Barbara Brandon-Croft (born November 27, 1958) is an American cartoonist. She was the first black woman cartoonist nationally syndicated in the mainstream press.
Life and Career[]
Brandon-Croft was born in Brooklyn, New York, and her father, Brumsic Brandon, Jr., was creator of the Luther comic strip which first appeared in the late 1960s. Brandon is an alumna of Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.
Her comic strip, Where I’m Coming From, appeared first in the Detroit Free Press, and was acquired by Universal Press Syndicate in 1991. The strip features a cast of about a dozen women, who Brandon-Croft based on herself and her friends. The characters range in personality from the issues-conscious Lekesia to the self-absorbed, man-obsessed Nicole. The strip explores general themes of life and relationships as well as friendship. The strip ran until 2005.[1]
She has previously worked as a fashion and beauty writer for Essence magazine. Her illustrations have appeared in Essence, The Village Voice, The Crisis and MCA Records. She lives in Queens, New York with her husband Monte and their son Chase.
Sources[]
- Black Women in America, pp. 161-62 and Contemporary Black Biography, vol. 3, pp. 16-17, via Black-History-Month.net
- ↑ "End is Near for Groundbreaking 'Where I'm Coming From'", Editor & Publisher, March 8, 2005