Over the last decade, we have seen many African-American superheroes starring in Marvel and DC Comics creations; to name a few; Green Lantern, Nick Fury and very soon Luke Gage. Lately, 100% African heroes have emerged in a fast-growing and inspiring Nigerian comic scene. Passionate dialogues, colorful drawings and enlightening stories: the new African comics have no reason to envy their peers across the Atlantic.
Many people can relate to the stories written by Roye Okupe, founder of YouNeek Studios: «I love to write stories about these extraordinary beings with very ordinary problems. I believe it creates this amazing dynamic were they have all these powers but yet still have to deal with very mundane issues that you and I deal with». The main character, E.X.O is named Wale Williams. He fights to save his city from domestic terrorist attacks, but also has to manage his relationship with his father and deal with his ex-girlfriend drama. Therefore, the inner-development of the character is almost as important as the «superhero» story itself. Another team worth mentioning for their contribution to the development of the African and especially Nigerian scene is Comic Republic. Its flagship character is Guardian Prime, a superhero fighting for a safer Nigeria by night, who is actually one of the five essential elements: earth, air, water, fire and… man!
One of Roye’s objectives is to show a side of Nigeria and Africa that is not shown on mainstream media: a booming tech industry, creative architecture, a unique culture, and so much more. «I even go as far as giving characters dialogue with popular Nigerian vernacular and slang. It’s very important to have superheroes from Africa because representation matters. It’s necessary for African children to see local superheroes save the day. But we also need to have African scientists, strong female lead characters and successful entrepreneurs». Eduvie Oyaide from Comic Republic emphasises the fact that there needs to be more diversity in comics: «mainstream comics do not do a lot to showcase other cultures». Now, Roye wants to see these characters stretch beyond the African borders and «tell our stories to people across the globe». Eduvie and Comic Republic, whose style can be described as contemporary, can only agree: «our inspiration comes from people and especially African people». She adds: «I thought it was time to influence the moral compass of our society with heroes and icons that could be looked up to. I want to use this medium to influence people to believe that they can be everything they think they can be if only they believe».
Now established in Washington DC, Roye always struggled to get his hands on comics while growing up since there weren’t any comic shops in Lagos: «Yet, I loved animation and always wanted to do a superhero story based on a Nigerian character». After launching a Kickstarter and raising $10,000, Roye Okupe tells us «it’s been an awesome ride since then». He adds that his inspiration comes mainly from the fact that he is still chasing his dreams and really hopes to inspire other people to do so. Although the African comic scene is still in its infancy, according to Eduvie Oyaide, it is growing at a fast pace.
