When Afrofuturefest made its debut at last year’s NYCC they were the nexus where so many blerds came together on that con floor! Comics industry talent like Afua Richardson, Tony Puryear, Chuck Collins, and many more greeted fans and showcased their art and stories and nowAfrofuturefest is poised to do it all over again. So get ready!
NEW YORK, September 8, 2016 – For the second year in a row, Afrofuturefest, an independent African-American artist showcase, will be featured on the main floor of the Javits Convention Center at New York Comic Con.
This year comic book luminaries David Walker, (Power Man and and Iron Fist/Marvel), Dawud Anyabwile (Brotherman: Revelation/Big City Ent.), Erika Alexander (Concrete Park, Dark Horse) and artist/animator Shawna Mills (Cartoon Network, LucasFilm, Violator Union), headline founders Tim Fielder’s (Matty’s Rocket/Dieselfunk) and Tony Puryear’s (Concrete Park/Dark Horse) bigger and better show, along with a host of other artists.
Afrofuturefest is ground zero for a large fan base of black nerds or “blerds.” Afrofuturefest participants will be selling copies of their work, creating original pieces,appearing in panel discussions, signing autographs, taking pictures with fans and conducting on camera interviews for social media.
In addition, the founders are also running an ambitious Indiegogo campaign to help offset the costs of the booth, WiFi, new technical features and even some of the printing costs of the artists. The goal? $15,000, to raise this year’s Afrofuturefest to the next level. The crowdfunding campaign is scheduled to run through October 7, 2016.
Where most indie artists are relegated to Artist’s Alley in the North Pavilion, far from the majority of the NYCC attendees, Afrofuturefest will be located in a dedicated space on the main floor with mainstream artists right next to Joe Koch of Koch Comics, a longtime friend of Fielder’s and one of the sponsors of the event.
“Afrofuturefest was created to celebrate all of those comic book artists, writers, game designers, and filmmakers of color who love fantasy, scifi, horror, superheroes and pop culture. Afrofuturefest is AmericanCulture.” – Tim Fielder.
The Afrofuturefest community is an emerging and influential network of people of all backgrounds, joined by a love of comics, movies, TV, games, ”nerd” culture and the extra special something brought to it by creators and fans of color. In Oct. Of 2015, an estimated 160,000 people experienced Afrofuturefest at the Javits Center at New York Comic Con in New York City. Thousands bought books and merchandise and the booth became one of the most talked about events of the convention. They are returning this year with bigger names, a larger, more diverse group of cutting-edge creators and more colorful programming, but they are asking for fan’s help to make that happen!
Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net
