Tag Archives: sunkanmi akinboye

Iyanu faces her destiny in Iyanu: Child of Wonder Vol. 4

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Dark Horse Books and YouNeek Studios present Iyanu: Child of Wonder Volume 4, continuing the epic fantasy saga. This new volume expands the lore of African fantasy and superhero stories from the shared YouNeek YouNiverse. Iyanu: Child of Wonder Volume 4 is written by Roye Okupe, illustrated by Sunkanmi Akinboye, colored by Toyin Ajetunmobi, lettered by Spoof Animation, with cover art by Akinboye and cover art colors by Godwin Akpan. The epic graphic novel saga of Iyanu is now set to be an animated series, coming soon to HBO MAX/Cartoon Network.

In this series suited for readers age 12 and up, Iyanu must face her destiny and save all of Yorubaland with help from her friends. Among them are Biyi, a carefree adventurer; Toye, the bookworm; and Ekun, the magical and opinionated giant leopard. Together, all four, known as Team Chosen, will embark on an epic adventure full of twists, turns, and laughter that will change their lives forever!

Iyanu: Child of Wonder Volume 4 (152 pages, 6.625 x 10.1875”, paperback) will be available in bookstores on March 4, 2025, and in comic shops on March 5, 2025. The book is available for pre-order now at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, TFAW, and wherever books and comics are sold. It will retail for $19.99.

Iyanu: Child of Wonder Volume 4

A new team joins forces in The Asiri Volume 1

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Dark Horse and YouNeek Studios are back with an all new epic science fantasy adventure in The Asiri Volume 1. This brand-new space saga is by the talented team of Nigerian creators at YouNeek Studios. The 128-page graphic novel features writing by YouNeek founder Roye Okupe, interior art by Samuel Iwunze, colors by Toyin Ajetunmobi, letters by Spoof Animation, and cover art by Sunkanmi Akinboye and Etubi Onucheyo.

The Asiri Volume 1 begins an epic science fantasy about an ancient, advanced West African civilization of space explorers that once colonized Mars and strove for galactic stability. Enhanced by an inner power called “Inkra,” the Asiri can manipulate technology in ways never seen. However, their golden age comes to a devastating halt after a mysterious enemy invades from deep space. Now, a once-thriving civilization is thrust into chaos as loyalty quickly becomes a liability. A story that’s X-Men meets Attack on Titan (infused with a heavy dose of West African mythology) from the creators at YouNeek Studios!

The Asiri Volume 1 trade paperback will be available in bookstores March 5, 2024 and in comic shops March 6, 2024. The 128-page graphic novel measures 6.625×10.1875”. It is available for pre-order now on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and at your local comic shop and bookstore and will retail for $19.99.

The Asiri Volume 1

Whoopi Goldberg’s The Change arrives this November

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Dark Horse Comics presents a new superhero with The Change, the first graphic novel co-written by Whoopi Goldberg and writer/showrunner Jaime Paglia. Sunkanmi Akinboye will illustrate with Alexandria Batchelor coloring and Frank Cvetkovic lettering, and Khary Randolph will provide cover art.

Because of her lifelong love for comic books, Goldberg decided it was time to create a new kind of superhero – one who might be a little older, whose body might be a little thicker…and whose breasts may or may not be the same size. She is also smack in the middle of menopause which, along with chills and hot flashes, also gave her some unexpected superpowers. The iconic actor, producer and author matched minds and wits with Jaime Paglia, someone “just as outside the box as I am,” says Goldberg, to take the story to the next level. And, thus, The Change was born.

Isabel Frost is a woman who has spent her life as wife, mother, grandmother – a life she feels isn’t all she had hoped for, with a husband who has grown in another direction. A college graduate with a degree in science, Isabel is an amazing gamer, who plays with people all over the country. With the help of her comic-loving grandson and irreverent best friend, she must learn to control her abilities and embrace her new identity as The Change – both the change of life AND her surprising and extraordinary superpowers.

The Change HC will span 72 pages, measuring 6.625 x 10.1875”, and will arrive in bookstores November 28, 2023 and comic shops November 29, 2023. It is now available to pre-order from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your local comic shop and indie bookstore for $17.99.

The Change HC

The Oloris: Heroes Will Unite, an afrofuturistic superhero adventure with heroes uniting across time!

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Dark Horse Books and YouNeek Studios team up once again to present an epic YouNiverse crossover in The Oloris: Heroes Will Unite Volume 1! The continent of Africa becomes ground zero for a devastating extraterrestrial invasion from the Moon, forcing a group of heroes to band together in this new graphic novel from the massively talented team of Nigerian creators at YouNeek Studios. The newest graphic novel in the YouNeek line is written by Roye Okupe, with interior art and cover art by Sunkanmi Akinboye, colors by Etubi Onucheyo, and lettering by Spoof Animation.

The heroes from across YouNeek Studios’ different titles unite for the first time in this epic crossover event! When an unknown anarchist unleashes an army of extraterrestrial androids on the continent of Africa, Malika—legendary warrior queen of the 15th-century West African Empire, Azzaz—must put together a team of “unlike-minded” heroes to respond before it’s too late. Featuring appearances from other YouNeek YouNiverse heroes like EXO, Fury, and WindMaker, several YouNeek storylines finally converge. 

Dark Horse and YouNeek Studios continue to present stories in a shared universe of African fantasy and superhero tales—the YouNeek YouNiverse!

The Oloris: Heroes Will Unite Volume 1 trade paperback will be available in bookstores August 8, 2023 and in comic shops August 9, 2023. It is available for pre-order now on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and at your local comic shop and bookstore and will retail for $24.99.

The Oloris: Heroes Will Unite Volume 1

YouNeek Studios and Dark Horse Present a Live Virtual Panel this Wednesday!

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Arriving at comic shops and bookstores this month is the newest graphic novel from YouNeek Studios and Dark Horse Comics in their ongoing partnership: WindMaker Volume 1!

In celebration of this release, join Dark Horse and YouNeek Studios on Wednesday, April 20 at 11 am Pacific/2 pm Eastern, for a live virtual chat with YouNeek Studios CEO and writer Roye Okupe, artist Sunkanmi Akinboye, and artist Toyin “Morby” Ajetunmobi. The live stream will be presented on the Dark Horse Comics Twitch and YouTube channels, as well as the YouNeek Studios YouTube channel.

They’ll discuss the publishing partnership between Dark Horse and YouNeek Studios, explore the YouNeek YouNiverse and the process of creating these comics, and more. Join in the live chat to participate in the Q&A and ask more questions of the team.

If you can’t catch it live, the recording will be available afterwards to watch on demand.

YouNeek Studios Virtual Panel

Preview: FCBD 2019 Malika: Fire & Frost from YouNeek Studios

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FCBD 2019 MALIKA – FIRE & FROST

Script: Roye Okupe
Art: Sunkanmi Akinboye, Raphael Kazeem
Cover: Sunkanmi Akinboye
In-Store Date: May 4, 2019
32-page, full color comic
FREE
Item Code: JAN190051

Malika, warrior queen and military commander of the 15th-century Azzazian Empire, has been flung into the year 2025, a dangerous future she’s struggling to understand. After years of moving in the shadows, she’s forced out of hiding by a sinister plot that spans the centuries. Malika journeys to Egypt to retrieve the FireFrost stone, a relic that holds the combined power of two ancient dragons, from the hands of an absolute evil! MALIKA series creator Roye Okupe and artists Sunkanmi Akinboye and Raphael Kazeem bring you an all-new story for Free Comic Book Day full of superhero action inspired by African history and culture!

FCBD 2019 MALIKA – FIRE & FROST

Review: E.X.O.: The Legend of Wale Williams Part Two

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Fear of technology is one of those themes that Isaac Asimov, mastered in his time. In I Robot, the dangers of artificial intelligence are explored and also how it affects human life.  Daniel Wilson, also explores the capacity of robots and how fearful we should be of artificial intelligence in Robocalypse. Both stories, makes one question how much we need technology and just how smart do we need artificial intelligence to be.

Naturally, where technology propels so does the military industrial complex, as can be seen by the mass production of drones. As this industry is usually light years ahead of private industry, they tend to take advantage of technology that the world gets used to. This effect twofold, as technology improves lifestyles it also becomes more evasive, as those same drones were used for military missions now they are also used to spy on neighbors. In Part Two of Sage One of EXO: The Legend of Wale Williams, the dangers of technology is explored even more as, we catch up with our heroes shortly after Wale and Rotimi both suffer injuries form their last battle with CREED.

In the first few pages, we catch up with Fury as she is on mission to retrieve data, so she knows exactly what Prytek and CREED are up to.  We also catch up with Wale, as he recovers and learns more about the EXO suit, as there are some hidden features that he had no idea the suit had. We also catch up with Rotimi, as the cyber genetics he gets equipped with, gives him a weapon that can help him in his fight with CREED. By book’s end, a final battle royale between our heroes and CREED ensues, leading EXO using his full powers and though they are victorious, a new villain gets unearthed.

Overall, an excellent conclusion to a story that reveals more about the villain than it does about the heroes. The story by Roye Okupe is a fun science fiction thriller, that shows what a hero should be made of. The art by Sunkanmi Akinboye is gorgeous and vibrant. Altogether, a fun ride that everyone will want to get up on.

Story: Roye Okupe Art: Sunkanmi Akinboye
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

Review: E.X.O.: The Legend of Wale Williams Vol. 1

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Afrofuturism is one of those genre/subjects that has been getting a lot of love as of recent. In the latest trailer and movie stills from the upcoming movie for Black Panther, much of the world is getting to know exactly what Afrofuturism, means and what fans of Black Panther like myself have known for years. The concepts and characters that were introduced in Black Panther’s mythology showed to only an advanced view of technology but also of diversity. This is not to say that there were not some storylines that had some problems and as well as some characters that looks more like some stereotypes.

Unfortunately, not too many characters, unless it is from publishers in Africa, have been written about Afrofuturism in Africa, unless one counts the last take on the Unknown Soldier.   There have been American takes on Afrofuturism like Mr. Terrific and many of the characters from the Dakota Universe. Other than these examples, this has been a scarcely explored genre, which a treasure trove of possibilities that many creators are afraid or lazy to explore. So, when I found out about E.X.O.: The Legend of Wale Williams, I was thrilled.

The reader is taken to 2025 Lagos, Nigeria, in a technologically advanced society where technology is used to commit crimes and the police are at a disadvantage against smarter criminals. This is where the reader is introduced to EXO, a superhero who questions whether he is the answer. We are given his complicated backstory, one that has echoes of tony Stark, but smarter and with a direct moral compass.  Before the end of this volume, he not only has to contend to dirty politics, rising crime, a few new allies but a supervillain, that may spell doom for Exo.

Overall, a beautiful portrait of how the world, especially in Nigeria, will look in the future, and how diverse heroes can be just as good or even better than the vanilla ones the comic book world has been flooded with. The story by Roye Okupe is engaging, action packed and provides enough twists and turns. The art by Sunkanmi Akinboye thrives and delivers as many punches as the story does. Altogether, a great book that should not be missed and will have the reader tuning in for the next episode.

Story: Roye Okupe Art: Sunkanmi Akinboye
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

Review: E.X.O. The Legend of Wale Williams Part 2

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E.X.O-coverpgThe second volume of E.X.O. The Legend of Wale Willams dropped on August 24, 2016. This issue should be called E.X.O. “Revelations” because ALL of the questions from Volume 1 and even how the suit works are all answered in this book. Instead of releasing a series of 22 page comics, Roye Okupe once again gives us a 152 page volume (paid for from his second successful Kickstarter) covering Chapters 8-15. Wale’s character grows in this book with the help of Fury, the mysterious woman who appeared at the end of Volume 1. (And she kicks some serious ass in this book guys seriously). We also find out what actually happened to Wale’s father and what the E.X.O. suit was originally intended for.

Story

Wale Williams is still after his nemesis Oniku who we find out is not just trying to destroy Lagoon City but to control most of Western Africa. Wale realizes with the help of Zahra (Fury’s real name) and her scientist father, that not only was Wale previously mentally unprepared to battle Oniku, he has not been utilizing the E.X.O. suit to its full potential. This go round, instead of taking on Oniku alone out of anger and revenge (that’s still simmering beneath the surface), Wale is more tactical and goes through extensive training in the suit and plans his attack with the help of a team. Scientist and medical doctor, Dr. Martins, Zahra, his cousin Benji and G.A.I., the interface within the suit. (Think African J.A.R.V.I.S.)

Oniku’s origin story is also revealed and as with most supervillians actually parallel’s Wale’s own need for revenge very closely.They are really two sides of the same coin in that Wale is out to save his own people and Oniku is beyond doesn’t think the people from Lagoon City are worth saving. Therefore he wants to destroy everything and rebuild “from the ashes” to save what he feels is the future of the country itself.

This volume actually concludes the First ARC of the E.X.O. storyline and introduces a new character that we will see in the future of another story tied to this universe.


What I think

Okupe’s writing here is more in depth this time around, however, at times, the story does get a bit dialogue heavy, but for the most part I enjoyed the character’s discussions, development and banter.

I LOVE Godwin Akpan’s cover work as well as the interior work by Sunkanmi Akinboye and Raphael Kazeem. Faces and colors stayed consistent throughout but there were a couple of times I felt some of the physiology was a bit off. That being said the fight scenes were AMAZING! The choreography, depth of field and angles were executed with exceptional detail and I was VERY impressed with how Wale’s interaction with the suit development was depicted. Many splash pages were also included of fan art of the book which I think was a wonderful homage to E.X.O. fans and a great way to showcase the work of otherwise unknown African talent.

I really enjoyed how the story played out and especially liked the use of the Yoruba language mixed into the English dialogue. One of my only criticism is that some of the practice/training sessions went on a little too long. I am also a big fan of “humanizing” the villain and making him look like the flip side of the hero, this was also executed well in this story. I absolutely LOVED Fury’s fight scenes and her character, but I wish we got to see more of her development and her drive and focus, at times I think she kind of came off as a 2-dimensional character for Wale to respond to. His cousin Benji was used well as the “everyman” plot device, helping to provide backstory and lightening up otherwise heavy moments in the book.

One thing that Okupe does very well is write cliffhanger endings, I actually read the entire book in one sitting because he kept ending each chapter with questions that I HAD to know the answers to. I was very surprised at the traumatic event (there’s two actually) that happened to Oniku because it is not one we often see here in the States, especially in a comic book, which is why I would really only recommend this volume to kids ages 12 and up.

This volume is a fun ride and definitely worth checking out. (Apparently, the Washington Post agrees)

E.X.O. THE LEGEND OF WALE WILLIAMS PART 2

print: $14.99

digital: $7.99

WHERE TO BUY:

– website
– amazon (print)
– amazon (digital)
– iBooks (digital)

CREATIVE TEAM:

Writer: Roye Okupe

Penciler: Sunkanmi Akinboye

Inker: Sunkanmi Akinboye

Colorist: Raphael Kazeem

Cover Art: Godwin Akpan

Editor: Ayodele Elegba

NOTE: This is a high-quality indie TPB. The first African comic I’ve ever heard of Diamond distributing. If we want to see more books like this in comic book stores, then we have to pre-order them! Don’t know how to pre-order? Well I happen to have this handy guide right here.