Portrayal of Black People in Comics - African Characters

African Characters

Cartoonist Lee Falk's adventure comic strip Mandrake the Magician featured the African supporting character Lothar from its 1934 debut. He was a former "Prince of the Seven Nations", a federation of jungle tribes, but passed on the chance to become king and instead followed Mandrake on his world travels, fighting crime. Initially an illiterate exotic garbed in animal skins, provided the muscle to compliment Mandrake's brain on their adventures. Lothar was modernized in 1965 to dress in suits and speak standard English.

The publisher All-Negro Comics, Inc. published a single issue of All-Negro Comics (June 1947), a 15-cent omnibus, at a time when comics generally cost ten cents. The feature starred characters that included the Lion Man. He was a young African scientist sent by the United Nations to oversee a massive uranium deposit at the African Gold Coast whose main enemy was Doctor Blut Sangro.

The series Powerman, designed as an educational tool, was published in 1975 by Pikin Press of Nigeria, for distribution in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. The series, starring Powerman, was written by Don Avenall (aka Donne Avenell) and Norman Worker, and illustrated by British artists Dave Gibbons and Brian Bolland. Powerman, who was superstrong and could fly, appeared in stories rendered in a simple style. His only apparent weakness was to snakebites.