The Region’s First Black Comic Book Convention Celebrates 10 Years of Promoting Art, Literacy & Creativity!

For Immediate Release Contact: Yumy Odom, Founder
Phone: 267.536.9847
Mobile: 908.334.1793

The Region’s First Black Comic Book Convention Celebrates 10 Years of Promoting Art, Literacy & Creativity!

Annual convention celebrates the Black experience in comic books and posthumously awards the creators of the first independent Black comic book!
*** Famed Cartoonist Ray Billingsley, Creator of the Curtis comic strip, Black Jack Creator Alex Simmons, and Kidz of the King Creator Reggie Byers to appear***
PHILADELPHIA, May 20 & 21, 2011—The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC, Inc.), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and Philadelphia’s premiere Black comic book convention, dedicates this 10th annual convention to highlighting breakthroughs in the comic book and sci-fi industry. ECBACC, Inc. kicks off the two-day convention on Friday evening, May 20, 2011, from 6:30p.m. - 9p.m. with its annual FREE reception and awards ceremony at the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) located at 701 Arch St.
On Friday evening, May 20, 2011 from 6:30p.m. – 9p.m., the Glyph Comics Awards will recognize the best in comics made by, for, and about Black people from the preceding calendar year. The Award is named for the blog Glyphs: The Language of the Black Comics Community started in 2005 by comic book journalist Rich Watson as a means to provide news and commentary on comics with Black themes, as well as tangential topics in the fields of Black science fiction, fantasy and animation.
While it is not exclusive to Black creators, the GCA does strive to honor those who have made the greatest contributions to the comic book medium in terms of both critical and commercial impact. The goal of the GCA is to encourage more diverse and high quality work across the board and to inspire new creators to add their voices to the field.
The Convention culminates on Saturday, May 21, 2011, from 10a.m. – 7p.m., at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Center City located at 1800 Market St. with a day of networking, panel discussions, a comic book marketplace and adult and youth workshops. Admission for Saturday is $15 for teens and adults; FREE for youth 12 and under.
―ECBACC is the region’s first bona fide ‘Black Comic Book Convention’ and offers workshops and activities dedicated to promoting literacy, achievement and professionalism. The great thing about this is that the ECBACC was founded in Philadelphia, the city of many of the nation’s firsts --- the first White House, zoo, library, museum --- and the very first independent Black comic book: All-Negro Comics created by brothers Orrin C. Evans and George Evans, Jr. in 1947,‖ said Yumy Odom, Founder and President of ECBACC, Inc., and a self-described archivist of the Africentric comic book tradition who has been using comic books as educational tools since 1982. The Evans brothers will be the posthumous recipients of the ECBACC Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award! This marks the 10th year for this unique, informative and enlightening conference that connects comic book creators to their fans from across the country, providing a venue for them to network and dissect, examine, discuss and explore the images in comic books and sci-fi.
The ECBACC Kids’ Corner returns this year, featuring myriad youth activities. The KC will be open to all young people who attend the convention. The KC will run from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering children a chance to learn how to take their own ideas and create superheroes and comic books. The KC "kick back zone" will provide free comic books to read throughout the day.
And, there's more!