Emory Reads

 
Brotherman: Dictator of Discipline is a groundbreaking independently produced comic that was first released in Black expos across the country in 1990. The original series consists of 11 issues and follows the hero, Antonio Valor, as he fights crime during the day as a district attorney for Big City. However, some problems are just too tough to settle in court, so Valor dawns the mask of Brotherman to solve crimes and help make his community safer. To see the Emory-led virtual reality project that features the Big City Universe visit: www.bigcitymap.com.

 
Hardware was the first title to be published by Milestone Media in 1993. An imprint of DC Comics, Milestone was the first of its kind to focus all its titles on predominantly Black characters. Led by Dwayne McDuffie and Denys Cowan, Milestone went on to release several other flagship titles including Icon, Blood Syndicate, and Static (Static Shock was a television cartoon on the WB network that ran for 4 seasons starting in 2000).

 
Concrete Park, published by Dark Horse Comics, was co-created by screenwriter/director Tony Puryear and actress/producer Erika Alexander. Together they produced a beautifully rendered comic about a prison world inhabited by exiles from their home planets. Everyone who is sent there must fend for themselves and learn to create a community among a variety of characters from around the universe.

 
Created by Egyptian activist and artist Ganzeer, The Solar Grid transports the reader to a future where the need to address climate change disaster has led to incredible technological advance. However, The Solar Grid offers a stunning critique of unhinged corporate interests, government corruption, and mass-media production in this tale of a near-future that could become a dark reality if we are not vigilant.

 
Illustrated by Turtel Onli and co-authored by Cassandra Washington, this comic was envisioned as a positive female role model for African American comic readers. The protagonist is a schoolteacher who discovers her true identity as Nzinga, Queen of the Black Age. As a superhero, she wears a natural hairstyle and uses the powers of her African roots, ancestry, and intelligence to save the day.

 
Femme Fatal: Spirit Power is part 1 of 4 and serves as the beginning of the fate of Matrix City series. Matrix City is a modern futuristic city that one group feels has advanced too far, too quickly. With problems of crime, technology, and the exploitation of its citizens, a concerned group of people wants to restore the city back to a simpler time.