Webcomics: Original Stories are The New Black [#thenewblack, @itskomplicated]

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This September, Geekweek's sister site Komplicated will enter the fifth month of its life. Just over five hundred stories published, fifteen successful hour long webcasts, hundreds of fans on Facebook and followers on Twitter, all focused on one simple thing: passion.

Whether it's the sponsored gaming of our first webcast guest BurnYourBra or the scientific stylings of Eric Wallace on Eureka and Mr. Terrific; from the hip hop hyphenate, actor Malcolm Barrett to the stargazing considerations of Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson, the core of what we consider the Black geek is passion, a singular focus on something that makes them say, "cool!" These passions drive us to become American otaku, delving into fantasy leagues and cosplay, filling gigabytes full of downloaded delight and giving us the fierce opinions we see every week on #whodwin Wednesday. We give a damn, because we care about characters, we're fascinated by powers, "we believe in the promise of the infinite."

In that spirit, September 2011 will show Komplicated "relaunching" in the same way that comics companies have -- by serving our core audience, by providing what we promised. In the poem that graces our "about us" page, we noted how popular fiction wrote us out of history, from Flintstones to Jetsons. We may not go all the way back, but we'll seek to fill in some of the gaps with ...

  • FREEDMAN by PETER QUACH: A tale of revenge from the perspective of a former slave, recently emancipated but unable to escape his rage. (eight weekly episodes every Friday, season begins September 2, 2011)
  • BLACKJACK by ALEX SIMMONS: Pulp adventures for a Black soldier of fortune set in the 1930s, this fan favorite has lived in many incarnations, including crossing over with the Tarzan strip in newspapers, and joins our lineup this fall. (22 weekly episodes every Thursday, season begins September 8, 2011)
  • SOUTHSIDE NEFERTITI by MIKE SALES: She's a single mother making her way in the world ... but she's also the defender of her city's mean streets. A gritty urban superhero adventure guaranteed to thrill. (22 weekly episodes every Monday, season begins September 5, 2011)
  • FORCE GALAXIA by ANDRE OWENS: Super powers and space travel set in a futuristic milieu, Force Galaxia puts a Black face on interstellar justice. (22 weekly episodes every Wednesday, season begins September 7, 2011)
  • WORLD OF HURT by JAY POTTS: Our first returning series, the syndicated adventures of 70s Blaxploitation-styled hero Isaiah "Pastor" Hurt continue kicking in the door for the people! (Two episodes per week, Tuesdays and Fridays)

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In addition to offering letter columns (like those in the backs of comic books from the silver age) starting in October, in November we'll offer original prose with The Messenger (superhero fiction) and Asunda Grimoires from Stranger Comics (fantasy, sword & sorcery stories), continuing our commitment to telling our stories, our way, with Black characters and Black voices.

This is The New Black. It goes with everything.

[Source: Originally posted at Komplicated]

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