Captain America: The Shield of Sam Wilson

The new Captain America has a big shield to carry. Is he up to the task? Find out in these subversive, exciting and uplifting short stories inspired by the Marvel comic book universe, written by celebrated Black authors.

The new Captain America has a heavy shield to hold. As a Black man in America, Sam Wilson knows he has to be twice as good to get half as much credit. He must be a paragon of virtue for a nation that has mixed feelings towards him. In these thirteen brand-new stories, the all-new Captain America must thwart an insurrectionist plot, travel back in time, foil a racist conspiracy, and save the world over and over again.

As the Falcon, Sam Wilson was the first African American super hero in mainstream comic books. Sam’s trials and tribulations reflect the struggles many Black Americans go through today, as Sam balances fighting supervillains and saving the world with the difficulties of being the first Black Captain America. This action-packed anthology inspired by the Marvel comic book universe, will see Sam team up with familiar friends like Steve Rogers, Redwing and Nomad, while fighting Hydra, Sabretooth, Kingpin, and other infamous villains.

These are stories of death-defying courage, Black love and self-discovery. These are the stories of a super hero learning what it means to be a symbol.

These are the stories of Sam Wilson.

Featuring original stories by Maurice Broaddus, Jesse J. Holland, Gar Anthony Haywood, Nicole Givens Kurtz, Kyoko M., Sheree Renee Thomas, Gary Phillips, Danian Jerry, Gloria J. Browne Marshall, Glenn Parris, Alex Simmons.

Jesse J. Holland

Jesse J. Holland is a bestselling non-fiction author, longtime comic book and science-fiction fan, and the writer of the children’s novel Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Finn’s Story, co-author of the late, lamented-by-no-one-except-a-couple-of-diehard-fans collegiate comic strip Hippie and the Black Guy. He is a Race & Ethnicity reporter with The Associated Press in Washington, D.C and currently lives in Bowie, Maryland, with his wife and children.

Leatrice "Elle" McKinney

Leatrice "Elle" McKinney writing as L.L. McKinney, is a poet and active member of the kidlit community. She’s an advocate for equality and inclusion in publishing, and the creator of the hashtag #WhatWoCWritersHear. She’s spent time in the slush by serving as a reader for agents and participating as a judge in various online writing contests.

Elle's also a gamer, Blerd, and adamant Hei Hei stan, living in Kansas surrounded by more nieces and nephews than she knows what to do with. She’s @ElleOnWords on Twitter.

A BLADE SO BLACK is her debut novel.

Kyoko M

Kyoko M is a USA Today bestselling author, a fangirl, and an avid book reader. She is the author of The Black Parade urban fantasy series and the Of Cinder and Bone science-fiction series. Her debut novel, The Black Parade, has been positively reviewed by Publishers Weekly and New York Times and USA Today-bestselling novelist, Ilona Andrews. She has been both a moderator and a panelist for comic book and science fiction/fantasy conventions like Dragon*Con, Geek Girl Con, Multiverse Con, Momocon, and The State of Black Science Fiction. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English Lit degree from the University of Georgia, which gave her every valid excuse to devour book after book with a concentration in Greek mythology and Christian mythology. When not working feverishly on a manuscript (or two), she can be found buried under her Dashboard on Tumblr, or chatting with fellow nerds on Twitter, or curled up with a good Harry Dresden novel on a warm Georgia night. Like any author, she wants nothing more than to contribute something great to the best profession in the world, no matter how small.

Maurice Broaddus

A community organizer and middle school teacher, his work has appeared in magazines like Lightspeed Magazine, Weird Tales, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Asimov’s, Cemetery Dance, Uncanny Magazine, with some of his stories having been collected in The Voices of Martyrs. His books include the urban fantasy trilogy The Knights of Breton Court, the steampunk works Buffalo Soldier, and the award-winning Pimp My Airship. His middle grade detective novels include The Usual Suspects and Unfadeable. As an editor, he’s worked on Dark Faith anthology series, Fireside Magazine, Streets of Shadows, People of Colo(u)r Destroy Horror, and Apex Magazine. Learn more at MauriceBroaddus.com.