Black Comic Creator - Christopher Priest

Christopher Priest is the first black person to work at Marvel Comics and at DC Comics as a writer and as an editor. Looking at his website shows that he is into music, photography, and the arts. He changed is name in the 1990's and some of his work is under his given name James Owsley. I'd seen his work and enjoyed him for years and never knew he was black. Historically, whenever you are the first black anything you end up dealing with so much racism and obstacles. It was no different for Christopher. Somehow I thought it was different for black comic book creators. I guess it was hopeful thinking. I mean at Marvel I thought that it would be less racist especially in the 1980's because one of Marvel's flagship franchises, X-men, is an unabashed parallel to man's inhumanity to man based on nothing more than difference in appearance or ability. I guess I thought that the people who work there carry those same ideas personally in their lives.

What I liked about Priest's website is his essays on his life experiences and the peers he worked with. He doesn't seem bitter at all concerning the shocking racism he endured. Personally, I wouldn't have made it. Had he given up, I don't think we would have as many black characters or black people working in the entertainment industry as we do today. Priest wrote about his regrets and triumphs. It was so real. He neither painted anyone completely evil or good. Not even himself I was amazed at how he had to constantly prove himself over and over and how few breaks he got. He seemed almost expected to fail and not succeed. One of the things that I love that he wrote was back in the mid-eighties: Spider-man vs Wolverine. He showed a profound understanding of their personality and great action sequences. I liked it a lot and still have a copy. Although set in the background of Cold-War East Berlin, the story makes you feel like you are there.

He was also responsible for great stories in the Black Panther title that was launched in 1998. His website does a great job of documenting the major works he's done in comics. I would also recommend reading his essays about working in the industry. When he edited the Spider-man books, he resisted the idea of Spider-man marrying Mary Jane Watson. He thought that it would ruin the character because Spider-man should be free to date whomever so that young single guys could identify with him. Twenty-Two years later Marvel seems to agree, in 2007 they effectively started to pretend the marriage never happened. I don't agree with him, and at the time he was fired. I think it added more drama and gave him someone to carry the burdens of his life with.

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