THE PENULTIMATE CHAPTER BEGINS OCTOBER 31st!

Welcome to the NINTH volume and TENTH anniversary of the Cypher!

4 Pages 16 Bars: A Visual Mixtape began in 2013 as an art installation that ran for four months at Chicago institution The Silver Room. The event celebrated the cultural diversity of the independent comic book scene… And, was a stone groove, baby.

In 2015, the first volume of the 4 Pages 16 Bars: A Visual Mixtape anthology series hit the stands. They said it couldn’t be done, but eight volumes later, 4 Pages 16 Bars has become the longest-running anthology series celebrating independent works from creators of color!

2023 is also the 50^th anniversary of Hip Hop and this volume, ’23 Til Infinity, not only celebrates the resiliency of the culture, but also reflects the endurance of the Black Comix movement.

So, peep game, and let’s welcome the people who decided to grab the mic…

COMICS

Troy Jeffrey-Allen tells the tale of your favorite MC’s favorite MC, MF DOOM, in ALL CAPS edited by the First Lady of Black Comix, Maia “Crown” Williams!

Colleen Douglas provides a tale of spiritual horror with the atmospheric Silk Cotton!

Chuck Cox brings the high-fantasy with The Band of the Black Fist!

Ramel Hill makes an appearance with the family-friendly Pinkwing and the Prime Controller!

And, Jiba Molei Anderson comes with Paid In Full, the crime drama based on the classic track by the immortal Eric B. and Rakim!

ARTICLES

Legendary publisher Joe Illidge (Milestone Media, DC Comics, Heavy Metal, Lion Forge) reminds us why Luke Cage is a revolutionary, and necessary, portrayal of Black heroism in Real Life Proves Why Luke Cage Endures!

Fellow Blaxis member Marcus H. Roberts (Second Sight Publishing) shines a light on all things that go bump in the night with his essay Dark Legacy: Black Characters, Comics, and Creators in Horror!

And, the architect of the Blaxis, Jiba Molei Anderson pops up again breaking down the union of Hip hop and Comics with The Other Element!

GALLERIES

4 Pages 16 Bars has been blessed with the Afro Mech stylings of Christopher Taylor as ’23 Til Infinity’s cover artist!

From Canada, we are more than amped to have Beddo bless us with his Hip Hop/Marvel Comics’ cover mash-ups!

And, yes! The Father of the Black Age of Comics, Turtel Onli, has decided to pick up the mic and show us young thundercats how it’s done!

So come on and pop a bottle for the Visual MCs and Literary DJs that continue to move the needle. 4 Pages 16 Bars: A Visual Mixtape a celebration of where the true diversity in the comic book industry resides. It is a living historical document, a sampler for potential fans to enjoy these intellectual properties, a showcase for existing & upcoming talent, and a source guide for those fans to purchase these books.

 Sign up now to be notified when the Cypher begins… Let’s go!

4 Pages 16 Bars Vol. 09 Pre-Launch page