Clock Striker Vol. 1
Co-created by Issaka Galadima and Frederick L. Jones
Illustrated by Issaka Galadima
Synopsis
Clock Striker Volume 1: “I’m Gonna Be a SMITH!” introduces Cast, a young Black girl with a passion for engineering and a dream of becoming a “SMITH” – a legendary group of warrior engineers who mysteriously vanished years ago. Cast’s journey begins when she meets Ms. Philomena Clock, the last surviving SMITH, who takes her on as an apprentice. The story delves into the world of steampunk technology, where Cast learns to utilize her ingenuity and resourcefulness to solve problems and overcome obstacles.
Notes
Clock Striker, a non-Japanese manga with a black female lead hero, was created by Frederick L. Jones (the founder of Saturday AM) and Issaka Galadima, representing the USA, Niger, and France.
Clock Striker is reported to be the first manga to feature a Black woman protagonist.
In 2023, the interior art was showcased in the Kyoto Manga Museum’s Comics in Francophone Africa Exhibit.
Clock Striker is published by Saturday AM. A black owned publishing company founded in 2013 by Frederick L Jones. The company publishes over 30 artists around the world within a monthly digital anthology magazine that has over 150 issues to date. The company has a digital app (Saturday AM – Global Comics) for readers to enjoy the newest magazine issues and manga content, and their graphic novels are available in stores like Walmart, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, Booksamillion, and more.
Saturday AM is also well known for their community events and competitions which they host annually (Saturday Con, March Art Madness, and Summer of Manga)