Black Women in Sequence

"Whaley presents a compelling study of women of African descent in American comics. . . . The kaleidoscopic nature of her study allows readers to form a comprehensive idea about the politics of race and gender in American comics from the late 1930s until today. . . . With its farranging thematic scope and range, Black Women in Sequence is destined to become a cornerstone in the study of gender and race in American comics."—Kirsten Mollegaard, Journal of Popular Culture

"One of the first book-length works to deal specifically with the construction and experience of black women in sequential art. . . . Whaley considers the creation and consumption of sequential media by black women, often erased from conversations about fan culture. . . . An extraordinarily ambitious work."—Joshua Abraham Kopin, American Literature

"Engaging and provocative, Black Women in Sequence is relevant not only to comic scholars, but to anyone with an interest in how difference is represented using visual rhetoric."—Feminist Media Studies

"This book has a great deal to contribute to the field. There's never been a publication that focuses on the diversity of representations by Black female comics creators to this magnitude."—John Jennings, coeditor of The Blacker the Ink: Constructions of Black Identity in Comics and Sequential Art

"For every little Black girl and Black woman, who imagine themselves coloring both inside and outside the lines, Black Women in Sequence literally fills in the blank spaces, highlighting the contributions of Black Women in the genres of comics, graphic novels, and anime."—Mark Anthony Neal, author of Looking for Leroy: Illegible Black Masculinities

"In this accomplished and beautifully designed work, Whaley reminds us that imaginary realms are full-fledged social worlds. Graphic novels, comics, and anime are halls of mirrors—kaleidoscopes spinning truth, speculation, and distortion all at once. But they are also portals of possibility; and, Whaley's perceptive exploration of these genres reveals how black women create and perform their worlds when they can dream without limits."—Alondra Nelson, Columbia University