrayed by Nichelle Nichols, who reprised the role for the first six ''Star Trek'' feature films. A younger Uhura is ...
* 2009: No ECBACC PLA Award honoree
* 2010: No ECBACC PLA Award honoree
* 2011, three posthumous ECBACC PLA Awards:
**
Orrin Cromwell Evans
Orrin Cromwell Evans (1902–1971) was a pioneering African-American journalist and comic book publisher. Considered "the first black writer to cover general assignments for a mainstream white newspaper in the United States," he also published ...
&
George J. Evans, Jr.
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Preside ...
— creators of ''
All-Negro Comics
''All-Negro Comics'', published in 1947, was a single-issue, small-press American comic book that represents the first known comics magazine written and drawn solely by African-American writers and artists.
Publication history
African-American j ...
'' (1947), the U.S.'s first independent black comic book
**
Dwayne McDuffie
Dwayne Glenn McDuffie (February 20, 1962February 21, 2011) was an American writer of comic books and television, known for producing and writing the animated series ''Static Shock'', '' Damage Control'', ''Justice League Unlimited'' and ''Ben 10 ...
— co-founder of
Milestone Media
Milestone Media is a company best known for creating Milestone Comics, which were published and distributed by DC Comics and the '' Static Shock'' animated series. It was founded in 1993 by a coalition of African-American artists and writers, ...
(1993), a subsidiary of
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...
, which created a numerous multicultural characters, among them:
Hardware
Hardware may refer to:
Technology Computing and electronics
* Electronic hardware, interconnected electronic components which perform analog or logic operations
** Digital electronics, electronics that operate on digital signals
*** Computer hard ...
,
Icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most c ...
,
Static
Static may refer to:
Places
*Static Nunatak, a nunatak in Antarctica
United States
* Static, Kentucky and Tennessee
*Static Peak, a mountain in Wyoming
** Static Peak Divide, a mountain pass near the peak
Science and technology Physics
*Static e ...
,
Blood Syndicate
The Blood Syndicate is a fictional multicultural vigilante gang of superhumans created by Milestone Comics and published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''Blood Syndicate'' #1 (April 1993), and was created by Dwayne McDuffie, Ivan Vel ...
Glyph Comics Awards
The Glyph Comics Awards is for the best comics made by people of color from the last calendar year. The goal is to award the People of Color for their awesome work in the comics industry and also to inspire young writers from diverse backgrounds ...
, recognizing the best in comics made by, for, and about people of color from the preceding calendar year, are generally held on the Friday evening before the convention at the
African American Museum in Philadelphia
The African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) is notable as the first museum funded and built by a municipality to help preserve, interpret and exhibit the heritage of African Americans. Opened during the 1976 Bicentennial celebrations, th ...
.
AFRICOZ and AFRICOZPLAY
ECBACC's AFRICOZPLAY costume contest is a new way in which ECBACC can fulfill its mission of celebrating positive images of Blacks (African-descended people) in the comic book and sci-fi industry. "AfriCoz" cosplay is defined as pop-culture
cosplay
Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subcultur ...
with a cultural or aesthetic focus on portrayals of Black characters. "AfriCoz" not only celebrates Black characters but also allows costumers and cosplayers of African descent to fully engage the recreation of fantasy costuming without the cultural biases that brand Black characters as second-rate, inferior, and/or unpopular. A costumer who costumes as a character of Black or African descent is described as an Africozer or and Africosplayer.
Side note: Some Black cosplayers have felt they had few options but to dress as White (European-descended) superheroes and science-fiction characters, or even as Asian or
Manga
Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is use ...
-styled characters, although doing so afforded them very little positive feedback, little notoriety, and a great lack of support from cosplayers at-large.
Similar conventions
Other ongoing conventions with an Afrocentric theme include Onyxcon (Atlanta, GA),
Motor City Black Age of Comics
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ge ...
(Detroit) and the
Schomburg Center
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is a research library of the New York Public Library (NYPL) and an archive repository for information on people of African descent worldwide. Located at 515 Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue) ...
's Black Comic Book Festival (New York City).
See also
*
Portrayal of black people in comics
Black people have been portrayed in comics since the medium's beginning, with their portrayals often the subject of controversy. Mainstream comic publishing companies have had a historical trend of being predominantly white and male, reflecting the ...