Audience member, Heroes/Creators: The Comic Art Creations of Civil Rights Legends panel, San Diego Comic-Con 2013.
Ajuan Mance
Category Archives: Art, Black Men, African American, Artist
1001 Black Men–#583
This drawing and the next depict men who were sitting near me during the Heroes/Creators: The Comic Art Creations of Civil Rights Legends panel (see 1001 Black Men–#580). One of the highlights of the panel was the presentation by Andrew Aydin, one of the creators of the March trilogy, a collection of three graphic novels that tell the story of Civil Rights activist and current member of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Lewis.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men–#582
At Comic-Con San Diego, a number of events are geared toward amateur artists, filmmakers, and writers who are trying to break into the mainstream.
The annual portfolio review is one example of this. Every year comic publishers, movie and TV studios, and video game companies send their editors and recruiters to evaluate the portfolios of aspiring artists and illustrators, all of whom line up early for the opportunity to get feedback from real industry professionals. It’s always interesting to pass through this area of the convention center, just to get peek at some of the amazing drawings that the waiting reviewees are preparing to show.
The portfolio review area also happens to be a very comfortable place to sit down and catch your breath, especially on the last day of the conference, when many of the seats in waiting area are empty. The man in this drawing was waiting a couple seats away from me, thumbing through his portfolio and holding it at an angle that allowed me to steal a glimpse of his work. His sketches included Black, white, Asian and Native American superheroes of all genders, including women whose proportions were more in keeping with real-life female bodies than has been customary in comic art. I was feeling a bit too shy to ask his name, but I’d really like to see his work again.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men–#581
Costume Illustrator Phillip Boutte, Jr., San Diego Comic-Con.
This is the second time I’ve had to pleasure of seeing Phillip Boutte on the annual costume illustrators panel. The costume and production designers and illustrators exemplify what’s possible when artists refuse to abandon the idea that their passion can be their life’s work.
Since completing his degree in 2006 (at Cal State University-Long Beach), Boutte has worked as costume illustrator or concept artist on more than 25 major motion pictures.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men–#580
This is a drawing of Stanford Carpenter as he appeared on the Heroes/Creators panel at the Comic Arts Conference, SDCC 2013. Dr. Carpenter is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Institute for Comics Studies, a cultural anthropologist, and a comic creator.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men–#579
A face from the audience, Comic-Con 2013, San Diego Convention Center, Room 9.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men–#578
Here’s another entry from my Comic-Con sketchbook. This is Rickey. He was sitting directly in front of me during the Ellen Forney session. She was reading from Marbles, her new graphic novel. The combination of the subject’s knit cap, his headphones, and his locks made for an satisfying combination of textures, and the headphones broke up the space around the subject ‘s head in some interesting ways.
After the session was over, I caught Rickey’s attention and showed him my drawing. In retrospect, it must have felt odd to have some stranger show him a drawing, not of his face, but of the back of his head. He was very nice about it, though, and gave me his email address so I can send him a link to this post.
Thanks Rickey!
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men–#577
This is a drawing of the videographer for the Brandon Easton panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2013. Part of the reason I chose this figure was because I had a clear view of him from my seat. Mostly, though, I was interested in the idea of capturing a Black male cameraman in the act of viewing Black male panelists.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men–#576
Insights for Independent Creators was a panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2013. It was hosted by the man in this drawing, comics and screenwriter Brandon Easton. The panel included Black indie comics creators Dale Wilson, Todd Harris, Dani Dixon, Larry Welch, Andre Owens, and Robert Roach. DeWayne Copeland was the moderator. As host, Easton was witty, candid, and a little sarcastic; but he was also inspiring. Easton and his panelists emphasized the potential of new digital production technologies to diversify the range of stories being told in all forms of media. The creator of the popular independent comic Shadowlaw, Easton is the embodiment of this trend.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men–#575
It’s that time of year again. The Brothers of Comic-Con Sketchbook returns! It is hard for me to believe that I have attended Comic-Con four times since beginning the 1001 Black Men project. I began this project in July of 2010, the summer I first made my way the largest annual geek pilgrimage in the world. This year, as in previous years, I was thrilled by the diversity of this event and, in particular, by the number of people of African descent–men, women, children, and entire Black families–getting their nerd on in bold and brilliant ways.
Comic-Con San Diego throws this phenomenon into high relief, with Black folks dressed in full costume–as Doctor Who (the Ninth Doctor), Darth Maul (who looked amazing), Spider Man, zombies, pirates, Captain America, Sho’ Nuff’ the Shogun of Harlem–or else decked out in the latest fan gear from their favorite movies, games, films books, and television series. At this, the first Comic-Con since the George Zimmerman verdict, seeing the Black men around me (of whom there were literally thousands) felt meaningful in very different ways than in the past. It was a powerful experience to be around so many Black men who, simply by celebrating the media forms and characters they enjoy, were resisting the narrow definitions so often applied to them.
And then there were people like the man in this drawing who, dressed as no character I could discern, paid homage to the spirit of the Con by donning a mask and wearing it throughout the day.
Ajuan Mance
PS: If you’d care to see a clip of Sho’ Nuff” the Shogun of Harlem, check out YouTube member William Hinson’s compilation of some of Sho’ Nuff’s best moments from The Last Dragon.