Fast Willie Jackson
(W) Bertram Fitzgerald (A) G. Lemoine; Fitzgerald Publishing Co.; Issues 1-7, 1976-1977
Synopsis
Fast Willie Jackson was a funky comic book series that depicted 1970’s Black culture in a positive way. The cast of characters reminds you of the classic Blaxploitation flicks Five On the Black Hand Side and A Piece of The Action. (Via Museum of Uncut Funk).
Notes
All comic book collectors experience FOMO (fear of missing out). For me, FOMO hits differently. I have this fear that when I start educating fans about a certain book BEFORE I have a copy of my own, said book will suddenly skyrocket in value and become out of reach. Fast Willie Jackson is one such book.
I’ve been watching copies of this Black Archie parody for weeks on eBay. Issue one, in various conditions, is hovering around $100 dollars or so.
These books are extremely rare. Published by the creators of the Golden Legacy series, Fast Willie Jackson was their attempt to reach a Black teen readership in the late 70s. Unfortunately, it only lasted for 7 issues.
Some claim Fitzgerald’s writing may have been the downfall of the book. I’ll be the judge of that once I get my hands on a copy. I believe it may have been due to the fact that it looked too much like an Archie knock off.
It’s rumored that Archie publishers may have had a hand in the creation of the series.
