Art Beats: Atlantic City Panel Celebrates People of Color in Comics and Sci-Fi
Atlantic City Focus and 48 Blocks Atlantic City brought together Shawn Wright and Jay Farmer to explore Black representation, creativity and fandom in comics and science fiction.
ATLANTIC CITY — From comic book superheroes to science fiction pioneers, people of color have helped shape the stories that spark our imaginations.
On Sept. 19, 2026, Atlantic City Focus and 48 Blocks Atlantic City sponsored a panel exploring those contributions and the ongoing fight for representation in comics, science fiction and mainstream culture.
Disclosure: I curated the panel in my role as Atlantic City Focus’s arts and entertainment editor.
This marked the second year Atlantic City Focus and 48 Blocks teamed up to present a conversation about representation. The 2025 discussion examined images of Black men on television, from J.J. Evans on Good Times to Huey Freeman on The Boondocks.
Read our coverage of the 2025 panel on Black male images on television.
Raymond Tyler
Atlantic City Focus writer and 91.7 WLFR DJ and producer Shawn Wright returned as a panelist. A longtime comic book and science fiction fan, Wright brought a creator’s perspective to the conversation, having written, illustrated and produced a comic strip during his high school years.
Joining him was Jay Farmer, lead vocalist of the reggae band The Burnsiders and a frequent guest on The Light, which airs Saturdays from 7 to 9 p.m. on 91.7 WLFR and is rebroadcast Fridays at 6 p.m. on Philadelphia’s 106.5 WPPM.
Farmer has earned several first-place awards and prizes for her cosplay over the years. And she did not disappoint: She arrived — or perhaps rolled in — dressed as Optimus Prime from the 1980s animated series The Transformers.
The conversation explored the experiences of Black fans at comic conventions, Black pioneers in science fiction film and television, and the present and future of Black representation in comics and sci-fi.
Between topics, audience members joined in games centered on 1980s cartoons and superhero teams, winning prizes such as action figures while sharing their perspectives.
Watch “Color in Comics and Sci Fi,” Part 1.
A good time was had by all.
Coming soon, Atlantic City Focus and Art Beats will be curating special virtual galleries that celebrate 60 years of Star Trek and Batman 1966.The afternoon brought together conversation, creativity and a little friendly competition, giving fans a chance to celebrate the characters they love and the people helping expand these imaginative worlds.
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The Unity & Heritage Exhibition is on display until December at The African American Heritage Museum Of Southern New Jersey.
