''Herb and Jamaal'' is a
comic strip by
Stephen Bentley syndicated by
Creators Syndicate
Creators Syndicate (also known as Creators) is an American independent distributor of comic strips and syndicated columns to daily newspapers, websites, and other digital outlets. When founded in 1987, Creators Syndicate became one of the few suc ...
. It is published daily and centers on the eponymous friends who run a diner together, inspired by the illustrator's experience at a high school reunion,
and a desire to provide increased representation for
black people in comics. According to Bentley, "Some of the characters in 'Herb and Jamaal' partially come from myself and people that I know but the full story is just a fantasy..."
Story and characters
The strip centers around the title characters and the diner they run together.
* Herbert Johnson, a former quality control technician at the gas works, a schemer, but not underhanded.
* Jamaal J. Jamaal, a former NBA center for the Phazers
(a fictional team).
* Sarah Johnson, Herb's wife, whose cooking leaves a lot to be desired.
[Bentley]
September 23, 2012
/ref>
* Uhuru Johnson, Herb and Sarah's daughter.
* Ezekiel Johnson, Herb and Sarah's son.[Bentley]
September 30, 2013
/ref> His middle name is Nicholas.
* Eula, Sarah's mother, who never hesitates to let Herb know what she thinks of him.[Bentley]
October 20, 2013
/ref>
* Yolanda, the object of Jamaal's fawning affection.[Bentley]
September 17, 2012
/ref> The feeling is only somewhat reciprocated.
* Kim, a postal worker.[Bentley]
August 29, 2013
/ref>
* Mr. C, a blond customer who often visits the diner.[Bentley]
September 23, 2013
/ref> Bentley said that Mr. C's name began as Charles to honor a childhood friend. However, some took it to be a derogatory reference ("Mister Charlie" was used within the African American community to refer to an imperious white man or a man in charge), so he shortened it. He now thinks of it as C for Common.
* Ed, a curly-haired diner patron.[Bentley]
October 6, 2013
/ref>
* Reverend Croom[https://www.gocomics.com/herbandjamaal/2022/12/20?ct=v&cti=76520]
* Ernie, a taxi driver who also always wears sunglasses.[Bentley]
September 12, 2013
/ref>
References
External links
''Herb and Jamaal'' at GoComics
1989 comics debuts
American comic strips
African-Americans in comic strips
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