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Peace & Love Fifth House Friends,
I challenged myself to support (and actually read) 100 comics by independent Black artists this year. Hopefully as you journey with me you'll learn about a comic or ten you've never heard of and SUPPORT, SUPPORT, SUPPORT.
Here are the rules. Read 100 new comics spearheaded by black artists and creators. Plain and simple. Every once in a while I'll add a previously read comic because I'm tryna support “ALL BLACK EVERYTHING”.
So here we go with the first 5/100
First comic of the year was Okemus, a "sci-fi manga sentai-esk action epic". It’s 2,000 years into the future and Mechai roam the Earth terrorizing everything in sight in this post-apocalyptic war zone. Cale is journeying through time to find the source of his magical abilities and Okemus appears to be the mythical city with all the answers.
Listen. I am a simp for interesting world building and LIT fight scenes, and I was pleased with the introduction to this world. I was eager to find out what Cale's abilities were and how far he would push himself at the start of the series. I also really enjoyed that the main villain wasn't a lecturer, because ain't nothing worse than a talking a** villain when it's time to fight. Barnabas was all about that action. No spoilers here though, buy it so we can talk about it!
Note: Okemus is also our FHC February feature, check it out at www.fifthhousecollective.com. We loved it so much we had to do a double feature!
LEARN MORE ABOUT OKEMUS!
#2 HAWI by Beserat Tarseb (ETAN Comics)
“HAWI is an epic African fantasy story of a first-gen immigrant who returns to her birth nation for the first time, only to have her mother kidnapped by a masked stranger. Before she knows it, she finds herself in a perilous journey across a mythical East African empire searching for her mother and a way back home.”
Come on now! It's Ethiopia's first female superhero and WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE? Beautiful African renditions, secrets, suspense, thrills, did I mention it comes in English and Ahmaric? This story has it all. But my personal favorite are the jewels dropped during Emnet's training session. It was legit right on time, reminding me to get back into the dojo for my own discipline. Emnet's journey is all about coming into her own power by learning more about herself and her family history. You know the drill---no spoilers, so order a copy so we can talk about it!
SUPPORT HAWI HERE!
#3 BLACK OUT The Eradication Protocols by Roosevelt Pitt Jr & Jay Kelley (POWERVERSE)
My My My. The community activist (Did you know that both of your Fifth House Curators are full-time community advocates) in me IS IN LOVE with this comic. Here at FHC we celebrate everything black year round but this is a great Black History Month Read. This comic will test your resolve around your societal programming and push you to think beyond the realms of what is force fed to us.
This comic is a tale of two heroes PURGE (created by Roosevelt Pitt Jr) and BROTHER (created by Jay Kelley) along with his trusted ally, Imani working together in the POWERVERSE, in all its melanin magnificence, to unveil a dark agenda by the world's most powerful organization. This storyline is guaranteed to leave you on the edge of your seat. The art styles jump around and meld together so beautifully I almost shed a tear. The lines, the coloring, the technology, the Afrofuturism, the history, the jewels dropped on every page! I'm going to quit while I'm ahead, rules are rules and no spoilers allowed.
LEARN THE SECRETS OF THE POWERVERSE!
#4 FIGHT of the Century by The Allen Bros. (Rexco Comics)
Fight is "an all-new biopunk, martial arts mini-series''. It looks like Big Pharma has taken over futuristic Brazil and found even bigger money in the mixed martial arts scene. FUEL (Fighter Ultimate Exhibition League) + Big Pharma performance enhancement cocktails + frenzying fans waiting for a fight = an epic fighters tale.
With a little push from his manager, farm boy Rex Punga may have bitten off a bit more than he could chew when he joined FUEL's Oxweight division. With his wife in his corner he is prepared for anything but after the performance enhancement cocktail hits his system will things change? This comic is perfect for my fellow gamers and MMA fans. The storyline is intriguing but the artists really brought everything together with the coloring and lines. I didn't really learn much about Rex or the League but the fans are so amped about the entire thing that I am excited to learn more.
SUPPORT THE FIGHT HERE!!
#5 Ayele Nubian Warrior by CJ Juzang (ABYSSINIA MEDIA)
Welcome to the land of Nubia. One of the oldest civilizations in the world. The twin Gods (or UM-VEILING-QUANGI / “First of Twins” ) that created Nubia decided to split their powers amongst the people. Their powers were split into four distinct colors and given to their respective tribes. Giza Mganga was the head of one of those tribes and is considered a force of oppression and chaos. He has ruled for 4,000 seasons and the people of Nubia are ready for a change.
My favorite thing here is the coloring, it's so clean and beautiful. In this black and white comic each tribe has their own respective coloring based off of their powers from the Gods. Ayele and his trusted sidekick Hewa begin their journey aiding and elder under attack. And from there his, and Nubia's journey towards liberation begins.
HELP LIBERATE NUBIA!
SPECIAL MENTION: JEMBER by Beserat Debebe (ETAN Comics)
ETAN Comics created another Ethiopian superhero that is definitely worth mentioning. With great friends and a supportive wife Amanuel Tilahun navigates life as best as he can while struggling to find a job after graduating college. One day he stumbles into a place of great power changing his life completely. Join Amanuel as he journeys to find out where his powers originated and how it will effect his livelihood.
SUPPORT JEMBER HERE!