John Jennings, a professor of media and cultural studies at UC Riverside, has long championed diversifying representation in media through his work as a scholar and artist. Last year, the Eisner-award winning graphic novelist launched Megascope with publishing house Abrams ComicArts, an imprint dedicated to publishing speculative graphic novels by and about people of color. 

In an essay for Marvel, Jennings lends his voice to discuss the forthcoming “Marvel’s Voices,” a new one-shot anthology series hitting shelves February 19. The series was inspired by Marvel’s bi-weekly podcast of the same name featuring interviews with Marvel editors, writers, and actors with an emphasis on diversity in storytelling. In “Lift Every Voice,” Jennings reflects on the role of superheroes as an index for American identity, the importance of seeing yourself reflected in the culture you claim, and Marvel’s role in expanding representation through iconic characters such as Black Panther, Luke Cage, and Daredevil, and now through “Marvel’s Voices.”

Read Jennings’ full essay here: https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/lift-every-voice