In terms of better stories as it pertains to race, you have to be careful, but that doesn’t mean we have to walk on egg shells. Just because a story has racial overtones and has a black person in it doesn’t mean it’s inherently bad. Racism or race relations, war, sexism, government corruption, religion, politics, drugs, conspiracies are all subjects that have been an integral part of American if not world history. And all of these subjects have been the basis for a great many great comic book stories. There’s no reason why race should be treated like a white elephant and be treated any differently or ignored just because it makes people uncomfortable. That’s backwards thinking. As I mentioned before, Denny O’Neil and Jeph Loeb have done stories about racism. Marvel did a Captain American story about racism that was awesome. And the X-Men became a mega-hit because of racial metaphors and the multi-racial aspect of its cast. I also have to mention J. Michael Straczynski’s Squadron Supreme series. Racism is a major component of Nighthawk’s background and that book is EXCELLENT. As long as it’s a good story, who cares? This is the 21st century. We as a nation and a planet can ill afford being afraid of ethnic characters or characters of color because their backstories, histories or cultural perceptions may require race coming into the picture at some point in a story.

Fortunately, there are a lot more black creators now, as well as other creators of diverse ethnicity, so the panoply of the comic world can reflect the landscape of the real world. It’s about everybody coming to the party and throwing in their two cents and making a produce that everybody can enjoy.

But once again, I would hate to have some kind of affirmative action in comics. I wouldn’t take a job in the industry if I knew that was happening. I’d rather sink or swim on my own merits. I also think that would be the worse thing in the world would be for Marvel or DC to say, we need more African-American, Hispanic, Indian, Arab or Asian characters. It would be nice, but it should be a function of story, not a function of policy or politics. It needs to happen organically, like what happened with blacks entering into sports in the 1940’s or blacks now being able to play quarterback in the NFL. These cats got in because they good, not only because they were black. The more this happens; the more race won’t even be an issue. Then and only then can we truly stop talking about it…but for the right reasons.”

So one, then has to wonder how important it is to address race issues in the realm of a comic book, and if there can be any separation between black characters and race issues.

“Of course there can be a separation when it comes to Black characters,” explains Grevioux. “Being black does not encompass all of who I am. It’s a large part of me, but by no means all. It’s the same thing with fictional characters as well. At least it should be.”

“That said, I definitely have a strong sense of responsibility and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Grevioux continues. “Look at how poorly Jews were treated in the early days of America , yet two talented Jewish kids recreated the story of Moses and created one of the biggest cultural icons in the history of the world in Superman. Two Jewish kids possibly recreating the concept of the Judges in the Old Testament, who fought those who committed evil against the nation of Israel , created another cultural icon in Captain America who fought Nazi’s. That’s great stuff, and it goes to show that you can use your culture, whatever it is, and tell great stories. So once again, race is nothing that people should be afraid of.”

“But I think people have to understand to that we as blacks, can oft times bear the burden of responsibility just by virtue of our skin color, adds Grevioux. “No matter how you slice it, we are born political. There are racial assumptions, both good and bad, that people automatically think. And when it comes to industry and commerce, it can mean either suicide or salvation in terms of sales. And in comics, just a black man on the cover of a book can evoke a political response before the pages are even opened. We need to work to change that.”

“Everything is about timing; you can never cover up something entirely,” says West. “So issues will be addressed over time. Because people feel they need to be addressed. I think you can address any issue in any type of medium. It’s just a matter of pulling it off correctly. Comics can be a metaphor for real life if that’s how you choose to do it. Or it can be stand alone that has absolutely nothing to do with real life at all. I don’t make characters I can relate to on all levels. Sure I give them certain qualities which are needed to make them liked or hated, but just because I’m Black doesn’t mean I will just produce that type of character.”

Sales, never at a loss for words, still feels adding more black creators is the answer. “This really can't be repeated too often: Hire people of color to write their own stories. Not just white Black folks, but with Asians, Latinos and everybody else. (That includes more WOMEN writers, too!)” Sales goes on to say that people of color who want to see better stories need to make them. “WE own our own imaginations, and it is much easier to create the stories we want to see than to wait on somebody else to do it for us.”

And Sales has done just that. He created the type of stories he wanted to read and could relate to through his company Type Illy Press.

“I am… too impatient (and probably too proud) to wait on anybody else,” said Sales. “I am creating the kinds of comics I want to see, with people in them I relate to, and defining heroism for myself. Not only that, I am trying to create the best quality product I can, because I think it is important for indie creators to show that our books can stand up anywhere. I don't want folks to think they have to accept less quality because they are dealing with a comic with black faces in it.”

West is taking a different approach in MSC books. “Race is something I plan to address. But it doesn’t pertain to color. It’s about actual race here. There is a group in MSC which in all senses is racists. They hate Aliens, if you’re not human or carry some type of human trait they will not work with the character. They go to extremes to insure the blood line of the planet is never tainted. They have been in many wars because of the way they perceive things as a culture. Is it right, maybe not, but it’s who they are.”

Regardless of the problem areas, Sales still feels like the public is ready to accept black lead characters, but not without a little trepidation.

“These characters and groups mean a lot to these fans, and change is always hard. (People mourned HAL JORDAN for years!) Couple that with the fact that other American entertainment institutions - like Hollywood, Broadway and Baseball - made 'racial progress' a priority a lot sooner than comics, and its not a surprise to me that American mainstream comics are just now really having their 'artistic civil rights movement,’ says Sales. “Again, I think the folks at Marvel deserve a lot of credit for letting Reginald Hudlin make these moves. I think Storm had a lot of adoring fans that were very comfortable with this African woman who - ironically - seemed to have very little interest in the African king T'Challa and his home country of Wakanda (as unrealistic as that might be.) If good stories come from this union, I think fans will eventually accept it, but only if it is allowed to solidify into real Marvel cannon. If it is retconned away as soon as a new creative team comes aboard, then we may be back to square one.”

And to get more African Americans reading comics, West says it’s just a matter of targeting that demographic. “For Instance MSC plans on contacting Tyler Perry to get some type of Comic book based off one of his characters that would cater to the black female audience. There are avenues to get African Americans interested; it’s just finding the right elements that work.”

For Wilkins, seeing black characters in comics gives him a sense of pride. “When I turn on the TV 90% of the time I see Black Americans shown in a negative way, but to me it's great to see how comics have characters of color that are positive. I mean there's Black Panther, Storm, Falcon, Cage and the list goes on and on. It makes me feel real good.” But it was an image of Wolverine that pulled Wilkins into comics. “[A friend of mine in high school] He showed me this Uncanny X-Men that had on the cover Wolverine being crucified. That really piqued my interest and I've been hooked ever since.” As a creator, however, Wilkins’ inspiration goes a little deeper. “Dwayne McDuffie coming out with Milestone,” recalls Wilkins. “I read the stories to Static and Blood Syndicate and Hardware and I knew that I wanted to write stories just like those. I'm still working on getting in, but I know with a little patience and work I'll get in.”

For West, seeing black characters in comics means simply one thing, “acceptance”. ”I say that because it’s hard to market a true African American character without mixing various elements,” explains West. People don’t understand - creators sometimes make sacrifices just to cater to the reader or demographic out of fear of acceptance. I understand that when it comes to comics, African Americans are the minority, so it’s hard to really convey a true Black Character to current readers. Most people cannot identify with the Black character; in some cases it seems looked down on, but to me a good writer will not sacrifice vision. I would like to see more African American characters like the Milestone days. In fact a writer and I were planning on paying some homage to Milestone in that regards, by establishing a real Black Character.”

But as some creators are very vocal about, race issues aren’t limited to the pages in the books, but in the offices as well. It’s a problem in some places that everyone’s aware of, but fortunately Wilkins, West and Grevioux haven’t encountered it personally.

“The Comic Art community has been to me "open minded", solely because its based on skill and creativity,” says West.

For Wilkins it’s been the exact opposite. “What a lot of people fail to realize is that there are A LOT of African-American creators in this business that are willing to help those that want to help themselves. I was fortunate to have TWO great mentors in this industry. One being Brandon Easton who has a book called Shadowlaw coming through Arcana and the other is Erick Hogan who many know as the creator/writer for the hit Heroes@Large that came through Speakeasy Comics. The two of them prepared me for a road that is bumpy for me not because of my race but because it's just plain hard to get in because I'm a writer.”

“I’m definitely aware of it,” says Grevioux, “but I haven’t really encountered it thus far. But even if I did, so freaking what? Hard times and tough breaks are par for the course in this world. I think you have to look at racism when it occurs like a student trying to get into college, med school or law school in a sense. Sometimes, you can’t always go where you want for a myriad of reasons. It could be lack of money, sub-par grades, not enough extra-curricular activities on your CV, racism or that fact that your girl friend moved to Schenectady instead of Berkeley that keeps you out of your first choice of schools. Maybe even your second or third. But is it really going to stop you from being a doctor or a lawyer if that’s really what you want to do? The answer is “no”. Comics are the same way.”

“It’s like trying to get a movie made in Hollywood. You are competing against THOUSANDS of men and women who flood to LA each an every day. But that’s the price of admission if you want to go to the show.”

“Now, here’s another thing…” continues Grevioux “If there are some brothers, or people from other ethnic groups who think there should be more ethnic diversity, than they should create their own characters. If you see a deficiency some where, fix it. Do your own comics. It’s not brain surgery. It’s not even that expensive. In fact, it’s easy. That’s what a lot of people have done.”

When asked if speaking about race was a tiring subject as some other professionals have expressed, Kevin Grevioux noted that while it was tricky it doesn’t really bother him.

“For good or for ill, race can be a VERY tricky subject to talk about. I get asked about it sometimes for obvious reasons, but it doesn’t really bother me. Personally, I think it’s a time to dialogue and education for all involved.”

“If you get down to it, I think it comes down to this: Blacks don’t want to be ignored and treated as inadequate as if they’re not part of the human equation in comics, and whites don’t want to be accused of being racist and blamed for all the evil on the planet earth. And I think both groups have valid points. But, I will say I think it’s very dangerous and even irresponsible to avoid talking about race. Many classic storylines have been created when talking about race. Denny O’Neil talked about race in the 60’s with the classic Green Arrow/Green Lantern series. The Captain America series dealt with race somewhat during the 70’s. Peter Gillis talked about race in the Black Panther miniseries he did back in the 80’s. Jeph Loeb talked about race when he did his Muhammad X storyline some time back. Chris Claremont talked about race using the X-Men as metaphors for the subject. In fact, I remember there was this interview book from the 80’s called X-MEN COMPANION, where Chris Claremont was quoted as saying that being a mutant was that the ultimate manifestation of being black, and saw Professor X like Martin Luther King and Magneto as Malcolm X. That stuff was brilliant and insightful. And I actually talk about race in my upcoming graphic novel, the Vindicators. So people do like to talk about it, but you just have to be sensitive and make sure the story is good and you don’t preach to people too much. It’s really not that hard.”

Though issues still exist, many steps towards improvement and equal representation across the board have been made. In today’s comics we have a myriad of races and we are starting to see these characters come to the forefront. In DC’s weekly book 52 John Henry Irons, AKA, Steel is a forerunner in the fight against Lex Luthor. His niece is also a prominent character in the book. While in the Marvel Universe characters like Black Panther, Storm and Luke Cage have gained a fanbase and are quickly gaining momentum, not because of the color of their skin but because they are compelling and well-written characters, something that was sorely lacking in years past.

Coming up in Grevioux run on the newest incarnation of the New Warriors is another diverse cast of characters including Latin, Scottish and African American characters. I asked Kevin what he thought of former (and now deceased) leader of the original New Warriors, to which he responded that he “always thought he was a cool character. A young combination of Batman and Iron Man. I thought his origin was a bit Batman-ish at first, but the way they differentiated it in the long run made it more viable.”

“Too bad he’s dead though,” adds Grevioux coyly.

In closing, I had a chance to ask Kevin about one of his own characters, Darkstorm as well as a few other projects he has in the works.