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Exhibition Geppi Gems

Picture News, no. 6, June 1946. Bridgeport, CT: News in Color and Action, Inc. Stephen A. Geppi Collection of Comics and Graphic Arts, Serial and Government Publications Division, Library of Congress (032.00.00) © News in Color and Action, Inc.
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Picture News

Highlighting the news of the day in illustrated format, this “non-fiction” comic profiled superstar boxer Joe Louis prior to his major comeback fight against Billy Conn in the summer of 1946. This issue is significant for being one of the earliest comic book covers to depict a Black person without the use of negative stereotypes as well as featuring a Black celebrity. The news covered in each issue spanned a great range of topics. Other stories in this particular issue describe scuba gear, space travel, biographies of former president Franklin D. Roosevelt and musician Edward B. Marks, and advice on sun tanning and child rearing.