Review Fix talks with Tony Kittrell about the comics under the Black Star Line. And what’s in store for these Afrocentric superheroes and the parent company Advent Comics.
Review Fix: How did you get started in comics?
Kittrell: I have always been a lifelong fan of comic books and as a kid used to dream of a career in comics. I used to spend hours drawing my own comics and making my mother angry that I used up all my school paper on them. As I grew older, I even pitched a few ideas to Marvel through their old Epic Imprint. But in 2009, I decided to start my own company and make comics after attending the San Diego Comic Con that year.
Review Fix: After reading several of your comics, I’ve found you have an eclectic set of titles. How did Advent comics come about?
Kittrell: Advent Comics came about after attending the above-mentioned comic con in 2009 and noticing that there were not many creators of color nor books that offered much diversity at the time (at least with what I thought I wanted out of the comics industry). Not just with creators but also with content and themes. After talking to some of the CoC in attendance and feeling the urge to give creating my own comics another shot, I took a chance and came up with what was to become Advent Comics.
Review Fix: How did you come up with Black Star Line?
Kittrell: The Black Star Line came about from a desire to showcase the talented creators and powerful & richly diverse characters of color that inhabit the Advent Comics Universe. It was inspired by Marcus Garvey’s journey to take African-Americans back to their roots in Africa, hence the name. While every Advent Comics title has strong characters of almost every ethnic background, I wanted to do something that wasn’t being done at the time – create a title that had characters and creators of color in the forefront which showed children who dream of seeing themselves in those characters, creators and heroes something that they can look up to, be inspired by and proud of.
Review Fix: If you could go anywhere at anytime in history where would you go and why?
Kittrell: That would be a tie between Harlem, New York in the late 1920’s/early 1930’s (Harlem Renaissance) because that was such a phenomenal time for arts, culture and music and Chicago on November 4, 2008 (Barack Obama’s Election) because that was a day that America’s promise was fulfilled as the entire country was unified as never before.
Review Fix: With the trend of comic books leaping into other media genres, do you see Africa Force or the other titles being animated films on the small or big screen?
Kittrell: I would love to see that vision come to pass! I think that many of our properties would work well in other mediums such as animation. If we could find a partner just as committed to bringing this to fruition, I would explore those options.
Review Fix: What is the collaborative process like with the writers and artists who have worked with these titles?
Kittrell: I am the Primary Writer at Advent as most of the concepts are still swimming around inside of my head. But when I have opened the doors to other writers such as Ra’Chaun Rogers (writer of the Dark American story in Black Star Line #3), the process was very smooth. I communicated to him what the main character was about and Ra took the ball and ran with it. The story came out really well too!
Review Fix: What sort of impact do you want for the series under the Black Star Line title?
Kittrell: I would want everyone, no matter what color or nationality that you are, to give this title a try. So far in the title, we have had stories ranging from Action/Adventure to Science Fiction, Romance to Religion and of course Superheroes.
Review Fix: What’s next for you?
Kittrell: Well, I’m really throwing myself into our twelve issue COSMOS Maxi-Series. COSMOS brings together all of Advent Comics’ cosmic characters into one grand storyline. There is A LOT going on in this series! Only four issues in, but we have the reappearance of the recently departed Rich Buckler’s Darkling character (who hasn’t been seen in over 30 years) and a guest appearance by Mike Baron/Steve Rude’s Nexus. This series is about to hit a new gear and go into overdrive! We also have Titan the Ultra Man #2, The Regulators #2 and The Hit Squad #1 about to drop in the next few months from the Advent Universe line plus we are adding even more titles to UNBOUND REALMS, Advent Comics’ Creator-Owned Imprint. I hope that your ReviewFix readers will give Advent Comics a chance by taking a look at our line of comic books and graphic novels on our website www.adventcomics.com, downloading our Advent Universe mobile app from the Google Play or iTunes Store and following us on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter). Advent Comics merchandise can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Comixology, Comics Plus, DriveThruComics.com, IndyPlanet, Kindle Readers and many other outlets
Leave a Reply