Afrofuturism has become mainstream in large part due to the success of the 2018 Marvel Entertainment film Black Panther based on the Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1966. Black Panther is an Afrofuturist icon. But he is not the first Black comic character to embrace Afrofuturistic themes. This panel will discuss Neil Knight, the first Black “space opera” character created in 1950 and published in Pittsburgh Courier; Lion Man, a Black hero that pre-figured the Black Panther, published in 1947 in All Negro Comics; Bungleton Green, a Black character created in 1920 for the Chicago Defender, and more.
