Taken from our 2021 Comic-Con@Home Panel, in this episode, I discuss the origins and practical application of Afrofuturism with five leaders in this space: Afrofuturist scholar and cultural critic, Ytasha Womack; critically acclaimed illustrator and author Tim Fielder; Award winning, best selling graphic novelist and scholar, John Jennings; and Loreen Williamson and Pamela Thomas, the co-founders and co-curators of The Museum Of UnCut Funk. Together, they explore how black history, particularly 1970s funk culture and black animation, inspires the movements of speculative fiction and art. They detail their individual projects, while also highlighting collaborative efforts to revive vintage comic strip characters, such as Neil Knight, into modern STEM-focused franchises. Overall, the discussion emphasizes Afrofuturism as both an artistic aesthetic and a cultural practice that uses imagination and technology to construct new narratives of liberation and future possibilities for people of African descent. Now, on to the conversation.

n this episode, we remember our historic discussion with Emmy Award-winning artist Dawud Anyabwile, and colorist Brian McGee, of the cult classic and record-breaking comic book "Brother Man”. The discussion centers on the history, philosophy, and resurgence of "Brother Man", a comic first introduced in 1990 that is celebrated for its commitment to diverse and conscious storytelling within the superhero genre. Anyabwile explains that the protagonist, Antonio Valor, possesses innate powers rather than superpowers, symbolizing the importance of community consciousness and effort. The creators discuss their motivations for creating a high-caliber cultural product that positively reflects the Black experience, aiming to "redefine the default" in popular culture away from white-centric heroism. They also touch upon the challenges and spiritual journey involved in bringing back the series with "Brother Man: Revelation," emphasizing excellence and the book's complex world-building.

In this episode, distinguished professor and comix scholar, Dr. Frederick Luis Aldama, introduces three distinguished scholars and creators: Dr. Jennifer Caroccio Maldonado, Dr. Deborah Whaley, and Dr. Fernanda Diaz Basteris, and together they discuss their personal and academic journeys into comic studies, frequently noting the lack of existing scholarship on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) narratives in sequential art, which initially motivated their research. They also address their challenges faced as women of color working in an academic field often dominated by white men, including issues of gatekeeping and justifying their focus on Latinx and Black comics. Ultimately, they affirm the importance of studying and teaching BIPOC comics as a crucial practice of equity, justice, and cultural preservation, celebrating the various genres and visual forms used to "ink our humanity."

In this episode, scholars Dr. Yvonne Chireau and Dr. Rita Lucarelli, along with author Ayize Jama-Everett, explore the portrayal of Black religion and spirituality across history, noting that words like "religion" and "magic" are often colonial or Western impositions that misrepresent African and ancient Egyptian traditions. The speakers address topics such as the concept of the ancestor, the demonization of Black religions in popular culture and comics, and the potential for the comics medium to provide alternative, authentic narratives. The discussion concludes with a focus on the universal, living nature of Black religious thought and the importance of approaching ancient sources with an open mind.

In this episode, Dr. Frances Gateward, professor and director of the School of Theatre, Film & Television at the University of Arizona, sits down with author Rebecca Roanhorse to discuss her 2018 novel, "Trail of Lightning," and her writing philosophy. Roanhorse explains that her background in religious studies, law, and social justice influenced her boundary-breaking speculative fiction, which incorporates elements of horror, post-apocalyptic settings, and urban fantasy. A key focus of her work is shifting away from European mythology to center Diné (Navajo) culture and feature a complex, often difficult female protagonist, reflecting the author's own experience and the reality of violence faced by Indigenous women. The discussion also touches upon Indigenous futurism, the structural decision to use short, urgent sentences in her novel, and her award-winning short story, "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience (Trademark)," which critiques cultural appropriation and stereotypes.

In this episode, the Hugo and Eisner Award-winning artist, publisher, and cultural studies professor John Jennings moderates a fascinating discussion with three ‘goddesses’ of Black speculative fiction, award-winning, best selling writers Nalo Hopkinson, Nnedi Okorafor, and Jewelle Gomez. The conversation focuses on the inspiration and creative process behind their work, exploring the "truths" they seek to express through writing, which often involves themes of identity and sociopolitical concerns. The authors discuss how their personal experiences, cultural backgrounds, and desire for representation influence their narratives, with Gomez relating how a street harassment incident inspired her vampire novel, and Okorafor describing how her Nigerian-American heritage manifests through figures like masquerades and a giant spider monster. Finally, the discussion considers the relationship between speculative fiction and social justice movements, particularly the rise of Afrofuturism, emphasizing the genre's power to imagine better worlds and provide a political voice.

This BCAF discussion explores the relevance of Martin Luther King Jr. in contemporary popular culture, particularly through the lens of comics and Afrofuturism. I moderate a panel of scholars, including the Reverend Dr. Sakena Young Scaggs of Stanford University, Vanderbilt University’s Dr. Juan Floyd-Thomas, and Dr. Montague Williams of Point Loma Nazarene University, who share their personal connections to comics and discuss how the medium can visualize complex ideas and social injustices, reflecting and transforming consciousness. They emphasize how King's legacy, though sometimes misinterpreted or sanitized, continues to inspire movements and offer guiding principles like love and resistance to oppression for imagining radical Black futures beyond conventional boundaries. The discussion highlights examples like the "March" trilogy and "Lovecraft Country" as powerful avenues for engaging with King's enduring message. Now, on to the conversation.

Our guests are discussing Media Production and Representation in the Age of AI. Moderated by Dr. Stanford Carpenter and featuring award-winning syndicated cartoonist and writer Keith Knight, media attorney Britton Payne, and animation executive Sean Brown, the panel explores the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on media creation, particularly within animation. The discussion highlights AI's potential benefits, such as streamlining production tasks and opening new creative opportunities for artists and consumers alike. However, the panelists also address significant challenges and ethical concerns, including job displacement, the disruption of traditional creative relationships, and the inherent biases within AI training data that can lead to a lack of diverse representation. The conversation emphasizes the need for thoughtful regulation and diverse voices to shape AI's development, ensuring it serves as a tool for progress rather than perpetuating existing inequalities.