Early Black Comic "Fast Willie Jackson" Archive, Issues #1-3,5
Comic books
[African American][Comics] Archive of four of the first five issues of early Black-centered comic Fast Willie Jackson. New York: Fitzgerald Periodicals, Inc., 1976-77. Four staplebound color comic books. Created by Bertram Fitzgerald and written by Joe Edwards—famed for his work on Archie Comics—Fast Willie Jackson was a pioneering title in the 1970s effort to depict African American youth culture with agency and style. Emerging during the Blaxploitation era and amidst the Black Arts Movement, these comics follow Willie Jackson and his circle of friends in the fictional Mocity, U.S.A., as they navigate high school, street culture, romance, music, and community politics. With dynamic, fashion-forward illustrations, disco aesthetics, and a lively vernacular, the series sought to reflect real Black teenage life while tapping into wider conversations around Black empowerment and self-expression.Each issue features Willie and friends like Dee Dee, Frankie, and Jabar contending with relatable challenges—romantic misadventures, activism, and aspirations—within an urban milieu. Issue No. 1 (Oct. 1976) introduces the crew as “cool, bad, fast, and together!” including Jabar holding a “Black Power” sign, highlighting the comic’s intent to align with racial consciousness movements. In issue No. 3 (Feb. 1977), Officer Flagg’s suspicious musings—“I know they’re up to something… gambling or drinking wine!”—satirize white policing of Black joy. The April 1977 issue opens with Willie fantasizing about cruising in a Cadillac Eldorado with Dee Dee, offering both a critique and celebration of material aspirations. By June 1977 (Issue No. 5), the series delves into family lore, with stories of Willie’s “mysterious” great-uncle Bob, adding a layer of intergenerational narrative rarely seen in comics of the period.
Fast Willie Jackson has become a cult classic among scholars of African American pop culture and comics history. This title is especially culturally significant for representing Black teenagers as protagonists of their own stories. As noted by the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library, this was one of the first mainstream comic series by a Black publisher to feature an all-Black cast in a non-stereotypical fashion, responding to calls from within the Black community for authentic media representations (Ohio State University). All four issues retain vibrant covers with light to wear consistent with age along spines and corners. Interiors are complete and unmarked, with age toning to pulp paper typical of the era. Overall very good condition. Four issues of Fast Willie Jackson, a short-lived but historic series that helped redefine Black representation in American comics.
Item #22029
Price: $885.00
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