Celebrating Black Historical past Month 2023 :: Weblog :: Darkish Horse Comics

YouNeek Studios: Enter the YouNeek YouNiverse

YouNeek Studios, based by Dwayne McDuffie nominee Roye Okupe, includes a YouNiverse of superheroes based mostly on African tales by African creators, influenced by African historical past, mythology, politics, and extra. Darkish Horse Comics is proud to companion with YouNeek Studios to share the YouNeek YouNiverse with a world viewers. Extra particulars right here.

From YouNeek Studios founder Roye Okupe:

“As a creator, I spend loads of my time reflecting on characters, world-building, plot, enterprise concepts, and so forth. However come February, yearly, I do my finest to dive deeper into what I contemplate a extra significant type of reflection: Black Historical past.

Usually, my reflection begins with the query: what does Black Historical past imply to somebody like me who was born and raised in Nigeria for the primary half of their life after which, for the opposite half, grew up in the US? Most of the time, the reply to that query is Legacy and Excellence.

I’m a product of many who got here earlier than me and paved the way in which in order that I can thrive in my craft as a author (Legacy). Due to that, I am motivated each single day of the yr by one aim: to create essentially the most genuine and compelling characters and worlds ever seen in comics through my tales—Iyanu, Malika, E.X.O., WindMaker, and so forth.—(Excellence).

With these two tenets, I hope to honor the sacrifice of the real-life superheroes who got here earlier than me.”

Developing subsequent: Iyanu: Youngster of Marvel Quantity 3 will proceed the favored story of Iyanu and her new companions as they attempt to save Yorubaland from an historical curse. Particulars and pre-order data right here.

Iyanu will quickly be an animated sequence on HBO Max/Cartoon Community, overseen by Black-owned animation studio LionForge Animation. Extra particulars here.

Extra YouNeek Studios titles now accessible:

Malika: Warrior Queen Quantity 1
Roye Okupe, Chima Kalu, Raphael Kazeem, Spoof Animation, Godwin Akpan

Malika: Warrior Queen Quantity 2
Roye Okupe, Sunkanmi Akinboye, Etubi Onucheyo, Toyin “Morby” Ajetunmobi, Spoof Animation

Iyanu: Youngster of Marvel Quantity 1
Roye Okupe, Godwin Akpan

Iyanu: Youngster of Marvel Quantity 2
Roye Okupe, Godwin Akpan

*Winner of the 2022 Nommo Award for Greatest Graphic Novel*

E.X.O.: The Legend of Wale Williams Quantity 1
Roye Okupe, Sunkanmi Akinboye, Raphael Kazeem, Godwin Akpan

E.X.O.: The Legend of Wale Williams Quantity 2
Roye Okupe, Sunkanmi Akinboye, Etubi Onucheyo, Tarella Pablo, Spoof Animation, Godwin Akpan

WindMaker Quantity 1
Roye Okupe, Sunkanmi Akinboye, Toyin “Morby” Ajetunmobi, Godwin Akpan

WindMaker Volume 2, arriving March 2023
Roye Okupe, Sunkanmi Akinboye, Toyin “Morby” Ajetunmobi, Spoof Animation 

All YouNeek books are steered for ages 12-14 and up.

Discover a full studying information to the YouNeek YouNiverse of associated titles right here!

Extra Really helpful Studying

Adora and the Distance
Marc Bernardin, Ariela Kristantina, Bryan Valenza, Bernardo Brice

Adora and the Distance is a younger grownup fantasy graphic novel following the epic adventures of Adora, a courageous younger Black girl who lives in a fantastical world with underground pirates, ghosts, and a mysterious power known as “the Distance” which threatens to destroy it all–and solely Adora can cease it.

Written by Marc Bernardin, the award-winning tv author/producer on Star Trek: Picard, Important Position: The Legend of Vox Machina, Masters of the Universe: Revelations, Citadel Rock, and extra; illustrated by Ariela Kristantina (Mata Hari). Initially launched digitally on ComiXology Originals and now accessible in print from Darkish Horse Books.

The story is a tribute to Bernardin’s personal daughter and her journey with autism. He needed to put in writing a narrative that anybody may get pleasure from, and in addition: “I did not need to inform a narrative about these of us who love their autistic pals or relations. As a substitute, I needed to try to think about the story a type of youngsters might be telling about themselves, concerning the adventures they’re taking inside their very own thoughts.”

“It is a quest story, before everything… it is simply that the terrain our characters are traversing has fairly a bit occurring below the floor.” –Bernardin

Out there now wherever books and comics are bought, Adora and the Distance is really useful for ages 14+.

Tephlon Funk!
Stephane Metayer, Nicolas Secure, David Tako

Stephane Metayer groups up with Darkish Horse Books to deliver his widespread self-published comedian, Tephlon Funk!, to comedian retailers! With artwork by David Tako and Nicolas Secure, this coming-of-age story masterfully weaves collectively inspiration from 90s NYC road tradition, anime, and hip-hop.

Because the loss of life of her dad and mom, 14-year-old Inez Jozlyn cannot catch a break. Nonetheless, she’s decided to make a greater life for herself. After Gabriel, a mysterious classmate helps her out of a tricky spot, she finds herself in the midst of a drug battle. Alongside together with her unusual new good friend, Inez will work with a younger feminine cop with a robust sense of justice and a sword-wielding bartender to assist cease the brand new drug from spreading all through New York.

“Tephlon Funk isn’t simply widespread, it’s dope.”–Advanced

LaGuardia
By Nnedi Okorafor, Tana Ford, Sal Cipriano
Hugo and Eisner Award-Winner

“LaGuardia is exclusive, playful, heartbreaking, empowering and filled with hope for the longer term. The knowledge Okorafor imparts in every panel pushes again towards the darkest urges of our human nature and creates an area that lets us all dwell.”
—John Jennings (The Blacker the Ink, Octavia Butler’s Kindred graphic novel)

Written by Nnedi Okorafor, Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy Award winner (Who Fears Loss of life, Binti, Akata) and illustrated by Tana Ford (Silk, Duck!), with colours by Sal Cipriano, LaGuardia received the 2020 Eisner Award for Greatest Graphic Album – Reprint, and the Hugo Award for Greatest Graphic Story or Comedian.

In 2022, Darkish Horse and Berger Books current a brand new Deluxe Version celebrating this award-winning comedian, filled with extras together with a chapter of Dr. Okorafor’s script, a brand new cowl and never-before-seen artwork from Ford, an intensive course of artwork part, and extra. LaGuardia can also be accessible in a typical paperback version.

Set in an alternate world the place aliens have come to Earth and built-in with society, LaGuardia revolves round a pregnant Nigerian-American physician, Future Nwafor Chukwuebuka, who has simply returned to NYC below mysterious circumstances through LaGuardia Worldwide and Interstellar Airport.

There, she and her sentient, plant-based alien good friend change into a part of a rising inhabitants of largely African and shape-shifting alien immigrants, battling towards interrogation, discrimination and journey bans, as they attempt to make it in a brand new land. Because the delivery of her little one nears, Future begins to vary. What secret is she hiding?

LaGuardia is usually recommended for ages 16+.

Incognegro: A Graphic Thriller and
Incognegro: Renaissance
Mat Johnson, Warren Pleece

“A proficient author of each fiction and artistic non-fiction, Johnson’s publications have established him as an necessary new voice within the African-American custom.” —Walter Mosley

A part of editor Karen Berger’s imprint at Darkish Horse, Berger Books, Darkish Horse presents a tenth anniversary version (2018) of Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece’s excellent unique graphic novel Incognegro: A Graphic Thriller. That is adopted by an unique prequel sequence, Incognegro: Renaissance.

Incognegro: A Graphic Thriller follows Zane Pinchback, a reporter despatched to analyze the arrest of his personal brother, charged with the brutal homicide of a white girl in Mississippi. With a lynch mob already swarming, Zane, whose pores and skin coloration is mild sufficient that he can go for white, should keep “incognegro” lengthy sufficient to uncover the reality behind the homicide to save lots of his brother and himself.

Suspenseful, unsettling and related, Incognegro is a tense graphic novel of shifting identities, forbidden passions, and secrets and techniques that run far deeper than pores and skin coloration. Steered for ages 14+.

Within the prequel sequence, Incognegro: Renaissance, a Black author is discovered lifeless at a scandalous interracial social gathering in Nineteen Twenties New York and Harlem’s cub reporter Zane Pinchback is the one one decided to unravel the homicide. Zane should go “incognegro” for the primary time–using his mild look to go as a white man–to discover the true killer.

A page-turning thriller of racial divide, Incognegro: Renaissance explores segregation, secrets and techniques, and self-image as our race-bending protagonist penetrates a world the place he feels stranger than ever earlier than.

Incognegro: Renaissance is usually recommended for ages 18+.

Crema
Johnnie Christmas, Dante Luiz, Ryan Ferrier, Atla Hrafney

“This ebook is a love letter to like swathed within the richest taste conceivable. And one which enchants and haunts you with the style of espresso throughout it.” –Comedian Watch

#1 New York Occasions bestselling cartoonist Johnnie Christmas and Prism Award-nominee Dante Luiz current a haunted story of affection, ghosts, and low beans. The ComiXology Authentic digital graphic novel Crema is now accessible in print for the primary time, really useful for ages 16+.

Esme, a barista, feels invisible, like a ghost. When Esme drinks an excessive amount of espresso, she really sees ghosts. Yara, the elegant inheritor to a espresso plantation, is all the time seen, however solely has eyes for Esme. Their world is turned the other way up when the ghost of an old-world nobleman begs Esme to take his letter from New York Metropolis to a haunted espresso farm in Brazil, to reunite him along with his misplaced love of a century in the past, bringing sinister tidings of unrequited love.

The story touches on the complicated relationships between agriculture and trade, American-Brazilian commerce, and impartial and company businesses–told by way of the connection of Esme, Yara, and low. As Christmas says, “The one strategy to a much less haunted future is to make peace with the ghosts of the previous.”

“I am buzzing with pleasure that Crema is coming to print on this great re-creation,” says Christmas. “I can not wait to lastly maintain it in my hand, with an Americano within the different (ample crema in fact). Two darkish, candy treats to lift the spirit and heat the center.”

Delver Volumes 1 and a couple of
MK Reed, C. Spike Trotman, Clive Hawken

From Iron Circus Comics founder C. Spike Trotman and Eisner-nominated author MK Reed, illustrated by Clive Hawken, Delver is an unique action-adventure story. First offered digitally as a part of ComiXology Originals, now Delver is collected in paperback volumes, accessible wherever comics and books are bought. Really helpful for ages 12+.

When the door to a residing dungeon surfaces within the tiny hamlet of Oddgoat, village lady Temerity Aster has two decisions: abandon the one dwelling she’s ever recognized to carpet baggers and sellswords, or carve out a spot for herself and her household within the new and harmful world of delving.

Co-writer Trotman says, “[Delver is] a fantasy journey for people who beloved Terry Pratchett’s self-described unimaginative’ method to world-building; an insistence on asking questions, wating to know why and the way issues labored the way in which they did. In my case, Delver is my reply to ‘The place are all these deserted, treasure-laden dungeons coming from, anyway? And what occurs while you unload all that loot within the tiny hamlet down the highway?’ It is for followers of Important Position, Ursula Ok. LeGuin novels, and The Journey Zone.”

Delver Quantity 2 is now accessible at comedian retailers, and can arrive at bookstores/wherever books are bought in March 2023!