Sponsored.  YouNeek Studios, founded by Dwayne McDuffie nominee Roye Okupe, features a YouNiverse of superheroes based on African stories by African creators, influenced by African history, mythology, politics, and more. Dark Horse Comics is proud to partner with YouNeek Studios to share the YouNeek YouNiverse with a global audience.  For more details, see here.

From YouNeek Studios founder Roye Okupe:
"As a creator, I spend a lot of my time reflecting on characters, world-building, plot, business ideas, etc.  But come February, every year, I do my best to dive deeper into what I consider a more meaningful form of reflection: Black History.

Typically, my reflection begins with the question: what does Black History mean to someone like me who was born and raised in Nigeria for the first half of their life and then, for the other half, grew up in the United States?  More often than not, the answer to that question is Legacy and Excellence.

I am a product of many who came before me and paved the way so that I can thrive in my craft as a writer (Legacy).  Because of that, I'm motivated every single day of the year by one goal: to create the most authentic and compelling characters and worlds ever seen in comics via my stories—Iyanu, Malika, E.X.O., WindMaker, etc.—(Excellence).

With these two tenets, I hope to honor the sacrifice of the real-life superheroes who came before me."

Coming Up Next:
Iyanu: Child of Wonder Vol. 3 will continue the popular tale of Iyanu and her new companions as they try to save Yorubaland from an ancient curse.  Details and pre-order info here.

Iyanu will soon be an animated series on HBO Max/Cartoon Network, overseen by Black-owned animation studio LionForge Animation.  More details here.


More YouNeek Studios Titles Now Available:

All YouNeek books are suggested for ages 12-14 and up.

Find a full reading guide to the YouNeek YouNiverse of related titles here!