Barbara Brandon-Croft

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Barbara Brandon-Croft
Born (1958-11-27) November 27, 1958 (age 65)
Brooklyn, New York
OccupationCartoonist
NationalityAmerican
GenreComic strip
Notable worksWhere I'm Coming From

Barbara Brandon-Croft (born November 27, 1958)[1] is an American cartoonist,[2] best known for creating the comic strip Where I'm Coming From, and for being the first nationally syndicated African-American female cartoonist.[3][4][5]

Early life[edit]

Brandon-Croft was born in Brooklyn, New York,[1] to Brumsic Brandon Jr. Her father was also a cartoonist and he was the creator of the comic strip Luther which was in circulation from 1970 to 1986 under the Los Angeles Times Syndicate newspapers.[3][6][7] She and her father are said to represent the only occurrence of father-daughter newspaper cartoonists.[3]

While she was still a baby, her family moved to a predominantly Black neighborhood located in New Cassel, New York. [8] During school desegregation, she was bused to a nearby elementary school in Westbury, New York.[8]

She attended the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University.[1][9] In 1982, she developed a cartoon feature for Elan, a magazine for black women.[1] She later joined the staff of Essence magazine as their fashion and beauty writer. She also created illustrations for The Crisis, published by the NAACP; as well as for The Village Voice and MCA Records.[6]

Brandon-Croft's illustrating talent had developed naturally. Growing up she helped her father with his comics in exchange for allowance.[1] She was first recognized for the comic strip Where I'm Coming From. She later did other illustrations including Sista Girl-Fren Breaks It Down...When Mom's Not Around.[1] Brandon-Croft also created a line of illustrated greeting cards for OZ.[1]

Where I'm Coming From[edit]

Brandon-Croft started publishing Where I'm Coming From beginning in 1989 in the Detroit Free Press.[3][10] The comic strip traces the experiences of about twelve African-American women[3][5] and gives insight into the challenges of being an African American woman living in the United States.[10] It features characters such as Alisha, Cheryl, Lekesia, Nicole and others.[5][6][7] The characters are based on Brandon and her real-life friends.[1][6][7]

The artwork is minimalistic.[1] There is an absence of backdrop drawings, with the focus solely on the characters, who are represented by drawings of their upper torso.[1] Speech bubbles are also omitted and the characters address the reader directly.[1]

Where I'm Coming From went into national syndication in 1991 with the Universal Press Syndicate,[10] making Brandon-Croft the first female black cartoonist to be nationally syndicated.[3][6][10][11] It was the first comic strip by a black woman to be syndicated in mainstream newspapers.[12] The comic strip was featured in more than sixty newspapers between 1989 and 2004.[3][7] It appeared in newspapers throughout the United States, including Essence, The Sacramento Bee, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Baltimore Sun, as well as in The Gleaner in Jamaica and the Johannesburg Drum magazine.[1][3][7] Brandon-Croft ceased publication of the comic strips in 2005 after subscriptions dwindled.[11][13]

Brandon-Croft's and her father's work are both represented in the Library of Congress and in editions of Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year.[14]

Personal life[edit]

Brandon-Croft is married to Monte Croft, with whom she has one child, Chase. She resides in Queens, New York.[13][14]

Exhibitions[edit]

  • 2020 "Still... Racism in America: A Retrospective in Cartoons" (Medialia Gallery, New York City) — joint exhibition with Brandon-Croft and her father Brumsic Brandon Jr.[15][16]
  • 2022 "Still... Racism in America: A Retrospective in Cartoons" (Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, Columbus, OH) — joint exhibition with Brandon-Croft and her father Brumsic Brandon Jr.[17]
  • 2024 "Still... Racism in America: A Retrospective in Cartoons" (University of California-Davis Design Museum, Davis, CA) — joint exhibition with Brandon-Croft and her father Brumsic Brandon Jr.[18]

Bibliography[edit]

  • Brandon, Barbara (1993). Where I'm Coming From. Andrews McMeel Publishing.
  • Brandon, Barbara (1994). Where I'm Still Coming From. Andrews McMeel Publishing.
  • Ahmed-Cawthorne, Francheska; Brandon, Barbara, illustrator (1996). Sista' Girlfren' Breaks It Down When Mom's Not Around. Simon & Schuster, Inc.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • deJongh, Monique Jellerette; Cato-Louis, Cassandra Marshall; Brandon, Barbara, illustrator (1997). How to Marry a Black Man: The Real Deal. Crown.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Brandon-Croft, Barbara (2023). Where I'M Coming From. Drawn and Quarterly.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Otfinoski, Steven (2003). African Americans in the Visual Arts. Infobase Publishing. p. 27. ISBN 9781438107776.
  2. ^ Maurice Charney, ed. (2005). Comedy: A Geographic and Historical Guide, Volume 1. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 131. ISBN 9780313327148.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Black Comic Book Day: Barbara Brandon-Croft - Where I'm Coming From". Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  4. ^ "Toni Morrison Among Lates Medal Of Freedom Honorees". April 30, 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  5. ^ a b c "Where I'm Coming From Sampler". The Lakeland Ledger. August 2, 1994. p. 6B.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Barbara Brandon Croft (1958-)". Source: Black Women in America, pp. 161-62; Contemporary Black Biography, vol. 3, pp. 16-17. October 24, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. ^ a b c d e "'Coloring Outside the Lines: Black Cartoonists as Social Commentators' exhibit to open at Laney". Oakland Local. August 6, 2010. Archived from the original on August 23, 2010. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  8. ^ a b Degand, D. (2023). "'Black lines on white paper': How comic artist Barbara Brandon-Croft draws on Where [She's] Coming From". Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics: 1–23. doi:10.1080/21504857.2023.2282063. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  9. ^ Charboneau, Jeffrey (1995). "Just for laughs". Syracuse University Magazine. Vol. 12, no. 2. pp. 28–29. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d Astor, Dave (8 March 2005). "End is Near for Groundbreaking 'Where I'm Coming From'".
  11. ^ a b "Barbara Brandon-Croft Ending Strip". Comics Reporter. March 9, 2005. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  12. ^ Wolk, Douglas (March 30, 2008). "Origin Story". The New York Times.
  13. ^ a b "Barbara Brandon". Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  14. ^ a b C., Howard, Sheena (2017). Encyclopedia of black comics. Gates, Henry Louis, Jr.,, Priest, Christopher J. (Christopher James), 1961-. Golden, CO. ISBN 9781682751015. OCLC 974683696.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Exhibition web page, Medialia Gallery website. Retrieved Apr. 2, 2024.
  16. ^ "SOCIETY: STILL: Racism in America - A Retrospective in Cartoons," ABC7NY Here and Now Episode 269: Segment 3 (March 30, 2020).
  17. ^ Exhibition web page, Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum website. Retrieved Apr. 2, 2024.
  18. ^ Exhibition web page, University of California-Davis website. Retrieved Apr. 2, 2024.

Further reading[edit]

  • Ito, Robert. "A Trailblazing Black Cartoonist’s Work: ‘It’s Unapologetic, and It’s the Truth’" New York Times Feb 7, 2023 online
  • Jackson, Tim (2016). Pioneering cartoonists of color. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781496804853. OCLC 981764227.

External links[edit]

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