Who was the first Black American Superhero in costume? This question has been debated by comic fans for many years. A search on the internet will lead to a wide range of points and counterpoints, some say Marvel's "The Falcon", for others it's Dell Comics' "Lobo" (1965) or "Lion Man" who appeared in All-Negro Comics (1947). The thing is, neither Lobo or Lion Man are costumed adventurers.
The only character that comes to (my) mind is The Black Phantom. Created by Steve Perrin (writer) and Ronn Foss (artist), The Black Phantom, along with his teen White sidekick The Wraith, originally appeared in prose form in Mask and Cape" number 4, published in 1964. However, in 1966, The Black Phantom made his sequential appearance in the sixth issue of Adult Fantasy.
The Black Phantom was Lafayette Jefferson, an Engineer, Veteran, and Bus Driver who works with the N.A.A.C.P. From the very first page, Perrin and Foss waste no time establishing the tone and feel of the strip. The language, imagery, and type of confrontations rooted in the turbulent days of the Civil Rights movement, were like nothing seen before in American comics. BP's main antagonists firmly established: racism and The Ku Klux Klan.
The Black Phantom even caught the attention of Castle of Frankenstein, a horror, science fiction and fantasy film magazine that featured a review of Adult Fantasy/Black Phantom in the "CoFanaddicts" section of it's Tenth issue.
Sadly, this is the one and only Black Phantom comic book appearance. Although Mr. Perrin did write a follow-up story, "Death Trap In Harlem", it didn't see the light of day.
But who knows, maybe one day...
