Black Noir celebrated in new comics anthology

Spurred by the popular social media hashtag #DrawingWhileBlack, upstart publisher FairSquare Comics is organizing an anthology celebrating the Black noir genre.

“What happens when you use a different lens to explore ignored shades of nuance in the Black experience?" says writer Melody Cooper. "You get the beautiful dark and blinding light that lets us examine the past, confront the present, and re-imagine the future through the Black gaze of a new noir."

The creators involved in this project are:

Brandon Thomas
Greg Burnham
Sanford Greene
Koi Turnbull
Brandon Easton
Melody Cooper
Christian Cooper
Marcus Williams
MD Marie
Don Walker
Hannibal Tabu
Frank Yeiger
Greg A. Elysee
Regine Sawyer
N.Steven Harris
Sylvain Despretz
Ray-Anthony Height
Afua Richardson
Dorphise Jean
Vlad Alexis
David Brame
Mel Milton
Teena Stone
Karen S. Darboe
Guile

"While many comics and graphic novels have featured black noir stories through the years, never have these kinds of stories been gathered in one place in such a powerful way," reads FairSquare's description of the anthology. "For the first time, some of the best creators in modern comics agreed to band together to produce the finest Black Noir stories ever: a collection of 13 short stories from the past, present and future. Noir is the New Black will be a nexus, where reality and fiction collide."

FairSquare Comics is a new publishing company launched by Fabrice Sapolsky in 2019 with the intent to "publish, promote and give more space to immigrant and under-represented creators of the world."

“Representation is one of the most powerful tools to promote the change many have been demanding, and I am blessed to be among those who'll bring this volume to the world," says TC Harris, a co-editor of the anthology. "I cannot express how excited I am at the prospect of getting this anthology into your hands. Why am I passionate about Black Noir? Namely, because I'm living it!”

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)