In the past year “Black Panther,” “Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse,” and several other films sent a powerful message to Hollywood that representation goes a long way.

This weekend that message gained another boost in San Diego.

On Saturday, hundreds of people came together at Malcolm X Library for the second-ever Black Comix Day, an event that celebrates black comic book artists and creators and promotes representation.

“When I see the kids come up and they aren’t just entertained but inspired to possibly get into the field itself, that’s what gets me jazzed,” said Keithan Jones, the organizer of the event.


1 / 12 Andrew Adomako and his brother, Michael, look at the comic books from the series, Is’nana the Were-Spider, as Brent Lambert, and Greg Anderson Elysée, right, the creator of the series, look on, during Black Comix Day 2019. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 12 Robert Roach, center, creator illustrator and writer of the comic book series, Menthu and The Roach, gives encouragement to five-year-old Sam Wood who with his Uncle, Paul Portillo, visited Black Comix Day 2019 at Malcom X Library in Valencia Park. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 12 Jerry Dunham Jr., creator of Tuff Teddys, his first comic book, signs a copy of the book during Black Comix Day 2019. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 12 Angela Nixon, creator of the Black Nationalists’ series of comic journals was one of the comic creators at Black Comix Day 2019 at Malcom X Library in Valencia Park. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 12 LaBradford Franklin helps five-year-old Avery Cheeks roll up a Omegan Chronicles poster from the comic book series Force Galaxia, during a visit to Black Comix Day 2019. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 12 Justin Dean, Maurice Alexander, and Joseph Aguon read the comic book, Is’nana the Were-Spider during a visit to Black Comix Day 2019. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 12 Artist Rodney Anderson Jr. poses for a photo with Martell McLavain, while visiting Black Comix Day 2019. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 12 Faith Huntington looks at the comic book, Delilah Blast #1 while visiting Black Comix Day 2019 at Malcom X Library in Valencia Park with her dad, Dale Huntington, right. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 12 Crystal Caton arranges the comics she bought during Black Comix Day 2019 at Malcom X Library in Valencia Park. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 12 Jonette Metcalfe and her daughters, Safiyah and Aminah Metcalfe read the comic book, Swag Patrol by Rubyn Warren II, during Black Comix Day 2019. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 12 Six-year-old Jayden Watson poses for a photo with Keithan Jones, creator of The Power Knights comic book series, during Black Comix Day 2019. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 12 Five-year-old Sam Wood visited Robert Roach, creator illustrator and writer of the comic book series, Menthu and The Roach, during Black Comix Day 2019 at Malcom X Library in Valencia Park. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Launched last year the day after “Black Panther” debuted, Jones started Black Comix Day as a way to shine a spotlight on black creators and allow an easy way for the community to connect with them and their work.

Jones, who is based in San Diego and is the founder Kid Comics, also saw the event as a great way to promote representation in comics, offering another way for creators to share work that reflects their culture.

“As a black kid growing up watching cartoons and my favorite movies, when I saw black people it was always comic relief or playing the thug,” said Jones. “It wasn’t empowering, they were all forgettable roles.”


“I think representation is important for children to build their self-esteem,” he added.

At the event Saturday, that representation was front and center with the works of more than two dozen creatives on full display. Attendees of all ages and backgrounds combed through books and art that ran the whole spectrum of genres, from modern superhero tales and black fantasy or sci-fi stories to comics grounded in African mythology.

“We all want to feel like we can be the main characters or the heroes, and this type of event showcases that there’s a community of creators here who have been doing that,” said Greg Anderson Elysée, a New York-based comic creator who delivers a coming-of-age story grounded in West African folklore in his ongoing series “Is’nana: The Were-Spider”

Attendee Ian Collins, who brought his 8-year-old son Zion to the show, shared a similar sentiment.


“It’s very important especially for African-Americans to see ourselves in more stories and these artists and authors weave us into them,” Collins said, adding that some of the comics are also a great way to inspire kids’ imaginations and get them interested in other areas such as history.

Meanwhile, attendee Tonya Watson, who was at the show with her 6-year-old grandson Jaden, said the show and comics are also a great way to get kids interested in reading and maybe even writing.

“For me, it is to inspire them to write, to learn, to imagine and be creative,” Watson said of why she came to the show with her grandson. “He likes to do a lot of different things, so I just try to encourage him. I don’t know where he wants to go in life, but I want to expose him to whatever I can so he has that experience.”

That inspiration factor could certainly be seen on Saturday, as kids combed through sketchbooks, transfixed by the art and sometimes asked creators questions about how long it takes them to create their work.


Brandon Thomas — a Southern California-based comic book writer who has written for Image Comics, Marvel and DC during his more than 15 years in the industry — answered some questions from a group of young boys around 11 a.m. The writer shared that he usually likes to spend a week writing the script, but an artist may take more than a month to illustrate a book.

“It makes the environment feel more welcoming, both for fans who look like us and then for other aspiring creators, because they can have people to look at and be like ‘oh that person did it, so maybe I can do it,’” said Thomas, whose new series on a secret society of black magicians called “Excellence” launches in few months with Image Comics/Skybound Entertainment.

“It all feeds into this larger idea of opening up the art form to other people and making them feel welcomed and invited, and feel represented,” he added.