Why I Chose This Book

I read one issue of the comic book E.X.O. by Roye Okupe and I believe that Malika: Warrior Queen appeared as a recommended read after that. I might not have paid too much attention to it at first, but I had also searched on Google for Black graphic novels or Black comic book creators or Black comic characters or something like that and I came across a list. On this list was Malika: Warrior Queen which was written by the same person that wrote E.X.O., Roye Okupe.

Malika: Warrior Queen

The name of the book reminded me of an actual woman from history, a warrior of an African state, who fought and eventually became the queen. I was immediately drawn to the idea of a warrior queen who fought and defended her people, and was curious if the story was inspired by the real-life figure. Note, this was years before the movie The Woman King was released and maybe months, coincidentally, before the animated pilot for this graphic novel was released.

The book features a Black female protagonist from Africa, which is important as Blackness and women are often seen as lesser, and Black women are at the bottom of the totem pole in most parts of the world. This book presents an admirable protagonist that is a Black African woman.

The story is set in a historical time, which is significant as Africa has often been depicted as uncivilized, poor, or even backward. This is not a fair characterization of the entire continent, and seeing media representation of Africa in a positive light can help counter that narrative. The book highlights the fact that Africa had its own political systems and was much more advanced than often acknowledged before Europeans colonized the continent.

Malika: Warrior Queen is an independently published book, which means it may not have gone through the same editing process as a book published by a major publisher. Some reviewers have pointed out issues with the formatting and grammatical errors, but the book’s independent status should be kept in mind. It is possible that some of the reasons why this book was independently published could be related to bias against the author, a Black man, and the story itself, about a Black woman.

Conclusion

Overall, Malika: Warrior Queen is a commendable graphic novel that deserves recognition for its representation of Black women from Africa and the historical context it provides. While there may be some issues with the book, it is still a noteworthy and worthwhile read.

Sidenote: As suggested by ChATGPT, the real-life queen might have been Amanirenas.