While at a broad-gauge gossip session the other day, A. mentioned the black-and-white comics that were available in Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. I had seen a few here, and these really struck me as unusual then.
Searching in cyberspace, it's odd to find so few links to Lance, Spear, and what not. Does anyone have any such comics somewhere? See what Wikipedia says: QUOTE African Film (magazine): African Film was just one of the many photo comics or "look books" that flooded English-speaking West Africa in the early post-colonial era. Catering to the new urban youth, the series featured the mythical persona of Lance Spearman, a.k.a. "The Spear," a black James Bond-like crime fighter as the central character. Content and Themes In contrast to the racist stereotype of the uncivilised, uneducated, spear-carrying cannibal, or the eroticised "noble savage" that characterised the depictions of Africans in most Western comic books from the time, Spearman was sharp, stylish and sophisticated. Combining re-appropriated Western references with a distinctly African cultural identity, he reflected a newly defined black Atlantic modernity. Here was a comic book hero that presented a potential critique of colonialism, as well as a significant variation in how the genre classically figured normality and otherness. Publishing Published by Drum in Nigeria and later also Kenya and Ghana in the early 60s; while the series was criticised for its sometimes stereotyped portrayals of blackness and masculinity, it nonetheless had a lasting influence in fostering postcolonial pride and identity. Its combination of extreme (often cartoon-like) violence, with pastiches of early Hollywood melodramas, dashes of romance and glamour - via the street and touches of black nationalism preceded the Blaxploitation explosion in American cinemas in the 70s and its use of inventive DIY tactics to overcome budget constraints (Spearman's trademark Corvette Stingray was often a picture of a dinky-toy) had a lasting influence on the Nollywood industry. This article uses text from the Chimurengal Library under the GFDL http://bit.ly/m0Un32 UNQUOTE Another page online (with similar content) has former fans lamenting the loss of these 'comics'. http://bit.ly/kbAs6D Rgds, FN -- FN +91-832-2409490 or +91-9822122436 (after 2pm) #784 Nr Lourdes Convent, Saligao 403511 Goa India http://fn.goa-india.org http://goa1556.goa-india.org Goa books http://bit.ly/lMEnDC The Last Prabhu http://bit.ly/ipO3Mn Some covers http://bit.ly/k5DqCD Library shift http://bit.ly/lGWqUh Margao titles http://bit.ly/kjeWNC Anti-colonial cousins http://bit.ly/kar4xu A Konkani dictionary, 5 inches thick http://bit.ly/m0G4sj
