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28 Days Of Black Girls In Comics: C. Spike Trotman

Published

4 years ago

February 15, 2021

Marku Blackwell

Celebrate #28DaysOfBlackGirlsInComics with comic book cartoonist, publisher, and founder C. Spike Trotman.

It’s day fifteen of #28DaysOfBlackGirlsInComics and it’s exciting to see people thrilled to see this type of content. Let’s get right into it!

Support Black girls in comics: C. Spike Trotman

Never tell a Black girl what she can’t do in comics. Due to restrictions, C. Spike Trotman went ahead and created her own graphic novel publishing company! Thus we have Iron Circus Comics, established in 2007, based in Chicago. It is here where you can find Trotman’s long-running Templar, Arizona series. You can also find Smut Peddler, an anthology of erotic comics, created by women or creative teams including women. Above all, having her own publishing company, Trotman has the freedom to publish, approve and edit any piece sent her way, publish her own work, and best of all answer to no one. She is her own boss!

Trotman is a gifted crowd-funder, managing to raise over $1 million dollars on Kickstarter to finance her publishing company. In addition to that milestone, she also earned a Rising Star Award at the 2007 Glyph Comics Awards for her work in Templar, Arizona. And being a publisher means Trotman gets to pave the way for even more indie comic creators, including up-and-comers.

Trotman says of Iron Circus, that it is a platform for work by creators that have been underrepresented by mainstream comics publishers. Furthermore, Iron Circus and Image Comics partnered up in 2016 to co-sponsor the “Creators for Publishing” grant. This annual award is given to an independent cartoonist, awarding them with funds to create an original graphic novel.

Finally, stay tuned for an animated short film based on Tracy J. Butler’s “Lackadaisy” with the original creator involved, produced by Iron Circus. The release date is sometime in 2021.

Support C. Spike Trotman and support #28DaysOfBlackGirlsInComics

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Marku Blackwell

I identify as a womanist. I also identify as both gay and queer. I am gender fluid and respond to he/him, she/her, and they/them. I am a Black American-Descendant of American Chattel Slavery who is pro Black Diaspora and pro creating Global Black Strongholds (Blacks across the Diaspora holding it down in each region to allow all Blacks to go to each, and be safe and in community together). I am a comics, tv, movie, and video game stan. My expertise for comics and related media are DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Archie Comics, and a little bit of others here and there, but I'm hoping to branch out to other, Blacker and indie comics and related content. I'm a binge watcher and can talk about shows and movies for days. You can find me on YouTube and various other social media platforms as thaboiinblue.