Dark Horse Comics has announced a new original graphic novel from writers Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe and artist Aremo Massa, called Black Solstice. Set for release in December 2022, this is the same creative team behind the Academy Award-winning short film Two Distant Strangers.
“This journey began on December 21, 2020, when practically every Black person on Twitter started declaring, almost spontaneously, what superpower they were gonna get on the winter solstice,” said Travon Free in a statement sent to AIPT. “It was an amazing day, one of those moments that reminds you why you love the Internet, where each post was cleverer than the last and every emotional beat you can think of got hit, from hilarious to disturbing to profound.”
So what’s Black Solstice about?
Last winter solstice, the world was transformed when every Black person in America gained superpowers—powers that gave an unthinkable amount of hope, but then disappeared the following morning. Now, with only three days before the next winter solstice, the entire nation is holding its breath, waiting to see if the powers will return.
But not everyone’s been just waiting. Kesa, Quentin, and Deja—the Wallace siblings—have been planning the biggest heist in history, something that would change everything for Black people. And they are ready. All they need are those powers to kick in for 24 more hours.
“It felt like magic, and it kinda was, because in putting together this book we traced the idea back to its origin and after a lot of digging it turned out…there really wasn’t just one,” Travon Free continued. “Instead it kinda formed piece by piece, bouncing from tweet to tweet, and from sincerity to irony in the weeks leading up to the solstice when it just dumped joy all over the timeline for everyone and proved, once again, that Black Twitter is the most creative place in the known universe.”
For more on this news, read the official press release below.
MILWAUKIE, Ore., (December 21, 2021)—From writers Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe, the creative team behind the Academy Award-winning short film Two Distant Strangers, and from artist Aremo Massa, comes the brand-new graphic novel, Black Solstice.
Last winter solstice, the world was transformed when every Black person in America gained superpowers—powers that gave an unthinkable amount of hope, but then disappeared the following morning. Now, with only three days before the next winter solstice, the entire nation is holding its breath, waiting to see if the powers will return.
But not everyone’s been just waiting. Kesa, Quentin, and Deja—the Wallace siblings—have been planning the biggest heist in history, something that would change everything for Black people. And they are ready. All they need are those powers to kick in for 24 more hours.
“This journey began on December 21, 2020, when practically every Black person on Twitter started declaring, almost spontaneously, what superpower they were gonna get on the winter solstice,” said Travon Free. “It was an amazing day, one of those moments that reminds you why you love the Internet, where each post was cleverer than the last and every emotional beat you can think of got hit, from hilarious to disturbing to profound.”
“It felt like magic, and it kinda was, because in putting together this book we traced the idea back to its origin and after a lot of digging it turned out…there really wasn’t just one,” Travon Free continued. “Instead it kinda formed piece by piece, bouncing from tweet to tweet, and from sincerity to irony in the weeks leading up to the solstice when it just dumped joy all over the timeline for everyone and proved, once again, that Black Twitter is the most creative place in the known universe.”
Ultimately, the goal of this book is to honor the joy and fun of that Twitter conversation and flesh it out into a complete story that everyone can enjoy.
The Black Solstice original graphic novel will be available in December 2022 at comic shops, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your local bookstore.
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