Gary Jackson blends poetry, comics and Afrofuturism to redefine Black narratives

Gary Jackson’s love for comics began with a childhood gift from his mother — an assorted bundle of comic books she ordered from a Sears catalog. Among them was an issue of Uncanny X-Men featuring Storm as a 12-year-old girl struggling to reconcile her adult memories with her new reality.

As a Black boy growing up in Topeka, Kansas, Jackson was captivated. He saw himself in the speculative worlds of comics where mutants, superheroes and outcasts grappled with identity, belonging and transformation. In essence, he saw Afrofuturism — a way to look at the future through Black identity, freedom and imagination.

But Jackson’s relationship with comics wasn’t just escapism. It deepened in high school when he and his best friend, Stewart, began creating their own. They imagined superheroes who looked like them, rewriting the rules of mainstream comics to center Black narratives.

“It really was a good entry way into thinking about different ways we could bring these popular culture figures into our realities and Black reality specifically, which I think is a lot of what I'm trying to do when I do work that riffs on Afrofuturistic being,” Jackson said.

The duo’s creative collaboration was cut short when Stewart tragically took his own life. The loss left an indelible mark on Jackson, shaping his approach to storytelling. His poetry, much like his favorite comics, became a vehicle for exploring Black identity, trauma and resilience — all components that make up Afrofuturism.

Now a professor and the Toi Derricotte Endowed Chair in English at the University of Pittsburgh, Jackson is a poet, scholar and advocate for Black speculative storytelling. He is also the director of Pitt’s Center for African American Poetry and Poetics (CAAPP) where he fosters discussions on the intersections of Black poetry, comics and Afrofuturism.

His debut poetry collection, “Missing You Metropolis,” won the Cave Canem Poetry Prize in 2010, blending his love for comics with deeply personal themes of race, identity and loss. His second collection, “Origin Story,” further explores these themes, connecting personal narratives to broader cultural mythologies. He also co-edited “The Future of Black: Afrofuturism, Black Comics and Superhero Poetry,” which examines the genre’s evolving landscape.

As he continues his work with CAAPP, Jackson is committed to fostering more conversations about Black poetry, comics and speculative storytelling.

Despite popular misconceptions about the term, Jackson said Afrofuturism involves more than just speculative science fiction.

“It really is like a way for Black artists to imagine themselves into this world or another world that's just maybe one degree removed, that idea that we can write ourselves into our own not just future but into our own history, our own past, our own present,” Jackson said. “I don't necessarily want to tie it directly to just Black science fiction.”

Jackson’s suggested reads for Black History Month

For those looking to explore the richness of Black speculative fiction and poetry, Jackson offers these recommendations:

“Bitter Root” by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown and Sanford Greene

This award-winning comic follows a Black family of monster hunters during the Harlem Renaissance as they battle supernatural threats born from racial hatred. Jackson praises “Bitter Root” for its mix of historical context and speculative storytelling.

“The Crew” by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Yona Harvey

A superhero team-up featuring Black Marvel characters like Storm, Misty Knight and Luke Cage, “The Crew” explores racial identity, law enforcement and justice. Jackson recommends it for its layered storytelling and representation of intersectional Black identities.

“The Book of Light” by Lucille Clifton

A poetry collection that includes a series of epistolary poems addressed to Superman, offering a poignant critique of race and power. Jackson admires how Clifton uses speculative figures to comment on real-world struggles.

“Far Sector” by N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell

A sci-fi detective story set in the Green Lantern universe, “Far Sector” follows Sojourner Mullein, a Black woman navigating a futuristic alien society. Jackson said he appreciates how the story reimagines sci-fi from a Black perspective.

Photography by Tom Altany