Encyclopedia of Black Comics from Sheena C Howard is a much needed beginning in filling the gaps in acknowledging black artists in every aspect of the comic/cartoon world.

As Howard acknowledges, this is not every single person who could have been included, the volume will go through additional revised editions and, hopefully, future writers will take up the call and do more research into specific periods and situations. So just ignore the naysayers who criticize the book for not including each and every black artist, such a book will take many hands and a lot of time to compile. This book serves to start that process, not be the end of that process. So forget anyone who simply doesn't understand and just wants to sound smart, they fail miserably.

This is a well researched and inclusive encyclopedia, touching on all of the jobs in the industry, not just the artist. For anyone interested in making a positive contribution, as compared to those who just sit back and complain, there are many opportunities here to branch out and add to the growing scholarship. Many of these people have been overlooked far too long in mainstream histories and even some within African-American Studies scholarship. Recovering them is every bit as important as including the names many people know about, though as the field grows everyone, hopefully, will be included.

While certainly an ideal reference work, this is also a book that rewards a complete reading. I approached it as I would a book of essays or short stories, I read an entry or two when I had time to read a little but not enough time to get back into a novel or a nonfiction book that forms one long argument. These entries are each self-contained and rewarding on their own, and as a whole they are an essential part of a better appreciation of what the real history of comics was like.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )