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Rupert Kinnard loved drawing his favorite superheroes as a kid: Superman, Batman, Flash and Green Lantern. But he quickly noticed a problem.
“The superheroes that I was creating were white superheroes,” he said.
Years later, Kinnard would publish The Brown Bomber and Diva Touché Flambé. They were the first Black queer superheroes published in a comic strip — Cathartic Comics — and they reflected Kinnard’s own identity.
It all happened in Portland’s gay press. Together, the superheroes battled racism, sexism and homophobia.
In this episode, we dive into the story of Rupert Kinnard, a trailblazer who amplified queer Black voices in his art — and saw comics as a way to create change.
Rupert Kinnard is featured in OPB’s recent documentary “Indie Comics City,” produced bySteven Tonthat. It explores the history and rise of indie comics in Portland.
Listen to all episodes of “The Evergreen” podcast here.
