Tim Fielder is among the artists placing new emphasis on Afrofuturism in comic books and graphic novels, laying out historical timelines in which African-descended peoples and their cultures play a central role in the creation and direction of the world. 

The New York City-based illustrator, cartoonist, comics writer, and graphic novelist covers a range of issues – from racism, classism, and gender inequality to the encroachment of technology and spiritual cost of war – in his newly released graphic novel Infinitum: An Afrofuturist Tale. It revolves around an ancient African king who, needing an heir, steals the son of his concubine and is cursed with immortality. 

His journey leads across time, injecting him in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, settlement of the New World, and American Civil Rights Movement. With the rise of global technology comes intergalactic travel, contact with an alien species, and conflicts that span and ultimately transcend the known universe. 

In a visual-filled Library event, Fielder discusses the lushly colored, 280-page book and today’s celebration of Black men and women in genre storytelling. The embrace of Afrofuturism extends to the award-winning film Black Panther, Octavia Butler’s best-selling sci-fi novel Kindred, and singer Janelle Monae’s acclaimed album and accompanying short film Dirty Computer.

Fielder, a native of Mississippi, has worked in storyboarding, film visual development, gaming, comics, and animation industries for clients including Marvel Comics and Tri-Star Pictures, and is founder of the intermedia storytelling company Dieselfunk Studios. He received a 2018 Glyph Comics award, recognizing the best in comics made by, for, and about people of color.

He also has been an educator at New York University, New York’s School of Visual Arts, the New York Film Academy, and Howard University.;