All this month I'll be reviewing different comic books by African-American creators, based on submissions from the actual creators of the comic books themselves. Check out the archive to see what books have been spotlighted so far.

Today we look at Henna Hanson Must Save Prom #1 from Rashad Doucet (writer and artist).

In this comic, Doucet firmly embraces the absurd but at the same time, he also embraces the sheer fun of comics, which I always appreciate. In comics, you can get away with things that really wouldn't work in other media like film or novels and Doucet tries them all. A neat aspect of comic book art is the ability to, in effect, "trick" the reader's eyes to see motion where there obviously isn't any since this is just a print medium. You do this through artwork that SUGGESTS movement and Doucet uses this style to give this comic a really madcap feel that makes it seem like things are in a constant state of movement.

The comic is set in 1985, where Henna Hanson is going to the prom with her moron boyfriend, Biff. She broke up with her previous boyfriend, who she had made promise to take her to prom ten years ago when they were little kids (but Biff was there, too, so the promise technically could apply to him, too). She is obsessed with prom, as you can see here...

Well, the problem happens when an old guy in the neighborhood finally snaps and decides that he will unleash NAZI ROBOTS on everyone! Things look dire, but luckily a mysterious guy from the future shows up from 1995 (where Nazi robots rule supreme) to help stop the Nazi robots BEFORE they take over. Sadly, he dies but his futuristic weapons remain, leaving a certain prom-obsessed teenager to take over his mission....

So yeah, imagine the Terminator mixed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer - that's Henna Hanson Must Save Prom! and it was a blast to read. Doucet's energetic artwork and fun characters make for a really enjoyable read.

You can buy the first issue here and read more about Doucet and the series at his website here.