Black superheroes, anti-heroes, and everyday heroes are some of the most compelling characters in comics these days. From Marvel's Miles Morales to DC's Jo Mullein, classics like Static Shock and Luke Cage, and on to the family of monster hunters in Bitter Root and the Yoruba-inspired fantasy series Iyanu. But there's more... much more. 

These are all Black-led comic book series currently running with no end in sight. While stories like Image Comics' Bloodletter and Marvel's Storm: Earth's Mightiest Mutant have ended (for now?), and Marvel's new Miles Morales: Spider-Man series and the great-looking Vengeance Unchained: The Legend of Black Caesar are yet to be released, the five Black-led comics below are ones you can jump into now — with more on the horizon.

Why Black-Led Comics Matter

For some, Black-led comics are stories that look and feel like something you could experience. For others, it's about evening out the overwhelmingly white history of comic books. But for all of us, it's great comics from talented and hungry creators who are comics fans just like us, and all are bringing us something intensely new.

Psion by Mark Bandy & Uchenna 'Che' Ugbor

Described as a "southern gothic thriller," I'd call Psion True Detective in a Mississippi HBCU. It's a slow-burning college drama where the detective/thriller bits come about organically after the quirky John Lewis and sharp-witted Danita are established. So what's the mystery? Suspicions surrounding a new corporate charity looking to help the students raises red flags for Lewis, triggering his aspirations for a Criminology degree and concern for his fellow students.

BUY NOW: Psion

Niobe's World of Asunda

Gloriously breaking the unwritten rules of the Eurocentric idea of high fantasy, Stranger Comics' Niobe (and its larger World of Asunda stories) stars a biracial warrior/healer growing up in a world of humans, elves, demons, and more. 

BUY NOW: Niobe: She Is Life

Clock Striker by Frederick L. Jones & Issaka Galadima

Steeped in a lifelong love of shōnen manga, Clock Striker is an action-forward fantasy questing tale following a 12-year-old girl trying to break into the mostly-male job of being a Smith (think warrior + engineer). This is for fans of the wonky science action manga like Dr. STONE, mixed with the student-and-master vibe you get from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Clock Striker has been running since 2015 in the manga anthology Saturday AM.

BUY NOW: Clock Striker Vol. 1: I''m Gonna Be A SMITH!

Midnight Tiger by Ray-Anthony Height

Born and raised on the same superhero comics that inspired Marvel's Miles Morales, Ray-Anthony Height's Midnight Tiger is a refreshing classic teen superhero story that isn't afraid of leaning into the drama of learning to be a hero, a superhuman, and a male teenager in modern society. Height recently revamped the series in Midnight Tiger: Origins, with a soft relaunch coming soon called Midnight Tiger: Evo.

BUY NOW: Midnight Tiger

Luna: The Queen of Mahra by Karla Medrano & Ian Sebastian

Luna: The Queen of Mahru is a delightful Afrofuturism space drama featuring a woman named Luna, who is the ruler of a planet called Mahru. She is intent on taking care of her people, but is drawn into something bigger when she discovers she is among the rare individuals who begin manifesting superhuman powers and begin to use it to exert control over others. The series mixes the world-building of Game of Thrones and some of the space-fantasy elements that pop up in too rare a fashion in Marvel's X-Men comics.

BUY NOW: Luna: The Queen of Mahru

Get ready for what's next with our list to upcoming comics and how to buy comics at a comic shop.