Pore Lil Mose: His Letters to His Mammy (1902)

Pore Lil Mose, published in 1902 and created by Richard F. Outcault, is widely considered the first comic book (or collected comic strip volume) to feature a Black protagonist.

The character, Mose, is a young Black boy whose adventures are chronicled with humor, animal companions, and a tone that, while rooted in the stereotypes of its era, is sometimes warm and humanizing. The stories originated as full-color Sunday comics for the New York Herald between 1900 and 1902, later collected by Cupples & Leon in a “Platinum Age” volume. Outcault’s illustrations and episodic storytelling marked a key moment in the evolution of sequential art and Black representation in American popular culture.

Pore Lil Mose is a milestone in comics history as the first documented U.S. comic strip or book with a Black lead character. Its publication broke ground for the visibility of Black figures in the medium, however limited. While the art and language reflect racial caricatures typical of the era, Outcault’s narrative occasionally portrays Mose as kind, intelligent, and resilient, signaling an early recognition of Black humanity in mainstream comics.

The legacy of Pore Lil Mose reflects both the prejudices of the time and the emerging humanity in early American comics, influencing future generations of Black characters and creators.