Herb and Jamaal is a comic strip by Stephen Bentleysyndicated by Creators Syndicate. It is published daily and centers on the eponymous friends who own and run a diner together, inspired by the illustrator's experience at a high school reunion,[1] 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..."[2]
Story and characters
The strip centers around the title characters and the diner they own and run together:
Herbert Johnson, a former quality control technician at the gas works, a schemer, but not underhanded.[2]
Jamaal J. Jamaal, a former NBA center for the Phazers[3] (a fictional team).
Other characters:
Sarah Johnson, Herb's wife, whose cooking leaves a lot to be desired.[4]
Uhuru Johnson, Herb and Sarah's daughter.
Ezekiel Johnson, Herb and Sarah's son.[5] His middle name is Nicholas.[6]
Eula, Sarah's mother, who never hesitates to let Herb know what she thinks of him.[7]
Yolanda, the object of Jamaal's fawning affection.[8] The feeling is only somewhat reciprocated.
Mr. C, a blond customer who often visits the diner.[10] 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.[11]
