Lobo is a fictional Western comic book hero who is the medium's first African-American character to headline his own series.

Publication history Lobo is recognized as the first African-American character to headline his own comic book series, but he was preceded by another Western hero in the comic strip medium : The Chisholm Kid, a newspaper strip illustrated by Carl Pfeufer. The strip was launched as part of a new color comics section for the Pittsburgh Courier, which debuted on August 19, 1950. This color comics section was produced by the Smith-Mann Syndicate and was published exclusively in the Pittsburgh Courier, one of the largest Black newspapers in the country at the time.. The Chisholm Kid ran in the Courier from August 19, 1950, to August 11, 1956.

Lobo starred in Dell Comics' little-known, two-issue series Lobo (Dec. 1965 & Sept. 1966), also listed as Dell Comics #12-439-512 and #12-439-610 in the company's quirky numbering system. Created by Dell editor and writer Don "D. J." Arneson and artist Tony Tallarico,Lobo (1965 character) at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. October 31, 2011. it chronicled the Old West adventures of a wealthy, unnamed African-American gunslinger called "Lobo" by the first issue's antagonists. On the foreheads of vanquished criminals, Lobo would leave the calling card of a gold coin imprinted with the images of a wolf and the letter "L".Lobo #1 (Dell, 1965 series) at the Grand Comics Database

Tallarico in a 2006 interview said that he and Arneson co-created the character based on an idea and a plot by Tallarico, with Arneson scripting it:

Arneson, in a 2010 interview, disputed this version of Lobo's creation:

Later appearances Lobo was revived in 2017 in InDELLible Comics’ All-New Popular Comics #1.All-New Popular Comics #1 (Indellible Comics, 2017 series) at the Grand Comics Database

In 2018, a Lobo novella was published in a collection entitled, Fantastic 4N1, written by author, David Noe.

Awards In May 2006, Tallarico was bestowed the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention's Pioneer Award for Lifetime Achievement, in recognition of his work on the first comic book to star an African-American. He was an honoree at the reception dinner at the African American Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania..

See also

African characters in comics List of African-American firsts

References