Black Indie Comics vs Black Mainstream IPs – Déjà Vu
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Should we throw our energy effort and money behind established characters or independent creators?
Recently, DC Comics has been taking their many threads of continuity from 80 plus year in business and summing it down into one streamlined story. This all culminated with The New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident. The story talks about the Milestone characters and how/why they have been missing from the mainline DC universe in comics. There was a groundswell of support, rationalizing that if the numbers looked good enough, DC might feel inspired to create a mainline ongoing series starring any of the Milestone characters (or any Black character for that matter). A Black centered book selling would be the proof of concept. Then the question was posed: why should we need to prove anything when we have our own?
The Mainstream Issue
On February 21, 2026, author and Blerd safe space advocate Tony Weaver Jr presented a different perspective on the Milestone/DC focus.
I say this in the most respectful way possible. Milestone Media is not our salvation. DC’s inability to effectively monetize a beloved roster of characters does not mean we should be organizing buying campaigns to “prove” there’s demand. Almost every black writer and author that’s worked on milestone comics has THEIR OWN ORIGINAL BOOKS. Why are we not arranging buying campaigns for them? Why does it have to be Static for you to care? ~ Tony Weaver Jr
Weaver Jr nails one side of this conversation. The mega corporations have shown a clear and distinct lack of care when it comes to Black lead projects. James Portis III, known online as JPenumbra, in collaboration with other black comic content creators, launched the campaign DCSoWhite. They monitor exactly how long it has been since DC Comics produced an ongoing Black character lead title in main continuity (1100+ days and counting as of the original publishing of this article). Consulting powerhouse, McKinsey & Company, produced even more startling numbers: Hollywood leaves $10B annually on the table by undervaluing Black projects. In this country, if Capitalism will not be a motivator to those in power, nothing is. Through that lens, it seems clear that Weaver Jr’s words are correct. There is no amount of support that can be thrown behind a project under the umbrella of “mainstream media”. They are going to make what they want, solely at their own discretion. So why continue to “play a game” that we have no way of assuring victory?
The Reality
The Black characters under DC and Marvel cannot be ignored. As frustrating as the lack of control may be, John Stewart is someone’s favorite Green Lantern. Bishop is someone’s favorite member of the X-Men. Static is the reason someone reads comics at all today. To leave these characters twisted in the winds of corporate whims eternally feels like a slap in the face of the relationship we already have built. Anyone suggesting that mainstream support and indie support is a binary choice is being disingenuous. While the support of mainstream Black characters continues to be an uphill battle, members and supporters of the indie comics landscape are continuing to push the needle.
The Indie Progress
As Lloyd and Natosha Jones of Midnight Comics can attest, the road is long. They are celebrating five years of successfully bringing stories to life in an incredible Omnibus Kickstarter campaign, but even that still relies heavily on their direct marketing efforts to inform the masses. The community is stepping in to help. Keisha Parks (@theblerdlibrary) of The Pink Riot Comic Show is assembling a Google Doc to track her recommendations of BIPoC Kickstarter projects. Additionally, Malcolm McFadden of Six Fifteen Comics launched the Indieverse Calendar: a submission page to keep up with author’s crowd funding efforts, podcasts promotions, and convention appearances. The community is rising to the occasion and making more in roads for the independent artists to find their audience.
We’ve had this conversation before. Thankfully, there feels like progress on both sides of the coin. People are stepping up to hold the mainstream media accountable for their lack of care and urgency. Others are doing more to prevent indie authors from slipping through the cracks. We already know that Black stories sell. Support does not have to be split. We can back Midnight Comics while demanding a DC Vixen solo series. In a world intent on ignoring your genius while picking your pocket, Black people, fighting for the art that moves you can never be seen as a waste.
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