By Zack Quaintance — Noir is the New Black is a new anthology from FairSquare Comics. This fantastic project features 16 separate noir comics stories from a roster of 40 Black creators. There is a great mix of new and established names on this book too, including David F. Walker, Brandon Thomas, Brandon Easton, Melody Cooper, M.D. Bright, N. Steven Harris, and more.

Today we are honored to have an exclusive preview of a piece from Noir Is The New Black. Below you will find pages from Roxxy Haze and Pat Masioni’s short story "The Message: Josephine Speaks.” You can find those pages after the break, but first, check out what Haze had to say about the work…

1. What inspired you to write "The Message: Josephine Speaks"?
Josephine Baker is an icon and I have always been a really big fan of her and what she represented. She was not only talented and beautiful, she was a woman who stood against racial injustices. Her life was very rich and interesting and I was really excited to tell a story of substance.

2. What themes did you explore in your short story? What aspects of the noir genre did you explore in your story?
To me, one of the best parts of a good noir story is mystery. Not knowing what is going to happen next. Because I was writing about an actual historical event, I tried to make sure to frame the story with things that actually occurred.

3. What was it like to work with Pat Masioni and how did his art amplify the story?
Pat Masioni's artwork is beautiful and I feel like it captured the tone I wanted to convey, as well as the era the story took place in. The fact that Pat is from France gave it an authentic feel that I think only someone who lives there could have created. Because we are on different sides of the world, everything was done virtually. But, to be honest, once I wrote the story, I just sort of put it in Pat's hands and let him do whatever he wanted. I had full confidence.

Enjoy the preview below!

EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW: Noir is the New Black

Noir is the New Black
Editors: Fabrice Sapolsky and Trowa Christopher “TC” Harris
Publisher: FairSquare Comics (founded by Fabrice Sapolsky)
Creators: https://fairsquarecomics.com/product/nitnb_tp/
Unhinged. Unfiltered. Unstoppable...This is Noir Is The New Black: 40 Black creators delivering 16 Noir stories in a unique way. for the first time, the most successful African American comic book creators like David F. Walker, Brandon Thomas, Brandon Easton, Melody Cooper, M.D. Bright, N. Steven Harris as well as a new generation of writers and artists of color from all around the world such as Karen S. Darboe, Walt Barna, Marcus Williams, Quinn McGowan, Roxxy Haze, Greg Burnham, and many more, are banding together for a unique anthology of 100% creator-owned Black Noir comic stories.
Release: September 2021
More Info: Noir is the New Black

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.