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BREAKING STORIES...
Jiba Molei Anderson: Birth of the New Mythology
By Eye Candy at Afropunk,
February 2015
"My work examines the root of the superhero, mythology, thereby taking an esoteric approach to the genre.
Mythology allows me to craft
a story featuring people with
extraordinary abilities that though they use those powers for good, they are still subjected to the same feelings and frustrations
we all have living in these
modern times."
The Horsemen: Riders on the Storm
By Bill Baker, August 2011
"According to Anderson, 'The Horsemen started as my thesis for graduate school at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997. I wanted to write, design and illustrate a book on the history of African American superheroes and their connection to African American folklore and African mythology-specifically, the Yoruba religion of Nigeria. Each chapter was going to be titled after one of the Orishas (manifestations of Olodumare, or God)...'"
Beyond Impossible: Jiba Molei Anderson's Afro-Odyssey
By Julian Chambliss, January 2015
"I wanted the world of The Horsemen to feel real, free from the mythology of Afrocentrism and its adherence to Egyptology. I wanted to work with a different African faith system, a system that when The Horsemen was created (in 1997), no one, I mean NO ONE, was thinking of. No one was thinking of using the Orishas as a launch point for a comic book world at that time. I wanted to focus more so on the Western part of the continent where my family, and the majority of African Americans hail from. I wanted The Horsemen to be different and contemporary… It needed to be different and contemporary."
Jiba Anderson on the ‘character of color’ template, a light seldom reached, and indie initiative
By Worlds Away, February 2013
"As an artist, you’re always comparing yourself to not only your contemporaries, but your influences as well. It’s the classic dichotomy of the artist’s ego and the artist’s insecurity.
In terms of creating characters of color, the natural inclination is to feel that DC and Marvel at once created a template, but we as fans of color have always been critical of that template; 'The Man' hasn’t done enough to represent us in the light we would like to see ourselves portrayed."
Black comic artists convention coming to Detroit
By The Michigan Chronicle,
August 2015
While there’s been a lot of press in the comic book world about the lack of creators of color working in comics, that question usually focuses on the big companies,
DC and Marvel. Once you get down to the independent scene, Anderson says, there’s absolutely no lack at all.
“There’s an erroneous complaint about hiring creators of color and writers of color. The argument always is, ‘We can’t find those people, do they even exist?'” he says. “We’ve always been around. In the last 30 years there’s been a huge upswell in creators of color.”
Meet the Independents: Jiba Molei Anderson
By Ryn Frasier, September 2015
"Study your craft. Whether it is art, writing or both. Become the absolute best you can possibly be. Be aware of the design of comics (i.e. lettering, logo and package design, etc.). Peep game on how other companies market their books to a wider audience and follow that road map while defining your own lane.
Don’t be a fan of comics. Be a student of comics. That means reading more than just Marvel or DC. Be different. Be unique. Bring your experience and culture into your creation."
Out of Africa
By Ed M. Koziarski, July 2009
"'My goal,' Anderson notes, 'was to say, 'Yeah, they're black—get over it. I'm about to write some shit up in here, and I'm about to liberally reference African and African-American culture, but I'm also about to liberally reference world culture.' The Horsemen are not fighting drug dealers. They're not battling homelessness or inner-city crime or any of the typical tropes that you assign to black superheroes.'"
Black superheroes breaking out, but who gets to tell their story?
By Christopher Borrelli, September 2016
"I'm creating my own legacy — I don't need to create a black Batman, I need to create my brand."
Renowned artist Kerry James Marshall recognizes the work of Jiba Molei Anderson in this article from the Chicago Tribune.
Jiba Molei Anderson - Afrofuturism & The Horsemen
By Chester Alamo Costello, January 2018
"Diverse voices in comics appear to be gaining much deserved attention.
Created by Jiba Molei Anderson and published by Griot Enterprises, The Horsemen offers a futuristic African American narrative through merging the superhero genre with a thoughtful (and action-packed) investigation utilizing the spirit of African deities."
Comics are Hip Hop - The Remix
By Birth of Hip Hop, January 2018
"The creators of what would become the basis of superhero mythology (i.e. Siegel & Shuster, Kane & Finger, Marston, and Lee & Kirby) came from impoverished and marginalized first-generation immigrants whose hopes and dreams manifested in these new literary beings, which inspired generations… Kinda like what Hip Hop did."
The Black Panther Viewed as Historic Moment for Black Cinema
By Brandon Pope, February 2018
"The release of "Black Panther"
is being viewed as a historic moment for black cinema. Local black comic creator Jiba Molei Anderson sees this as an opportunity for more characters
to shine. Brandon Pope caught
up with him before
the movie dropped."
Living Legends: Jiba Molei Anderson
By Carlos Perez, May 2018
"Many of my family members are educators and some were political and historical figures including my mother’s father.
On the flip side, the American side, my people are hard workers, hustlers and grinders who don’t let obstacles get in their way. They have the ability to make things happen through sheer determination and will."