An appreciation for Black comic book artists

SOME PITTSBURGH COURIER READERS WILL REMEMBER THE COMIC SECTION THAT RAN IN THE COURIER DECADES AGO. Phillip Thompson lends his collection for all to see & Phillip Thompson, known to most Pittsburghers as DJ Big Phill, wrapped up his “Collections in Black: A Celebration of Black Comic Book Culture,” with a closing ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 16. The snow didn’t stop hundreds from coming out to the August Wilson African American Cultural Center to celebrate the Black heroes that comprised Black comic books from the past, which are now classic materials, along with celebrating Black comic creators of the here and now. PHILLIP THOMPSON WITH HIS MOTHER, ARNITA STAGGER. (PHOTOS BY JULIAN HILL) In an interview with AWAACC staff, Thompson said his father and stepfather were both influential in stimulating his lifelong love of comics beginning at age 8. “My dad got me into ‘Black Panther’ because he had a stack of ‘Black Panther’ books, Western comics and ‘Spider-Man’ books. When we were kids, we would sneak around looking at his comic books and risk getting a whooping, but it was that important for us to go look at them while he was at work. My stepfather from New Jersey...