February marked the release of the trailblazing collection by Barbara Brandon-Croft, the first nationally syndicated Black female cartoonist! The collection, Where I’m Coming From, balances politics, relationships, and the everyday lives of its electric main characters—amplifying the voices of Black women in a series of honest and laugh-out-loud funny strips. We wanted to share the wonderful praise the book has been getting, as well as the much-deserved spotlights on Barbara Brandon-Croft herself.
Photo: Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times
Profiles on Barbara Brandon-Croft have been featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post, highlighting the cartoonist’s journey, her relationship with her father, and insight into her craft. Robert Ito of The New York Times writes that “Brandon-Croft’s characters, including the sharp-tongued Cheryl and Alisha, a ‘good girl,’ chatted about money and boyfriend woes, the trials of single motherhood and the strength and beauty of Black women.”
Michael Cavna of The Washington Post commends the strips for their ability to “easily [shift] from international politics to office politics — and [include] such topics as dating and parenthood, feminism and racism, even the obstacles to self-love and respect.”
Barbara also sat down with ABC News earlier this month, in a riveting and charming interview available to watch below:
Radio and podcast interviews with Barbara Brandon-Croft can be found on WPR Beta and Turning the Page, with more to come, as well as written interviews in The Tyee, Publishers Weekly, and more!
Photo: Gioncarlo Valentine/The Washington Post
Where I’m Coming From has been reviewed in The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, New York Journal of Books, Broken Frontier, Ms Magazine, Booklist, Book Riot, ComicBook, The Millions, Black Girl Nerds, The New York Review of Books, Hyperallergic, Brooklyn Rail, and Library Journal! Publishers Weekly calls Where I’m Coming From a “trenchant volume [which] easily sits alongside works from contemporary heavyweight Black cartoonists such as Aaron McGruder and Ray Billingsley,” while Booklist praises it as “Groundbreaking… erudite, sharp work.”
Where I’m Coming From is available in-stores and online now!
Photo: Gioncarlo Valentine/The Washington Post