OK - let's count them off - Luke Cage - Hero For Hire. Storm - Mutant Weather Goddess. T'Challa, ruler of Wakanda. John Henry Irons - Scientist and Inventor. Blade - American Born Conflicted Daywalker.

Just a few of the great African American comic book heroes that over the years have fought everyone from alien invaders to giant robots, Nosaferatu to Confederate flag wavers. Now you can add Zane Pinchback - Journalist, to the roll call. The bi-racial investigative reporter is the latest creation of writer / academic Mat Johnson and star of the DC/ Vertigo graphic novel, Incognegro.

With his work on titles such as Hellblazer, Johnson has become a respected writer in the kingdom of comic books. A lecturer at The University of Houston; Johnson is a rare breed in his chosen field. He is not afraid to use his work to charge headlong into the world of racial politics and in that regard, his latest endeavor is no different from his other works. Incognegro manages to weave issues of identity, a little romance and a healthy dose of character into captivating black and white artwork, giving the book a genuine old time feel. Having first broached racial issues with his book, Drop, Johnson goes all the way in this time - drawing on his own life for inspiration. He took time out to chop it up with COOL’EH Magazine about Barack Obama, the characters he'd most like to write and the recent birth of his children.

Who influenced you to start writing comic books?

I have been reading comic books since I was six. The first thing I ever read for pleasure was a reprint of Incredible Hulk #1. I honestly didn't think about writing for comics though until I had become established as a prose writer. It just seemed like my primary career could open up that door. And it did.

Which books did you read when you were young?

Comics? Chris Claremont and John Byrne's X-Men. The original Alpha Flight. The first runs of New Mutants. Prose wise, I read a lot of Roger Zelazny, Anne Rice.

In Incognero's foreword you mention that your wife recently gave birth to twins of differing skin tones. Was it your experiences in the past or the possibilities that you envisioned for your children that inspired the Pinchback brothers?

When I looked at my children, I thought, Wow, if this was a different era, your opportunities would have been dramatically different based on the fluke of your phenotype. That, in itself, has enough conflict to fuel a book.



What made you want to work with Warren Pleece?

Warren's work is straightforward while still being very stylized, original. To me, it has an indie comics feel to it, implies an outside comics understanding of design. I didn't want an illustrator to draw this book, I wanted an artist. That's what we found.

Are there any black comic book characters that you would like to write stories for?

Hell yes. Mr. Terrific would be fantastic. Luke Cage is of course the man, and I like the way his character has evolved.

Are any of your students familiar with your comic book work? What do they make of it?

At first, some of them looked at me like I was a ballerina who stripped on the weekends. Now that it's blown up, to quote the Biz, Damn it feels good to see people all up on it.



Do you prefer writing prose or to the graphic novel format?

Yes. I love writing prose, I find it the most challenging and rewarding. It's serious for me. Writing graphic work though is a lot easier, and a lot of pure fun. I hope to continue doing both.

As someone who has studied Black History, how do you rate Barack Obama's chances of becoming the first Black President Of The United States?

I don't think any black person, mulatto or otherwise, can speak on whether or not this man can do it, because I don't believe any of us thought he could get this far. That is a central part of Obama's genius: he saw an America we didn't. I think that has less to do with the fact that he's mixed than it has to do the that fact that his black side is Kenyan. He brought an entire different perspective.

Where did you draw inspiration for the townsfolk and the Jefferson White family from?

There are a ton of stories about rural Armageddon cults that used racial elements in their prophecy. Hell, look at race in the pre-reformed Mormons, even. I mixed that with Charles Manson's racial empire strategy, and there you go.

The use of racial slurs in the wake of Don Imus' comments became an open issue in America again last year. Where do you stand on the uses and meaning of the 'n-word'?

I don't think we should taboo words, because it empowers them further and it ceases dialogue, which is the only thing that can help improve things. That said, I don't use words that can offend casually in my adult life.




Who are your favourite Black comic book writers?

I read the first storyline of Huldin's Black Panther and was impressed. I thought Eric Dickey did nice job with his Storm/Panther mini. I love Kyle Baker's work. To be honest, I read mostly non-hero work and you don't see a lot of black writers in that arena. I don't know if that's because that's not where brothers are going, or if they're not being let in the door to do more sophisticated work.

Are you planning any further adventures for the Pinchback Brothers or was Incognegro the beginning and the end for them?

You never know. I don't want to diminish this original work by turning it into a cash cow, but if I have an idea that seems like it is worth exploring, I won't hold back.

Finish the following statement: Mat Johnson is....

Overwhelmed

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