Blackward
| Blackward | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 26, 2023 |
| Publisher | Drawn & Quarterly |
| Creative team | |
| Creator | Lawrence Lindell |
| ISBN | 9781770466784 |
Blackward is a 2023 graphic novel by Lawrence Lindell. It follows four Black queer friends who start their own zine festival. It was positively reviewed and was nominated for various awards, including an Eisner Award and GLAAD Media Award.
Plot
[edit]Lika, Amor, Tony, and Lala are four Black queer friends. After being banned from their local community centre due to an anti-LGBTQ protest, they resolve to create a zine festival called Blackward (combining the words Black and awkward).[1][2][3]
Development
[edit]The book was based off a webcomic called The Section created earlier by Lindell.[4][5] In an interview with Kirkus Reviews, he noted Tee Franklin's Bingo Love as an inspiration.[6]
Reception
[edit]Blackward was given a starred review by Kirkus Reviews, which dubbed the book "A paean to the radical joy of being every part of yourself".[1] It was also reviewed by Publishers Weekly and Broken Frontier.[2][3]
| Year | Award/Honor | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics | Nominated | [7] |
| 2024 | Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Comics | Nominated | [8] |
| GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Graphic Novel/Anthology | Nominated | [9] | |
| Eisner Award for Best Publication for Teens | Nominated | [10] |
References
[edit]- 1 2 BLACKWARD | Kirkus Reviews.
- 1 2 Oliver, Andy (2024-01-29). "Blackward - Finding One's Community is at the Heart of Lawrence Lindell's Heartwarming Story of Four Black Nerdy Queer Punks". Broken Frontier. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
- 1 2 "Blackward by Lawrence Lindell". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
- ↑ Dark, Joan Zahra (2023-11-03). "'It's Just a Joyful Book': Lawrence Lindell's 'Blackward' Centers Joy and Community for Black Queer Punks". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
Originally it was just the three, Lika, Amor, and Tony, and then Lala was added. It started as a webcomic, but Lala was added as a featured [character], and she soon became my favorite to draw. People that were reading the comic were like, "We want to see more Lala". Which had me like, hmm, it should be a group of four.
- ↑ Lindell, Lawrence (2023-02-15). "Inside Look: Blackward - Lawrence Lindell Talks About His Graphic Novel About Black Love, Joy, Rebellion and the Power of Community". Broken Frontier. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
- ↑ "To Be Young, Awkward, and Black". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
I started it as a webcomic in 2018. I was sitting in a gallery in San Francisco—because my spouse was putting up a group show—and I was reading Bingo Love. And I was like, I wanna make a comic that's my own Black queer story. And that's what happened. I started putting it on Instagram, and people began to gravitate toward it. And I was like, This might be something.
- ↑ Staff, Beat (2023-12-22). "Finalists announced for 8th Annual DWAYNE McDUFFIE AWARD FOR DIVERSITY IN COMICS". The Beat. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
- ↑ "Lambda Literary Award Finalists 2024: Announcing the 36th Annual Lammys Shortlist | Them". www.them.us. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
- ↑ Grein, Paul (2024-03-15). "Reneé Rapp, David Archuleta Win in Music Categories at 2024 GLAAD Media Awards: Full Winners List". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
- ↑ Puc, Samantha (2024-07-27). "SDCC '24: Announcing the 2024 Eisner Award winners". The Beat. Retrieved 2026-08-08.