Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 14, 1993 TAG: 9301130120
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN ENDERS ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: SAN JOSE, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium
BLACK COMIC HEROES GAIN SUPPORT
Slide over Spiderman. Move your bulk, Hulk. Here come the ebony warriors.Five black publishers of comic books plan to promote non-white superheroes to offer positive role models for blacks. They have formed ANIA, an association of black comic book publishers, and will begin shipping comic books with black heroes to the nation's 5,000 comics stores in February.
Ebony Warrior, Purge, The Original Man, Heru: Son of Ausar and Zwanna: Son of Zulu will join several black characters already in comics produced by market leaders Marvel and DC Comics.
But the new black heroes will offer what ANIA founder and president Eric Griffin said is a more "Afro-centric" perspective.
ANIA is a Swahili word meaning to protect and defend. "We feel we are protecting our views and our way of life," Griffin said.
ANIA's entry into the comic book mainstream is the most recent and best organized push by comic producers to add blacks to the dazzling array of superheroes that have sprung up since DC Comics introduced Superman in 1938.
More than 200 comic book publishers put out as many as 500 new titles a month, according to Roger Grant, president of the Amazing Fantasy Factory, which runs a comic-book outlet in San Jose.
ANIA's members are Griffin's company, Africa Rising; Up Comics of Greensboro, N.C.; Afrocentric Comic Books of Moriches, N.Y.; Dark Zulu Lies Inc. of Atlanta; and Omega 7 Comics of Kansas City, Mo.
Comic Books by ANIA's members have appeared in black and white over the past two years in black bookstores. Starting in February, they will appear in full color under one ANIA imprint and be distributed nationwide, Griffin said.
Market leader Marvel already has several black heroes: Luke Cage, Night Thrasher and Black Panther. DC Comics has Green Lantern and Black Lightning.
And DC, the nation's No. 2 comic book company, is developing a line of black characters with Milestone Media of New York.
But members of ANIA, based in Sunnyvale, said the existing heroes don't always offer the positive role models for black youngsters.
"Most of them are hoodlums and thugs without any direction," said Griffin, a 24-year-old former engineer with Apple Computer.
ANIA's comics will focus on the African roots of American blacks as well as issues such as AIDS, racism, guns and violence. Their goal is to instill in their young readers a sense of hope and a belief in their self-worth.
Heru: Son of Ausar takes place in Kemet, an African name for ancient Egypt. Ebony Warrior battles bad guys but is educated, interested in history and reads.
"That's the whole point: giving Afro-Americans a cool hero they can say is theirs," Griffin said.
ANIA hopes to sell as many as 3 million comics in 1993 in what is a $500 million-a-year industry.
James Eisele, product manager for Capital City Distribution Inc. of Wisconsin, one of the country's top comic distributors, said the new interest in black comics is exciting.
"They [ANIA] want to draw in a new clientele in the existing comic shops who are selling predominantly to white people," he said.