Black Laughter #1 (Black Laughter Publishing, 1972)

Black Laughter #1 (November 1972) is a rare, groundbreaking independent humor magazine written, illustrated, and published by James M. Dixon under his own Black Laughter Publishing Company in Toledo, Ohio. With its bold, stylized cover and 35¢ price tag, the magazine introduced readers to Mr. Habeas Corpus, a cigar-smoking lawyer and satirical character making his first and only appearance.

Created during the height of the Black Arts and Blaxploitation movements, Black Laughter was designed by Dixon—credited as a “soul brother”—to give Black readers something joyful to read “during times of despair.” The magazine blends comic strips, parodies, and social cartoons that examine African American life, politics, and culture through sharp, self-aware humor. Dixon intended Black Laughter to be an ongoing series (with a December 1972 issue advertised on the back cover), but the publication ended after its debut issue. Today, it stands as a vital artifact of early 1970s Black creative independence and satire.

Emerging amid the cultural and political surge of the Black Arts Movement (1965–1975), Black Laughter represents one of the earliest attempts by a Black creator to produce a full-length humor comic written and drawn entirely from an African American perspective. Dixon’s goal went beyond entertainment—he used laughter as an act of resilience and resistance, a means of reclaiming narrative power at a time when mainstream media often misrepresented or excluded Black voices.

Within the broader history of Black comics, Black Laughter is a pioneering counterpart to contemporaneous independent works such as Larry Fuller’s Ebon (1970). It pushed the boundaries of representation by using comedy to critique American race relations, while also celebrating everyday Black life with warmth and authenticity. Though short-lived, its existence paved the way for later Black-owned and independent publications that continued to blend social commentary with humor and creative self-expression.