Behind the Mask: Black Power in Comics explores the painful and triumphant history of African Americans in comic books. Behind the Mask delves into the history of black comic book characters. With a few exceptions, early black comic characters were rarely featured as heroes. In the past, it was more common to see Blacks represented as “helpless” sidekicks supporting white characters written by white creative teams. With the rise of Black comic creators in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Black comic book creators are now emerging to establishing superheroes of their own, reflecting a truer self-identity and cultural pride.
