THE PREMISE
THE SECRET ORIGIN OF
THE NEW MYTHOLOGY
The Horsemen is the culmination of the journey
to find my voice as an artist and storyteller.
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I’ve been a student of mythology since first seeing Clash of the Titans in 1981. I read the Greek myths,
the Norse myths, Egyptians and so on. Around the age of 16, I started studying the myths and folktales of Africa and decided that I wanted to create a series
of illustrations based on the gods and goddesses
of various regions.
FIRST STEPS
I created a concept called The Race in 1993.
The Race were the descendants of the heroes and demigods of mythology. These descendants had a recessive gene that, when activated through either proximity or severe trauma, would gain superpowers. They were pawns in a war between two gods, Exodus and Othello. Whosever side they joined would tip the scales of the war in either god’s favor.
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Also, during that time, I created another concept called Jom & Aida based on not only African mythology and African cinema, but also the opera Aida as performed by Leontyne Price, which was the story of an Egyptian princess. I wanted to use the idea of death and rebirth as the central theme.
THE SPARK
These concepts never came together…
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…Until 1997.
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I was developing my graduate thesis at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; writing, designing, and illustrating a book on the history of African American superheroes and their connection to the gods and goddesses of Africa. I had taken a class on Afro-Caribbean art and rituals, which exposed me to religions like Vodou, Santeria, and Candomblé. It also exposed me to the African root faith systems of these religions, most notably the Ifa faith of Nigeria.
THE CONCEPT
Finally! This was my chance to do those African god illustrations I had always wanted to create! The book was going to be called The New Mythology. I used the names of seven Yoruba gods, the Orishas, and their aspects as the chapter titles for the book. But when
I got around to actually developing my depiction of
the Orisha, I realized that I couldn’t illustrate them
in traditional African dress.
THE HOOK
I remembered the title of a book that I had to read for the Afro Caribbean Art and Ritual class; The Divine Horsemen by Maya Deren. I dropped the “Divine” and the rest, they say, is history.
As for the book’s premise, thank DJ Krush. On the title track of his album, Meiso, Black Thought of The Roots said these fateful words:
“Who controls the eight immortals, but the number seven, in this continual maze?”
THE CULMINATION
The eight immortals became the Deitis,
with Exodus and Othello among them. The Race
(now called The Manifest thanks to Mark of the Cloven writer Jude W. Mire), Jom & Aida folded
into this new universe, this New Mythology.
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The Horsemen reflects my worldview. I wanted to show a very modern Africa, I was extremely tired of the “famine and underdeveloped” narrative that the continent is saddled with in this country. I also wanted to address the problems that Post-Colonialism left behind on the continent as well.
THE IMPACT
I was asked this question recently:
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“How does it feel to be an Afrofuturism pioneer
in the comics space”?
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The word Afrofuturism didn’t really enter my radar
until 2005 though it had been around since 1995 or so. I was just doing my thing. I even tried to separate what I was doing from what I thought was a certain aesthetic.
Eventually, I had to admit to myself that I was an Afrofuturist, which didn’t happen until, like, 2014. So, even though one could call me a “pioneer,” it’s still taking some time for me to accept that appellation…
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But I’m getting used to it.