The continent of Africa has long held a fascination for foreign cartoonists. Some have viewed it as a land of exotic peoples and environments. Such mythic views have informed stories of adventure or intrigue, like Burne Hogarth’s Tarzan comics, or Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s “Black Panther” character (introduced in the pages of Fantastic Four comic books), or the Italian cartoonist Hugo Pratt’s seafaring adventure bande dessinée series Corto Maltese.
Some cartoonists have used its peoples as material for–or targets of–humor, as can be seen in the French periodical Le Rire from nearly a century ago. And some comics reveal colonialist attitudes, like the Belgian Tintin au Congo.
Alternatively, the American comic book series Golden Legacy conveyed research about Africa and its history to young readers in the 1960s and 1970s. There are almost as many “Africas” as there are comics about the continent.
“Visions” exhibit case and posters, with selected books available for check-out.
Continue on to: Visions Exhibit – Further Reading
