COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS: Still from Leroy London
Comic Mania will launch this month to help teach children from black and ethnically diverse backgrounds create superheroes.
The new platform, created by ex-teacher Simone Haynes from West London, will help children create authentic and unique stories with more diverse and and representative main characters. The characters they create for their own comics will be able to look like them and other members of their communities.
After seeing the negative effects of Covid lockdowns on children’s creativity, Simone Haynes founded the project, which is funded by Google UK. They hope to inspire the next generation of diverse talent into the arts and film industry, an industry which young black people from those from diverse backgrounds may not traditionally see themselves in.
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It is designed to be a springboard and incubator for future generations of young storytellers by putting black and minority ethnic children into stories, and empowering them to write the stories they want to read about themselves.
The launch of the platform also coincides with Black History Month and the premiere of a live action/CGI short film, based on Leroy London, Simone’s original comic book creation which kick started the project and which follows the story of Leroy, an 11-year-old school boy who dreams of becoming London’s next biggest rapper. It chronicles his adventures with his childhood spirit guide, Sparky, in and around west London.
The short film was shot over the summer in Ladbroke Grove with local children and local schools, and with first time directors Matt Kasmir (VFX Supervisor for Hell Boy, Midnight Sky and Harry Potter) and Simone Haynes at the helm.
You can find out more about Comic Mania by visiting the website.
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