Carlton and Darrick Hargro spent 30 years developing their titular comic book character, Nia Griggs. The brothers are the founders of 20th Place Media where they create the comic books they always wanted to read.
Photos| Cheris Hodges
CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Growing up in Gary, Indiana, Carlton and Darrick Hargro were always into comic books. But there was something big missing from the stories they read — authentic Black representation.
“The Black characters that we saw,” Darrick said, “they were chumps.” As cool and as powerful as Marvel’s Black Panther is depicted on screen and on the page now, the Hargro brothers remember reading about his getting in a fight with a dog and losing.
“When he first rolled out in the Fantastic Four, the technology was downplayed and they took away the wealth and technology,” Darrick said.
“We saw all these bad representations of characters and we were like, we have to make some good character,” Carlton said. “Right now it’s a whole lot of people out there doing what we’re doing. Especially in Atlanta.”
But the comic world hasn’t always been that way. Many of the most popular characters — even the Black ones — were created by white writers.
“We’re just throwing our hat in the ring,” Carlton said.
Through 20th Place Media, the Hargro brothers are creating the powerful characters they wanted to read growing up.
Nia Griggs and the Kemetic Sisterhood of Science is a creation that took 30 years to come together. But if you follow the adage that good things come to those who wait, then reading this comic gives you satisfaction.
“Carlton brought the idea to me,” Darrick said. “Originally the book was called Isis because that’s who she is. She touches the mark on her wrist and she gets all of the collective knowledge and strength of our ancestors and becomes the Goddess Isis. But after 9-11 and all the other stuff, we had to change it. Then we made her a part of an organization. She’s like the nuclear option.”
And what’s a superhero without a secret identity? Nia’s day job is as a music journalist. “She’s very opinionated and funny. She’s kind of like a reluctant hero. It works for this very powerful organization of Black women and women of color. I’m trying to present characters that I want to see and that’s what we did. This character came out 30 years ago this year. And we were in comic book stores and we lost a lot of money.”
So the brothers took a break and came back with a rebirth of the character. “We get so maligned in the media, even to this day. Right now we’re caught up in this trauma. It’s more to us than that and these characters are really about Black joy and they’re doing heroic stuff.”
The Hargro brothers have created other characters based on historical figures, like Quantum Moses, who frees people abducted by aliens, like Harriett Tubman freed the enslaved.
Follow 20th Place Media on socials:
Facebook: facebook.com/20thplacemedia
Instagram: @20thplacemedia
Website: https://20thplacemedia.com/