Penn Libraries Opens Black Comic Heroes Exhibit in Philadelphia

Comic Book Exhibition
Totte Annerbrink / Unsplash

Dozens of rare and lesser-known comic books now fill a gallery on the sixth floor of Penn’s Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, tracing the history of Black superheroes from obscurity to the big screen. The free exhibition, called The Black Hero’s Journey, features characters including Lion Man, Black Panther and the X-Men’s Storm, alongside a replica 1940s-style newsstand and drafting station that lets visitors picture how these comics were made and sold.

Penn Libraries lists the show as running from October 15, 2026, through May 13, 2027, though Axios reported the exhibit runs through May 15, 2027. The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week which also notes the show is free and open to the public. Sean Quimby, Samantha Hill, Chaz Howard and Eric Battle co-curated the exhibition, per the same source

A West Philly Spinner Rack Started It All

Battle, an exhibit co-curator and working comic book illustrator, fell in love with comics as a boy He found his first Daredevil comic on a spinner rack at a Philadelphia corner store, taught himself how to draw, and came to view comic books as a blend of anatomy, geometry and imagination, the outlet reported

Battle attended the now-shuttered University of the Arts, where some professors held a low opinion of comic books and discouraged him from pursuing a career in the medium, Axios reported. He pressed ahead anyway, booking appointments with editors to review his portfolio before landing his first comics job with Dark Horse Comics. He has since illustrated for both Marvel and DC, the outlet noted, and told Axios that comic illustrators spend many hours perfecting their characters and that comics and graphic novels have become an important part of culture.

Illustrating Philadelphia’s Own Heroes

Battle’s work extends beyond capes and cowls. He has illustrated books about Philadelphia jazz and Black Lives Matter, per Axios, and contributed custom artwork to The Black Hero’s Journey depicting real-life Philadelphia figures including Paul Robeson, Sadie Alexander and W.E.B. DuBois One of his illustrated scenes, Super Hero City, depicts Philadelphia City Hall as a backdrop, Axios reported

Battle also collaborated with lawyer and author Christopher Benson on a graphic novel about Emmett Till, according to Axios. Billy Penn reported that Battle spent more than five years illustrating the book, titled Framing Emmett Till: Exposing Dark Fear and written by Benson. Axios reported that the graphic novel shows comics can explore difficult chapters of American history and bring those stories to new audiences, and that Battle has said artists may question the purpose of making pretty pictures even as he explores the art of advocacy through graphic novels and exhibitions.

From Exclusion to the Box Office

The exhibition traces the evolution of Black comic book heroes and creators from exclusion and harmful stereotypes to groundbreaking protagonists and visionary storytellers, Penn Libraries states on its exhibit page. The Philadelphia Tribune similarly reports that the show explores how Black characters and creators have transformed comic book history while challenging stereotypes and redefining heroism, a framing Axios echoed in describing the struggles Black comics and their creators faced to be taken seriously.

That history has deep local roots. The Philadelphia Tribune identifies All-Negro Comics, created by journalist Orrin C. Evans in 1947, as the first comic book produced by an all-Black creative team. The exhibit also highlights the Philadelphia-born series Brotherman: Disciple of Discipline, created by brothers Dawud Anyabwile and Guy A. Sims in 1990, according to the same report. Cartoonist George Herriman, creator of Krazy Kat, had his first comic strip published in a Philadelphia newspaper, Axios noted, while Black Panther’s box-office success has introduced younger audiences to comic books more broadly, per the outlet.

Family Programming Kicks Off This Weekend

Penn Libraries draws on curators’ personal collections, the Kislak Center’s Gary Prebula Collection of Comic Books and loans from other institutions to fill out the show, and PhillyVoice reports the gallery includes a replica 1940s-era newsstand displaying vintage ads and comics for sale. Axios reported that The Black Hero’s Journey has planned workshops and other events, including a Halloween event.

Penn Libraries confirmed that a special Halloween event with family-friendly activities will take place Saturday, kicking off a series of Family and Community Day programs. Starting in 2027, students from West Philadelphia high schools will give tours of the exhibition during additional Family and Community Days, according to the library. The exhibit opened at Penn’s Goldstein Gallery this month, Axios reported.