After several successful campaigns to fund the original Noir Is the New Black in 2020, as well as the first two issues of Season 2, FairSquare Graphics and a host of industry veterans have returned to Kickstarter to bring fans the finale of their now Eisner-nominated anthology series. Fans have responded in a big way, with the campaign reaching its funding goal within just 10 hours!
Noir Is the New Black was created to give Black creators in comics the opportunity to tell unique stories without their perspectives being watered down or censored. The anthology continues to delivery unfiltered stories that are easy for new readers to jump into while offering fresh perspectives and narratives that help readers see themselves on the page.
One of the anthology’s flagship stories is The Winterfields, a tale following a father-and-son team of bounty hunters tasked with protecting a young girl who survived the Tulsa Race Massacre. The fast-paced adventure features artwork by ChrisCross, one of the most accomplished Black artists in comics, whose career included work for Marvel, DC, Milestone Media, Valiant, and more. The series is written by Joseph Illidge, one of the original editors of Milestone Media, the first Black editor to work in the DC Comics Batman office, and a co-writer of the recent New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident. When asked what it means for him and ChrisCross to bring the finale of their now Eisner-nominated story to fans clamoring for more Black-led comics, Illidge said:
“It means a great deal to me that Chriscross and I are able to close The Winterfields Volume One in full visibility of the comic book industry, to help prove the truth that we have a bounty of creative vision and entrepreneurship from Black creators in comic books, and that’s not slowing down.
The Eisner nomination for Noir Is The New Black Season Two, featuring The Winterfields, speaks to the unquestionable fact that Black creators continue to produce comic books at the high standard such an award nomination requires.
Chriscross and I are already discussing what Volume Two of The Winterfields will entail, so we’re continuously working to satisfy the needs of the audience and industry to create more universal-appeal stories from a Black perspective.”
The anthology’s other headlining feature, The Little Rock Files, originally debuted in Season 1 and later received its own Kickstarter campaign for an Issue #1. The story follows Arkansas detective Ousley as he navigates a murder investigation, protects a key witness, and wrestles with what it means to be a Black man wearing a badge in a small town during the late 1980s. The story is by Tuskegee Heirs co-creator Greg Burnham along with art by Quinn McGowen, editor-in-cheif of Legends Press and creator of Project: Wildfire.
When asked what he hopes readers take away from The Little Rock Files, McGowen offered the following:
“I hope they take away the value of authenticity. I take a great deal of pride in having been nominated at the highest level for independent work with an independent publisher for stories that came directly from mine and Greg’s personal experiences featuring characters that are based on people in our real lives while never compromising The Voice in which we chose to write and visualize in.
It is possible to be reward and celebrated for being yourself. To Sly of the family Stone… ‘Thank you for letting us be ourselves, again’”
The Noir Is the New Black: Season 2 Finale Kickstarter campaign runs through July 1, 2026. Readers interested in supporting the project can pledge throughout the campaign’s duration.
For more on the anthology and its recent Eisner nomination, check out my YouTube interview with Joseph Illidge, ChrisCross, Greg Burnham, and Quinn McGowen.
