Is the African superhero comic Mhare Zimbabwe’s answer to Marvel’s Avengers? The creation of what could become the greatest African superhero comic book of all time, began with a question – “What is an African superhero?”
For years now, the superhero archetype has been a Caucasian male figure in a cape and/or a super tight suit. Very rarely have superheroes been portrayed as people of colour and even less so, as people from Africa.
This fact did not pass the notice of renowned Zimbabwean comic artist and founder of Cross Caption Comix (CCX), Tinodiwa Zambe Makoni. Tinodiwa Zambe Makoni is also co-founder of the Zimbabwean Digital Arts Convention, Comexposed, and the brains behind the upcoming African superhero comic book Mhare.
Having been in the creative industry for a little over fifteen years and being an avid consumer of superhero tales, Makoni has noticed the lack of authentic African-based heroes in the stories he has seen and also created.
In a bid to change that, Makoni set out to write his very own authentic African superhero story, releasing the very first Zimbabwean action superhero 2 in 1 comic book, The Gift/Gundog in 2009, which sold out country wide. Now he is working on the upcoming Mhare.
All About The Superhero comic Mhare
Mhare (Shona for Warrior) is set in a world where superheroes have become common worldwide. In the midst of this world exists a disillusioned superhero named Gambanyika.
For years, Gambanyika has protected the nation of Zimbabwe from numerous and dangerous threats, but still his people are ungrateful.
Just as he begins to questions his role as a hero, a new threat arises within the country. Gambanyika must once again rise up to protect his people. Except this time he doesn’t have to do so alone. He is joined by a group of rising heroes from different parts of the nation and together they must face an evil that threatens Zimbabwe.
After writing The Gift, in 2009, Makoni sought to create a completely different story. Whilst The Gift followed the story of a young, lone superhero Makoni desired to write a story that followed a team of superheroes, one that would represent not only Zimbabwe but Africans as a whole.
Speaking in an interview, Makoni confessed that the characters he had written in the past hadn’t truly represented himself as a Zimbabwean black man or the people he knew.
This, he admitted, was largely because of where he drew his creative inspiration from, popular Western superheroes. Think Fantastic Four and Justice League.
Whilst their stories were without a doubt exciting and full of adventure one thing was evident, their lives were far too different from his own. All their battles happened in some far flung place in the West or in New York.
Makoni’s desire was to write a superhero team up story that felt a lot closer to home. That meant asking himself some very thought provoking and probing questions and those were “What is an African superhero” and “What would he look like?”
After the questions were asked, Makoni had a platform on which to start building his African superhero. The next step was redesigning what he and so many people had come to believe to be a superhero. That meant departing from the status quo and abandoning every single Western reference point he had. (Sorry, Justice League!)
The end result was the creation of Gambanyika, a superhero with a very African name, also wearing a super tight suit but one more reminiscent of ancient African attire.
In the words of Makoni, Gambanyika is “our {Zimbabwe’s} idea of strength courage, honour and forthrightness”, simply put Gambanyika is for Zimbabwe what Captain America is for America.
After creating this new hero, Makoni launched his prologue of the african superhero comic Mhare in 2017 to introduce Gambanyika to the world.
Now three years later, Makoni is ready to delve deeper into Gambanyika’s world with the introduction of an African superhero team, one that also more accurately represents Africa and the people of Zimbabwe.
The superhero team will be made up of heroes of different ages who come from different regions within Zimbabwe and all have unique backgrounds.
That way everyone within the country will be able to see themselves reflected in the story.
It’s a good thing too, because more representation and a clearer reflection is what we as Africans need. When we look up at the screen we need to be able to see ourselves and know that we are capable of greatness. We need to know that we to can save the day, we too can make a difference and we too can be heroes, maybe even better Heroes.
The first six issues of Mhare are scheduled to be released in 2021. Once out, they will be made available digitally on the Comexposed and Cross Caption Comix website, completely free. Fans can also be on the lookout for more issues and exclusive print editions of his work at future creative events.
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