Black and Super returns

Published 7:55 pm Monday, February 10, 2020

The Suffolk Public Library will hold the second annual “Black and Super: African American History in Comics” on Saturday. It will be a downtown Suffolk day filled with super-heroics, fun and activities that are free and open to the public.

Black and Super will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Morgan Memorial Library, 443 W. Washington St. The event will feature story-time for children, games, prizes, vendors and more.

It’s a unique Black History Month celebration that showcases African American comic book characters, as well as local creators and small businesses.

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“We wanted to focus on black superheroes, local African American comics creators, and small businesses in the area,” said Suffolk Public Library Youth Services Coordinator Cory Bland.

Bland said there will be roughly 13 local vendors selling jewelry, clothing, art and more at the event.

The library will screen the documentary “The Mundane Afrofuturist Manifesto” and hold a comics workshop with self-published comics creator Gerald Fauntroy, who will share advice for others aspiring creators.

A local dojo will set up an “action hero course,” Bland said, with a punching bag and other activities to participants into the “super hero action spirit.” Arts and crafts will also be available for children.

There will be “Black and Super Jeopardy” with trivia on superheroes, music and more pop culture. The “Heroes in Real Life” question-and-answer panel will feature local comic book creators, small business owners and a local novelist.

“We have a mix of activities for all ages,” Bland said.

The winner for the “Everyone is Super” contest will also be announced at the event. Participants created original, super-heroic identities for the contest, and each submitted character drawing and description will be on display Saturday at the library.

For more information, search for “Black and Super: African American History in Comics” on Facebook, or visit suffolkpubliclibrary.com.