Charlamagne Tha God (né Lenard McKelvey), the multimedia entrepreneur and cohost of popular radio show The Breakfast Club, announced plans to launch a line of original graphic novel under his Black Privilege Publishing imprint at Simon & Schuster. BPP will also develop new comic book series in conjunction with AWA Studios.
For BPP, director, producer, screenwriter, and comics writer Kevin Grevioux will write Darkstorm, the inaugural series in the BPP graphic novel publishing program. The superhero series, which will be illustrated by Ken Lashley, is the story, the publisher said, of a reluctant Black superhero suffering from PTSD. According to the announcement, Darkstorm and subsequent BPP projects will aim to “amplify Black and Brown narratives.”
In addition, BPP will partner with AWA Studios to develop and produce original comics, including its inaugural project, the Vindicators, an epic superhero series featuring a superteam of diverse heroes set in a dystopian future. More information on Darkstorm, the Vindicators, and other forthcoming BPP comics project will be released at a later date.
AWA CEO Bill Jemas described Charlamagne Tha God as “one of the most compelling voices in culture today. His passion for comics was abundantly clear when we met him.” Jemas praised Charlamagne's understanding of comics storytelling: “We look forward to working with him and bringing his concepts and vision to life, starting with the Vindicators.”
Charlamagne said he was excited to begin working with his Black Privilege imprint alongside “Simon & Schuster and begin partnerships with comic book veterans like Bill Jemas and the whole team at AWA Studios. It’s collaborations like this that help to build an empire and I’m grateful to have found good ones.” He added: “If you know anything about me, then you know how much I love comics,” noting that “partnering with Kevin Grevioux to present this new universe, filled with Black and Brown GOD Level superheroes, is a dream come true.”
