Black Heroes/Sidekicks

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Scari, Il Piccolo Somalo is an Italian comic book that came out after the Italian War in Abyssinia in 1935-36. Translated as ‘Scari, the Little Somali’, Scari is an abbreviation of ‘Ascari’, the name given to colonial troops employed by the colonial powers at the time. Scari is fighting the evil Abyssinians and gets help from people that look like American cowboys and the setting for the stories can easily be confused with the American West. In fact, the comic shares space with another comic book hero called ‘Alan’ who is an American cowboy. The notion of pairing stories in Africa and the Wild American West is not uncommon and is seen even in the USA with Aunt Hannah’s Bread issuing 200 bread labels devoted to the theme of the American West and Africa. Like the Italian Empire, this comic book series had a limited run. I have a near complete run of 5 issues. M(7, 8, 9, 10, 11)

Price: $400.00 

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Zembla, is a comic book that was published in both France and Italy and distributed in those countries as well as Switzerland, Canada, Morocco and Tunisia. The main hero is Zembla, a European version of the American Tarzan. He has a sidekick named YeYe (pronounced ‘YayYay’) who was a mascot of the US army in Africa. His unit was massacred in Kenya by Masai tribesmen. In the 4th issue Zembla finds YeYe injured and nurses him back to health and they become best friends. YeYe appears in all of the issues except for a final run, where Zembla takes on a new sidekick. YeYe continues to wear the MP helmet of a US military policeman and is always wearing a clock around his neck to remind him what time it is. In most issues Zembla is usually getting YeYe out of trouble, but in some cases it is YeYe who saves the day. The series ran during the 1960’s to 1970’s. This collection includes only those issues featuring YeYe (before Zembla took on a new sidekick). I have 2 issues. 

Price: $100.00 

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The Italian comic book I Tre Boy-Scouts features a French Senegalese Trailleur named Zemba, which is another derivative of ‘Sambo’. He is over seven feet tall and always getting the three Boy Scouts either into or out of trouble. The comic, like Tabu, is mostly text. It is undated but appears from the 1940’s. I hold a complete run of 148 issues in good condition. Rare. EW 

Price: $4500.00 

SH 001SH 001Zambo is an offshoot of ‘Sambo’ and he dispenses justice, along with his young son ‘Zimbi’, all over the world. Some of it is in real places (like Brooklyn) and some of it is fantasy. I have a number of issues, from 1946-1947. Interesting for researchers is that he had three makeovers during this time. I have 4 issues. M(15, 30, 38)

Price: $240.00 

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Pic et Nic. Wamba le Justicier de la Brousse. A french comic about Wamba ‘the justice of the forest’. He is effectively a black version of Tarzan. The comic is in large format and the series had a limited run from June-December 1946. The cover page of each issue is devoted to Wamba while the inside is devoted to other comics. B 

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Mandrake. This is an Italian comic book featuring Mandrake and his black sidekick, Lothar. They are a cross between secret agents and adventurers, with most of the issues dealing with fantasy. The series dates from the 1960’s and 1970’s.

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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. Condition is poor.

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Bibi Fricotin. This is a french comic book originally produced after World War II and then reproduced in the 1970’s. The comic features a white boy, Bibi Fricotin, and his black friend, Razibus Zouzou. They are constantly getting into and out of trouble as they experience adventures together all over the world. I have 4 issues.

Price: $240.00 

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Sjors & Sjimmie (George & Jimmy) is a Dutch adaptation of the US-comic Perry Winkle. The difference is that Sjors (Perry) forms a duo with Africa-born Sjimmie. They are joined by Sally and the Colonel, who regularly finds himself on the receiving end of their pranks. In return Sjors & Sjimmie are outsmarted by their scheming classmate Dikkie, although they manage to stay best friends. In the original version Sjimmie had stereotyped features, including broken language, but this changes later on as the pair grew into teenagers and civil rights awareness increased. The cartoon has been taken over by no less than 7 different artists over time as well, which also contributed to a different look each time. The comic has been turned into a number of animations and movies between 1955 to 1979.

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Les Aventures de Neron et Cie. This is french comic about a black boy, Bambou, and his white friend Boulette. Each issue is devoted to one of their adventures. The series dates from 1980.