Black Heroes/Sidekicks

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Jeque Blanco, or WHITE SHEIK is a Spanish comic book. It was the work of writer M. Gonzalez Casquel and artists José Laffond and Armando Sanchez , published by Rollan between 1951 and 1954 and reached 137 issues.

The plot surrounds Lancaster, an American agent and his white companion Sanko and Moroccan companion Ali. The story begins in the Maghreb and then moves to the United States. Over the course of the three years we see the evolution of Ali from a native Moroccan child to a young American adult. EW

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Spanish fascist comic book CHICOS featuring a limited run of regular comic strips about a boy named Pepe and his black friend named Coco. Each week they get into mischief or new adventures together, with one often helping out the other. This strip ran in 1945. Chicos was a weekly Spanish childrens comic that was published early in the Franco regime and lasted until 1955. It was first publish on 23 February 1938, in San Sebastian , a city where production of comics was centered in the "national zone" during the civil war . Its editor and owner was Juan Baygual and its artistic and literary director was Gil Roesset Consuelo. Its format was very similar to the Flechas y Pelayos but with fewer pages and a more affordable price (10 cents instead of 25). On November 15 of that year, the magazine became the property of the National Delegation of Press and Propaganda. However, Chicos was never a propaganda magazine (although, obviously, it had to remain within the dominant ideology). Due to its good relations with the Franco regime it had no trouble getting the quota of paper required to publish weekly. B

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Aventuras de Sir James Pink, was an insert comic found in the first 21 issues of YO, a Spanish Republican childrens comic published in 1937 and then terminated in its first year as the war went against the Republicans. The story is about a white adventurer in Africa named Sir James Pink. He is accompanied by his faithful servant and friend named Krubb, who guides him through many dangers along the way and saves his life as well as others on more than one occasion. In the beginning he is dressed in African colonial clothing but soon reverts back to his native form of dress as they explore the jungle together. B

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Collection of Spanish comics entitled El Cachorro, which ran from 1951-1960. It is the story of a swashbuckling youth named Miguel Diaz Olmedo, nicknamed ‘El Cachorro’ or, ‘the Cub’. Miguel commands a Spanish galleon “The Eagle”, and makes a promise to cleanse the Caribbean of pirates, which he achieves in the end. He then fights in the Mediterranean against the Barbary pirates whom he also manages to defeat. Miguel is a fearless boy, an excellent sharpshooter and highly skilled in the use of the sword and pistol. Batan, whose Christian name is Sebastian, is Miguel’s lieutenant and best friend. He is a black African who saved the life of Miguel in the jungle on the island of Tortuga. Miguel returns the favour many times. Despite his color, Bataan becomes commander of his own vessel, the Spanish galleon “El Toro” commanding a crew of former slaves. EW

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Spanish comic book Mercado de Ebano, published in 1947, under the Franco regime, inside the comic book Chicos. It is the story of the African slave trade and a slave boy named Atiman and his exploits and development. Note: Chicos was a weekly Spanish childrens comic that was published early in the Franco regime and lasted until 1955. It was first publish on 23 February 1938, in San Sebastian , a city where production of comics was centered in the "national zone" during the civil war . Its editor and owner was Juan Baygual and its artistic and literary director was Gil Roesset Consuelo. Its format was very similar to the Flechas y Pelayos but with fewer pages and a more affordable price (10 cents instead of 25). On November 15 of that year, the magazine became the property of the National Delegation of Press and Propaganda. However, Chicos was never a propaganda magazine (although, obviously, it had to remain within the dominant ideology). Due to its good relations with the Franco regime it had no trouble getting the quota of paper required to publish weekly. I have the complete run of 21 issues of Mercado de Ebano. B

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Rayo de la Selva, or Ray of the Jungle, was a comic book produced in Valencia, Spain in 1960. It featured a white tarzan-type, called the Ray of the Jungle, and his black sidekick, ‘Sanson’ who curiously has hair like a Ukranian cossack but is clearly an African native. Together they dispense justice and make the jungle safe and very often it is Sanson who saves the day. EW

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Jungla, or Jungle, is a Spanish comic book produced in 1958. It features three main characters who are a team and form the nucleus of every issue. There is the leader Jungla Salvage (‘Wild Jungle’), Cabezadura (‘Headstrong’) and a black boy named Agustinillo. The setting is global for this trio of do-gooders.

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Juan Centella was originally created in Italy in 1938, with the name of Dick Fulmine, to compensate for the disappearance of American comics, which had been banned by Mussolini. This is a strongman, inspired by boxing champion Primo Carnera, who defeats all his enemies with his enormous strength. In Spain a version was published called Juan Centella en la Madriguera Zambo. It focuses as much on Centalla (he uses this name and not the name in the Italian version) as it does his close black friend Zambo. This comic ran from 1942-1946. B

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TOMBOY is about a freed slave in America. The first issue headlines ‘for the first time in the history of slavery, a black man dares judge the alleged civilization of the whites and turns a page of the ledger for the freedom of his brothers’. He assists union troops and is criticized in the newspapers as ‘a black man in the white house’. He helps whites as well as native Indians. To protect himself he disguises himself with a mask while dispensing justice. The series dates from the 1970’s and is difficult to find because it is imbedded inside other French comic books and therefore lacks a color cover to easily identify it. I have a number of issues.

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Ardan Tim L’Audace. This is a french comic book dated from 1956. Tim and his black sidekick, Salam, are ‘do-good’ adventurers who travel the earth from one adventure to the next.

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