Black History Month Interview: David Walker

In celebration of Black History Month, PREVIEWSworld is bringing you a series of interviews with professionals from all fields in the comic industry. 

Check out our interview with writer David Walker below!

PREVIEWSworld: What initially got you interested in comics?

David Walker: I grew up watching syndicated episodes of the live-action Batman TV show starring Adam West and Burt Ward, and that started my obsession with comics. I also watched reruns of the animated Spider-Man show, and all those old Filmation cartoons starring Batman, Superman, and Aquaman. All of these shows served as an introduction to superheroes at a very early age. Then my mom bought me my first comic book when I was about three or four years old, it was Batman #247, and I was hooked. I am that stereotypical kid that grew up reading comic books.  

PREVIEWSworld: What does Black History Month mean to you?

David Walker: It is something of a double-edged sword for me, because I don’t think Black History should be relegated to the shortest month of the year—it’s something that needs to be acknowledged and celebrated all year long. Too often, we talk about Black History like it is some sort of history that is separate from the rest of history—like it just happened to and only impacted Black people, and that’s just not the case. At the same time, I appreciate the fact that there is a time when the importance of the Black experience is placed in some kind of spotlight. To me, every day of the year is a day of Black History. I live it and breathe it. My grandparents were active in the Civil Rights Movement. My great-grandparents migrated from the Jim Crow south to the north. And my great-great-grandparents were slaves.   

PREVIEWSworld: Who’s your favorite black artist/entertainer? Why?

David Walker: That is a long list, but I’ll narrow it down for the sake of this interview, and say it is Oscar Micheaux, a pioneering author and filmmaker. Micheaux was one of the first African American filmmakers, at a time when Blacks were not allowed to go to movie theaters in much of this country. He did everything independently, including driving around the country self-distributing his films, and showing them in places like churches,  barns, colored-only theaters, because Blacks were not allowed to go to the movies with Whites. Michaeux produced, directed, and distributed thirty-nine films, all during a time of segregation, when there were almost no Blacks working in the world of film. In fact, he help create an entire industry of Black film, and he did this starting in 1919 with his debut film, based on a novel he wrote and self-published. Micheaux’s life and career were amazing. But there are so many others, ranging from writers like Zora Neale Hurston and James Baldwin, to performers like Paul Robeson and Bert Williams, that it is difficult to narrow it down to just one. 

PREVIEWSworld: Do you feel comics represent a wider diversity now—or do we still have a ways to go?

David Walker: We still have an incredibly long way to go. Diversity means more than just having some Black characters in comics, or having Black creators on books. It means having characters for a wide spectrum of humanity, created by an equally wide spectrum of people of various stripes and persuasions. For diversity to really mean something, it has to extend beyond creators and content. In order for diversity to be real, and be more than just a term, it needs to include editorial staff, publishers, retailers, journalist, and everyone else that is involved with the comic industry. I look at the current landscape of comics, and I see every aspect of it falling short of diversity insofar as Black people are concerned. And don’t get me started on Native Americans or women or transgendered people or anyone who is marginalized in a variety of ways, not the least of which is a lack of representation. 

PREVIEWSworld: What new projects do you have planned for the near future? What are you creating right now?

David Walker: I’m doing Power Man and Iron Fist with artist Sanford Greene for Marvel, which has been an incredible experience. There’s also Nighthawk, which will be coming from Marvel some time in the spring. Dynamite has me back on a new Shaft mini-series, as well as the novel Shaft’s Revenge. There’s something from Dark Horse that I can’t talk about yet, and hopefully a creator-owned project. I’m also finally finishing the second novel in YA series, The Adventures of Darius Logan. It looks like 2016 will be a busy year.  

PREVIEWSworld: What advice can you offer for the aspiring comic creator?

David Walker:  1. Expand your interest, and read as much as you can—not just superhero comics, but other genres as well. Read novels. Study storytelling in its many facets.

2. Practice your craft. Develop your skills. Work to improve your talents every day.

3. Never give up. It will not happen for you when you want it to happen—it will take far longer than you’re prepared to wait. But you must wait as long as it takes.

4. Surround yourself with people that are doing things, not people who only talk about doing things.

5. Understand that opportunities seldom come in the way we are hoping. I like to say that most people are so busy waiting for Santa Claus to come down the chimney that they miss the Easter Bunny at the back door.  

Check out more Black History Month features and interviews in the PREVIEWSworld Black History Month section!