Sun Hero Magazine Issue #1

PREMIERE ISSUE

SUN HERO

CEL EB RATING BLAC K NERD C ULTURE

MAGAZINE

TM

The History of

SUN-MAN with creator Yla Eason

DAVID CROWNSON

Harriet Tubman, Demon Slayer

GUILE SHARP

Featured Artist

TM

DAVID VONNER

Toy Designer

THE [LITERAL] ART OF PROTEST

Exploring the Power of Protest Art Through the Black Panther Party Movement ISSUE 1

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“25 BEST THINGS WE S AW AT C O M I C C O N ”

THIS ISSUE

ISSUE 1 • MARCH 2023

6 THE NOSTALGIA REPORT 8 PLASTIC REPRESENTATION 12 ANIA 16 EXPLORING THE POWER OF PROTEST ART 18 THE GREATEST SUPERHERO OF THEM ALL 20 INTERVIEW: DAVID VONNER 24 FEATURED ARTIST: GUILE SHARP 32 FROM THE PUBLISHER

Welcome to our premiere issue!

Bishop: For the future!

Upcoming toy releases preview

Pioneers of indie Black Comix

through the Black Panther Party movement

A conversation with Sun-Man creator, Yla Eason

Your favorite toys were created by David Vonner

French artist Guile Sharp gives us a glimpse into his experience as a comic book artist

INTERVIEW: DAVID CROWNSON

Scaring racists and making black people feel good

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

WELCOME TO OUR PREMIERE ISSUE! Let’s see if this sounds familiar to any of y’all.

When I was a child, my mother tried her best to find cartoons and toys that featured people of color as heroes, with limited success. I have fond memories of the smooth as-crushed-velvet Bulletproof from the cartoon C.O.P.S. I can quote episodes of BraveStarr to this day.

But for every Bulletproof and Marshall BraveStarr, there were 20 more He-Men and Conrad “Duke” Hausers. Because of this disparity, most of the media I consumed featured white heroes in leads, suggesting that the best a black person could be was the hero’s companion or the villain. Without knowing so, I was growing up with an inferiority complex. As a child, I actively rooted for white characters to triumph over characters that looked like me.

It wasn’t until my adolescence that I developed a sense of pride and identity with my race.

So, what is Sun Hero Magazine?

Sun Hero Magazine is the magazine my mother could have given me as a kid, if it had existed.

Sun Hero Magazine will shine a spotlight on black creators of comic books, animation, film, toys, and more, highlighting the contributions they have had in these mediums. Sun Hero will amplify the voices of black creators as they struggle to be heard. Sun Hero is for the culture. And much like the queen Yla Eason set out to do (and

STAFF Dané Shobe Publisher & Founder dane@sunheromagazine.com Karina Ramos Young Design & Web 6

why our title is a tribute to her), Sun Hero Magazine will give black people heroes that look like them.

In our premiere issue, we want to share some truly remarkable and inspiring origin stories of black creators, each of which could easily be adapted into award-winning feature films. I can say with confidence that by the time you reach that back cover, you will feel like you can lift the world on your shoulders. You’ll also see an ad for Blacula: Return of the King. Careful, that negro bites.

However, with that said, I feel that it is important to note that this magazine will NOT be anti-white.

On the contrary, I welcome our allies in hopes that they will gain greater insights and understanding into our experiences, and also gather ammunition to use against a racist aunt or uncle at Thanksgiving.

And finally, I would like to thank you, whoever you are, for opening this publication. From this point on, you are family. Feel free to e-mail me, and send me your fan art, comments, and suggestions.

Tell me about your favorite creators.

Tell me stories from your childhood. And of course, if you’re in a position to help this magazine grow, please support us on Patreon, where

you will get bonus content like high-resolution downloadable artwork from our featured artists, and full-length videos of the interviews featured in our magazine.

But for now, get you a plate and pull up a chair, fam. Our journey starts here, and I think we’re going to have a lot of fun.

Look good, feel good.

Dané Shobe Publisher & Founder

“It’s pronounced ‘Dayna Shoub’!”

- Me, probably

Send us letters and fan art! dane@sunheromagazine.com Like what we’re doing? Support us on Patreon & get access to exclusive content! patreon.com/SunHeroMagazine sunheromagazine.com

/sun-hero-magazine

@sun-hero-magazine

Our staff has made every attempt to verify and document all of the information contained in Sun Hero Magazine. If you have information, commends or leads that would help us improve future issues, please contact us. We welcome your comments and suggestions. © 2023 Sun Hero Magazine

THE NOSTALGIA REPORT

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BISHOP

FOR THE FUTURE!

By Kushmeer Farakhan

March of 1993. I was 10 years old and fully entrenched in the ratings behemoth that was X-Men: The Animated Series airing on Fox Kids. The show was roughly 10 or 11 episodes in, and by this time I was downright obsessed. I don’t think I had any X-Men comics yet, but I did have a plethora of ToyBiz X-Men figures that I got for Christmas of 1992.

When X-Men would come on, the entire family would let me have “the Big TV” so I could watch it.

Bishop, voiced by Philip Akin, was introduced to many 90’s fans in X-Men: The Animated Series in the two-part episode Days of Future Past, written by Julia Jane Lewald.

Bishop, illustrated by Chris Jones

In the 11th episode of the series entitled Days of Future Past, we are introduced to a new character named “Bishop,” who over the course of the episode becomes a time traveler that travels back to the ‘90s to stop the “traitor to the X-Men” from assassinating someone important in Washington, D.C., which would bring about the Apocalyptic future that he hailed from. In the two-part story arc, Bishop initially can’t remember who he is going after with the first episode ending on a cliffhanger as he accuses Gambit. In the second episode, it’s discovered 9

Toy Biz released the first Bishop action figure in 1993.

Bishop’s first appearance occured in The Uncanny X-Men, issue 282, published in November 1991, written by John Byrne and penciled by Whilce Portacio.

that the assassination was actually a plot by Mystique, a shape-shifting mutant disguised as Gambit. In the end, Bishop went back to his future….which had still somehow turned out to be a Hellish future.

Bishop instantly struck a chord with me for obvious reasons, and as a child, having an X-Men character who looked like he could be from MY family, filled me with joy. Now, even though I loved X-Men, I hadn’t dived into the actual “source material” yet.

That’s right.

Comics.

My first X-Comic was X-Men (volume 2) #16.

It was part 11 of The X-Cutioner’s Song, a multipart crossover event that was running through all of the X-titles. Coming into part 11 of a 12-part story would be off putting to some, but I didn’t mind at all. I saw Iceman, Storm and Psylocke in action, and there was a battle between Cable and Stryfe (who was new to me but I liked him right away), and best of all, there was a team-up between Wolverine, Cable, and BISHOP. When I watched the cartoon, I had no idea that Bishop was part of the primary team in the comics, so it was a welcome sight!

The next appearance of Bishop that would influence my love for the character was Uncanny X-Men #298.

The issue begins with Bishop tendering his resignation from the X-Men to Professor Charles Xavier, the patriarch of the team, because he felt like he wasn’t living up to the legacy of the X-Men. Xavier declines and 10

Hasbro introduced a July 2018 as part of

gives Bishop words of encouragement that persuade him to stay. The next big scene of the issue took place in the Danger Room, a training area of the X-Men’s headquarters where they hone their battle skills. Jean Grey and Archangel team up against Bishop and Gambit, and that’s when I heard IT. Bishop mentions to Gambit that he believes him to be the infamous “traitor to the X-Men”...just like in the cartoon! Ten-yearold me went nuts knowing that the cartoon and the comic book were remarkably in sync with each other.

Bishop began appearing roughly once per season in the animated series. He appeared in season 2’s “Time Fugitives” story, as well as the season 4 stories “One Man’s Worth” and “Beyond Good and Evil.”

As my love for the character grew and he appeared more and more frequently in the comics and animated series, I really began to want a Bishop action figure and in late 1993, the late great company ToyBiz granted my wish. My mother bought the figure for me sometime in early 1994. When my younger brother and I played with our toys, our one constant rule was: I was always Bishop.

Bishop has had a long and storied history in X-Men multimedia. His first appearance was in Uncanny X-Men #282, written by John Byrne

a 6-inch Bishop action figure in f their Marvel Legends line.

Bishop, The Last X-Man is a part of Mezco Toys One:12 Collective, released in 2022.

with art by Image Comics co-founder Whilce Portacio, and published in 1991(which makes his early 1993 cartoon appearance even more impressive). A little known fact is when Portacio designed the character, he initially intended for him to be Filipino, but the character’s race was changed to black at the request of then-Marvel editor-in-chief Bob Harras. Bishop also appeared in the 2009 cartoon series, Wolverine and the X-Men, and the 2014 film adaptation of X-Men Days of Future Past, portrayed by French actor Omar Sy. Like many 90’s characters in comics, his backstory was needlessly complicated; born into a future where mutants are hunted, he was one of two children (the other being his sister Shard) born to Australian Aborigines who migrated to America.

Bishop grew up in a concentration camp run by mutant-hunting robots known as “Sentinels.”

It was there that Bishop received his signature and iconic “M” tattoo over his right eye. After the fall of the concentration camp, Bishop and Shard’s parents were killed, then they were briefly taken care of by Remy Lebeau, known

French actor Omar Sy portrayed Bishop in the 2014 film adapation X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Bishop is currently featured in Marvel’s X-Men Legends comic book series (2022-2023), and sees the return of his co-creator Whilce Portacio on pencils.

as “The Witness” in this story. It was said that he was the last person to see the X-Men alive. Following that, Bishop grew up with his grandmother who claimed to be a former ally of the X-Men and told them many tales of their exploits. After he grew up and joined Xavier’s Security Enforcers (also known as the XSE), Bishop would find a recording of X-Man Jean Grey being attacked by someone she claimed was a traitor to the X-Men, which led to the infamous “traitor” storyline.

During the 90’s, Bishop was a part of several major events, including Legion Quest (1994) immediately followed by Age Of Apocalypse (1995) and Onslaught (1996).

For much of the 2000’s, Bishop jumped around from X-Team to X-Team with little importance until The Messiah Complex (2007-2008). In this storyline, a new mutant, the first in months, was born. Her name was Hope. Bishop believed her to be a prophesied antichrist of his future. The X-Men were in direct conflict with Bishop over this, which led to the character temporarily being seen as a villain.

Bishop remains a stalwart part of the X-Men to this day, and I will never forget the impact the character had on me as a young black kid and eventually a black man just as I’m sure he was a huge impact on many other people my age and race as he blazed many trails for black characters in comics. Bishop remains one of my favorite X-Men members to this day.

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Representation

Upcoming Toy Releases Preview

By Jeffery Lyles While we’re still not at a point where every wave of a figure line includes one black character, companies do appear to be doing a better job of keeping black characters in better rotation of upcoming releases.

With 2023 just underway, here’s a preview of some of the black action figures you can add to your collection from franchises including Marvel, DC, Dungeons & Dragons and Star Wars.

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons fans have a pair of options.

If you’re more of a throwback, the Dungeons & Dragons Cartoon Classics line features Diana, the acrobatic warrior of the team from the cartoon series.

While not as articulated as a Marvel Legends figure, Diana has most of the important articulation joints including ball-jointed shoulders, double-jointed knees and hinge wrist movement.

Diana comes with two staves — one standard and the other with motion effects — in addition to a d20 die. Diana is now available for $24.99 at most retailers.

More modern D&D fans can grab the Golden Archive Simon figure featuring the likeness of Justice Smith. This is a more intricate figure than the Cartoon Classics line and sports texturing on the tunic, a detailed satchel, a removable helmet and cloak. Simon is also now available for $24.99.

DC

DC comic fans have a trio of upcoming releases to look forward to with some new additions to the 7” DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys.

From the Batman universe comes The Signal. Duke Thomas’ latest alter ego features a tremendously detailed sculpt that’s mostly accurate to the source material besides the missing black paint on the shoulder pads and an incorrect logo. Duke comes with two kamas, a trading card and base.

The Signal is now available for pre-order at retailers including Amazon and Entertainment Earth.

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Finally, the next wave of Page Punchers is an Aquaman theme set. Among the four figures is a new Black Manta figure with an original set of armor designed exclusively for the Page Punchers series.

Also joining the wave is the first Jackson Hyde aka Aqualad figure from McFarlane. This is one of the standouts of the series. Aqualad comes with his water blades complete with translucent water effect pieces. The sculpt is fantastic from the chain scale shirt to Jackson’s blonde dreadlocks and superb head sculpt.

Marvel

Marvel Comics fans aren’t left out either with more arrivals to the Marvel Legends line.

The latest Avengers theme wave features another member of the Serpent Society, Puff Adder, as the Build-A-Figure. To complete Puff, you’ll need to buy Ultimate Captain America, Wonder Man, The Orb, Baron Von Strucker, Molecule Man and Yelena Belova ($24.99 each). This wave is scheduled for a June release.

Generation X’s Monet St. Croix marks the first member of the popular 90s teen X-Men title.

She’s sporting the team uniform with the red jumpsuit and larger gold gauntlets and boots.

The gorgeous hair sculpt looks like it could limit the head articulation, but

it’s not the worst trade off.

Monet is part of the Marvel Legends Build-Figure Ch’od wave and you can pre-order her at retailers including Amazon, Entertainment Earth, Hasbro Pulse and Target for $24.99.

Monet is slated for a July release.

Finally, a new version of Storm is included as part of a three-pack honoring Uncanny X-Men #275. Storm is in the blue and yellow training suit alongside Forge and Jubilee. As opposed to other Storm figures, this one features Ororo with her shorter haircut and includes lightning hand accessories to display her weather-controlling powers. This set is available for $77.99 and is set for a May 1 release.

That’s not the only Storm figure on the horizon as the Mafex Storm figure is also available. This version is based largely on her appearance in the X-Men Animated Series cartoon featuring Storm in her all-white attire. She comes with three head sculpts and lightning bolt effects, which is a little sparse compared to some other Mafex releases.

Storm is still available for pre-order for $104.99 at Big Bad Toy Store.

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Star Wars

For collectors looking for a higher end purchase, Hot Toys announced the Star Wars Attack of the Clones Mace Windu figure. ($279) As you’d expect, this is the most premium version of Mace Windu with superior detailing on the Jedi cloak and attire. The likeness to Samuel L. Jackson is impressive, perfectly capturing his look for the mid-chapter of the prequel trilogy.

Mace comes with an LED purple lightsaber, a holocaster and a hologram of Yoda.

As an added bonus, the figure comes with the forearm armor used in the Clone Wars cartoon series. That’s a terrific bonus for some display versatility while allowing Mace to work alongside the recently revealed Clone Wars style Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

Mace is scheduled for a January 2024 release. Pre-order him now from Sideshow Collectibles.

Barbie

Collectors seeking a little less action-oriented collectables can soon grab a new addition from the Barbie Inspiring Women line with the Bessie Coleman doll.

Slated for a February release, this doll features the likeness of the first black/ Native American female aviator and the first black person to earn an international pilot’s license. The doll also includes a traditional olive-green aviator suit and a Certificate of Authenticity.

You can get this 13” figure for $34.99 at traditional brick and mortar stores as well as online retailers like Big Bad Toy Store and Entertainment Earth.

To read more reviews by Jeffrey Lyles, find him on lylesmoviefiles.com, where he reviews movies, toys, comic books, and more!

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HOUSE OF WISE

AWAKEN YOUR DREAMS

HISTORY

ANIA

By Derek Mason The early nineties were a pivotal time for black superheroes and black comics. Robert Townsend debuted his original superhero creation, "Meteor Man," with an all-star cast in theaters in 1993 (with Marvel publishing the official comic adaptation and six-issue sequel). M.A.N.T.I.S, starring Carl Lumbly also debuted that same year on Fox, with Damon Wayans' "Blank Man" hitting theaters the following year.

The newly formed Image comics debuted with new black heroes Spawn, and ShadowHawk, as well as Larry Stroman and Todd Johnson's "Tribe," which became the best-selling black comic created by black creators, selling over a million copies. Over at DC, Steel made his debut in "The Adventures of Superman # 500," and Marvel reintroduced Blade in his first solo series, "Blade the Vampire Hunter," in 1994. The early nineties was also the time of the "Independent 16

Line art by Dané Shobe & colors by Jesse Heagy

Pioneers of Indie Black Comix

Black Comix Movement," when black publishers and indie artists were self-publishing their own books featuring black superheroes.

Written and illustrated by Roger Barnes, Heru, Son of Ausar tells the story of Heru, the son of a god, who uses powers bestowed upon him to protect the people of Kemet, an African empire situated on the Nile River.

Although the early nineties saw a boom in indie black comic publications, it wasn't the first time that black comics were being published by black publishers. In the late '40s, there was "All Negro Comics" from Orrin Evans, Turtel Onli's "Onli Studios "in 1981, and Baba Dawud Anyabwile's "Big City Comics" aka "Big City Entertainment" in 1990. Many credit Anyabwile as starting the Indie Black Comix Movement.

And there was ANIA, one of the major, yet underrated players in the movement.

ANIA, which means "protect and defend" in Swahili, was an umbrella company founded in 1993, presided over by Eric Griffin, and consisted of five indie publishers: Omega 7, Dark Zulu Lies, Afrocentric Comics, UP, and Africa Risings. Titles released by ANIA included Ebony Warrior, Purge, Original Man, Heru: Son of Ausar, and Zwanna: Son of Zulu. The majority of ANIA's titles were sold in comic shops and

Richard James Kincaid is Purge, a hero trying to cleanse the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina of crime and drugs.

Purge was published

by UP and written by Roosevelt Pitt, Jr.

Afrocentric bookstores. ANIA was unapologetically black, featuring heroes that dealt with social issues, crime, and racism. This led to them being at odds with the newly formed Milestone Media.

Milestone, formed by Dwayne McDuffie and other black mainstream artists and writers, saw ANIA as being too pro-black and not diverse enough, while ANIA saw Milestone as being "sell-outs," for having characters they considered as being "race-swapped" versions of mainstream white characters, and due to working with a big corporation like DC comics, who distributed Milestone comics to comic shops, spinning racks, and newsstands.

During the height of their popu-

larity, ANIA was the 16th largest publisher in America and was featured on news shows such as "Entertainment Tonight" and other talk shows. By the mid-to-late 90s, ANIA mysteriously disbanded for unknown reasons. Many of ANIA's titles either ceased publication after a few issues or continued to be published by their respective creators.

Alonzo Washington, the owner of OMEGA 7, managed to find additional success for some time, with his comics Original Man, Omega Man, Darkforce, and Mighty ACE, receiving attention from local news shows, and even created and sold an Omega Man action figure. He is now a community activist.

Roosevelt Pitt Jr, the creator of Purge, continues to write and publish comics and has a Purge live-action movie in the works.

Pitt states "ANIA, as an organization, was the epitome of black men forming a code to produce content that elevated black heroes as self-sufficient and powerful. I am proud to have been a founding member." Currently, the whereabouts and activities of the other ANIA creators are unknown.

With social media and the internet now making it easier for independent artists, writers, and publishers to connect, create, and distribute their own comic books, ANIA helped pave the way and still remains an example for indie creators, and made a name for themselves without the help of a multi-media entity like Milestone had with DC. They may not get the recognition they deserve, but they've earned their place, not just in black comics history, but in comics history in general. Milestone has experienced success with their recent reboot of their titles; maybe one day, ANIA can do the same, especially in this age where race-swapped characters are being offered instead of new, original minority characters.

Original Man was a series published by OMEGA 7 Comics, written by Alonzo Washington.

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HISTORY

EXPLORING THE POWER OF PROTEST ART

Images courtesy of Internet Archive/archive.org

THROUGH THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY MOVEMENT

By Farai Harreld Protest art plays a significant role in every social movement. Not only does it create a lexicon that sets the movement apart from the status quo in which it erupts from, it also plays a role in educating, informing, and unifying its targeted audiences.

Formed in 1966, The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was a revolutionary organization that worked to address issues like poverty, access to healthcare, a call to end police brutality, and racism that directly affected Black Americans living in the United States of America.

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Formed by a group of artists and poets, they understood the power of imagery and how it could be used to invoke pride, and inspire change. Even almost 60 years later, Black Panther party’s images still resonate in today’s society. From the uniform, to the fonts, and colors they use, they continue to inspire modern day movements.

The protest art created by the BPP created a visual language that helped bridge cultural divides, create a sense of community, and unite people behind a common cause, not just in the USA. The images were often powerful, striking, bold,

and provocative. They were used to incite change, bring attention to issues, and organize people around the movement. The image of the Black Panther became a unifying symbol for party members. The black cat emerging from the shadow conveyed a sense of strength and militancy. The logo and the use of black and green as primary colors, helped create an easily identifiable visual language for the Party, which was a critical part of their success.

Influenced by a segregated and injustice driven world, Emory Douglas was the artist behind most of the Party’s art. Born in Michigan,

his family eventually moved to San Francisco. San Francisco at the time was home to a burgeoning radical politics following World War 2.

While attending community college for commercial art, Douglas would travel to San Francisco State University to visit fellow Black radical activists before eventually joining up with Heuy Newton and Bobby Seale who had already founded the BPP.

A cover of the news service publication with artwork by Emory Douglas.

Courtesy of Internet Archive/archive.org

Douglas understood that strong visuals could lead to political action.

He designed all but first of the Party’s newspaper, The Black Panther which at its peak had a circulation of 100,00 copies and 400,000 readers along with global readership. Douglas utilization of graphic design, cartoon, block text, photo collage, bold fonts with thick black lines and pops of color set him apart and cemented the aesthetics of of the Civil Rights Era and his status as one of most influential political artists of the time along with earning him the title of Minister of Culture and Revolutionary Artist for the Black Panther Party before its dissolution in the 1980s.

The Black Panther was printed in black ink, with contrasting colors like red, or green to catch the eye.

Repetition of phrases and photographs along with bold text and images were also featured to highlight urgent issues facing the party.

It featured images of Black people suffering at the hands of the government for failing to provide the basic needs for BIPOC nationwide as well as highlighting police brutality that Black people were facing at the hands of law enforcement, who were often depicted as pigs. Photos of Black women and men holding guns, standing in their power, fighting back at police brutality were also often featured.

The BBP also used flyers and posters to share the issues and events to their audiences. When the Party first started, it was very militant in seeking to improve the underprivileged BIPOC of America by “Any means necessary” however, members soon turned a portion of their focus towards providing for the immediate needs of their community with programs like fair housing, free breakfast in

school, food banks, health clinics and several more avenues. In fact, at the end of 1969, under the sponsorship of the BPP national headquarters and its local affiliate chapters, Over 20,000 children accessed free breakfasts before school in 19 cities. The local chapters were the backbone of the organization, and the BPP embraced the power of revolutionary imagery to inspire political consciousness in everyday people by encouraging them to take a stand and volunteer in their communities.

The influence of the BPP movement's use of repetition and stark imagery highlighting the harsh reality of state sanctioned violence can be seen in modern civil rights movements artwork today. From the imagery used by the Black Lives Matter movement or to phrases like ‘Say Her Name’ in honor of Sandra Bland, and Breonna Taylor, and ‘I Can't Breathe’ in honor of Goerge Floyd, we can see the importance Desiree Aspiras of conveying complex political messages in simple terms along and how it inspires and mobilizes folks to step up in their communities.

A ‘Black Lives Matter’ mural is found in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales video game on PS4 and PS5.

Courtesy of MP1st.com

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©2021 Mattel

OF THEM ALL A conversation with Sun-Man creator, Yla Eason

By Dané Shobe When Yla Eason’s son was three years old, he said something that would change everything: “I can’t be a superhero because I’m black.” Shocked by this statement, she immediately set out to find black superhero toys to help prove that he very much COULD be a superhero, but to her surprise, there were none to be found.

Yla’s entrepreneurial spirit led her down a path few would attempt: she would make the toy herself.

Sun-Man was born.

We sat down with Eason to ask her about the process of taking Sun-Man from idea to reality.

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For those that are new to Sun-Man, how did he come to be?

When my son said he couldn’t be a superhero, we could not find any black superhero toys on the market. That’s what led me to create one for him and other boys that looked like him.

I came up with the name “Sun-Man” after doing research about melanin.

Sun-Man’s melanin is magical, giving him powers. Melanin protects us from the sun and also gives us our darker hue. That's why he is named “Sun-Man.” He came out as a 5 ¾-inch action figure, and then we produced a line of other multi-ethnic toys: black, latino, Asian, Native-American, as well as a white

Yla Eason’s Sun-Man action figure line from the 80’s and 90’s has been revived by Mattel. Eason is currently a professor at Rutgers University Business School.

Courtesy Mattel Creations

figure to round out the line of multicultural representation in the action figure line, back when that was not a concept.

How long was it between having that moment and deciding to begin a toy line?

It was rather fast. I started talking to other parents to find out what their sons were playing with and if they felt this was necessary. I then had the privilege and honor of meeting Dr. Kenneth Clark, who along with his wife Mamie, did the black doll study which led to the Brown v. Board of Education decision. So, I talked with him about representation (which is now a common word.)

I talked with him about imagery mostly. And how it’s important for kids to see themselves when they play, et cetera. He helped me understand that it was vitally important; black dolls were used to show why and how kids could develop negative images of themselves if they were not presented with positive images and concepts and stories about themselves.

In terms of timing, probably 8-9 months after my son made that comment, we had a product. I was a financial editor when I started this venture, so I did not know the difficulties I was facing; the whole ignorance is bliss concept worked in my favor.

It is so amazing that you just decided, “Oh, I can do it.” There’s a lot of people that wouldn’t even come to that conclusion.

You’re right, and I guess I have to give some credit that I was a few years out of receiving an MBA from Harvard, a school where you're presented with the concept that “all things are possible” in business. I did not fear business. I had too many case studies and examples (albeit none who looked like me), of people who started businesses; so it did not seem like a difficult concept.

How do you begin with no information? What's the first step toward starting a toy line?

Call it luck or call it blessings of the ancestors: My lawyer had a toy client. Since he would not be competing with me, he gave me the road map. Most plastic injection molded toys are made in China. He gave me the name of a factory that he dealt with. I’d need an artist to draw the toy. This was before computer-animated design. My cousin's boyfriend at the time, Floyd Cooper, God rest his soul, who went on to become a very big black children's book illustrator, became my artist.

We found out that you have to present various drawings, depicting the toy from 360° - a head view,

The original line of toys were 5 ¾-inch action figures with multi-ethnic backgrounds.

bottom view, left, right, back, front… They all had to be drawn on graph paper back then. This was before Photoshop, computer-assisted animation, and 3D printing and scanning. I took them over to the factory, discussed the price of making a mold, and went through the process of getting the sculpt and color right. “This is how others are doing it. So therefore it can't be that difficult.” I was not working with a toy designer. I didn't even know that was a career. I didn’t know there's such a thing as a toy designer, which is like an industrial designer, only for toy products.

It was before the internet, so any other information I had to get, I got it through the library or talking to other people. It was a very hands-on, do-it-yourself project that seemed to me no more difficult than learning how to make a quilt. So I did not have a concept that this was impossible.

Was it self-financed, or did you have investors?

We went around asking family and friends. We were able to raise $60,000 on the first weekend making phone calls. So that was big enough. It was a time before Gofundme; we got on the phone and talked about it. Also, this was in the 80’s when there was a big appetite and interest in black business. Spike Lee was out promoting his movies. People were very interested in promoting black business growth. So as a result, there was a lot of reception to what was new and different. There's a new resurgence now, but this was almost 40 years ago.

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Once you had the product, you were met with all kinds of opposition from the toy market, making you feel you didn’t belong there. How much of that did you feel was due to you being black and a woman?

It was due to both of those reasons as well as being new and ignorant of this industry. The toy industry was a really closed circle. When I walked in, I realized, “Oh, it’s a club!” They all knew each other and how to get things done. For example, I knew no toy buyers.

There’s a toy buyer for girls, for boys, for games, for action figures, for preschool… Then you set up appointments to meet in February at Toy Fair. You present your line, then they decide whether to order it or not.

So we had to do what’s now known as a “proof of concept.” How do you prove you have a product? Today, I could do an internet campaign and I could sell direct-to-consumer. But this was before the internet so I had to get it on the shelf in order for the toy to be seen and bought. We went local. We went “hood,” if you will. We sold to barbershops, beauty shops, clubs, churches, bodegas, friends and family, street vendors… anybody who would buy.

That’s how we proved the concept that there was a market for the toy. After that, we took out a fullpage ad in Ebony. Before the breakup of all media, you could reach 80% of all black people in America through Ebony and Jet Magazines. That was our network; so that also helped get it out via mail order. So with those sales and information, I went to buyers.

Once in front of buyers, I started off educating them with what was happening in the marketplace. I told them that by 2030, the country will be majority people of color. I was giving them predictions from the U.S. Census Bureau, telling them what was happening based purely on birth rates in America, and why this market was important for you to get into now. I started with the demographics, and the growth of the market. Then I would talk to them about the size of the disposable income and the psychology of the market; then said, “You already know about the market. You're selling hair care for black hair consumers. You're selling darker skin pantyhose and makeup for brown skin. These people all have children. Girls playing with dolls that look like them, so now here's something for the boys.” Sun-Man was the product that satisfied this need.

But it was still met with objection. I was told black mothers may care about what dolls their girls play with, but they don't care what their boys play with.

Others told me that if I really had an idea, Mattel would have already done it. Others flat out said I knew

Eason placed a full-page ad in Ebony Magazine which helped to advertise and sell Sun-Man action figures via mail order.

nothing about this business. That was the insulting part, where being black and female came in. “You don't look like anybody we're doing business with. So there's no reason for us to do any business.”

During one presentation, I said “America’s browning up, and by 2020-2030, America is going to be a majority brown country.” I clearly remember at that point a guy yelled from the back of the room, “I’m glad I’ll be dead.”

This toy was, in many ways, threatening, which I did not understand at the time. Girls' toys are all about nurturing and hair play and clothes, but boys’ toys are all about power plays and dominance; who is winning and who's not winning and who has power and who therefore is in control.

Boys’ toys have more of that kind of interplay going on than girls’ toys do. And I didn't come to that realization until much later. This was threatening to some of the backwards white supremacist-type people I was presenting to, because they understood what that toy meant; And I actually didn't.

I saw it as a mother looking for a voice toy for her son and did not really realize I might be upsetting some dominant power play inside of the way boys' toys are played, since a lot of combat is attached to them.

“This toy was, in many ways, threatening, which I did not understand at the time.”

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Wow, and these were people that were controlling the toys that our kids played with.

I began to understand that, and how Dr. Henry Clark made us aware of the importance of toys. Toys were used for a major desegregation battle in this country. It wasn't the restaurants, it wasn't the back of the bus, it wasn't housing, it was toys that he used to make that point. That says a lot about the power of representation and imagery for children and where it starts.

Speaking of children, how did your son react when he saw Sun-Man? Was the mission a success?

Yes, the mission was a success! He saw it through its iteration, through its product development, prototype, et cetera. So when it finally came out, yes, he was excited. But I really didn't know how excited he was until I went to pick him up at school one time, and all of the kids surrounded me, yelling, "Melenik told us you could make us any toy we wanted!” Nothing says excitement like telling your friends.

I'll never forget that day.

So how have things been in your life since the toys have been relaunched by Mattel?

Really exciting! You know, you never expect something to come back again almost 40 years later. For it to be rediscovered, in some ways bigger than before in an age of mass media, internet, and social media, it’s very exciting.

Multiculturalism is taken for granted. To be placed in the time where the acceptance of black superheroes and black futurism as a part of the psyche is wonderful.

I'm loving that new people are getting introduced to a concept that seemed very normal to me back then.

Black superheroes are normalized. Yes, Black Panther did that for us all; but now the Sun-Man story has new legs because it was the first black superhero toy. Now people want to know more about the toy line. And I

like not giving all the weight to Stan Lee in terms of recognition [laughs]. So yes, I'm enjoying it. I think it's wonderful.

Speaking of Sun-Man's story, are there any future plans for him beyond toys? Television, maybe some comics, or maybe he might appear in the new Heman cartoons, or cartoons of his own?

There are some serious discussions in all of the above areas that you have mentioned. Hopefully we will see in the next year and a half. So, yes there are discussions in all of those zones.

The Mattel Connection Sun-Man’s reintroduction comes from humble beginnings, as Ed Duncan, VP of Boys Design at Mattel, simply reached out to Ms. Eason via LinkedIn to share his appreciation of the toy line as an African-American man. This organic conversation eventually led to a friendship and partnership with Mattel and would see Sun-Man and the Rulers of the Sun re-sculpted and released to a whole new audience and generationas a part of Mattel’s Masters of the Universe Origins and Masterverse lines.

On September 1, 2021, the partnership agreement between Mattel, Olmec Toys, and YlaSun was announced. Under this agreement, Mattel is granted the rights to produce Sun-Man and the Rulers of the Sun collection. Olmec Toys and YlaSun retain all rights to the property.

Mattel currently has two Sun-Man figures available through Masters of the Universe lines: a retro-style 5.5-inch Masters of the Universe Origins action figure, styled after the original Sun-Man (above), and 7-inch Masters of the Universe Masterverse action figure, with an updated look and higher level of detail (left). ©2021 Mattel

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INTERVIEW

Your favorite toys were created by

David Vonner 24

By Dané Shobe What is your role as a toy designer?

My role as a designer is to develop the concept, sketch it out so other individuals can see the concept, and then turn that concept into a three-dimensional drawing or image. Then it gets handed off to my sculptor, and finally, painted.

Everything about that concept from beginning to end, the designer has to set the tone from the color to the scale. You envision the packaging, you envision the logo, because when you take over the design lead, you gotta have the answers for everything. Then you hand it off to other individuals, because this is a team of engineers, designers, and packaging creative services. So within that, different elements of the toy are created. Us toy designers are like the bus driver. We got everybody in there making a whole lot of noise, trying to get to the destination. And that’s pretty much how it is.

You’re kinda like a film director.

Exactly right. So when you’re dealing with a film property, you gotta be able to communicate with your studio heads. If you’re dealing with an endorsement, you gotta deal with the brand team on a commercial, marketing strategy, print ads, and also you gotta sell this to your senior management. You gotta sell this into your salesforce. If you’re part of a big company, you gotta do a lot of selling of your idea; whether selling in a sketch, selling in the idea, selling in the delivery… you got to be involved in all that.

David Vonner in his early ToyBiz days.

The ToyBiz team in the late 90’s - pictured, left to right, Jesse Falcon (creator of Marvel Legends), Sam Hatmaker (went on to be a Lego Master, almost winning the first season of the show), Mike Mucci (animator that was on the team that created MTV’s Daria), David Vonner (creator of the Marvel Universe line), Dan Vega (now with Disney), Sandro Lopez, Maritza Cuesta, Damon Nee (creator of Spider-Man Classics, the precursor to Marvel Legends, and now with Mattel), Tom McCormack, and Jason Mattern (inventor behind SpiderMan Stunt City playset) Photos courtesy of David Vonner

Are you assigned figures to work on?

Yes, you’re assigned. There’s usually a product manager that has everything divided out, then you have designers under your product managers. Then it depends on how creative you are, how quickly you can do things, and what your skill sets are. Some guys aren’t just designers, you know, they’re also painters or model makers and sculptors, so they can contribute even more widely.

Do you remember the first figure you worked on for ToyBiz? It was a base for Magneto - a giant Sentinel hand. I was also working on some Lord of the Rings stuff. Gollum, you know, a Fellowship of the Ring pack… it was a lot of stuff! You have to manage your time because it’s all cool. You want to do it all! It was a magical time. I mean on one end, we’re doing a bunch of Spider-Man stuff,

One of Vonner’s designs is the ToyBiz Shoot ‘N Trap Spider-Man from 2004.

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and then also too, we’re watching [Director of Product Development] Jesse Falcon create Marvel Legends. But it wasn’t Marvel Legends yet. We were all working on pulling all these pieces together. It was the influences that we love, like Image Comics and McFarlane toys.

It was beautiful back then! I mean, it was a revolution, where the skies were the limit as far as what can be done as an action figure. It was definitely the era where things changed for action figures.

How did that feel going from someone who grew up loving Marvel to creating it? How did your parents feel about it?

They weren’t shocked because that’s where my head was always at. They were extremely proud and happy.

Just like, “You did it!” It’s different for us in the hood. It’s different when we’re African-Americans, cause it’s like, “Yo, don’t mess it up! Learn as much as you can, keep pushing.” So it’s a different kind of strategy when you’re coming from the background of certain individuals like myself, but at the same time because I grew up when hip-hop was being born, going to New York every day to that building, yo, I just felt like I wanted to create the dopest masterpiece in my own way because I’m around a whole bunch of other individuals that are amazingly talented. So we had to always be on our game.

So you were part of the beginning of Marvel Legends. How does it feel to be a part of one of the biggest commercial brands out there today?

Yeah! Everything is like a mutation of Marvel Legends, right? To step back and look at it, it’s amazing. I’m not only honored to be a part of that legacy, but also I’m so honored to have been granted that responsibility, you know what I mean? Everyone contributed in their own way, and it was just such an amazing thing to see and it’s even more amazing to actually be a part of the line. Me being War Machine, it’s even more special! Bob Layton was one of my favorite artists growing up, and to actually be a character that he created, and now to call him a friend, it’s amazing.

It’s like you have become part of the DNA of Marvel.

Which is something that I always wanted to do, because I love comic books so much. I mean, if I could

ToyBiz Marvel Legends War Machine, from 2005’s Galactus Series, used David Vonner’s likeness for the face model.

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choose what type of fluid I would want flowing through me, it would definitely be print ink! It’s just an amazing thing to have amazing individuals to work with. We’re all friends to this day, and I love them as brothers, as family. I owe so much to those guys and I love them to death. I love that whole era.

When it comes to toy design, only a proud and lucky few seem to have reached the prestige of name recognition. And among them, “David Vonner” was one of the first that I came to know. Tell us about yourself. As I understand it, your parents are both nerds, and your mother even dressed as a Klingon when you were young!

My mom is ground zero for everything. She was a big Marvel fan before I was born because she was part of that whole counterculture generation. Her and my dad.

[Above] A “turn-around” diagram for the 16-inch Galactus build-a-figure from 2005 depicts the figure from the front, side, and back view, along with the articulated limbs. [Right] The final figure in all his glory!

My dad, prior to them even meeting, was a big Jack Kirby fan, a big Fantastic Four fan, a Thor fan, and I think I just inherently gathered all that stuff. My mom didn’t read nursery rhymes to me. It was comic books. I had comic books in my crib. She read comic stories to me, and she sang cartoon theme songs to me as a kid. I didn’t think it was so crazy because I had so much of that going on as a kid, and I was an only child. The moment I got into kindergarten, first grade, I knew I was different, you know what I mean? That type of learning and reading just wasn’t a part of the daily routine in our African-American community. It just wasn’t.

You know, I’m 50 years old now, so forget where we are right now, imagine how it was back then!

But I think all of that created this shell where I can go into my space and find imagination and creativity and daydream. You know, I was always a daydreamer. Movies or soundtracks of cartoons, I would hear them like note by note in my mind and play over and over and over again, you know, and I was just inundated by that, by what I was hearing in my head and the visuals I was seeing in my head, so the outside world was just a place where I didn’t really want to be. I wanted to be in the realm of my mind which was superheroes, comic books, adventure, fantasy, mythology; just all of that, and it was so encouraged in my home. You know how kids ask a million questions as part of their development? My mom was always the type of person to say, “You have to look it up.” So I always had encyclopedias and dictionaries at hand, so when I would ask a question and then it would turn into another question. It just got into that rhythm where if I had a question, I’d have to figure out the answer.

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That laid out the foundation not only creatively but for life. Moving from company to company and maintaining a career, I had to figure it out. It wasn’t something that was just mapped out, I had to figure it out, and in those early, early engagements, that early deductive reasoning, doing detective work, being Batman, being James Bond, being the Six Million Dollar Man, being that secret agent, that was how I developed coping skills to figure things out because it wasn’t a traditional roadmap for me.

An early version of Vonner’s 3-inch Howard the Duck design.

That’s a hell of an origin story. Did you ever feel like black kids didn’t understand why you enjoyed what you enjoyed? Or on the other side, did white kids ever make you feel like you weren’t welcome to enjoy these universes?

It was weird because we all kind of had the same routine going to school, right? It was like we all wanted to get home from school so we could watch our cartoons.

We all did the same thing on the weekends. It’s just that it came to a point where socially, it no longer became a cool thing to talk about. The brothers still did it, they did it on the low, and then eventually, as they became a little bit older in their teenage years, other social influences came into play, and they eventually grew out of it.

But we were all doing the same thing. It wasn’t weird. It didn’t become weird until the later part of high school.

But even then, everybody knew what I was like. I played sports and was drum captain in band, but everybody knew. EVERYBODY knew that I was into comic books and toys. No one ever really gave me flack about it, you know what I mean?

It wasn’t ‘till I got older that people started to socially become who they are. That’s when they pulled away and no longer talked about it, but they were still digging it.

And even now I still get the, “Man, I’m glad you stuck with it.” Whether it’s my drawing or the toy designer career, everyone’s like “I’m glad you stuck with it, man,” cause that’s what I’ve always heard. Always, “Stay with it.” And now it’s, “I’m glad you stuck with it.”

So what specifically led you to the toy industry?

I wanted to be a comic book illustrator originally, because I had so many comic books growing up, and comic books were the main influence in my life. I love comic books. I love everything about them, and early on when I would see all the individual names that were 28

part of the component to build a comic book. That was intriguing to me - to be a part of that team, to be a part of the bullpen, so I always wanted to be a comic book artist.

However, because I came from Atlantic City, which is very much a casino town, advertising was really really big, and computerized graphic design was really starting to blow up. You could do the work on your own personal computer. I signed up for graphic arts my sophomore year, and it was a really small class of 20. By junior year, it trickled down to 15. By senior year, nobody came back!

And I said, “Man, I want to keep doing this.” My teacher basically created my whole curriculum for the year. The deal was, he had just bought a computer - a new Apple - and I had to teach him how to use Page Maker because I had an Apple at home. In return, he taught me how to make money. I was learning like old school traditional printmaking. So with that, my mom was like, “I know you want to get into comic books, but comic book artists aren’t paid a lot of money. You’ll probably get paid $100 a page. Maybe $75 a page! And I’m talking about the top-tier guys. I know this is your passion, but maybe you can try an alternative route.”

At the time I didn’t see it. After I graduated, a lot of stuff happened. I almost went to jail. I got in trouble.

But afterwards, I focused and got everything together. I saw an ad in the paper like literally like two weeks after [I graduated] for Spencer’s Gifts. Their headquarters was in my neighborhood. I took my entire portfolio and threw it away. I re-did my portfolio over the weekend.

I went in there in a suit that was two sizes too big and got the job. That was my first job developing products.

That’s when I became a product designer. They had just started their product development department, so I was the first product designer hired on staff. I just fell into that and began developing products, which eventually led to developing collectibles, which turned into devel-

oping action figures and that’s how I got into it. My first job was developing an Elvis clock.

Those classified ads have done you good, brother.

My best friend’s dad always, always, always had a newspaper, and he always pushed us - my cousin, my mom and my grandmother - everybody in my family to read the newspaper. Not just the funnies. He’s like, “Look through everything, read everything.” When we started getting older we knew this was the place to find jobs! Back in the day, you’d gather newspapers from all over New York, North Jersey, D.C., and scour those papers, man, scour.

How do we go from Spencer’s Gifts to eventually working for ToyBiz? When I was at Spencer’s, I was working on a lot of Kiss stuff for the Kiss reunion tour. I was doing Kiss slippers, Kiss wine goblets, etc. We had partnerships and collaborations with other companies, and there was this guy called Digger Mesch. He started Vonner’s toy design for the Bump N Go series for Spider-Man villain Doc Ock. a company called Art Asylum. He’d just worked with Mezco before Mezco was Mezco. He’s doing these giant Kiss dolls, like the You kind of paint this picture of these young giant Galactus. So as we were working on this, Digger bloods out there, all hungry, all excited. It sounds came down and wanted to meet the artist on staff. He reminiscent of the founding of Image Comics. Is that didn’t know it was just me and my boss. So he comes a fair parallel? up, and I’m drawing this Ozzy Osborne “Crazy Train” It kind of was. The Image Comics guys created the incense burner that looks like the “Soul Train” train blueprint for us ToyBiz guys to run with it, you know? and he’s like, “Yo man, this is pretty dope, man. What’s To have the confidence to not only run with it but then your name?” We strike up a conversation. I had just read to sell it. It’s one thing to have an idea, but then you’ve about him in a big article in Toy Fair Magazine. I was got to have the confidence to sell the idea. How do you just enamored with this dude. He gave me the battery showcase that? How do you convince someone else to go in my back. He was just like, “Bro, I’m telling you, if along with your passion? That was the main thing that I you wanna come, I’m up in Brooklyn and got a new learned: how to turn that into a business. So those guys company. If you want to come up there, I would love to really did lay the blueprint for the ToyBiz bullpen. have you.” Just that invitation gave me so much confidence, and I wound up giving Spencer’s an ultimatum.

What was a day in the life at the ToyBiz office like?

I was like, “Hey, if you pay me a little bit more, I’ll stay, It was wild, man, because when I got there, ToyBiz but if not, I’m gonna leave and pursue my other dreams was in the process of moving. So, we were moving from and start developing toys.” They wouldn’t pay me what I one building to the next. There was a lot of chaos going asked, which was $5,000 more a year. I was getting paid on, albeit controlled chaos. We had this library that was $25,000 a year, but they wouldn’t give me an increase. in total disarray and had real original art that was just And then right after that, there was another ad in the like thrown on the floor, or stuffed away, on the verge of paper that was for ToyBiz, and I went in headstrong and being lost. wound up getting hired. That was the beginning of an Anyway, nowadays, the toy business is on top of the amazing ride, man. My orientation was with Joe Quecomic book publishing. It’s the publisher that comes sada. Me and a couple of other guys from ToyBiz were up under the umbrella of ToyBiz, right? Marvel is, all in there together, and we basically set out to help pull of course, the banner, but at that time, structurally, Marvel from the bankruptcy ashes with Marvel toys, everything was in the toilet. It wasn’t what I expected, and that was the beginning of an amazing ride. but I think in a weird way, man, that was the tradi-

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David Vonner and Adam Van Wickler have been in the toy industry for a combined 45-plus years. is a tag team joint column in the bi-monthly published TOYCOLLECTR magazine with their take on a pop culture topic with a toy-centric focus along with a companion podcast.

tion of Marvel. If you look at Marvel throughout the generations, it was always a crew that had to take it in, galvanize and make it their own. Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, John Romita, Jim Shooter… You had a lot of different eras, different points where things changed. I think that at that time, when the toy portion of it came in, we just found a way to create what was uniquely us and what was uniquely Marvel, and use it to return Marvel back to its former glory.

So, the toy guys were influenced by the publishing guys, and of course, publishing was influenced by the toys. We were also influenced by the animation and the new upcoming video games. We were creating a synergy, because what WAS Marvel no longer really was, so we had to create it on our own; led by our boss, Joann McLaughlin. She gave us creative freedom. She gave us the space and boundaries to do that, and she really gave us the structure to be able to drive in our lanes and create magic within that.

Which area of Marvel was this?

Late 90’s, early 2000’s. That was when everything changed. The movie “Blade” was made and wound up giving us some financial space. Then the X-Men [movie] came out. Marvel started selling the idea of superheroes, like they were athletes. Like, Marvel is the agent, the heroes were the athletes, and Marvel was gonna plug them in and get different endorsement deals. That was the method.

That was an important time - Blade, X-Men, Spider-Man, and even Hulk, which I quite liked in high school despite not being well received. But there’s something to be said about being unabashed and unashamed of your interests.

It gets to a point where you don’t even worry about that. And honestly, man, I can tell you when I really came into my own.

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After graduating high school, everyone was really scared because now they really have to find their way. I was going to art school in Philadelphia but living near Atlantic City, in Pleasantville, New Jersey. I would get up at 3 in the morning to go to the bus station to catch the bus at 4. Then took the train into Philly, right? That became the process of not only my commute to school, but also my commute to work. There were times when I was walking back from school with a giant portfolio. I’d walk from the train station, back home for MILES, and would see guys that I went to high school with driving by blowing the horn, you know what I mean? I felt like Clark Kent in Superman: The Movie when he has to clean up after the football team and they kick over the damn thing and he has to clean up again. Nobody wants to hang, you know? I felt like that, man. But I knew I was on a mission, and despite not knowing where this was gonna take me, I knew it was important. When I saw people that I knew flying by, hitting the horn, not giving me a ride, that kind of reinforced that I didn’t care how I looked, I didn’t care if it was raining, I was walking home with a portfolio as heavy as hell, and didn’t care how I looked. I was in it to win it. Period. I just totally committed to doing this, which I think kind of forced me to put all my eggs in one basket, man.

You got a hell of a story brother, very inspiring stuff.

Thank you, man. It’s been a journey. It’s been a journey.

Bye!

Check out the full interview where Vonner discusses working for Hasbro, Mattel, and future endeavors on Sun Hero Magazine’s Patreon page! patreon.com/SunHeroMagazine

FEATURED ARTIST

GUILESHARP

EXCLUSIVE PIN-UP only in SUN HERO MAGAZINE TM

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French artist Guile Sharp gives us a glimpse into his experience as a comic book artist.

By Dané Shobe So how does a young black man in France discover and then begin drawing comics?

It’s weird and probably the same as many comic book artists worldwide. I read and collected superhero comic books since childhood. I’ve always drawn, so it was fated for me to direct my life in that direction. I am self-taught. Over the years, I had the opportunity to meet artists and editors here in France and in other countries like the US. They helped shape what I am now, artistically speaking. I also did portfolio reviews here and there. One in Paris, in 2019, with Marvel editor-in-chief, CB Cebulski helped me break into the industry.

Your style is filled with energy and immensely detailed - no one can render a black costume better than you! How did you hone these skills?

Practice! There’s only one way to be better at what you do, and that’s practicing to the death. I have many influences in comic book artistry like Olivier Coipel, Leinil Francis Yu, and even Ron Frenz. Studying their body of work has obviously influenced the way I render black in dark costumes.

What are your tools of choice?

I use simple tools: art pens and multi-liners. Mostly Sakura Pigma Micron and Faber-Castell, sometimes Uni-ball pens or Graph’It markers!

Favorite thing(s) to draw?

I love to draw Marvel heroes. Mostly Spidey and Black Panther. I also like characters like Colossus that need extra care in terms of metal rendering.

Have you noticed any differences between the comic industry in France vs. the US? There are some in terms of storytelling, format, and publishing. I don’t really work with French publishers.

They don’t find any appeal in what I can offer. [laughs] I would rather blossom in the US industry and see what happens.

Do you feel that being black has had any effect on your journey as a comic artist?

I really don’t know. Being black defines how people perceive you, through their inherent bias. I don’t usually feel treated differently by people that I work for/with because of the color of my skin. I do what I have to do and adapt accordingly to situations. Being black in France is way safer than being black in America, there’s no doubt. Professionally, the US industry has given me

Colors by Simon Gough

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Favorite projects? Dream projects?

I am currently working as a freelance artist doing covers for several publishers!

At Marvel, I’d love to do more covers, some Spidey and Black Panther in particular or anything Avengers.

more opportunities to work than the French market.

How many hours in a day do you commit to drawing, and how do you balance your career and personal life?

Depends on many parameters.

Weeks are not ever the same. I usually start my day of work at 8 a.m. to finish around 8 to 9:30 p.m. I usually work from home, so I can control the way I operate. There are weeks where I work outside, teaching art to kids or teens, then the schedule and length of work days change a little bit.

THE

What has been the most rewarding part of being a comic illustrator?

Being able to put my own brand to renowned characters has been an honor. And I enjoy traveling for conventions and meeting old friends and new people.

What would you like to see change within the industry?

Don’t know. Maybe more respect for the authors of comic books from movie studios and producers.

More communication between artists and editors, sometimes it ain’t as fluid as it should be. We definitely can do better on that, too.

Do you have any projects you would like to promote?

People can support me on my Patreon page: SpiderGuile.

Do you accept commissions?

And do you have any art available for purchase?

I do commissions, and we can talk about art sales, too!

Best advice for young artists looking to find themselves in your shoes?

Buy a better pair of shoes than what I wear, you’ll be faster, stronger better too! [laughs] More seriously, draw everything and anything you like, practice to the death, and learn from those who paved the road you’re trying to walk on. Be kind to others and don’t let anybody stop you from reaching new levels. You are the main character of your own story, make the best of what you’ve been given and give some more to others!

That’s all for now, folks!

Be well, stay safe, and enjoy life!!

Where to find Guile’s work @spiderguile on Instagram patreon.com/SpiderGuile

PLAYLIST

What music is playing while you work?

“Music is life! it changes through my moods.

I can go from soulful house to acid jazz through hip-hop.”

Broken Drum - Beck (Boards of Canada Remix) King Kong Is Dead - Joakim Bleu Lagon - Mansfield.TYA boyboy - Bella Boo The Dark Streets - Tall Black Guy Colors by Steven Purtill

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Ekko of Zaun from League of Legends.

Colors by Renan Lino

Cardiac illustration via Instagram

Colors by Gat Melvin

Variant cover for Miles Morales: Spider-Man

Colors by Timothy Brown

Jim Lee’s WildC.A.T.S.

Colors by Ryan Lord

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INTERVIEW

David

Crownson Scaring racists and making black people feel good

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By Dané Shobe Dané: So you’re an actor, as well as a screenwriter; how did this transition happen from actor and screenwriter to comic book writer, creator, and publisher? And how the hell did you come up with this concept for Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer?

David: I started out in acting and was always a fan of comic books, a big comic book reader. I never really thought about making comic books, because I can’t draw for shit [laughs]. Growing up in the 90’s, the top creators were Todd McFarlane and Jim Lee, and they wrote and drew comic books, so I just said, “Well, that can’t be me.” I thought at the time, you know, acting seems much more accessible to me because I’m like, “Okay, I can memorize lines, and I get to work with a group of people and build off of them and work off of them.”

Now as I’ve grown, I’ve realized all of it is just storytelling; it’s all pieces of storytelling, and I realized I really like telling stories. So I think, you know, I owe Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer to acting, because I auditioned for this independent film called Star Wars: The Force Awakens from this unknown director named Jeffrey James Abrams who’s a total nobody.

I was hopeful because I really wanted to get it because, you know, life-changing shit happens if I get it. I didn’t get it, and I was crushed. My parents are from Ghana, West Africa, and they were sensing that I was really stressed all the time. They suggested I should take a break from New York, take a break from acting and come live with them for a little bit. “You can reconnect with your roots because you’ve never been out here, you’ve been in America your whole life, and we think it’s time,” they said.

And at first, I was like, what in the Eat, Pray, Love is this?

So I moved, and I loved it.

It was a beautiful experience.

I highly recommend that everybody who is black, especially, does it. Just a different air.

One of the things that inspired Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer was watching a

documentary about Harriet Tubman while in Ghana.

It was a funny day, because I was eating fried chicken while watching this documentary. My friend said, “You’re in mother****ing Africa, and you’re watching a Harriet Tubman documentary. This is the most niggarish sh*t I’ve ever heard in my life!”

When that ended, I was channel surfing and I landed on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Then, after that, Witch Hunters. I wrote down the things that stood out to me in my journal entry for my day were Harriet Tubman, a ton of fight scenes, and witch hunters and then I was just like, “Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer!” Oh shit, what if Harriet Tubman knew martial arts and beat up a racist demon?

I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I’m like, “Okay, like, I can’t make it a movie.” At that time, the only screenwriting experience I had was a Kickstarter short film that I was gonna do. It was a Miles Morales fan film, but you know, once Disney and Sony started to share the rights to Spider-Man, I got a cease and desist.

When I came back to America, you know how in airports they have those like overpriced bookstores? I was standing in line to buy drink, when saw a book called Words for Pictures by Brian Michael Bendis.

It’s basically a book on how to write comic books, it’s about the creativity of making comic books and the business of making comics. So I thought okay like I guess I’ll do that, I’m not gonna buy it from this store because it’s $88, so i bought it on Amazon.

Sorry, Brian Michael Bendis, you’re my favorite comic book writer, but your boy was struggling at the time!

So, I got that book. It was my official teacher on how to make comic books. I thought, “I’m gonna make the Harriet comic book. Because that’ll be easier.”

It wasn’t. Comics are expensive. There was one artist I was talking to at the time and said, “Hey, how much would it cost to draw this whole entire book?” And he said, “Like 200 bucks.” I was like, “So I’ll pay you 200 bucks and you draw the whole comic book?”

He’s like “Uh, no it’s $200 per page.” I’m like oh man! The

Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer volume 1 includes issues 1 through 6.

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amount of pages I got, damn like that’s like $8,000 for this issue! So I said, “Let me circle back.” At that point, I tried to find people with money; investors who would just invest in me to make this. I kept working on the story and then I met Courtland Ellis who drew the first issue. I just really liked his stuff and I thought he’d be a perfect fit.

“We’re gonna get a lot of trouble for doing that.”

know, it’s not what I’m here to do. I’m here out of respect and love for this person, celebrating her life through the vehicle of an action, horror adventure, and it being the ultimate road trip, you know, it’s basically just Buffy meets Django Unchained.

Thankfully, shout-out to a lot of the teen community who Artist Courtland Ellis expressed his initial concern, said, “You old folks are tripping.

We think this looks dope. This but immediately continued with, “Let’s do it!” made us excited about going Where’d you find him? into history because usually, we Facebook. I went to his profile and loved his stuff. don’t like looking at history because it’s painful. There’s I messaged him and said, “Hey man, I love your stuff. no imagery that’s going to make us feel good. But this Big fan. I’m actually working on a comic book right book functions as more of a cathartic thing.” now and I think you’d be perfect for it. I would love At this point, I have an investor to put money down to have you at least draw the cover.” He asked what to at least pay Courtland to make the comic book. the name of the book was and I said Harriet Tubman We’re getting ready to sign a contract and this guy Demon Slayer. Courtland was like, “We’re gonna get a never shows up with the money. I asked about it nicely, lot of trouble for doing that.” And then he took a beat and this mother****er; he was, um, not one of us, is all and he was like, “Let’s do it!” Freaking heavy metal shit I will say. He did not look like you or me. He may be in this mother****er. the color of a cloud. He says, “I don’t appreciate you messaging me like this, okay? I have bigger things to It’s punk rock! do, David.”

Yes, punk rock! So he made the cover, and I loved So around that time I was grasping that it’s really it. I posted it on social media and I just said, “Hey, hard making comic books. I don’t know if I can do everyone, this is my next book. Let me know what this. I should focus on making other projects. You you think. I’m really excited about it.” I posted it, know, Hillary Clinton was about to be president then went to see Captain America Civil War or some tomorrow. bullshit. And uh, literally bro, um, I came out of So I cast my vote. I go see a movie. I tell myself I’m the movie, and Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer was gonna walk out of this movie and Clinton’s gonna be trending! It was like a bunch of people were either president.” I saw Hacksaw Ridge. When I came out of tweeting it or retweeting it. So I was like, “Oh man, the theater, I don’t know why, man, but my town felt all these people are all hyped up on it!” I wasn’t dark and eerie. I got in my car, too scared to turn on thinking like, “Oh, it’ll be the next I. P., or comic book the radio, and drove home. superhero thing.” I was like, “Hey, I like comic books.

I think this is fun.” My ambitions weren’t set extremely It’s one of those times in history when you high. remember where you were.

Also, there were a lot of people who were like “Yeah, Yeah, bro. It is. I feel you. I stayed up talking to a this is disrespectful to Harriet Tubman.” friend of mine, Alex Marshall Brown, a great, awesome stunt woman and actress, and she was like “David, I’ve I’m sure the racists came out of the woodwork been crying all day.” She asked me to distract her, so I too, right? told her about Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer. She was Dude, shockingly no racists. Mostly, it was our like, “I need to see that book. You have to make that people; it was black people who were mad about the book happen right now. The world needs this.” So she book because they thought I was trying to tarnish her convinced me to consider Kickstarter. name, and I said: “I get that, I respect that, but you The final push was a trip to Walmart.

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From Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer, Chapter 5 39

From Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer, Chapter 6 40

I went to a Walmart in a very redneck area of New Jersey. I had the day off, and decided, “I’m gonna eat my feelings, and that’s gonna be my life for today.” I bought a bunch of fatty food to take back home and watch Luke Cage on Netflix.

There was this long-ass line at the store. I saw there was another register being worked by an East Asian woman wearing a hijab. She was Muslim. So I got out of line and went to her. Her name was Priyanka.

After cashing me out, she said, “Have a nice day!” She was really nice and happy. I looked back and all these dumbass white people were still in line. While walking to my car, this dude who’s obviously a truck driver type of guy with sunglasses, was like, “Hey brother, you’re braver than me.You had her touch your food and touch your stuff, man. I don’t know if I could have done it.” His truck had a giant Trump 2016 sign on it with a bunch of American flags. His Islamophobic comment was the final push.

Talk about a sign.

Yeah. I was really nervous, but we launched the Kickstarter. I was only going to ask for $5,000 but everyone insisted I ask for $15,000. We ended up raising a little over $21,000.

So is the comic how you’re paying your bills nowadays?

Yes. Yes. Yes. You currently have the first six issues available in trade paperback, which can be purchased right now on your website, kingwoodcomics.com. It’s been said that you would like to do as many as 200 issues. How far along are you in the planning stages and writing stages?

The script for issue seven is done. I’ve outlined the next 20-something issues. There’s still a lot we haven’t seen yet. We’re in the early days of the comic book.

Like, we still haven’t seen the Civil War. We have yet to meet Abraham Lincoln. There’s a lot of stuff we’re going to see in this book. I have fun time travel stuff too. Like, what if a bunch of racists decided that the reason why black people are so prosperous and do well is because of Harriet Tubman? What if they decided to go back in time and assassinate Harriet Tubman as a child? But due to stupid mistakes, they end up finding Tubman in her prime?

There’s a TV show in the works, correct?

The TV show is happening with Prentice Penny and Sebastian Jones as producers, Hollywood came knocking.

How far into that are you? How involved are you in the creative process?

At first I thought I was just going to be a creative consultant. But when I met Prentice for the first time he was like, “I want you to write episodes and I want you to be involved because it’s your comic book and it’s your world.”

You went from not writing any screenplays, to writing a comic, and now you’re actually writing for television for your own creation, so you’re full-on living that Robert Kirkman life right now.

Yeah man, that’s the blueprint. The Walking Dead’s Robert Kirkman is one of the best blueprints for indie creator-owned [projects] because he writes and produces on his own stuff He also teams up with people who are really smart and know what they’re doing or have more experience than. Even though it’s my creation, I don’t know everything.

Right now we are in the early stages, choosing episode counts and choosing a showrunner who can handle the investment. I’m grateful because usually, man, I have had many people in the industry who want to do Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer, then say to do it as an animated series. Let’s do it for really cheap.

I’m like, “No!” Are there any conversations about casting happening for Harriet?

It’s still too early for that. I know who my [dream] choice is: Danielle Deadwyler from the film The Harder They Fall.

I agree. She fully embodies that character already.

So, paint this picture for me, man. How do you feel when you get that first shipment and see a box full of your comics?

Oh man, those are some of the best, and the most stressful years of my life. Because I wasn’t sure people were gonna like it. I just remember there being stacks; An entire white wall in my room, stacked with comic books. At first, I was happy, then it was, “Oh shit what have I done? What if people don’t buy it? What if people don’t like it?”

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My job had just closed down, too. I lost my job and I was like broke, broke. So, I had zero money. I decided to drive to Kevin Smith’s comic book store when all the books arrived. They were gonna buy, like, 10 copies of Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer. It was a far drive. I had no gas in my car. I think I paid for $15 worth of gas and drove almost two hours to Kevin Smith’s place. I was kind of sad, and they bought a couple of comic books and I was like, “Very cool. This is enough gas to get me home and get some Wendy’s.

Dope.” I think they were filming an episode of Comic Book Men, so I think I couldn’t be there [very long], so I hopped in the car and I’m just like driving and I was kind of sad! Even though I only sold a few of these, I’m just gonna keep doing this. I gotta keep plugging away, and as long as I sell all of those boxes, I’m good.

Then my phone started to ring. It was Kevin Smith’s store manager! He said, “Hey! We sold out of all your comic books!” And I was like, “Excuse me?!” “Can you drive back so we can buy more from you? How many do you have?” I had a whole box. He’s like, “We’ll buy the whole thing!”

I did a U-turn fast and drove back, and they bought everything.

The book kept selling out. Everywhere the book went, it did well and sold out, and I was just grateful as hell. I’m just grateful. People have been consistently buying it.

Fantastic.

My whole thing with this book is I wanna scare racists and make black people feel good. That is how I run this. I’m a little bit nervous because there’s a [delicate] moment in issue #7 of Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer. (Issue #7 is my favorite that I’ve written.) There’s something that happens where we see Harriet Tubman in a vulnerable spot but the next page redeems it.

Has it begun being penciled? You have an artist already?

Killer Bee is slated for release September 2023 42

Yeah, I have an artist on it. I’m just gonna say it: it’s N. Steven Harris. He did the cover of issue #4, which became one of my favorite covers. I would like to have it come out by Juneteenth. But we’ll see because June is when my other book Nightmare in Newark comes out. September is when Killer Bee comes out and then I need something for Halloween and for Christmas. I haven’t announced my Christmas book yet.

Just keeping it going, huh?

You have to. You have to know content is king, but quality content is the true king. All of my books are very different and have different personalities. Killer Bee, which is an espionage romantic comedy, is so very different.

Tell us about Killer Bee. It’s about this maverick assassin. After a hit goes wrong where she injures a child, she wants to retire from being an assassin. She’s contracted to do three final hits. Weeks after she has done so, she meets this guy in her apartment building. It’s like this nerdy kind of Winston Duke guy, she strikes up a conversation with him. They start to date, and she falls in love with this guy. He’s a not-for-profit lawyer. He always wants to do the right thing and she’s like, “Okay, I’m gonna be done with this assassin’s life. I’m gonna ride off into the sunset with this guy.” Then she gets her final assignment, and he is the final hit. So, she has to decide if she is going to assassinate her boyfriend.

And in this world, if you don’t deliver on your hit, then a bunch of assassins come for you.

It’s the most violent comic book I’ve ever made. Lots of fighting, lots of people getting beaten up, but also balanced with romance. There’s real emotional stakes in this, you know, because I think stories are important when you especially action stories, you know, I want this to be a

big action movie like action comic book thing that’s secretly a romantic comedy.

Now tell us about your next title, which is currently up for preorder, Nightmare in Newark.

Nightmare in Newark is about a young lady named Zoe who decides she’s going to come out to her parents on Thanksgiving and has lots of anxiety about coming out to her family. Being gay in the black community is something we’re still struggling with. In the middle of her coming out to her family, this alien invasion just erupts in her town. So she has to survive this alien invasion and come out to her family. Basically, take the heart and the humor of the film Friday mixed in with the film Cloverfield. Nightmare in Newark will be an ongoing series.

It’s kind of interesting to me that, you know, you’re a cisgender straight black man and yet all your series feature strong black women as the protagonists. How does that come about it?

Yeah, I think it just kind of happened.Nightmare in Newark was gonna be about a guy and then as I wrote it, it changes. It’s all about what serves the story and what raises the stakes for me.

I’m really busy with these three right now, but I’m working on another book. My next book does feature a black man, and I’m really excited about this one.

Chadwick Boseman said, “I could never play a serial killer, because when a white man plays a serial killer, like, the world loves him for it.” I’m obsessed with this quote. He’s saying it’d be really difficult and challenging for a black serial killer to be loved that way.

White America embraces a white man who’s a

Nightmare in Newark comes out June 2023 with a whopping 80-page first issue.

Massachusetts-based cartoonist Brett Parson is the artist for the first cover and issue of Nightmare in Newark.

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serial killer. But I was like, My advice is don’t be “Game on, I’m gonna make like anyone. Use people a black serial killer who will that you want to be like be loved.” as inspiration. Surround The book is about a guy, yourself with good people Kobe Green, who lives in who love you. Be creative.

Florida who has serial killer Make sure to find the joy urges. He has these urges, and the fun in the stories but he knows that it’s wrong. that you’re telling and focus He never acts on it. on that. Money is very One day, at an office important, but don’t make it party, a guy at his mundane your only end-all be-all for job gets a promotion – a your choices. I’ve seen people promotion that Kobe has who make their choices been wanting – and ends up based on the money. They very drunk. Kobe is roped usually end up being kind of into giving him a ride home, bitter in the end. By making which irritates him to the something that people love point of wanting to kill him. and creates impact, you will But the evening takes make money. That’s literally another turn when the a byproduct of it. coworker reanimates into Look out for cool news a zombie. Turns out, the on my other stuff from When a guy with serial killer urges in the Sunshine state gets thrown zombie apocalypse has Kingwood Comics. I’m an into a zombie apocalypse, what do you have? The Adventures of Florida begun. This title is called The Man, of course! actor too. I just wrapped Adventures of Florida Man. season two of this web series called Bubbly Brown Sugar created by Tamil A. What have been some of the most surreal and Baldwin. rewarding moments since you began this journey?

Barack Obama is following me on Twitter. It’s a You’re doing amazing work brother. I just cannot cool one and I’m very grateful for that. But I think my wait to see where you go, where you end up. biggest thing is seeing kids dressed up as my characters.

Thank you, man. I appreciate it. I’m like, yeah, Nightmare in Newark isn’t even out yet, and there’s a “Where this dude is gonna end up?!” Mainly because girl who cosplayed as Zoe. Hearing people say things I would like to buy a 2021 Honda, that’d be nice. Ya like, “I’m not really into history, but your comic made boy’s driving a 2010 Mazda. But man, thank you. This me take an interest in history.” I still haven’t met Kevin has been a joy and an honor and a pleasure.

Smith, but knowing he’s had my comic book in his hands, like, that’s been really cool.

What do you have to say to aspiring black creators who want to be just like you when they grow up?

This has been a tough journey and I don’t think I could have done it without my friends, my family behind me, and keeping God first. Make sure you surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed and have only your best interests at heart, even when it’s things you don’t want to hear necessarily, but who are going to hold you accountable.

Gimme more!

Purchase Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer and learn about upcoming titles like Nightmare in Newark, and Killer Bee at kingwoodcomics.com.

Follow David Crownson on Instagram @dcrownson And support upcoming projects via Kickstarter: kickstarter.com/profile/dcrownson86/created

Still more!!

Believe it or not, this is just a portion of the full interview! Head over to the Sun Hero Magazine Patreon to access the full video interview with David Crownson along with future interviews with other creators and special premium content. patreon.com/SunHeroMagazine

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