Dave Campbell is an Indy comics creator who has loved comics since he was a kid. His first attempt at creating his own comic was from as early as 5th grade.
- Introduce yourself to our readers.
- Yo! What’s up people!? Indy comics creator, Dave Campbell here. I’ve loved comics since I was a kid and started drawing from them at that time as well. My first attempt at creating my own comic was around 5th grade. Black Lightning #1 had just come out and we were all hyped because we had another black superhero! Literally it was the talk of the school among black males. Even if you weren’t a comic book fan you could walk into a drug store and see that cover. I wish I had saved my copy. Anyway, I didn’t get very far on my own comic but the effort was there. I had been trying to tell stories in the medium off-and-on over the years with a few cool strips but never a book and most attempts were incomplete. I grew in my faith and felt led to do comics with a faith-based theme and that is when I was finally able to complete something. I guess I just needed a greater purpose, so here I am!
- How did you get started in the comic industry?
- I was at a men’s bible study when I shared that I had always wanted to do a comic. Another guy in the group, Jeff Williams, whom I had already known for over 5 years, said that he had always wanted to write comics. We decided to pursue this and seven-and-a-half years later our first graphic novel, The Calling, was released.
- Who were your early influences?
- It’s weird, as much as I drew as a kid, I never paid attention to who drew the comics I was reading. I didn’t start paying attention to the artist’s styles until I was much older. But I read Marvel, DC, and Archie. So Jack Kirby and John Romita, Jr. would have to be in there with the Archie artists. I like cartoon art in general though so I gotta through Charles, M. Schultz into the mix too.
- What comic books did you collect or read while growing up?
- Mostly Marvel stuff. Mostly Spider-man titles, i.e., “Amazing” and “Spectacular” as well as Marvel team-ups. In addition to this, I bought anything with a black character on the cover. When I was about 14 or so I got into the X-men so I started trying to find old, 12 cent comics at a local comic book shop to get their back story. Before we started going to that shop our entry into comics was the spinner racks at the drug store.
- Who do you think are the top five black superheroes out there and why?
- OK, so this answer is going to be biased to a specific time frame because these heroes were available to me as a kid. So even though they were often poorly written by white writers, they were black! It was a special feeling to see a brutha on the cover of a comic when you walked into the store. So, Black Panther because he was first and comes from black royalty. Luke Cage AKA , Powerman (as in black power) because he was a Blaxploitation hero who was from the hood. Storm because she was a black woman hero. Again, because I relate this type of question to my childhood I want to throw in Black Lightning and Black Goliath. But one can’t deny the impact and significance of the Milestone characters that were introduced to us in the early 90’s so I will put Static and Icon in slots 4 and 5.
- If you could rewrite any character which one would it be and why?
- Good question, one that I haven’t thought about. When reading comics I would get hyped but that only made me want to create my own characters. I never said, “this character is dope or wack, I want to make up stories for him.” That said, Luke Cage is a really cool character, black Superman from the hood who can’t fly so I guess I would choose him.
Related: Learn all about Dave Campbell’s Spade here!
- Given the success of books like Watson & Holmes and Midnight Tiger, what other books do you see having mainstream appeal?
- So when I hear “mainstream,” I think of titles that will appeal to everyone, not just black folk. So I’m gonna go with Genius which is about a 16-year-old black girl named Destiny who is a genius at tactical warfare and leads a war against bad cops. Also, Bitter Root which is about a black family of monster hunters. This book feels like a Jordan Peele movie in comic form. I won’t spoil who the monsters are but both of these titles address race relations with the police and others which is very timely given everything that is going on. So yeah, anything good that addresses these issues is now “mainstream ready” since white folks are beginning to listen.
- If there were anything you would say to someone looking to get into the comic industry; especially a person of color; what would it be?
- Learn your craft. Draw, write, and pay attention to what’s out there so that your content is competitive with what the big dogs are doing. This will do two things. It will position you to seriously start shopping yourself to work on titles for established publishers and it will make your own work good enough to stand and hold up among titles by established publishers if you decide to self-publish. Also do it for the love of the game…not a lot of money in comics unless you really blow-up and most of us don’t.
- Is there anyone in particular you would like to work with in the future or on a book?
- I’d like to continue working with my daughter Shelby on Groovy U and other titles. She has her creative writing degree and is destined to do great things. I just hope she doesn’t forget about dear old dad once her career takes off.
- What is the central premise behind your books the calling and Groovy U?
- Both books are faith based. The goal is to show how God works through our lives and both stories are told through the eyes of strong black characters.
The Calling, is an action shoot’em up! The story is about a thug, Silk, who gets saved but is thrust back into his old lifestyle. He finds out what can happen when we make decisions without God’s help. Ultimately, it’s about him learning to surrender to what God wants for his life and not what he wants for himself.
Groovy U, is an action thriller! The story is about a college coed, Kacy Spade, who was raised and trained by The Order of the Blackhood, a secret band of assassins. When carrying out orders she becomes conflicted between her allegiance to the Blackhood and the teachings of The Way, a faith based campus organization. Life as an assassin has never been so uncertain as Kacy transitions from a person who takes life to a person who shares life.
Related: Who is Kacy Spade?
- Who would you say is the target audience with your books?
- The target audience is black people from ages 12 up to the 40s.
- How are your titular characters different from say Luke Cage or other black superheroes?
- Both Silk and Kacy Spade have special training in combat, weapons, etc but neither of them has superpowers. They are just regular humans who God has chosen to use and they each have to navigate the conflict between what God says to do and what they want to do.
- What other project or projects are you currently working on?
- In addition to issue #2 of Groovy U, I’m also working on a project that is geared towards a younger audience. It’s called TOSOT (The other Side of Town) and is about 12 year old twins who have moved from the burbs back into their parents’ old neighborhood. They get help in adjusting to this abrupt change from Catgut the homeless, bling, and wise trumpet player.
- What’s the experience been like working in comics?
- It has been great! Very time consuming though. I’m an indy creator so I still have my day job which means evenings and weekends are for Parade Comics. The key is staying diligent and doing something towards comics every day. Whether it’s writing, drawing, marketing, etc. something must be done every day towards the goal.
- Why do you think it’s so hard for Indy creators to get mainstream coverage?
- Marketing. The hardest part is letting people know about the project. Social media still takes a huge time commitment and there is a lot of content out there so it can be easy to get lost in the shuffle. A strong marketing strategy is a must!
- Which of your black characters besides Stingray, do you think fans should keep an eye on? Why?
- I think fans will really dig Kacy Spade, she’s dope!
Related: 20 Comics To Read in 2020: Black Superhero Edition
- Name three independent books that you would like to see as movies.
- You mean besides The Calling and Groovy U? Lol! I would say Brotherman, Nowhere Man (You Don’t Know Jack), and The Dog Years.
- What are your thoughts on the current political climate in America and the Black lives matter movement?
- I think it’s time to take advantage of the little bit of traction that we are getting. Black folks have been getting harassed and killed by police unjustly for hundreds of years. It’s been documented in our art forever, just watch nearly any black film, there’s almost always a scene of police racial profiling.
The quarterback simply took a knee to raise awareness and white folks tried to make it about the flag or the anthem…deflecting, which is often their general response. Dude even lost his job and can’t get hired. I cannot figure out what was different about the George Floyd murder. Why has his murder gotten white people to listen while other murders did not? Was it the pandemic? I don’t know the answer but I’m glad that some white folks are now listening because they are the ones that need to make the change happen.
- What is the biggest obstacle that Indy creators must overcome to be taken seriously alongside mainstream companies like Marvel and DC Comics?
- Bad art and bad stories kills us. Our craft, our presentation, and our content are our strongest assets. As indy creators, if we write great stories and use great art to tell them the consumer won’t know the difference when an indy book is next to a mainstream publisher’s book on the shelf. It’s that simple. Great stories plus great art cannot be denied.
- Why do you think Worldofblackheroes.com is important for Black Superheroes and Black Creators alike?
- It’s a place where we can go to learn about black heroes that we may not have known about otherwise. Some indy content doesn’t have a far reach so I believe a site like Worldofblackheroes.com is important to spread the word about our heroes. It’s a home that’s for the black creator and fan alike. It celebrates us!
CONTACT INFORMATION: www.heedthecalling.com, www.paradecomics.com, info@paradecomics.com
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