29 reasons to celebrate Black History Month: No. 15, Matt Baker

February marks Black History Month. Follow the AJC this month for a series of short stories and videos and people, places and events that played a significant role in the development of black people in America.

No. 15

Matt Baker: We know about The Black Panther, Storm and Luke Cage, black superheroes who have splashed across the pages of comic books. But what about Matt Baker? Baker was a hero in his own right as one of the earliest black comic book artists. Baker, originally from North Carolina, came of age as a comic book artist in the 1940s penciling characters – white ones – like Phantom Lady and the military-themed Canteen Kate. As part of the genre and times, he became known for showcasing scantily-clad women in suggestive poses on his covers. Baker died at the age of 38 in 1959, right at the cusp of the Silver Age of Comics, where new, complex and diverse heroes were taking shape.