BEAST Magazine #3 2016

38
#Entertainment | Comics
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.
"COMICS ARE A GREAT TOOL TO TELL MOTIVATIONAL
STORIES, SHAPE THE MIND OF PEOPLE AND MAKE
THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE"
BEAST MAGAZINE #3