Andy Warpigs – a punk musician based in Phoenix. His song “Chili Pepper” is a fun bop. Also he’s a cool-ass dude. He and another black musician got featured in the Phoenix news.
Zero Polaris – illustrator and comic artist, maker of The Ballad of Pluto. I love his art style.
Lizzo – I feel like she needs no introduction. If you’ve never heard her music, listen to “Boys.”
Chris James Scott – competitor in Super Art Fight, comic artist and maker of 2 Ton Rock God.
Vesenia Designs – makes the comic Celestial Pulse and YouTube art tutorials. She’s one of the big reasons I got into recording livestreams on YouTube to begin with.
Fractured Fox – Indie apparel. I LOVE the design aesthetic.
Kerbie M – actress, old college buddy.
Natasha Burton, aka Mz Pirate Queen – cosplayer, scribbler of stories, another college buddy, and one of the inspirations for my comic series, Charlie & Clow.
Jazzy Flesh – cosplayer, cool ass dude, good friend of mine.
Ron Scott Jr. – filmmaker, director of cultural diversity at the Wheeling YWCA, comics fan, cool ass dude.
J. M Hunter – comic artist/writer, YouTuber.
D. Jones (aka D Jones HipHop) – one of my old community leaders in college. Hip hop artist.
Isaiah Broussard – comic artist and illustrator, makes shonen work.
Pointless Peach – makes nerdy apparel (for real, I want SO MANY of her hats).
Robin Carnilius – self-proclaimed trans femme artist and storyteller. I love how trippy their style is!
Black Nerd Problems Lit – curates books made by and featuring black people. The booky side of @blacknerdproblems, which is another fun account to follow.
Taneka Stotts – television writer, but I know her for her work in comics, particularly the Elements anthology and ESPECIALLY the Beyond queer comics anthologies.
C. Spike Trotman – runs Iron Circus Comics. Makes SO. MANY. COMICS.
Care Bears on Fire – I love her Instagram feed.
Obadoro – works in indie comics and fiction, especially Afrofuturistic stories.
Ronald Wimberly – comic artist, creator of Prince of Cats.
Greg Dae – comic artist, creator of Is’nana the Were Spider.
T1J – YouTuber, talks a LOT about politics in a way that I actually like. Because he’s sincere, empathetic, and goes into nuance that not a lot of people address.
Jungle Jordan – YouTuber, highlights different animals in 1 minute or less.
I know there’s more, so names will be added. Keep checking back!
If you possibly can, buy the work these folks make (check their links for more info). How you spend your money says more than you think it does. Here’s a list of 10 black-owned bookstores to help you get started.
Check back on Monday for a list of my favorite comics by black creators.
Thank you for reading!
You. Are. Awesome.
