Caught My Eye: Fringe Star Jasika Nicole's Comics

Friday, May 27, 2011


Although it may not be inherently obvious because I do not write about TV much on my blog, I am a huge nerd when it comes to TV-watching. After the heady days of sitcoms such as Roseanne and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (which, for the record, I did not watch when they were on the air - I was instead glued to the reruns during my middle and high school years), I dove into the world of fantasy and sci fi programming and never went back. Just last weekend, naturally, I re-visited my pre-teen love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer using the power of Netflix. But, although that could be a "Caught My Eye" in and of itself, instead I would like to talk about another sci fi show I watch with an avid passion: Fringe. And, further than that, I would like to write about the character Astrid on that show, a.k.a. Jasika Nicole.

Fringe combines horrific supernatural circumstances with the sleuthy FBI investigation team, Fringe Division. Echoing a classic sci fi show structure, the Fringe Division investigates specific events each episode, while still holding on to a complex plot that ties it all together. What I really love about the show are that the characters - the writers did not subject them to the typical gender/race/age stereotypes, which is refreshing these days, especially on FOX. And, one of those characters that also defies classification in her own life is Astrid, a.k.a. Jasika Nicole.

Jasika Nicole is a black lesbian comic artist who has a really impressive website with her art posted on it right here. Although I rarely look up the actors outside of their role (I like to preserve the mystique of seeing them as a character, or something along those lines), but seeing her comics blew me away. I especially love the comic about her autistic sister called Sedi, which is under the High Yella Magic portion of her Artwork section. Check all of this out and tell me what you think!

Read some more Caught My Eye posts.
Check out some of my drawings, including the bear-related alterna-history The Bearniverse.