Named one of The Root’s and BET’s 100 most influential African Americans, LL McKinney, is an advocate for equality and inclusion in publishing, and the creator of the hashtags #PublishingPaidMe and #WhatWoCWritersHear. Her works include the Nightmare-Verse books, Nubia graphic novels through DC, Marvel’s Black Widow: Bad Blood, and more.
Robyn Smith is a Jamaican cartoonist known for her mini-comic The Saddest Angriest Black Girl in Town, illustrating Nubia: Real One (written by LL McKinney) and Wash Day Diaries (written by Jamila Rowser) which won the 2022 LA times Book Prize for Best Graphic Novel. She has an MFA from the Center for Cartoon Studies and has also worked on comics for College Humor, Nike, and The Nib. She loves cake and her cat, Benson, and holds onto dreams of returning home to the ocean.
Manou Azumi is a self-taught Haitian-American artist hailing from Las Vegas. She began her journey as a cashier but made her breakthrough into the comic industry with the series *Vixen NYC*, the longest-running DC comic featuring a Black female lead. Beyond her artistic endeavors, Manou has a deep passion for fashion, spending her free time curating her wardrobe and discovering new pieces. She’s also a fan of video games, anime, and campy '80s movies.
