August 12, 2025 • 42 mins
Who is Jay Hero? Who Is Star Wielder? Questions that need answers and we are here to provide them!!! Tatiana and Benhameen talk to the positive force of nature known as Jay Hero, and why their upcoming hit graphic novel Star Wielder is needed and neccessary in today's society.
One of our most fire interviews, and quite timely given everything going on out there. Stay hopeful, remember community is the way through everything, and peep the latest and greatest from the ForAllNerds Family.
Support the Star Wielder Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/imjayhero/star-wielder-issue-1/description
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/for-all-nerds-show--5649266/support.
One of our most fire interviews, and quite timely given everything going on out there. Stay hopeful, remember community is the way through everything, and peep the latest and greatest from the ForAllNerds Family.
Support the Star Wielder Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/imjayhero/star-wielder-issue-1/description
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/for-all-nerds-show--5649266/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, fan fam.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
On this episode, we welcome Jay Hero, an award winning illustrator,
graphic designer, and writer whose project Star Wielder is up
now on Kickstarter. It's a fifty page debut comic featuring
a black girl with firepowers, and she also teaches you
hunt racist right in the face. Hey, welcome back, fan
(00:29):
fam to another fantastic episode of four All Nerds. And
as usual, we're bringing you the best when it comes
into interviews, and today it's like unlike any other right,
we always have some amazing creators. This one is an
award winning illustrator, if I do say so myself, graphic designer, writer,
I know that you have a passion for social change
(00:51):
and you exhibit that and your creativity with your work.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
And you're the founder of Hero Nation.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
It's a creative studio that champions black and evers voices
through fiction. You are twenty twenty four Wordy of the
Arc Front Grant and your works have been featured by Netflix, DC, Comments, Image,
Ony Press and more. So, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome
Ja Hero.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Thank you. Oh my goodness, all those accolades just list
it out like that.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Yes, thank you so much for coming on the show.
I always got to upload everyone for listening to us.
We've been saying, if you have a comic or a
project or andy then you're working on, reach out to
us and tell us we want to talk to you.
And you diggest that you reached out to us.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
So thank you. Want to give you kuto kudos for that.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
And now here you are, so there are plenty of
people who've never seen you before, have no idea what
you've done, why you're even here on this show. Can
you please give people just an overview of what you're
working on and what you do.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Yeah. So, as you said, my name is Jay Hero.
I am just an avid believer in leaning into part
of my purpose and inspiring positive change in the world.
And I've always been that way to I was a kid,
and that's evolved differently from whether or not I want
to do things like directly protesting or using my or
(02:08):
organizing and started a nonprofit which I did you know
back in my twenties, and or doing storytelling that helps
to provide empowerment or provide awareness on issues that are
that are trying to be erased. So I am all
about using my gifts, my creativity to help empower and
(02:29):
uplift people, especially black folk, especially black queer folk, and
especially in that kind of space of spaces in a
way that I hope resonates, that provides and inspires a
sense of rest, respection and even self reflection on just
(02:49):
the of again, of empowerment, of understanding who we are
as a people, and things of that sort. And so
that is sort of being reflect that avidly in the
work that I'm currently working on, which is which was
a graphic novel turn into and now a comic book
series called Star Wielder, which is a story about turning
(03:11):
fear into power or emotional pain into strength. And so
we talk a lot about because we live in an
age full of very much, you know, social unrestings like that.
You know, age of fear is what I say, all
the fear mongering, all the hatred. You know, you also
wonder what it does to people on a mental health perspective.
You know a lot of us who are experiencing things
(03:33):
like chronic depression and anxiety or all those kinds of things.
And I think a lot of people are experiencing that
to a degree, you know, and I think creating stories
that recognize and hold space for those emotions and figuring
out ways that we could get through them not to
And I know there's this approach, and I think that
it's valid if that works for you. You know, I
(03:53):
think for me, like for example, when it comes to
things like fear, we tend to have an a that
fear needs to be just completely destroyed or annihilated out
of our lives. It has no place. But in my
research and the things that I've looked into in my experience,
fear does have a place. It's just about developing a
(04:14):
healthy relationship with it. It's supposed to warn you, to
tell you if things are right are wrong, something needs
to change in you. And so in this story in
Star Wielder again a story about turning fear into power,
it follows that journey through the eyes of a young
black and girl named kr Kelly, who is from Detroit,
(04:34):
who is paraphobic and one that develops the ability to
wield flames. And so we learn that in her journey
that part of it is about learning to face her fear,
to face her shadow, to face her fear of her
light of her strength, which a lot of people I
think can resonate with. But also as she's dealing with
all of this change, this traumatic evolution, if you will.
(04:56):
She's enduring a lot of grief and in the time
of law, a lot of time of death. Many of
us are experiencing a lot of grief right now and
really are questioning if and how can we hold all
of this and do we have the space to hold
all of this grief and pain? And on top of that,
how can we turn this into a source of strength
and power. And that's the journey that Kiawa has to
(05:18):
go through because she loses her grandmother who was a
pivotal figure in the Detroit community. And you know, that's
something that I've been resonating with as well, because you know,
I've been trying to create a story that also resonates
with my history with regards to honoring the black woman
in my life. I never really had an avid grandmother
(05:38):
growing up. They have all passed away, and so in
this story too, I'm also trying to create a grandmother
that I wish I had. Story through our journey and
this and this this woman that has meant so much
to her. So really, as we take this story, the
theme of the story fear into power, we see that
to explore through Kiaur's journey, through her grandmother's and her
(06:00):
name is Roxy, through Detroit's journey as a setting Detroit's people,
because we see it begins the story begins and issue
one and it starts nineteen sixty seven Detroit Rebellion, and
then we highlight the Birdwood Wall, which some people don't
know about. So honestly, I'm in this zone of storytelling,
(06:21):
of really in this playbox of again once again seeing
what I can do to brainforth positive change in the
world with my abilities here.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
So yeah, no, I appreciate that, and I appreciate the intro.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
This was like a nice thesis statement that you provided
to like give us an understanding. Let me just touch
back on something you said just about your history. You
know you mentioned you also do this because you want
to this story. One of the main points of stories,
having this grandmother that's around and really doing a lot
for this character, and that's something that you wish you have.
What is your background, Like, do you come from a
(06:56):
very could you also sound a little academic to me?
Speaker 1 (06:58):
I'm just like, do you have an academic background on this?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
You know a little bit of uh, you know, you
read a lot of self help books.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Like you sound like you've done a lot in this space.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
No, it just sounds like not to say that you
know everything right, but it sounds like that you've you know,
you've really contemplated and review this and really done some research,
you know, and maybe that could be.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
You know, you're in psychology. I don't know, but can
you tell us some more about that?
Speaker 3 (07:24):
So I do not have to do the great psychology
or anything, although those topics are very interesting. But I
am a very avid researcher. I try to read a
lot when it comes to understanding these things. When it
came to approaching storytelling again, you know, it's great to
have very uh cool thematic things like cool powers and
flashy effects and cool fight scenes, but you want something more,
(07:46):
at least for me, I want something. I wanted to
dig deeper, and so I felt like there was a
calling upon my life because I went through a lot
of traumatic experiences, you know, growing up. And I said,
you know what, there is probably someone out there who
needs to hear this, who is going through this depression
like me, who is having a hard time getting through
this fear, this shame, this grief. Whatever you're feeling like me,
(08:10):
what can I do to help people? And I want
to liken this to an experience I had back in
twenty seventeen where I launched. I organized a my own
comic con that was a free that was also called
hero Nation. I repurposed the name, but I had freeze toys,
free school supplies, free comic books, free video game tournaments,
free food. It was at a community center, a very
(08:32):
community centered event. And then I it was a successful event,
or said, it felt like home. It felt small but
not you know, but not too big. It felt very nice.
And I took that momentum when Black Panther came out
twenty eighteen, organized one hundred and fifty kids to see
if the movie at an event had a Black African drum,
a dance, dance performers come out and perform. We had
(08:53):
free black literature, black artists. I had commissioned pieces specifically
for this event. So that is this is where my
heart is. It's always been where it is when it
comes to trying to inspire this change with my creativity,
with my gifts and within the space of nerdom.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
And so and your gifts being illustration, like where did
that come from? Was that always throughout your life?
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Yeah? Yeah, Illustration has always been a thing, and me
and myself as a writer has definitely been Uh. I mean,
I've always beten on and off throughout my life, but
more recently it's been more especially especially pecifically in this medium.
Comic book medium is very new, it's very different, and
so I'm learning a lot about myself and this adventure.
And so as someone who tries to be very self reflective,
(09:34):
tries to be very mindful and intentional, I can't help
but be changed by this process. So it's digressing a bit.
So it makes me think like when people who create
these wonderful, beautiful characters who are you know, morally sound
and whatnot, turned out to be terrible. So for me,
it's like, as an artist, how can you not be
(09:55):
transformed by your process? And I'm allowing that. I'm being
open to that, allowing it to happen because I think
that's what should happen, because that's how you become a
better person. Because if you're creating characters like I've never
been a black girl, I've never been someone who had
certain physical disabilities, you know, things like that, But I'm
creating these things in my story. I think it presents
(10:16):
me an opportunity to further empathize and understand these perspectives
in a way that maybe I didn't understand before since
I wasn't given you know, I didn't allow myself the
space to explore that in that kind of way. And
so it gives me again an opportunity to practice empathy,
practice compassion, and all these different things. And I'm very
(10:38):
excited about the process.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
Nice Well, I know we were when we were reading
about it, and just you were distressing us and you
said that you talked about how one of her big
things is she has to overcome her own fear of
her own power. So what led you to choose Fire
as her power and her fear?
Speaker 3 (11:00):
Yeah, so that's an excellent question, by the way. So
for one, I think Fire has this, you know, we
see a lot of and across culture, across different mediums,
Fire has different connotations of it's supposed to represent anger
or things like that, and that's not something I want
I wanted to subvert, especially as a black girl, you know. There,
(11:22):
I wanted to place this character, to subvert this expectation
of this elemental ability which you know, you know, I
lean into that idea that originality is important, but it's
more important that your originality comes from the storytelling, comes
from you, but not necessarily from like you have to
have a completely unique power system per se, right, right,
So for me, it's like, let me just lean as
a fire. It's here, everyone wrong.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
I mean, I also see you mentioned you know it
has this negative connotations, but and a lot of culture
also has a positive connotation, and it has a connotation
of cleansing, right bringing, you know, clearing the way of
the old to make way for the new, right, rebirth,
things like that, and.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
I wanted to get into that. So about evolution, about transformation,
about healing, as you said too, and since we learn,
we'll learn that you know, her abilities are you know,
it's called storveal to for a reason, so you know,
it's all connected, and so we are just I am
just trying to really connect this idea of her physical
(12:21):
evolution with her emotional one so that it makes sense when,
for example, when she uses her powers like for the
first time, it's like this, and where she chooses to
use her powers for the first time, it's different than
what they happen to her, like that is a choice
she has to make because it really forces her to
face something she does not want to face, and she
has to do it alone. Ultimately, at the end of
(12:43):
the day, it's like when they say, I can lead
you to the water, but I cannot make you drink it.
You can have your whole community, all you know, your
whole family backing you up, leading you to the water,
but they cannot force you to drink it if you
do not want to. And so ultimately, you have to
face your fear on your own. And that's what she
has to make when she faces her power. So when
she does that, you know, I wanted to be a
(13:03):
moment that really resonates and that matters, and it's a
powerful moment. So just it's not just about the anger.
It's about the sadness, it's about the grief, it's about
the acceptance of self.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
Yeah, she definitely has some anger in her though.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, you're angry. Yeah, but I don't
want it to be like a thing where that's the.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Main focus, right, but the angry black girl exactly.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
Yeah, yeah, but she definitely you know, I was definitely
in the preview.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
I saw the punch.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
Yeah, but even before the punch, the words had a
bit more like, Yeah, I was a bit, you know,
fearful for old girl at that point. You know she
was definitely mouthed and off.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, all right. You know what I want
to go attle bit more about Star will do?
Speaker 2 (13:50):
You mentioned how that has obviously that the name has
meaning and connection to the fire and all that stuff.
This idea you mentioned on your Kickstarter it goes back
to twenty seventeen when you first created like this character.
What inspired you to revisit this character years later? Because I
see it was one from twenty seventeen to a jump
at twenty twenty three.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
Right, that's a long time.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
What happened between that time?
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Not really? Time's not that's right.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Time is a construct, right, you're right, But that's said.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
What happened to make you go back and say, you
know what, this is actually a viable idea?
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Was it just it was just the right time? Like,
tell me more about that.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Honestly, it came from the idea of me wanting to
I can't say what I want to think they didn't
It will give things away. But I don't want to
say nothing. But I would just say that I had
this idea. I saw this character that I did back
at twenty seven. It was just, you know, I was
just at the time, I said, let me just do
this character. I was practicing my illustration skills and I
tried to do more original art and I just did it.
And then I saw it. You know how Facebook reminds
(14:45):
you of old stuff and the flashback posts and throwbacks.
I'm like, huh. And I was looking for a story
to tell and I and I sat there with and
I'm said, you is this you know? And I don't
know if it was this was a call or answer
from the ancestors or or whatnot, but it resonated. I said,
let me let me take this. I feel like I
can do something with this. And it took me a
few iterations of Kiara to get to this point. As
(15:08):
you can saw on the Kickstarter, it took me a
couple versions of her to get to where she is today,
because at one moment, it was more very although the
story is sci fi fantasy with historical fiction things like
that it is, it was very much more sci fi
literarlier on, and then I added more fantastical elements and
(15:28):
then I was like, okay, this is changing who she is,
I'm like it and it was an adventure. So it
started off as that. And then when I added the
story to it and I went through shit, I went
through things, you know, I got wisdom, I got experienced.
I'm saying, I think I'm ready to tell something because
I've been through something and I want to tell somebody
about it and helped them get through what they're going through,
(15:49):
like me too. And I think when I said I'm ready,
although I am afraid, just like Kiara here, I had
to even now this Kickstarter, this writing, exposing myself, this
being vulnerable with my art, of my creativity, I'm in
some ways a very similar journey through her as her,
you know, facing my fear and trying to turn it
into something. You know, so I'm also leaning into what
(16:11):
would she do in that kind of.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Way too, So I see, Yeah, why turn into the Kickstarter?
Speaker 2 (16:16):
What do you thought you thought Kickstarter was the best
platform to get your creative idea off the ground, Like,
what made you choose to do this?
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Yeah? I thought, you know, for one, in a time
like this, it would be advantageous for me to just
for one, it was advantageous for me to get the
word out to help you know, spread for marketing purposes,
to help me finish the book, because fifty plus pages
of story is a lot of work, and you know,
helping getting funding to help finish that for people who
(16:45):
believe in the projects, who want to invest in me,
is a dream come true. And also Kickstarter is just
you know, one of the more, if not the most
popular power funding platform out here. So I wanted to
try my hand at that. Although there were other viable options,
I know they had the requirements that some of them
weren't exactly feeling. But I didn't want to just try
my hand on kickstart to see because that's say, that's
(17:07):
been the thing for people for them.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
And I asked, because there are creators in your position
that are trying to figure out how do they get funding?
Speaker 1 (17:14):
How do they get their project finished? They know they
need thousands?
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Is this like you know, so they would love to
know what your experience has been. I mean, I am
looking at your kickstarted right now. You have a fifteen
K goal, you're at thirty one hundred, you have twenty
three days to do it right, and you are, as
you mentioned, you're doing this scared right, like you don't
know what's going to happen, but you are driving forward
and I think that's really powerful, right, Like you you
(17:38):
may not know that this is going to go the
way you want, but you're driving forward, right and you're
doing what you can and get the word out.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
Let me tell you. When I hit that launch button,
immediately I felt like I had a panic attack. Seriously,
I was like, oh my god, I did what if that?
Like all the what if starts popping up my head
and I had to call one of my friends, No, Greg,
you know, I had to call him. I was like, Greg, Oh,
please help me. I'll figured out what if this happens.
I'm like, oh dude. So you know that was the
(18:05):
anxiety part. But you know, I have to think about
the worst case scenario, and that is I will fail,
being afraid of my failure and being afraid of feeling
like I'm a failure, and so I have to really
sit with that. I said, Okay, Jay, you know what
this is about. So let's get to the bottom of it.
Let's get to the bottom of your worst fear in
this moment and nip it in the butt and face it.
And so let's say the kickstarter does fail, Does that
(18:26):
mean you or the story are a failure. No, it
means a variety of different things may occur that you
may need to fix, you may need to revisit because
people still believe in you and the story. So sit
with that and know that even if this does not succeed,
you will still succeed. And I have to sit with it.
I said, Okay, you right, Jay, Damn you ate that
a little bit, you know.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
So I'm like, you have sixty seven backers and I
don't know people because of social media in the way
numbers are distorted. Literally, you walk into a room right
now and sixty seven people say here's some money. That's
a significant amount of people, exactly similar to like if
you walk in the room and fifty people say you
look good, that's a little people. When people get the
(19:05):
fifty first, they think they needn't do nothing. I'm just like,
you kind of have to look at it differently. And
this is not trying to make this is not trying
to be a you know, half last fool person. This
is this is fact, and I think that gets lost,
especially in this digital age where where numbers are don't
feel tangible anymore.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Like absolutely you do have a lot.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Of people interested in this project, including us, because we're
talking about it right now.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
Yeah, and thank you for that. I appreciate that. And yes,
as you said, like this can be dehumanizing in some
ways because you are essentially we're doing this in a
capitalist society, recognizing that first of all, super important that
we don't this is not ideal for any of us.
Ideally we would have the ability to fun or do
what we wanted to do in an unideal world. But
since we're here, how do we navigate this in the
(19:49):
best way scenario? So for me, I try to approach
this with a lot of grace by coming from a
place of understanding that knowing that people are going through
a lot, And so when I even ask for support,
like I don't get straight up, I try not to
straight up ask. I just say, hey, is there something
I can do for you? Is there you know, things
like reciprocating that kind of stuff. So yeah, that's important
(20:10):
for me as well.
Speaker 4 (20:12):
Mhm. And something that I really like reading about the
story and everything on the kids Starter is it. And
I see you, you know over here rocking the Superman
shirt of course as well. Yeah, so you talked about
how you know in your life you've done and you've
even mentioning on the show already that you've been through
a lot. You've had a lot of grief, a lot
of depression. You talked about your own battles with OCD
(20:34):
and other things of that nature, and you really want
this book to inspire hoping people. And I really love
that because we've been talking about that a lot on
the show lately. When Superman and fantast Support came out,
we spoke about how a lot of sci fi and fantasy.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
I haven't seen it yet, don't spoil it.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
No, it inspired a lot of hope.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
Yeah, in general.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
The thing is that, yeah, in general, a lot of
me right now isn't very hopeful, especially in science fiction.
It doesn't really there's not a lot of forward thinking,
hopeful things. And so I like to see this book,
which you say inspire sope. So what's something that you
would like people to take from it?
Speaker 3 (21:15):
My hope is that with this book that readers can
have a chance to, I think again, be inspired by
their own ability to face their own fear, to be
inspired by their own strength and their own power to
just go out and like inspire change and be a
force for good in the world. Like we all I think,
(21:36):
or many of us have that ability. I think many
of us doubt ourselves, whether because we are afraid, whether
because we're waiting for someone else to do it. But
then I'm going to ask you one question, why not you?
Speaker 4 (21:51):
I don't want to get shot?
Speaker 2 (21:54):
A lot of it is sometimes self preservation, right, and
it's all of it's just straight up fear and having
a hard time to overcoming that fear.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Yeah, And I do think that's important. I think what's
now it's also like individualism and this idea of like
you know and I it's it's hard because we do
want to protect ourselves. What they rely on is this
whole individualism aspect of like just me, just me and
look out for me. And that's because community is what's
going to get us out of this. But we got
(22:23):
to learn how to face that together.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
And that's the thing though, And that's something that I've
been really working at, is building more community because it feels,
like like Tydana was saying, in this digital age, it's
really difficult to find community that really matters.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
Is what I would say.
Speaker 4 (22:40):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, and like like minded individuals because we
spend a lot of time online just arguing, and it's
designed for that. You know, it's straight up designed to
build confusion and division amongst people, and so it's more
and more.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
Difficult to find community.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
And so I really liked that. And one other thing
I really really really loved about this book or just
you know, what you're putting into it so far, is
the history that we're seeing in Detroit. And I saw
it felt like to mention some Epha missions, you know,
some Yoruba, some all kinds of things in there. But
also I wanted you to know about the wall that
(23:21):
you mentioned before and what was the story behind that.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Yeah, so the Burdwood Wall, it's like a red line
wall that was introducing Detroit in the early nineteen hundreds,
and so it was another similar to what happened in
the South. It was just another opportunity by which white
folks came in and said, hey, we want to make
(23:45):
sure that we protect our communities, our spaces. You're finding
that black people are coming on our side of town,
and so let's look up this wall to help divide
and you know, increase property value in what like a
literal wall, a littal wall, that's history of and but
but the beauty of the wall today and this is
what is you know, again going back to the name
(24:06):
of the story of turning fear into power, it is
now a canvas for all these beautiful murals. I knew it.
The people in the community who it turns into something,
something repurposed.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
Yeah, see, I mean that's what you do.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
You didn't have to finish as soon as you're like,
you know, the beauty is like you knew that joint.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
We're gonna add arcs. That's what we are, yeah, And
that's that's who we are as a people.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
And that's what part of the story is about too.
And that's why I wanted to highlight the de trade
up rising in like the bird Wood Wall, and we'll
see that other aspects of that will be highlighted into
the story as well.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
So I think that's great history.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
I mean, obviously this is history that continuously gets buried,
you know, American history that gets buried anyway.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
So but you just I had no idea that was
such a wall.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Like, I know, these walls exist, we see them all
over the world, really, but I've always known about the
world stuff. Before I knew about what's happened right or
what has happened right here in this country. I had
no idea there was an essentially on a park tide
wall right there in.
Speaker 3 (24:59):
The Okay, yeah, no idea.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
So there to this day.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
I mean, granted it may not serve the same purpose
or maybe you know, in hell and figuratively maybe a do. Right,
Maybe it's still some remnists about you know, it's it's
a literal symbol of redlining, right, So exactly. I think
that's because again, a lot of these terms and concepts
are so vague, right and amorphos to people. When you
talk about red lining and gerem mendery and all this
(25:27):
other stuff, like people don't know what that means. But
then when you showed them, like yo, there was the
actual wall that they built to keep black folks out.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
Exactly, that's different. Yeah, even people that are read their
previe was like, oh man, I didn't know about the
birdwood wall, Like yeah, yeah, that's how we need more
stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
I mean, you're you're doing the work that a lot
of like really like great great shows recently like Watchmen
and all these other things have done to try to
pull into the forefront history that has actually occurred, right,
And yes it may be steeped in the fictional story,
but it's real things that have happened, like total really happened, right,
you know, there's all these different things that really truly
had and are as mentioned, they're hidden or they're just
(26:03):
undertaught or whatever the case means, they've.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
Been actively erased to that race, right. Literally, that's and
that's the thing we're it's literally, uh, an intentional movement
against us in our stories, our history, to erase it.
They're the whole book banning, the book burnings, like and
we there has to be an intentional effort to combat that,
I think, and I want to be a part of that,
you know with this story.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
You know, I just want to kind of writing along
the same lines as Ben mentioned in community and all
this stuff. You have hero Nation, which tell me more
about what heronation is. Like, is this your publishing arm
Is this just your community where you're trying to bring
in others?
Speaker 1 (26:42):
It is just just your house? Like what is hero Nation?
Speaker 4 (26:45):
So?
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Hero Nation is my creative studio, So okay, I do
that with do my do there? I do my illustration work,
my brand designing, uh, and my branch strategy work. But
ideally in the future, like I want to make this
a space where creatives can come in. I want to
make it a whole thing. I wanted to make this
a legit studio space, a delegit studio where I can
have other creative creative studio or creatives and come and join,
(27:08):
and U join the movement of telling, of the mission
of really centering stories around black folk that are fictional,
that are inspired, you know, this positive change. Because my
voice can only get so far.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
I'm not you know, only one person.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Apply on my uh my concept. So I'm trying. I'm
trying to just preferably we'll come a point where I
have to say, like, Okay, I got to get someone
else's voice in here and things like that. But that's
the go for me in the future.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
Yeah, and I'm on your side like i've been. I
was looking through your portfolio. I mean, you have this
really amazing, like really beautiful arts, very expressive, lots of color,
the ones that are very colorful, lots of color work,
and my favorite probably this storm one that's that's his
black power on it, Like, yeah, I love has her
black suit that's fire. Even Joel Joel, our social media manager,
(28:04):
he has one of your Nubia prints on at home.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
It's probably the Champion Nubia I probably yeah, probably.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Yeah, exactly that one.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
So I mean I'm sharing that to also lets you know,
like it's true that your art and your your work
is reaching you know.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Joel's always you know, all the way on the other
side of country.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
And I'm saying like and and there's people in between,
and we mentioned the sixty seven people already supporting you,
like you are already on the path to reaching you know,
those going back beyond your borders, right and going closer
to where you want to be, which is having this
space for where more creatives can grow.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
Yeah, thank you, Thank you. I really appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
Yeah, absolutely, And I mean you've also some of your work.
You said, it's a period in like Netflix and other places, like.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Where where else have you worked?
Speaker 4 (28:54):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (28:55):
How was those experiences?
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Well a while ago. This is, like I said, like
a long long time ago. I think wasn't that longer.
But I was in a campaign for Netflix back at
twenty seventeen, and it was called the first time that
they I saw me, and they asked me this question,
like when was the first time you saw yourself represented controls.
I had such a hardhome answering that question because the
reason why is I didn't never I never saw all
(29:18):
of me in just a character, just you know, it
was just pieces of me I saw in different characters,
and like, for example, I saw a piece of me,
and in Virgil I saw a piece of me, and
Superman I saw a piece of me. And Xena like,
you know this queer kid, you know, who didn't have
a lot of cue representation, like Xena was like, I
was like, why am I liking her?
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Like that Zena was that girl?
Speaker 3 (29:40):
Ooh, but yeah she was all would be that girl.
But no, I did that. And then sometime after that,
I did some work for Luke Cage. It was it
was that was great, and I think after that, I've
been doing I do murals, I do outside of commissions,
like the comic book stuff. I've done neurals, I've done
(30:04):
exhibition spaces, I've done museum I designed the museum exhibition.
So I just got done literally designing, like not too
long ago, a museum space for a black Bottom exhibition,
which black Bottom for now people are not familiar with,
or was a prominent community here that was decimated. It
was here in Detroit that was decimated in the nineteen
fifties and sixties. But it was very very one like
(30:26):
a lot of here in the United States, a lot
of black communities around that time where it was flourishing.
They were struggling, but they did the best that they
could with what they had and they were flourishing, you know,
with that. But that community was eventually destroyed for urban
renewal and so as that was uprooted, you know, that
was what the story was there. But I designed an
(30:47):
exhibition for that. So I do all kinds of things
in the creative space, but I try to keep it
in the in the vein of you know, as in
my mission of you know, spreading awareness and social activism
and nerd them and stuff like that.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Absolutely, this is really good.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
I just hope you know that you know, you're helping
to also inspire other people who want to be creatives,
and you know, before we move on to the next
part of this interview, were there any advice you want
to give to budding creatives that want to at least
get to your step, Like for some people looking at you, like, oh,
he made it to the kickstarter phasebook.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
You know I'll never get there. Like, what advice do
you have?
Speaker 3 (31:23):
I hope they don't say that? Please friends?
Speaker 4 (31:25):
People do?
Speaker 1 (31:25):
People do?
Speaker 4 (31:28):
Say everything?
Speaker 3 (31:29):
Give yourself grace, you know, give yourself grace. And I
think one that and nothing I want to say is
know your why because in the times when you do
doubt yourself life like that, you write down and you're
questioning and you're doing your kickstarted question if people are
going to support you and you have a story in mind,
you have to know why you're telling that story. Why
do you believe in yourself? Why? You know your why?
(31:52):
And that will get you through those times because that
you know, when I'm crying, am I questioning? Am I
on the right path? And then I remember why I'm
doing this? I get the hell up and I said,
I know why. Let me remind myself from one of
who I am and why I'm doing this And so
that's so important. So that would be one of the
biggest piece of advice. I would tell you, So know
your why, friend, and that will help you. And having
(32:15):
that guy and that true north will help you get
your get your journey.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
Very well said, Yeah, that's a bar and a lot
of the things you said today are right, you know,
some good advice for people, and just true knowledge to you.
I wanted to one what you just said is something
I always tell people in regards to anything creative. But
I've always said that with DJing, especially, like if you
don't love it, don't do it, because eventually you're going
you know, it looks cute on the outside, but eventually
(32:41):
you're gonna run into a lot of stuff that made
it where you better love this stuff.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
It ain't always teaching.
Speaker 4 (32:47):
No, definitely. And then the other one you were talking
about is how you felt like you weren't seen fully
and I, you know, even myself, I always felt that
because people would be like, oh, you're black, you must
Storm must be you know, you must love Storm, and
I'm like, nah, Actually, I grew up having a crush
on Rogue and my favorite you know who I thought
(33:08):
I saw myself in with Scott Summers, so you know,
and it was this white dude who just happened to
be more like who I was.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
It was more personality yeah yeah.
Speaker 4 (33:17):
Than any other characters. So I never really found it
wasn't until recently, like with people like Prodigy and stuff
like that where I was like, okay, yeah, yeah, there's
the X man who I felt like, you know, that's
who I was at that age.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
You know, it's like this, yeah, but exactly what you said,
look at it's now right right.
Speaker 4 (33:33):
Yeah, I'm a grown ass man dog and I had
to look back at thanks Prodigy. You know, if you've
been around back.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Then you know it's happening.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
And it's also because you have creators like Jay who
are putting this for now no, and.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
That's yeah, that's what I.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Was gonna say, Yeah, go ahead, go ahead, man.
Speaker 4 (33:49):
No, that's exactly what I'm to say. It's good that
you're putting this stuff out and then you're putting yourself
into all the stuff you do, so that for people
who are young and don't see themselves, they will start
to see that. So it's because of people like you.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Yeah, so so great work there, and I do want
people to make sure that they check out your kick
started for sure, So we'll talk about that again. But
before we get there, we do have a section of
our interviews called the brap segment where we do some
rapid fire question and answers.
Speaker 4 (34:22):
Are you ready, let's go?
Speaker 2 (34:24):
Okay, Magneto or Professor X magneto. You said that with
an attitude?
Speaker 1 (34:31):
What what I mean?
Speaker 3 (34:33):
They're both I think they both have you know, obviously
they're issues. But I'm learning more about professor.
Speaker 4 (34:40):
Yeah. You know, it gets like.
Speaker 3 (34:47):
I grew up like, oh, he's got to go like
taking the kids in and I'm like, I learned some stuff.
I'm like, oh okay, but so yeah, and I understand.
I like just the you know, although he had he's
technically in some places in an anti hero or villain
or whatever. But I like, I like that I'm creating
a character that Twitter resonates with me in that character
(35:08):
in him, so like him.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
That's the one. Yeah, I mean my shirt says it.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
You go, all right, let's see Superman or Batman? Yeah, Superman.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
You don't know, you don't like rich people that poor people.
You don't like to talk about Batman. You don't like
rich people that beat up poor people?
Speaker 1 (35:33):
What not to love does happened? Listen?
Speaker 2 (35:38):
This is Ben. This is actually that that comment is
actually from Ben. It has historically. I learned that from
Ben about uh, Bruce Wayne just being a rich person
that beats on poor people.
Speaker 4 (35:48):
Ruce Wayne has really lets Luthor. He just likes Superman,
you know, like that's the only difference between the two,
Like you know, yeah that too. Yeah yeah, and he
loves leather, you know what I mean. But yeah, yeah, man,
you know.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
Do you do you just decide question? Do you like horror?
The horror genre, horror films, horror? Yeah, yeah, you don't
mind it, okay?
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Mike Myers, Freddy or Jason uh Man.
Speaker 3 (36:20):
God, I think Freddi because, like just I say, because
it's history is more terrifying to me than that the
powers like nightmares, my god, like coming to life like
that was scary growing up. I'm like, turn this ship off, Like.
Speaker 4 (36:38):
I feel like Freddy has like a huge lead in
this one.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Yeah, he's the scariest one of me. I mean easily
won this one.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
But I'm just like, just for sheer reach alone, it
has to be Freddy.
Speaker 4 (36:50):
And and Freddy is not just the fear, it's the hilarity.
Like if he doesn't win on fear, he definitely wins
to me just for being.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
Just being funny.
Speaker 4 (36:57):
Be funny to you, yo, go back and watch them joints.
I mean, like, no, he is a comedian well England, Yeah,
that dude could have done stand up the guy playing
Freddy because he is hilarious.
Speaker 1 (37:10):
I had no idea.
Speaker 4 (37:11):
Oh my god, yeah, go back and watch he is.
He makes jokes on all the kills, especially like after
I think it starts in two, the very first one
he's terrifying, and then two he makes a hilarious joke that,
oh my god, I can quote to this day, and
then from three four five on it's just jokes.
Speaker 3 (37:26):
The Star Wars or Star Trek Star Wars. Nice.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
Okay, who was your first geek crush?
Speaker 3 (37:35):
He Oh my god, what.
Speaker 1 (37:40):
I gotta tell us?
Speaker 3 (37:41):
I don't know, like I have a geek crush.
Speaker 2 (37:44):
Was there like a first character when you saw you
were like, oh they're kind of cute. I might talk
to them, no, or do We were just like these
are all I'm not really messing with these people.
Speaker 3 (37:52):
Okay, okay, then go ahead.
Speaker 4 (37:58):
Then yeah, but then what character's death hurts you the most? Mmm?
Speaker 3 (38:05):
I got to sit with that. That's I have to
I have to probably sit with that. I don't have
an answer for that right now, but I don't have
to do.
Speaker 4 (38:13):
Yeah, I'm like, you don't love the molds like you
don't love them holes because I don't care if you live,
don't care you die, I don't care.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
What's your favorite superhero movie of all time?
Speaker 3 (38:35):
I don't. It's hard because there's some there on the
same level in some ways for different reasons. And I
want to say that the thing the the movie that
really moved me the most. I have to say there's
a Superman the movie because it's the one that kick
started my love and pass for superheroes. And I even like, yeah,
it was that the Superman. I remember having the vhs.
(38:57):
They had the tyrofoam or the plastic that opened up,
uh you know, and.
Speaker 4 (39:02):
You mean that the case to the click case, the yeah, yeah, yep.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
And here's the last one. If you can have any
one superpower, what would it be?
Speaker 3 (39:13):
Oh what? Uh maybe superstray. I'll figure it out because
you can get creative with that. You can creative super strength.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
Okay, I like it.
Speaker 2 (39:25):
Well, you have survived the brap segment, which also means
you have survived the four All Nerds interview. Thank you
so much again, mister j hero. Please let everyone know
where they can find you, where they can find your work,
and also again just if you can plug your Kickstarter
and what they need to do.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
To help you out.
Speaker 3 (39:41):
Yes, thank you so much. So you can find me
on all social media handles including Instagram, Twitter, Blue sky In,
TikTok or at I am j A y h E
r O. I'm Jay Hero. Also you can follow my
website at Hero Nationstudio dot and you want to check
(40:01):
out my Kickstarter, this information on my website. But also
if you want to go on Kickstarter, it's there too.
And also it's under all my bios on all my
websites all my social media platforms.
Speaker 1 (40:11):
Yeah, okay, excellent.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
And again Star Wilder issue number one, your fifty page
debut comic. So they they're probably they just google Star
Wilder in your name.
Speaker 1 (40:22):
They'll build absolutely.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
Actually I'm like the yes you it will pop up
on Google. I'll make sure my SEO was said as well. Okay,
So also I want to plug in and say I
am also accepting commissions and so if you want to
contact me for work, I am available for work as
well at hello at imjhroo dot com. That is my email.
Please so has it hesitate to reach out, I'll hook.
Speaker 1 (40:45):
You up wonderful. Well, thank you so much and guys
will be back with more for all next.
Speaker 3 (40:56):
What soup?
Speaker 4 (40:57):
Y'all, thank you for watching that video that you just watch.
Do one thing for me, hit the like, hit the
subscribe button, do it because you love us, Do it
for the cause.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
It's the fall nerd Show.
Speaker 4 (42:10):
For All Nerds Shows a member of the Loudspeaker's Network,
where we would always say rest in peace to our founder,
combat Jack.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
For All Nerds Show is powered by our listeners.
Speaker 2 (42:19):
Everything we do, from our podcasts, live events, our website
are all independently funded. Please continue to support us through
our Patreon page at patreon dot com.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
Slash for All Nerds
Hey, fan fam.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
On this episode, we welcome Jay Hero, an award winning illustrator,
graphic designer, and writer whose project Star Wielder is up
now on Kickstarter. It's a fifty page debut comic featuring
a black girl with firepowers, and she also teaches you
hunt racist right in the face. Hey, welcome back, fan
(00:29):
fam to another fantastic episode of four All Nerds. And
as usual, we're bringing you the best when it comes
into interviews, and today it's like unlike any other right,
we always have some amazing creators. This one is an
award winning illustrator, if I do say so myself, graphic designer, writer,
I know that you have a passion for social change
(00:51):
and you exhibit that and your creativity with your work.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
And you're the founder of Hero Nation.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
It's a creative studio that champions black and evers voices
through fiction. You are twenty twenty four Wordy of the
Arc Front Grant and your works have been featured by Netflix, DC, Comments, Image,
Ony Press and more. So, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome
Ja Hero.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Thank you. Oh my goodness, all those accolades just list
it out like that.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Yes, thank you so much for coming on the show.
I always got to upload everyone for listening to us.
We've been saying, if you have a comic or a
project or andy then you're working on, reach out to
us and tell us we want to talk to you.
And you diggest that you reached out to us.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
So thank you. Want to give you kuto kudos for that.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
And now here you are, so there are plenty of
people who've never seen you before, have no idea what
you've done, why you're even here on this show. Can
you please give people just an overview of what you're
working on and what you do.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Yeah. So, as you said, my name is Jay Hero.
I am just an avid believer in leaning into part
of my purpose and inspiring positive change in the world.
And I've always been that way to I was a kid,
and that's evolved differently from whether or not I want
to do things like directly protesting or using my or
(02:08):
organizing and started a nonprofit which I did you know
back in my twenties, and or doing storytelling that helps
to provide empowerment or provide awareness on issues that are
that are trying to be erased. So I am all
about using my gifts, my creativity to help empower and
(02:29):
uplift people, especially black folk, especially black queer folk, and
especially in that kind of space of spaces in a
way that I hope resonates, that provides and inspires a
sense of rest, respection and even self reflection on just
(02:49):
the of again, of empowerment, of understanding who we are
as a people, and things of that sort. And so
that is sort of being reflect that avidly in the
work that I'm currently working on, which is which was
a graphic novel turn into and now a comic book
series called Star Wielder, which is a story about turning
(03:11):
fear into power or emotional pain into strength. And so
we talk a lot about because we live in an
age full of very much, you know, social unrestings like that.
You know, age of fear is what I say, all
the fear mongering, all the hatred. You know, you also
wonder what it does to people on a mental health perspective.
You know a lot of us who are experiencing things
(03:33):
like chronic depression and anxiety or all those kinds of things.
And I think a lot of people are experiencing that
to a degree, you know, and I think creating stories
that recognize and hold space for those emotions and figuring
out ways that we could get through them not to
And I know there's this approach, and I think that
it's valid if that works for you. You know, I
(03:53):
think for me, like for example, when it comes to
things like fear, we tend to have an a that
fear needs to be just completely destroyed or annihilated out
of our lives. It has no place. But in my
research and the things that I've looked into in my experience,
fear does have a place. It's just about developing a
(04:14):
healthy relationship with it. It's supposed to warn you, to
tell you if things are right are wrong, something needs
to change in you. And so in this story in
Star Wielder again a story about turning fear into power,
it follows that journey through the eyes of a young
black and girl named kr Kelly, who is from Detroit,
(04:34):
who is paraphobic and one that develops the ability to
wield flames. And so we learn that in her journey
that part of it is about learning to face her fear,
to face her shadow, to face her fear of her
light of her strength, which a lot of people I
think can resonate with. But also as she's dealing with
all of this change, this traumatic evolution, if you will.
(04:56):
She's enduring a lot of grief and in the time
of law, a lot of time of death. Many of
us are experiencing a lot of grief right now and
really are questioning if and how can we hold all
of this and do we have the space to hold
all of this grief and pain? And on top of that,
how can we turn this into a source of strength
and power. And that's the journey that Kiawa has to
(05:18):
go through because she loses her grandmother who was a
pivotal figure in the Detroit community. And you know, that's
something that I've been resonating with as well, because you know,
I've been trying to create a story that also resonates
with my history with regards to honoring the black woman
in my life. I never really had an avid grandmother
(05:38):
growing up. They have all passed away, and so in
this story too, I'm also trying to create a grandmother
that I wish I had. Story through our journey and
this and this this woman that has meant so much
to her. So really, as we take this story, the
theme of the story fear into power, we see that
to explore through Kiaur's journey, through her grandmother's and her
(06:00):
name is Roxy, through Detroit's journey as a setting Detroit's people,
because we see it begins the story begins and issue
one and it starts nineteen sixty seven Detroit Rebellion, and
then we highlight the Birdwood Wall, which some people don't
know about. So honestly, I'm in this zone of storytelling,
(06:21):
of really in this playbox of again once again seeing
what I can do to brainforth positive change in the
world with my abilities here.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
So yeah, no, I appreciate that, and I appreciate the intro.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
This was like a nice thesis statement that you provided
to like give us an understanding. Let me just touch
back on something you said just about your history. You
know you mentioned you also do this because you want
to this story. One of the main points of stories,
having this grandmother that's around and really doing a lot
for this character, and that's something that you wish you have.
What is your background, Like, do you come from a
(06:56):
very could you also sound a little academic to me?
Speaker 1 (06:58):
I'm just like, do you have an academic background on this?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
You know a little bit of uh, you know, you
read a lot of self help books.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Like you sound like you've done a lot in this space.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
No, it just sounds like not to say that you
know everything right, but it sounds like that you've you know,
you've really contemplated and review this and really done some research,
you know, and maybe that could be.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
You know, you're in psychology. I don't know, but can
you tell us some more about that?
Speaker 3 (07:24):
So I do not have to do the great psychology
or anything, although those topics are very interesting. But I
am a very avid researcher. I try to read a
lot when it comes to understanding these things. When it
came to approaching storytelling again, you know, it's great to
have very uh cool thematic things like cool powers and
flashy effects and cool fight scenes, but you want something more,
(07:46):
at least for me, I want something. I wanted to
dig deeper, and so I felt like there was a
calling upon my life because I went through a lot
of traumatic experiences, you know, growing up. And I said,
you know what, there is probably someone out there who
needs to hear this, who is going through this depression
like me, who is having a hard time getting through
this fear, this shame, this grief. Whatever you're feeling like me,
(08:10):
what can I do to help people? And I want
to liken this to an experience I had back in
twenty seventeen where I launched. I organized a my own
comic con that was a free that was also called
hero Nation. I repurposed the name, but I had freeze toys,
free school supplies, free comic books, free video game tournaments,
free food. It was at a community center, a very
(08:32):
community centered event. And then I it was a successful event,
or said, it felt like home. It felt small but
not you know, but not too big. It felt very nice.
And I took that momentum when Black Panther came out
twenty eighteen, organized one hundred and fifty kids to see
if the movie at an event had a Black African drum,
a dance, dance performers come out and perform. We had
(08:53):
free black literature, black artists. I had commissioned pieces specifically
for this event. So that is this is where my
heart is. It's always been where it is when it
comes to trying to inspire this change with my creativity,
with my gifts and within the space of nerdom.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
And so and your gifts being illustration, like where did
that come from? Was that always throughout your life?
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Yeah? Yeah, Illustration has always been a thing, and me
and myself as a writer has definitely been Uh. I mean,
I've always beten on and off throughout my life, but
more recently it's been more especially especially pecifically in this medium.
Comic book medium is very new, it's very different, and
so I'm learning a lot about myself and this adventure.
And so as someone who tries to be very self reflective,
(09:34):
tries to be very mindful and intentional, I can't help
but be changed by this process. So it's digressing a bit.
So it makes me think like when people who create
these wonderful, beautiful characters who are you know, morally sound
and whatnot, turned out to be terrible. So for me,
it's like, as an artist, how can you not be
(09:55):
transformed by your process? And I'm allowing that. I'm being
open to that, allowing it to happen because I think
that's what should happen, because that's how you become a
better person. Because if you're creating characters like I've never
been a black girl, I've never been someone who had
certain physical disabilities, you know, things like that, But I'm
creating these things in my story. I think it presents
(10:16):
me an opportunity to further empathize and understand these perspectives
in a way that maybe I didn't understand before since
I wasn't given you know, I didn't allow myself the
space to explore that in that kind of way. And
so it gives me again an opportunity to practice empathy,
practice compassion, and all these different things. And I'm very
(10:38):
excited about the process.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
Nice Well, I know we were when we were reading
about it, and just you were distressing us and you
said that you talked about how one of her big
things is she has to overcome her own fear of
her own power. So what led you to choose Fire
as her power and her fear?
Speaker 3 (11:00):
Yeah, so that's an excellent question, by the way. So
for one, I think Fire has this, you know, we
see a lot of and across culture, across different mediums,
Fire has different connotations of it's supposed to represent anger
or things like that, and that's not something I want
I wanted to subvert, especially as a black girl, you know. There,
(11:22):
I wanted to place this character, to subvert this expectation
of this elemental ability which you know, you know, I
lean into that idea that originality is important, but it's
more important that your originality comes from the storytelling, comes
from you, but not necessarily from like you have to
have a completely unique power system per se, right, right,
So for me, it's like, let me just lean as
a fire. It's here, everyone wrong.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
I mean, I also see you mentioned you know it
has this negative connotations, but and a lot of culture
also has a positive connotation, and it has a connotation
of cleansing, right bringing, you know, clearing the way of
the old to make way for the new, right, rebirth,
things like that, and.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
I wanted to get into that. So about evolution, about transformation,
about healing, as you said too, and since we learn,
we'll learn that you know, her abilities are you know,
it's called storveal to for a reason, so you know,
it's all connected, and so we are just I am
just trying to really connect this idea of her physical
(12:21):
evolution with her emotional one so that it makes sense when,
for example, when she uses her powers like for the
first time, it's like this, and where she chooses to
use her powers for the first time, it's different than
what they happen to her, like that is a choice
she has to make because it really forces her to
face something she does not want to face, and she
has to do it alone. Ultimately, at the end of
(12:43):
the day, it's like when they say, I can lead
you to the water, but I cannot make you drink it.
You can have your whole community, all you know, your
whole family backing you up, leading you to the water,
but they cannot force you to drink it if you
do not want to. And so ultimately, you have to
face your fear on your own. And that's what she
has to make when she faces her power. So when
she does that, you know, I wanted to be a
(13:03):
moment that really resonates and that matters, and it's a
powerful moment. So just it's not just about the anger.
It's about the sadness, it's about the grief, it's about
the acceptance of self.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
Yeah, she definitely has some anger in her though.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, you're angry. Yeah, but I don't
want it to be like a thing where that's the.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Main focus, right, but the angry black girl exactly.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
Yeah, yeah, but she definitely you know, I was definitely
in the preview.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
I saw the punch.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
Yeah, but even before the punch, the words had a
bit more like, Yeah, I was a bit, you know,
fearful for old girl at that point. You know she
was definitely mouthed and off.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, all right. You know what I want
to go attle bit more about Star will do?
Speaker 2 (13:50):
You mentioned how that has obviously that the name has
meaning and connection to the fire and all that stuff.
This idea you mentioned on your Kickstarter it goes back
to twenty seventeen when you first created like this character.
What inspired you to revisit this character years later? Because I
see it was one from twenty seventeen to a jump
at twenty twenty three.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
Right, that's a long time.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
What happened between that time?
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Not really? Time's not that's right.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Time is a construct, right, you're right, But that's said.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
What happened to make you go back and say, you
know what, this is actually a viable idea?
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Was it just it was just the right time? Like,
tell me more about that.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Honestly, it came from the idea of me wanting to
I can't say what I want to think they didn't
It will give things away. But I don't want to
say nothing. But I would just say that I had
this idea. I saw this character that I did back
at twenty seven. It was just, you know, I was
just at the time, I said, let me just do
this character. I was practicing my illustration skills and I
tried to do more original art and I just did it.
And then I saw it. You know how Facebook reminds
(14:45):
you of old stuff and the flashback posts and throwbacks.
I'm like, huh. And I was looking for a story
to tell and I and I sat there with and
I'm said, you is this you know? And I don't
know if it was this was a call or answer
from the ancestors or or whatnot, but it resonated. I said,
let me let me take this. I feel like I
can do something with this. And it took me a
few iterations of Kiara to get to this point. As
(15:08):
you can saw on the Kickstarter, it took me a
couple versions of her to get to where she is today,
because at one moment, it was more very although the
story is sci fi fantasy with historical fiction things like
that it is, it was very much more sci fi
literarlier on, and then I added more fantastical elements and
(15:28):
then I was like, okay, this is changing who she is,
I'm like it and it was an adventure. So it
started off as that. And then when I added the
story to it and I went through shit, I went
through things, you know, I got wisdom, I got experienced.
I'm saying, I think I'm ready to tell something because
I've been through something and I want to tell somebody
about it and helped them get through what they're going through,
(15:49):
like me too. And I think when I said I'm ready,
although I am afraid, just like Kiara here, I had
to even now this Kickstarter, this writing, exposing myself, this
being vulnerable with my art, of my creativity, I'm in
some ways a very similar journey through her as her,
you know, facing my fear and trying to turn it
into something. You know, so I'm also leaning into what
(16:11):
would she do in that kind of.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Way too, So I see, Yeah, why turn into the Kickstarter?
Speaker 2 (16:16):
What do you thought you thought Kickstarter was the best
platform to get your creative idea off the ground, Like,
what made you choose to do this?
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Yeah? I thought, you know, for one, in a time
like this, it would be advantageous for me to just
for one, it was advantageous for me to get the
word out to help you know, spread for marketing purposes,
to help me finish the book, because fifty plus pages
of story is a lot of work, and you know,
helping getting funding to help finish that for people who
(16:45):
believe in the projects, who want to invest in me,
is a dream come true. And also Kickstarter is just
you know, one of the more, if not the most
popular power funding platform out here. So I wanted to
try my hand at that. Although there were other viable options,
I know they had the requirements that some of them
weren't exactly feeling. But I didn't want to just try
my hand on kickstart to see because that's say, that's
(17:07):
been the thing for people for them.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
And I asked, because there are creators in your position
that are trying to figure out how do they get funding?
Speaker 1 (17:14):
How do they get their project finished? They know they
need thousands?
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Is this like you know, so they would love to
know what your experience has been. I mean, I am
looking at your kickstarted right now. You have a fifteen
K goal, you're at thirty one hundred, you have twenty
three days to do it right, and you are, as
you mentioned, you're doing this scared right, like you don't
know what's going to happen, but you are driving forward
and I think that's really powerful, right, Like you you
(17:38):
may not know that this is going to go the
way you want, but you're driving forward, right and you're
doing what you can and get the word out.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
Let me tell you. When I hit that launch button,
immediately I felt like I had a panic attack. Seriously,
I was like, oh my god, I did what if that?
Like all the what if starts popping up my head
and I had to call one of my friends, No, Greg,
you know, I had to call him. I was like, Greg, Oh,
please help me. I'll figured out what if this happens.
I'm like, oh dude. So you know that was the
(18:05):
anxiety part. But you know, I have to think about
the worst case scenario, and that is I will fail,
being afraid of my failure and being afraid of feeling
like I'm a failure, and so I have to really
sit with that. I said, Okay, Jay, you know what
this is about. So let's get to the bottom of it.
Let's get to the bottom of your worst fear in
this moment and nip it in the butt and face it.
And so let's say the kickstarter does fail, Does that
(18:26):
mean you or the story are a failure. No, it
means a variety of different things may occur that you
may need to fix, you may need to revisit because
people still believe in you and the story. So sit
with that and know that even if this does not succeed,
you will still succeed. And I have to sit with it.
I said, Okay, you right, Jay, Damn you ate that
a little bit, you know.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
So I'm like, you have sixty seven backers and I
don't know people because of social media in the way
numbers are distorted. Literally, you walk into a room right
now and sixty seven people say here's some money. That's
a significant amount of people, exactly similar to like if
you walk in the room and fifty people say you
look good, that's a little people. When people get the
(19:05):
fifty first, they think they needn't do nothing. I'm just like,
you kind of have to look at it differently. And
this is not trying to make this is not trying
to be a you know, half last fool person. This
is this is fact, and I think that gets lost,
especially in this digital age where where numbers are don't
feel tangible anymore.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Like absolutely you do have a lot.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Of people interested in this project, including us, because we're
talking about it right now.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
Yeah, and thank you for that. I appreciate that. And yes,
as you said, like this can be dehumanizing in some
ways because you are essentially we're doing this in a
capitalist society, recognizing that first of all, super important that
we don't this is not ideal for any of us.
Ideally we would have the ability to fun or do
what we wanted to do in an unideal world. But
since we're here, how do we navigate this in the
(19:49):
best way scenario? So for me, I try to approach
this with a lot of grace by coming from a
place of understanding that knowing that people are going through
a lot, And so when I even ask for support,
like I don't get straight up, I try not to
straight up ask. I just say, hey, is there something
I can do for you? Is there you know, things
like reciprocating that kind of stuff. So yeah, that's important
(20:10):
for me as well.
Speaker 4 (20:12):
Mhm. And something that I really like reading about the
story and everything on the kids Starter is it. And
I see you, you know over here rocking the Superman
shirt of course as well. Yeah, so you talked about
how you know in your life you've done and you've
even mentioning on the show already that you've been through
a lot. You've had a lot of grief, a lot
of depression. You talked about your own battles with OCD
(20:34):
and other things of that nature, and you really want
this book to inspire hoping people. And I really love
that because we've been talking about that a lot on
the show lately. When Superman and fantast Support came out,
we spoke about how a lot of sci fi and fantasy.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
I haven't seen it yet, don't spoil it.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
No, it inspired a lot of hope.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
Yeah, in general.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
The thing is that, yeah, in general, a lot of
me right now isn't very hopeful, especially in science fiction.
It doesn't really there's not a lot of forward thinking,
hopeful things. And so I like to see this book,
which you say inspire sope. So what's something that you
would like people to take from it?
Speaker 3 (21:15):
My hope is that with this book that readers can
have a chance to, I think again, be inspired by
their own ability to face their own fear, to be
inspired by their own strength and their own power to
just go out and like inspire change and be a
force for good in the world. Like we all I think,
(21:36):
or many of us have that ability. I think many
of us doubt ourselves, whether because we are afraid, whether
because we're waiting for someone else to do it. But
then I'm going to ask you one question, why not you?
Speaker 4 (21:51):
I don't want to get shot?
Speaker 2 (21:54):
A lot of it is sometimes self preservation, right, and
it's all of it's just straight up fear and having
a hard time to overcoming that fear.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Yeah, And I do think that's important. I think what's
now it's also like individualism and this idea of like
you know and I it's it's hard because we do
want to protect ourselves. What they rely on is this
whole individualism aspect of like just me, just me and
look out for me. And that's because community is what's
going to get us out of this. But we got
(22:23):
to learn how to face that together.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
And that's the thing though, And that's something that I've
been really working at, is building more community because it feels,
like like Tydana was saying, in this digital age, it's
really difficult to find community that really matters.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
Is what I would say.
Speaker 4 (22:40):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, and like like minded individuals because we
spend a lot of time online just arguing, and it's
designed for that. You know, it's straight up designed to
build confusion and division amongst people, and so it's more
and more.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
Difficult to find community.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
And so I really liked that. And one other thing
I really really really loved about this book or just
you know, what you're putting into it so far, is
the history that we're seeing in Detroit. And I saw
it felt like to mention some Epha missions, you know,
some Yoruba, some all kinds of things in there. But
also I wanted you to know about the wall that
(23:21):
you mentioned before and what was the story behind that.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Yeah, so the Burdwood Wall, it's like a red line
wall that was introducing Detroit in the early nineteen hundreds,
and so it was another similar to what happened in
the South. It was just another opportunity by which white
folks came in and said, hey, we want to make
(23:45):
sure that we protect our communities, our spaces. You're finding
that black people are coming on our side of town,
and so let's look up this wall to help divide
and you know, increase property value in what like a
literal wall, a littal wall, that's history of and but
but the beauty of the wall today and this is
what is you know, again going back to the name
(24:06):
of the story of turning fear into power, it is
now a canvas for all these beautiful murals. I knew it.
The people in the community who it turns into something,
something repurposed.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
Yeah, see, I mean that's what you do.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
You didn't have to finish as soon as you're like,
you know, the beauty is like you knew that joint.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
We're gonna add arcs. That's what we are, yeah, And
that's that's who we are as a people.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
And that's what part of the story is about too.
And that's why I wanted to highlight the de trade
up rising in like the bird Wood Wall, and we'll
see that other aspects of that will be highlighted into
the story as well.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
So I think that's great history.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
I mean, obviously this is history that continuously gets buried,
you know, American history that gets buried anyway.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
So but you just I had no idea that was
such a wall.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Like, I know, these walls exist, we see them all
over the world, really, but I've always known about the
world stuff. Before I knew about what's happened right or
what has happened right here in this country. I had
no idea there was an essentially on a park tide
wall right there in.
Speaker 3 (24:59):
The Okay, yeah, no idea.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
So there to this day.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
I mean, granted it may not serve the same purpose
or maybe you know, in hell and figuratively maybe a do. Right,
Maybe it's still some remnists about you know, it's it's
a literal symbol of redlining, right, So exactly. I think
that's because again, a lot of these terms and concepts
are so vague, right and amorphos to people. When you
talk about red lining and gerem mendery and all this
(25:27):
other stuff, like people don't know what that means. But
then when you showed them, like yo, there was the
actual wall that they built to keep black folks out.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
Exactly, that's different. Yeah, even people that are read their
previe was like, oh man, I didn't know about the
birdwood wall, Like yeah, yeah, that's how we need more
stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
I mean, you're you're doing the work that a lot
of like really like great great shows recently like Watchmen
and all these other things have done to try to
pull into the forefront history that has actually occurred, right,
And yes it may be steeped in the fictional story,
but it's real things that have happened, like total really happened, right,
you know, there's all these different things that really truly
had and are as mentioned, they're hidden or they're just
(26:03):
undertaught or whatever the case means, they've.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
Been actively erased to that race, right. Literally, that's and
that's the thing we're it's literally, uh, an intentional movement
against us in our stories, our history, to erase it.
They're the whole book banning, the book burnings, like and
we there has to be an intentional effort to combat that,
I think, and I want to be a part of that,
you know with this story.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
You know, I just want to kind of writing along
the same lines as Ben mentioned in community and all
this stuff. You have hero Nation, which tell me more
about what heronation is. Like, is this your publishing arm
Is this just your community where you're trying to bring
in others?
Speaker 1 (26:42):
It is just just your house? Like what is hero Nation?
Speaker 4 (26:45):
So?
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Hero Nation is my creative studio, So okay, I do
that with do my do there? I do my illustration work,
my brand designing, uh, and my branch strategy work. But
ideally in the future, like I want to make this
a space where creatives can come in. I want to
make it a whole thing. I wanted to make this
a legit studio space, a delegit studio where I can
have other creative creative studio or creatives and come and join,
(27:08):
and U join the movement of telling, of the mission
of really centering stories around black folk that are fictional,
that are inspired, you know, this positive change. Because my
voice can only get so far.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
I'm not you know, only one person.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Apply on my uh my concept. So I'm trying. I'm
trying to just preferably we'll come a point where I
have to say, like, Okay, I got to get someone
else's voice in here and things like that. But that's
the go for me in the future.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
Yeah, and I'm on your side like i've been. I
was looking through your portfolio. I mean, you have this
really amazing, like really beautiful arts, very expressive, lots of color,
the ones that are very colorful, lots of color work,
and my favorite probably this storm one that's that's his
black power on it, Like, yeah, I love has her
black suit that's fire. Even Joel Joel, our social media manager,
(28:04):
he has one of your Nubia prints on at home.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
It's probably the Champion Nubia I probably yeah, probably.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Yeah, exactly that one.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
So I mean I'm sharing that to also lets you know,
like it's true that your art and your your work
is reaching you know.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Joel's always you know, all the way on the other
side of country.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
And I'm saying like and and there's people in between,
and we mentioned the sixty seven people already supporting you,
like you are already on the path to reaching you know,
those going back beyond your borders, right and going closer
to where you want to be, which is having this
space for where more creatives can grow.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
Yeah, thank you, Thank you. I really appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
Yeah, absolutely, And I mean you've also some of your work.
You said, it's a period in like Netflix and other places, like.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Where where else have you worked?
Speaker 4 (28:54):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (28:55):
How was those experiences?
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Well a while ago. This is, like I said, like
a long long time ago. I think wasn't that longer.
But I was in a campaign for Netflix back at
twenty seventeen, and it was called the first time that
they I saw me, and they asked me this question,
like when was the first time you saw yourself represented controls.
I had such a hardhome answering that question because the
reason why is I didn't never I never saw all
(29:18):
of me in just a character, just you know, it
was just pieces of me I saw in different characters,
and like, for example, I saw a piece of me,
and in Virgil I saw a piece of me, and
Superman I saw a piece of me. And Xena like,
you know this queer kid, you know, who didn't have
a lot of cue representation, like Xena was like, I
was like, why am I liking her?
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Like that Zena was that girl?
Speaker 3 (29:40):
Ooh, but yeah she was all would be that girl.
But no, I did that. And then sometime after that,
I did some work for Luke Cage. It was it
was that was great, and I think after that, I've
been doing I do murals, I do outside of commissions,
like the comic book stuff. I've done neurals, I've done
(30:04):
exhibition spaces, I've done museum I designed the museum exhibition.
So I just got done literally designing, like not too
long ago, a museum space for a black Bottom exhibition,
which black Bottom for now people are not familiar with,
or was a prominent community here that was decimated. It
was here in Detroit that was decimated in the nineteen
fifties and sixties. But it was very very one like
(30:26):
a lot of here in the United States, a lot
of black communities around that time where it was flourishing.
They were struggling, but they did the best that they
could with what they had and they were flourishing, you know,
with that. But that community was eventually destroyed for urban
renewal and so as that was uprooted, you know, that
was what the story was there. But I designed an
(30:47):
exhibition for that. So I do all kinds of things
in the creative space, but I try to keep it
in the in the vein of you know, as in
my mission of you know, spreading awareness and social activism
and nerd them and stuff like that.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Absolutely, this is really good.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
I just hope you know that you know, you're helping
to also inspire other people who want to be creatives,
and you know, before we move on to the next
part of this interview, were there any advice you want
to give to budding creatives that want to at least
get to your step, Like for some people looking at you, like, oh,
he made it to the kickstarter phasebook.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
You know I'll never get there. Like, what advice do
you have?
Speaker 3 (31:23):
I hope they don't say that? Please friends?
Speaker 4 (31:25):
People do?
Speaker 1 (31:25):
People do?
Speaker 4 (31:28):
Say everything?
Speaker 3 (31:29):
Give yourself grace, you know, give yourself grace. And I
think one that and nothing I want to say is
know your why because in the times when you do
doubt yourself life like that, you write down and you're
questioning and you're doing your kickstarted question if people are
going to support you and you have a story in mind,
you have to know why you're telling that story. Why
do you believe in yourself? Why? You know your why?
(31:52):
And that will get you through those times because that
you know, when I'm crying, am I questioning? Am I
on the right path? And then I remember why I'm
doing this? I get the hell up and I said,
I know why. Let me remind myself from one of
who I am and why I'm doing this And so
that's so important. So that would be one of the
biggest piece of advice. I would tell you, So know
your why, friend, and that will help you. And having
(32:15):
that guy and that true north will help you get
your get your journey.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
Very well said, Yeah, that's a bar and a lot
of the things you said today are right, you know,
some good advice for people, and just true knowledge to you.
I wanted to one what you just said is something
I always tell people in regards to anything creative. But
I've always said that with DJing, especially, like if you
don't love it, don't do it, because eventually you're going
you know, it looks cute on the outside, but eventually
(32:41):
you're gonna run into a lot of stuff that made
it where you better love this stuff.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
It ain't always teaching.
Speaker 4 (32:47):
No, definitely. And then the other one you were talking
about is how you felt like you weren't seen fully
and I, you know, even myself, I always felt that
because people would be like, oh, you're black, you must
Storm must be you know, you must love Storm, and
I'm like, nah, Actually, I grew up having a crush
on Rogue and my favorite you know who I thought
(33:08):
I saw myself in with Scott Summers, so you know,
and it was this white dude who just happened to
be more like who I was.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
It was more personality yeah yeah.
Speaker 4 (33:17):
Than any other characters. So I never really found it
wasn't until recently, like with people like Prodigy and stuff
like that where I was like, okay, yeah, yeah, there's
the X man who I felt like, you know, that's
who I was at that age.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
You know, it's like this, yeah, but exactly what you said,
look at it's now right right.
Speaker 4 (33:33):
Yeah, I'm a grown ass man dog and I had
to look back at thanks Prodigy. You know, if you've
been around back.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Then you know it's happening.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
And it's also because you have creators like Jay who
are putting this for now no, and.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
That's yeah, that's what I.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Was gonna say, Yeah, go ahead, go ahead, man.
Speaker 4 (33:49):
No, that's exactly what I'm to say. It's good that
you're putting this stuff out and then you're putting yourself
into all the stuff you do, so that for people
who are young and don't see themselves, they will start
to see that. So it's because of people like you.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Yeah, so so great work there, and I do want
people to make sure that they check out your kick
started for sure, So we'll talk about that again. But
before we get there, we do have a section of
our interviews called the brap segment where we do some
rapid fire question and answers.
Speaker 4 (34:22):
Are you ready, let's go?
Speaker 2 (34:24):
Okay, Magneto or Professor X magneto. You said that with
an attitude?
Speaker 1 (34:31):
What what I mean?
Speaker 3 (34:33):
They're both I think they both have you know, obviously
they're issues. But I'm learning more about professor.
Speaker 4 (34:40):
Yeah. You know, it gets like.
Speaker 3 (34:47):
I grew up like, oh, he's got to go like
taking the kids in and I'm like, I learned some stuff.
I'm like, oh okay, but so yeah, and I understand.
I like just the you know, although he had he's
technically in some places in an anti hero or villain
or whatever. But I like, I like that I'm creating
a character that Twitter resonates with me in that character
(35:08):
in him, so like him.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
That's the one. Yeah, I mean my shirt says it.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
You go, all right, let's see Superman or Batman? Yeah, Superman.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
You don't know, you don't like rich people that poor people.
You don't like to talk about Batman. You don't like
rich people that beat up poor people?
Speaker 1 (35:33):
What not to love does happened? Listen?
Speaker 2 (35:38):
This is Ben. This is actually that that comment is
actually from Ben. It has historically. I learned that from
Ben about uh, Bruce Wayne just being a rich person
that beats on poor people.
Speaker 4 (35:48):
Ruce Wayne has really lets Luthor. He just likes Superman,
you know, like that's the only difference between the two,
Like you know, yeah that too. Yeah yeah, and he
loves leather, you know what I mean. But yeah, yeah, man,
you know.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
Do you do you just decide question? Do you like horror?
The horror genre, horror films, horror? Yeah, yeah, you don't
mind it, okay?
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Mike Myers, Freddy or Jason uh Man.
Speaker 3 (36:20):
God, I think Freddi because, like just I say, because
it's history is more terrifying to me than that the
powers like nightmares, my god, like coming to life like
that was scary growing up. I'm like, turn this ship off, Like.
Speaker 4 (36:38):
I feel like Freddy has like a huge lead in
this one.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Yeah, he's the scariest one of me. I mean easily
won this one.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
But I'm just like, just for sheer reach alone, it
has to be Freddy.
Speaker 4 (36:50):
And and Freddy is not just the fear, it's the hilarity.
Like if he doesn't win on fear, he definitely wins
to me just for being.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
Just being funny.
Speaker 4 (36:57):
Be funny to you, yo, go back and watch them joints.
I mean, like, no, he is a comedian well England, Yeah,
that dude could have done stand up the guy playing
Freddy because he is hilarious.
Speaker 1 (37:10):
I had no idea.
Speaker 4 (37:11):
Oh my god, yeah, go back and watch he is.
He makes jokes on all the kills, especially like after
I think it starts in two, the very first one
he's terrifying, and then two he makes a hilarious joke that,
oh my god, I can quote to this day, and
then from three four five on it's just jokes.
Speaker 3 (37:26):
The Star Wars or Star Trek Star Wars. Nice.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
Okay, who was your first geek crush?
Speaker 3 (37:35):
He Oh my god, what.
Speaker 1 (37:40):
I gotta tell us?
Speaker 3 (37:41):
I don't know, like I have a geek crush.
Speaker 2 (37:44):
Was there like a first character when you saw you
were like, oh they're kind of cute. I might talk
to them, no, or do We were just like these
are all I'm not really messing with these people.
Speaker 3 (37:52):
Okay, okay, then go ahead.
Speaker 4 (37:58):
Then yeah, but then what character's death hurts you the most? Mmm?
Speaker 3 (38:05):
I got to sit with that. That's I have to
I have to probably sit with that. I don't have
an answer for that right now, but I don't have
to do.
Speaker 4 (38:13):
Yeah, I'm like, you don't love the molds like you
don't love them holes because I don't care if you live,
don't care you die, I don't care.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
What's your favorite superhero movie of all time?
Speaker 3 (38:35):
I don't. It's hard because there's some there on the
same level in some ways for different reasons. And I
want to say that the thing the the movie that
really moved me the most. I have to say there's
a Superman the movie because it's the one that kick
started my love and pass for superheroes. And I even like, yeah,
it was that the Superman. I remember having the vhs.
(38:57):
They had the tyrofoam or the plastic that opened up,
uh you know, and.
Speaker 4 (39:02):
You mean that the case to the click case, the yeah, yeah, yep.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
And here's the last one. If you can have any
one superpower, what would it be?
Speaker 3 (39:13):
Oh what? Uh maybe superstray. I'll figure it out because
you can get creative with that. You can creative super strength.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
Okay, I like it.
Speaker 2 (39:25):
Well, you have survived the brap segment, which also means
you have survived the four All Nerds interview. Thank you
so much again, mister j hero. Please let everyone know
where they can find you, where they can find your work,
and also again just if you can plug your Kickstarter
and what they need to do.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
To help you out.
Speaker 3 (39:41):
Yes, thank you so much. So you can find me
on all social media handles including Instagram, Twitter, Blue sky In,
TikTok or at I am j A y h E
r O. I'm Jay Hero. Also you can follow my
website at Hero Nationstudio dot and you want to check
(40:01):
out my Kickstarter, this information on my website. But also
if you want to go on Kickstarter, it's there too.
And also it's under all my bios on all my
websites all my social media platforms.
Speaker 1 (40:11):
Yeah, okay, excellent.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
And again Star Wilder issue number one, your fifty page
debut comic. So they they're probably they just google Star
Wilder in your name.
Speaker 1 (40:22):
They'll build absolutely.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
Actually I'm like the yes you it will pop up
on Google. I'll make sure my SEO was said as well. Okay,
So also I want to plug in and say I
am also accepting commissions and so if you want to
contact me for work, I am available for work as
well at hello at imjhroo dot com. That is my email.
Please so has it hesitate to reach out, I'll hook.
Speaker 1 (40:45):
You up wonderful. Well, thank you so much and guys
will be back with more for all next.
Speaker 3 (40:56):
What soup?
Speaker 4 (40:57):
Y'all, thank you for watching that video that you just watch.
Do one thing for me, hit the like, hit the
subscribe button, do it because you love us, Do it
for the cause.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
It's the fall nerd Show.
Speaker 4 (42:10):
For All Nerds Shows a member of the Loudspeaker's Network,
where we would always say rest in peace to our founder,
combat Jack.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
For All Nerds Show is powered by our listeners.
Speaker 2 (42:19):
Everything we do, from our podcasts, live events, our website
are all independently funded. Please continue to support us through
our Patreon page at patreon dot com.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
Slash for All Nerds
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