Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in 1818. Through the course of his life, his force of will, tenacity and ferocious sense of justice not only helped him escape his enslavement but self-educate pushing him onto the national and international stage as a statesman. His life intersected with many pivotal events that helped shape our young nation’s history. He was a man of faith, a businessman, a politician and a prophet of the 19th Century. Frederick Douglass forced a country to reevaluate its moral core. 

Dr. Barron Bell, comic book writer and educator joins forces with DC and Marvel Comics artist Koi Turnbull and writer of Route 3 and various other publications, Robert Jeffrey II to introduce Frederick Douglass’ story to a new generation.  This comic book series will bring these events to life with exciting and dramatic imagery and help to reintroduce one of history’s greatest abolitionists at a time when such heroes are few and far between.  The funds we raise will go toward production costs and printing. Chapter 1: Blackbird is scheduled to be released in July 2018.

Cover

Chapter 1: Blackbird will begin the story of Frederick Douglass as he has just escaped from a life of torture and servitude.  As he navigates the streets of 1830’s New York City, he must evade slave catchers and freedmen who have hidden agendas.  He reminisces upon his life from childhood up until his escape and tries to determine his next steps in a brand new world.  

Character Studies

THE TEAM

 Dr. Barron R. Bell is a graduate of Regent University with a Masters degree in film and animation and a PhD in Adult Education. As a comic book writer and penciler, he published his first book in 2001 entitled “Cobalt: Warrior Angel” and most recently Radio Free Amerika published by Terminus Media based in Atlanta, GA. Bell received two Glyph Award nominations (Rising Star and Best Male Character) for his work on Radio Free Amerika. For many years he’s worked as a storyboard artist for film and television and is currently a Professor of graphic design and animation at The Art Institute of Portland and Liberty University.

Coy Turnbull (the original spelling) was born on December 12, 1976, in Elmhurst, Queens, New York. Most of his early years were spent in New York. When he was 13, Turnbull’s family moved to Asheboro, North Carolina. There, he learned the ins and outs of the comic industry from working at a local comic shop with fellow future comic inker John “Waki” Wycough. Turnbull learned from the likes of local artist Randy Green and Rick Ketcham, who mentored him in preparation for a future in comics. In 1997, Turnbull moved back to New York to pursue a career in comics. His skills were noticed and he began work as a background artist on Marvel projects for Adam Pollian and Walter McDaniel. In 2002, Turnbull’s big break happened during the Wizard World Chicago Comic Convention, at a portfolio review with Aspen MLT’s Frank Mastromauro (Executive Vice President) and Peter Steigerwald (Vice President of Publishing). The work caught their eyes, and a week after the con they contacted him about future employment with Aspen MLT. After receiving the penciler job with Aspen MLT, Turnbull moved to Santa Monica, California to work in the Marina Del Rey studio. Working under the direction of Michael Turner, Turnbull’s talent grew, and with that followed Turner’s run on Fathom with his own run starting with Fathom Volume 2. Not feeling hindered by the large fan following of Turner’s work, Turnbull was able to follow Mike’s work with his own and bring his influence to the comic during his run. Following Turnbull’s run on Fathom, he has since found work with DC Comics (working on Flash and Superman Confidential), Marvel Comics (Terror INC, New Warriors, Black Panther and One Month 2 Live storyline) and other comic projects.

Robert Jeffrey II is a freelance writer based out of Atlanta, GA and was chosen as a participant in the DC Comics Class of 2017 Writers Workshop. He is currently the Editor In Chief for BlackSci-Fi.com and has written for such publications as J’Adore Magazine, The Atlanta Voice Newspaper, and Urban Voices in Comics.

His work with Atlanta based Terminus Media includes creator-owned comics (Route 3, Daddy’s Little Girl) and other Terminus Media published books such as the Glyph Comic Award nominated Radio Free Amerika and Terminus Team-Up. His comics work includes contracted client work, including custom comics and animation scripting/editing duties for clients such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Nitto Tires, the Soul of Suw comic book series, and HERO Comics’, The Messenger.

Robert is a recipient of the 2008 Miller Brewing Company A. Philip Randolph Messenger Award/ Journalism Award of Excellence in the field of AIDS/Health, and his creator-owned series, Route 3, won the 2014 Glyph Comics Award for Best Cover.

In 2016 he was named as one of Comics Alliance.com’s “20 Black Comic Book Creators on the Rise”. In 2017 Route 3: Vol 1 was nominated for the Glyph Comics Award for Best Reprint Publication. He’s yet fulfilled his dream of pop-locking to save a community center.

http://ift.tt/2spKbsR