In 1969, Brumsic Brandon Jr. launched Luther, a comic strip about a group of kids living in a poor urban neighborhood. The main character was named after Martin Luther King Jr., who had been assassinated the previous year. The strip was one of the earliest nationally-syndicated features created by an African American cartoonist and featuring a black main character.
Through the strip, Brandon tackled issues like racism, discrimination, and poverty in a gently satirical way. Brandon said, “My objective, in my comic strip, was to bring to light not only the long-ignored ‘black perspective,’ but the many various philosophical postures found therein.” The strip ran until 1986.
Brumsic Brandon Jr.
Luther
February 5, 1973
Ink on paper
Brumsic Brandon, Jr. Deposit Collection
Brumsic Brandon Jr.
Luther
August 22, 1973
Ink on paper
Brumsic Brandon, Jr. Deposit Collection