Negro Romance #2
Various writers and artists. Alvin C. Hollingworth is the most prominent artist of note. (Fawcett Publishing, 1950)
Synopsis
One of the first comics created by African-American artists for an African-American readership. Photo cover. This is an anthology containing several short stories including: “Possessed”, “Forever Yours”, “Come Home, My Heart” and “Love’s Decoy” (Via Mycomicshop.com)
NOTES
Negro Romance is a highly sought after comic book series of the Golden Age of comics.
Negro Romance #2 is of particular interest because it includes the work of Alvin C. Hollingsworth (A.C. Hollingsworth); an African American artist who worked prolifically throughout the 40s and 50s.
He’s featured in a 2011 episode of History Detectives (PBS). Unfortunately this short presentation barely does him justice.
Hollingsworth’s childhood friend and classmate was Joe Kubert. THE Joe Kubert. As was the tradition, he and Kubert entered the comic book industry in their teens.
Hollingsworth freelanced for several publishers in the New York area including Avon, Holyoke, Fox, Fawcett and others.
Hollingsworth famously wrote and illustrated the syndicated comic strip Scorchy Smith in 1953. Although he made very little money, the strip had millions of readers and was on the cover of 140 newspapers. It’s reported that he was the first and only Black illustrator to accomplish this.
To learn more about A. C. Hollingsworth and his contemporaries, I highly recommend Invisible Men, an invaluable resource on Black comic book illustrators of the Golden and Silver Age of comics by Ken Quattro.
INVISIBLE MEN: THE TRAILBLAZING BLACK ARTISTS OF COMIC BOOKS (HC) (2020)
