University at Buffalo (UB)
Published May 2, 2022
Stacey Robinson and John Jennings bring back Black Superhero Ebon
artwork by Black Kirby
Stacey Robinson (MFA 2015) and John Jennings, the duo behind the art collective Black Kirby, expanded Larry Fuller's 1969 superhero "Ebon" this year.
One of the First Black Superheroes in a Comic Book
In 1969, Larry Fuller had a game-changing idea. As one of the few Black cartoonists working in San Francisco’s underground comix movement, Fuller created a story that featured one of the first Black superhero characters in a comic: Ebon.
Fuller only published one issue of his comic in 1970, which didn’t sell well at the time. Yet “Ebon: Fear of a Black Planet” became a trailblazing work that paved the way for Black readers from all walks of life to see themselves as limitless.
Despite its influence on comics and pop culture alike, Fuller’s work has remained relatively obscure — until Stacey Robinson and John Jennings, the duo behind the art collective Black Kirby, expanded Ebon’s story this year.
1970, 1st edition, "Ebon" cover
Black Kirby and Ebon
When Black Kirby first came across Mr. Fuller’s works, it was hard to not imagine the world that the main character’s ancestor hailed from. In Marvel Comics’ Black Panther comics, King T’Challa hails from a technologically advanced, unconquered African nation. Jom, the ancestor of Valentine Jones aka Ebon, is an alien from a planet where everyone is Black. Black Kirby was totally enthralled with the narrative potential and two years ago they began to work directly with Mr. Fuller to help push Ebon and his world into bold new directions.
EBON, Fear of a Black Planet
On Display:
March 19 – June 19, 2022
Culver Center of the Arts
3824 + 3834 Main Street
Riverside, CA 92501
Black Kirby
- John Jennings, a best-selling author, graphic novelist, curator and professor of media and cultural studies at UC Riverside
- Stacey Robinson (MFA 2015), an artist and professor of graphic design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign