Black Images in the Comics: A Visual History

Rating:
Summary: Somewhat disappointing
Review: This book is somewhat disappointing on a couple of grounds. For one thing, Stromberg only uses one panel from each of the comics he discusses, thus the reader has a difficult time getting these particular comic in full context (although his accompanying notes are good). This and (as Charles Johnson noted in his prologue), the "Negro Comics" of Black newspapers of the 1900s are given somewhat short shrift as a means of comparison. Cartoons dealing with the portrayal of Africans as simian-like savages are used so frequently that the point that this stereotype was common among cartoonists is beaten to the ground.

These flaws aside, it's a good introduction to the subject of Black protrayals in the cartoons. Aaron McGruder (of "Boondocks" fame), cartoonist Tim Jackson, and a professor at Ft. Valley State University (Georgia) have also done research on this topic. I hope this book encourages them to publish their studies.