Black Comic Book Store Owner Gets Her Own Marvel Cover
The first black, female comic book store owner on the East Coast was recently honored with her own variant cover.
Ariell Johnson, the 33 year old founder and president of Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse, Inc. in Philadelphia, is appearing on a variant cover of Invincible Iron Man #1.
The issue, which goes on sale next month, features Johnson having a meal with new Marvel superhero Riri Williams (also known as Ironheart), while Iron Man creator Tony Stark is surrounded by fans in the background.
Johnson said she owes the collaboration to her colleague Randy Green, whom she said spearheaded the project and conceptualized the cover.
"When the email went out about potential variants for stores, he was really excited and took it upon himself to work out the [details]. It was really his hard work," Johnson said in an interview with ABC News. "I knew what it was supposed to look like, but having the actual art in front of you is so much different. It's really exciting."
The variant cover comes as Johnson has made some notable strides in representation within the comic book world. Johnson opened Amalgam last December, becoming the first black, female comic book store owner on the East Coast. Through the store she has created a more inclusive space, especially for girls and women.
"I had a girl tell me I had an excellent book selection and she was 7 or 8. I don't know how welcome she might feel in some other spaces," Johnson said. "Women exist in this space! We've always been reading comic books, we just may not have been as open about it. I definitely get very positive feedback from not just little girls, but grown women too."
Marvel has been making progressive changes in diversifying its roster in recent years. Aside from Riri Williams there's also Lunella Lafayette, also known as Moon Girl. The character has been described as the smartest person in the Marvel Universe, and actually teams up with Riri in a new issue of Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur.
