Marvel’s newest edition of Uncanny X-Men released on Wednesday contains many surprises and twists, and one in particular that explores anti-Black racism in the early 20th century.
Uncanny X-Men #13 story centers around Gambit and the Outliers on a dramatic, mysterious journey that traverses time. Uncanny X-Men #13, which was written by Gail Simone, will include a scene that introduces the Green Book, also known as the Negro Motorist Green Book, which was instrumental in helping Black Americans navigating roads and highways amid the Jim Crow era, especially in Southern states.
The Green Book publications were created by Victor Hugo Green, a Black postal service worker. The books were sold from 1936 to 1966. Uncanny X-Men #13’s story including the Green Book isn’t the firm time comics have taken interest in the Green Book; in 2017, About Comics reprinted two editions of the Green Book.
Marvel and its X-Men comics have visited racism in the past, but Uncanny X-Men #13 offers a glimpse into a period that precipitated the Civil Rights Movement, which widely believed to have been an inspiration to the legendary X-Men comic book series.
More on the new Uncanny X-Men #13 — without spoilers.
