Black Face. This is a Belgian comic about the (mis)adventures of a black union soldier in the American Civil War. The series ran during 1983.
Bamboula. This is a french comic about a black boy named Bamboula who spreads mischief. The series ran throughout 1953.
Safari, is a comic book issued in Spain about the adventures of Alex Martin, a hunter, and two young boys. In issue #11, one of the boys, George, meets a young African boy named Balu, who lives in the trees, and is then adopted by the family. The three boys are constantly getting into troubleas they stop crime and experience the joys of youth. The setting is in Africa, hence the name 'Safari.' The series appeared to run for 2 years, from 1966 to 1968.
Volto Nascosto, is a limited Italian comic series that takes place in Rome and Eritrea. The main character is "Volto Nascosto", a mysterious Islamic warrior and prophet whose face is covered with a silver mask and who, in the story, leads the resistance of the Ethiopian people against the Italians. The story begins in Massua in 1889 and carries through the defeat of the Italians at Adua in 1896. The comic lasted for 14 issues.
El Club de Los Cincos, or The Club of Five, is a Spanish comic book produced in the 1950's. Five children of different nationalities become friends during an ocean voyage and together get involved in different circumstances and become heroes. There is one black boy in the group and his name is Tommy.
Les Aventures de Neron et Cie: Les Nouvelles:Aventures de Boulette et Bambou. This is french comic about a black boy, Bambou, and his white female friend Boulette. Each issue is devoted to one of their adventures. The series dates from 1980.
Le Journal de Bebe. This is an interesting French journal/comic that ran from 1936-1938. There are two black characters that form the central focus of most of the issues. One is a black female named Bizouk and her pelican named Pelik. The other is a story named ‘Les Mesaventures de Polydor’ which is a recurring story about about two male friends, one white and one black. Most of the covers feature either Bizouk et Pelik or the Mesaventures de Polydor. All issues contain both stories.
El Corsario Sin Rostro, or The Faceless Privateer, is a Spanish comic book of a masked corsair and his sidekick Cara Cortada, which means 'Scarface'. He is black and has a long scar from his forehead to chin. Together they operate in the West Indies, attacking slave ships and freeing slaves, rescuing women and helping the local Indian populations (when they are not trying to fend off their attacks). The series lasted for only 42 issues, in 1959.
La Cuadrilla, or The Gang, is a Spanish comic book from 1961 about the adventures of 5 kids: Guty, Tito, Bomba, Lili and a black boy named 'Ebano', which translates as 'Ebony'.
Pantera Negra, or Black Panther, was a Spanish comic produced in Valencia in the late 1950's. The Black Panther is white and a Tarzan-type. Accompanying him is his faithful servant Bambo, a man of African origin, who wears western clothing as well as a Fez.
Jungla, or Jungle, is a Spanish comic book produced in 1958. It features three main characters who are a team and form the nucleus of every issue. There is the leader Jungla Salvage ('Wild Jungle'), Cabezadura ('Headstrong') and a black boy named Agustinilli. The setting is global for this trio of do-gooders.
Mosaik, was a childrens comic book produced in erlin, East Germany during the 1960's. The story revolves around 3 boys: Dig, Dag and Digedag and their black friend Ben. The setting is in the Southern US during the Civil War. Ben is identified as 'the slave boy with the banjo' and he is constantly escaping from being caught by the white authorities. An interesting communist view on slavery in America through popular culture.
Mi Tio y Yo, or My Uncle and I, was a spanish comic book from 1964. It is the story of the jungle adventures of a boy and his uncle and their faithful black servant Benito. Another member of the team is Sambo, an almost human-like chimpanzee. Benito is dressed in western clothing and is intelligent. At some point, he is reunited with his son, Bimbo, who is not westernized at all. Benito is often the hero of the story. One interesting feature of this comic is that it all takes place in Africa and very often they are battling sinister African native leaders.
Rayo de la Selva, or Ray of the Jungle, was a comic book produced in Valencia, Spain in 1960. It featured a white Tarzan-type, called the Ray of the Jungle, and his black sidekick', 'Sanson' who curiously has hair like a Ukranian cossack but is clearly an African native. Together they dispense justice and make the jungle safe and very often it is Sanson who saves the day.
