Black Comic Book Festival Returns To Harlem In January

HARLEM, NY — Free registration is now open for the anticipated return of the Black Comic Book Festival to Harlem, the New York Public Library announced.

The annual event, entering its seventh year, will be held once again at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture on Malcolm X Boulevard between West 135th and 136th streets. The January two-day event will feature programming such as panels, a marketplace featuring titles produced by black creators and a cosplay show.

"This is a special time for black comix creators, writers, and characters," Kevin Young, director of the Schomburg Center, said in a statement. "With Black Panther, Black Lightning, Octavia Butler’s Kindred, and many others, there’s a resurgence in using this medium to tell our stories, to engage existing comix fans, and to cultivate new ones."

Young added that the festival is a place where fans can personally interact with their favorite creators.

People attending the January 18-19 festival are encouraged to attend the event dressed as their favorite characters. Festival attendees are also able to donate copies of old or new titles from their personal collections to be added to the Schomburg Center's archive of black comics.

"The Schomburg Center’s Black Comic Book Festival is not only the place where participants can find the comics and characters they love, but it's also the place where new connections, relationships, and ideas are made," Brian Jones, education director at the Schomburg Center, said in a statement.

Free online registration launched Dec. 6, according to the Schomburg Center.

Photo courtesy Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture