Afua Richardson
Afua Richardson is an African-Native American artist. She did covers for five issues of Marvel's World of Wakanda and art for a short story backup in the first issue.[1][2] Her comic, Genius, with writers Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman[3] won Top Cow's 2008 Pilot Season.[4][5][6][7] She illustrated a Langston Hughes poem in 2014 for NPR's Black History Month,[8] and did variant covers for several comic book titles including All Star Batman for DC comics,[9] Attack on Titan for Kodansha,[10][11] Mad Max for Vertigo, as well as covers/variant covers for X-Men '92, Totally Awesome Hulk, Shuri, and Captain America and the Mighty Avengers at Marvel Comics. She was one of a small group of African American women artists who were employed by the "big two" comic publishers at the time she entered the industry.[12]
| Afua Richardson | |
|---|---|
Richardson at BookExpo America in 2018 | |
| Born | April 25, 1980 New York City, NY |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Writer, Penciller, Inker, Colourist |
| Pseudonym(s) | Docta Foo |
Notable works | Genius, World of Wakanda |
| www | |
Biography edit
Richardson was raised in New York City.[13] From a family of scientists,[14] she studied classical flute from age nine.[13] As a flautist, she performed with ensembles at Carnegie Hall and on Soul Train.[13] She also performed with Sheila E. and Parliament-Funkadelic.[14]
She was a backup singer, a beatboxer, a background dancer on MTV Jams and appeared in an off-Broadway show with Melvin Van Peebles.[13][15] She is part of the musical collective Future Soul Society, and recorded with Alexa Edmonds Lima under the name 'Afua & Alexa'.[16][17][18]
Richardson is a self-trained artist.[13] She was a member of the now defunct Ormes Society, which promoted African-American women in the comics industry.[19][20]
For the comic book series, Genius (2007), she worked with writers Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman to tell the story through the voice of a black woman, Destiny Ajaye.[21] Richardson's experience of being a minority in the United States influenced her work.[4] In Genius, she draws violent acts in a way that is both "matter-of-fact and highly stylized," according to ComicsAlliance.[22] She portrays Ajaye's thought processes and David Brothers called it "instantly understandable and worthy of poring over."[22]
Awards edit
In 2011, Richardson received the Nina Simone Award for Artistic Achievement as one of the few African-American women comic book artists to work for the leading publishers in the field.[23][24][17]
Bibliography edit
Interior art edit
- World of Wakanda #1 (2017) (backup short story)
Top Cow edit
- Genius (2007)
Cover work edit
DC edit
- Warren Ellis' WildStorm #2 – Variant (2017)
- All Star Batman #1 – Variant (2016)
Marvel edit
- Captain Marvel #4 – Variant (2016)
- Totally Awesome Hulk #2 – Variant (2016)
- X-Men '92 #1 – Variant (2016)
- Captain America and the Mighty Avengers #14 – Variant (2015)
- World of Wakanda #1–#5 (2017)
Image edit
- Black Magick #3 – Variant (2016)
Other art edit
- Attack on Titan Anthology – Pinup (2016)
- Mad Max Fury Road Artist Book – Two-Page Spread (2016)
- The Negro Speaks of Rivers – Illustrations of the Langston Hughes Poem set to Narration for NPR (2014)
References edit
- ^ "Black Panther: World of Wakanda (2016) #1". Marvel Press. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ^ Helvie, Forrest C. (July 23, 2016). . Marvel.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ^ "Genius #1". Image Comics. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ^ a b Sava, Oliver (August 15, 2014). "Top Cow's Genius is a chilling reflection of this week's Ferguson turmoil". AV Club. from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ^ Arrant, Chris (August 5, 2014). . Newsarama. Archived from the original on July 9, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ^ . Vimeo (Archive link doesn't have video, but has information about video). Lincoln Motor Company. November 17, 2014. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ^ "Lincoln Motors - Afua Richardson - Journey to Genius". Vimeo. Afru Richarcdson. August 22, 2016. from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ "Blood And Water: Illustrating Langston Hughes' 'Rivers'". Code Switch. NPR. February 24, 2014. from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ^ "All Star Batman #9". DC Comics. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ^ Whitbrook, James (November 22, 2016). "Read This Gorgeous, Heartbreaking Story From the Attack on Titan Anthology Comic". Gizmodo. from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ^ Alverson, Brigid (October 8, 2015). "Kodansha Announces 'Attack on Titan' Anthology". CBR. from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ^ Jackson, Cheryl V. (April 16, 2016). "Black female characters, artists fight for place in comic book world". The Chicago Tribune. from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Howe, Brian (November 12, 2014). "At NC Comicon, rising star Afua Richardson represents the changing face of comics". INDY Week. from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ a b Womack, Ytasha L. (2013). Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. pp. 83, 105. ISBN 978-1613747964. OCLC 854285645 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Waking Astronomer Is ATL's New Space-Aged R&B Trio". Okay Player. February 1, 2016. from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ "Afua & Alexa - Starchild". The Steady Rock. January 23, 2012. from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ^ a b Staggs, Matt (August 12, 2012). "Better Know an Artist: Afua Richardson AKA 'Docta Foo'". Unbound Worlds. Retrieved May 5, 2017.[dead link]
- ^ Onkenhout, Eric (March 10, 2022). "Black Comic Book Creators At Marvel You Should Know". Culture Slate. from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ Peterman, Erika (November 28, 2011). . St. Joseph News-Press. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2017 – via HighBeam Research.
- ^ "Profile: Ormes Society". Black Art Story. December 18, 2020. from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ Bernardin, Marc (July 12, 2016). "A comic book I wrote imagined snipers shooting at police. Now that frightening reality haunts me". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ a b Brothers, David (August 9, 2010). "Welcome to the Terrordome: 'Genius' Fights the Power [Review]". ComicsAlliance. from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ . Graphic Classics. Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ^ Barnett, David (February 3, 2016). "African Avengers: the comic book creators shaking up superhero genre". The Guardian. from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
External links edit
- Official website
- Richardson on Tumblr
- NC Comicon Interview 2016
- Atlanta Geek Scene Interview 2016
- The Negro Speaks of Rivers 2014