I'm happy. I'm excited. I'm nervous.
Mainly, I'm ready.
Ready for this book to be bought, read, enjoyed, talked about, something. When I say that this story that I'm about to tell is a labor of love, I'm telling the god's honest truth. This goes back to an inkling of an idea that I had after seeing the Matrix and thinking, "Why can't we be Neo?" "Why can't we be the one's running the show?"
I love the Matrix, don't get me wrong, (1st flick more so than the other two), and I enjoyed how most of the cast in subesequent flicks actually looked like me. Story was on point, acting was good, and the action/ special effects(even today)make me love the flick even more.
But back to "Why can't we be Neo?" Sure, comics and sci-fi have made hella inroads with having black protagonists at the head of the class. Storm. Black Lightning. Lauren Olamina. Black Panther. Icon. Rocket. Static. Hardware. Vixen. Synch. Meteor Man (don't hate on Meteor Man, you know you liked it). Spawn. Brother From Another Planet. The list goes on and on.
But for Hollywood, and most major selling comic books, the idea of someone of another race running the show is a foreign concept to those who hold the reigns. I'm tired of that, and there are a crap-ton of talented folks (black, white, brown, etc.) who feel the same way, and have done something about that. Head over to www.blacksuperhero.com and learn whose doing the damn thang on this front.
My first and foremost goal, is to tell a good story. A story that folks will keep coming back to, and enjoy. Secondly, I want people to understand that "we" can run this. We can tell fantastical stories of individuals from a variety of backgrounds, whether they be the heroes or the villains.
I'm proud of the story that's about to drop. So-friggin-proud it hurts. Some people will like it, some won't. I can't help where it falls on folks' personal radar, but I will say this: it's out there, and for a kid who asked "Why can't "we" be Neo", it's a blessing/ dream come true.
Enjoy.
John McGuire will be debuting his kick ass new project, "The Gilded Age"! Awesome, awesome book!
Head on over to The Dragon's Horde and Odin's Comics for more information!
Free comics, a Storm cosplayer, awesome creators, new books.... come on out and have some fun!
