EXCLUSIVE: Publisher SEG Comics Will Unleash A New Breed of Heroes In 2019

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Here at Revenge of The Fans, we’re always happy to celebrate those moments where admirers of pop culture become creators of pop culture. That’s what makes today so exciting for us. See, a new publishing company named SEG Comics is poised to make a big splash in 2019 and we’re happy to help unveil their ambitious plans to the world.

Up and coming filmmaker M Sayibu (The Northern King) is part of the core nucleus behind SEG Comics, which is an offshoot of the production house SEG Cineland, and they’re getting ready to take the world by storm- capitalizing on a cultural moment that downright demands more diverse voices.

As such, he and his collaborators are putting together a huge initiative that could bring all kinds of attention to popular culture that comes from a region few think of: Africa.

Here’s an excerpt from their official press release, provided exclusively to us here at RTF:

“SEG Cineland presents SEG Comics! A one stop comic book publishing company with the vision of bringing new authentic, cultural heroic and anti-heroic characters to Ghana, the west African sub region, Africa and more importantly, the world at large. Founded by SEG Cineland co owner M. Sayibu (The Northern King, Slumber Party), SEG Comics hope to be the pacesetter in bringing the African geek community and their counterparts around the globe together through these forthcoming characters and stories.”

A huge part of this initiative will include the launch of the first-ever SEG International Comic Con (SICC), which will be take place in Accra, Ghana in the summer of 2019. At the convention, they’ll unveil their full roster of launch titles for characters like The Wraith, Savior, The Genesis Traveller, Killa Man, and more.

I had a chance to pick M Sayibu’s brain while he was on the set of a new sci-fi film he’s working on in West Africa, about the basis for these characters he helped create, and it’s interesting to note the way they’re inspired by local folklore.

“These characters are extensions of folklore I grew up with, as well as heroes I grew up reading. The Wraith has a lot in common with Zorro and Batman, but with a little bit of African superstitious beliefs weaved through it.”

But things go deeper than that, as he reveals that the character Savior was one he came up with while dealing with the sudden, tragic passing of his infant daughter.

“With Savior, it’s a character I created to honor my late daughter. I like to think that somewhere in the multiverse, she’s saving a version of her home. Her death and rebirth as Savior was a way for me to get through that loss and envision a scenario where she lives on through the comic. From that experience came the inspiration for a selfless hero like Superman– who could help the most vulnerable among us.”

On the subject of inspirations, Sayibu also revealed to me that he was inspired by us- the fan community on sites like this one. He used to frequent message boards and comment sections for fan blogs, and it’s the sense of kinship and togetherness he felt there that motivated him to try and start something like that in his homeland. I was particularly moved by the way he laments what’s become of the fan community since the days when he first entered the geek community:

“The fandom can be a beautiful thing when it wants to be. I was in the unique position of joining these communities around 2011 when it was just all love and hope. We all loved The Dark Knight, we were all hyped for Man of Steel and Avengers was just around the corner. Prior to that I was on Krypton Site indulging in heavy discussion with fellow Smallville fans, and fan fiction was all over the place. We used to have a great time with all of it.

And I wanted that for children in my country. It was a kind of community children like me who were bullied in school could really appreciate. In boarding school I think I would have benefitted from having a community of people who enjoyed and loved the same things as me. It could have been the safe haven I found in the American comic book fandom. So once our film studio was set, I felt a responsibility to make sure that that dream became a reality. Thus SEG Comics.”

Sayibu ended our chat with why the launch of SEG Comics is so important right now:

“We feel 2019 is a great launch point because we’ve finally reached a point in our collective history where the audience is very interested in hearing and seeing stories from otherwise underrepresented people and parts of the world. Inclusion is the order of the day and we feel it’s the perfect time to bring these heroes to the world.”

I couldn’t have said that better myself.

For further updates on SEG Comics, you can visit their official site RIGHT HERE.

In the meantime, enjoy some artwork (including concepts) from their upcoming books: