Artist and illustrator Marcus Kwame Anderson autographs a book for a fan.

It was friendship at first connection when Boston comic creators Barrington Edwards and Cagen Luse found common ground over their love of comics.

In 2015, the two of them had traveled to the Schomburg Library’s Black Comic Book Festival in New York and felt an instant community, seeing large groups of people of color sharing their love of reading and creating comics.

Luse and Edwards decided that Boston needed a space of its own. They started out small, holding some get-togethers and drawing nights. When the first Black Panther movie came out in 2018, however, it felt like the right time.

The duo started meetups at the Grove Hall Branch Library in Dorchester and slowly gained popularity. Once they were able to get 80 people to attend one of their events, Luse and Edwards realized that they could officially run their own Black Comic Festival.

Delayed one year by the COVID-19 pandemic, they launched in 2021. This year marks the sixth annual Boston Comics in Color Festival. Each year has featured new programming and workshops, including this year’s mini comics session, hosted by local artist Dave Ortega, and panels on resistance and AI. Hosted at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury, the two-day gathering ended with a traditional cosplay contest.

Luse believes events like his and Edwards’ are critical to foster connections, especially amid efforts to erase Black history and stories.

“There’s definitely an underground, independent Black comic scene that is flourishing outside of the mainstream culture. So, a lot of storytellers are telling our stories. Our youth get to see themselves in these stories. You may not find them at your local comic shop or wherever you may get comics, but at these festivals, there’s … different ways you connect with the people who are telling the stories,” he said.

The resistance panel featured David Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson, who wrote and illustrated the graphic novel “Big Jim and the White Boy,” which reimagined the story of Huckleberry Finn. They also produced a graphic novel historical account of the Black Panther Party. “They bring a lot of knowledge about resistance, and I think it’s something that we all could learn a little bit about these days,” Luse said.

The regional gathering brought talent from across the country to Boston, including Afua Richardson, an artist, cosplayer and musician who supported HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” and Marvel’s “Spiderman Across the Spiderverse.” Writer, producer and actor James III, who works on his own comic and “Abbott Elementary,” was also brought in as a special guest.

The festival hopes to encourage the next generation of Black comic writers.

“I want people to come away with inspiration, to go home and say, ‘I can do this. I can tell my stories. I can draw pictures and share with people,’” Luse said.

ON THE WEB

Learn more at comicsincolor.org