THE ORISHA ARE COMING TO TELEVISION

Griot Enterprises has joined forces with Man Of Action and Rocbottom Studios to bring The Horsemen to the television screen.

We’re making an animated series!

Created by Jiba Molei Anderson and first published by Griot Enterprises in 2002, The Horsemen is the saga of the gods of Africa returning to Earth and possessing seven ordinary people to save humanity from itself.

“This has been a long time coming,” Griot Enterprises’ CEO Jiba Molei Anderson states. “From the start, a number of people have expressed interest in bringing The Horsemen to television but, for various reasons, the situation was never quite there. Now, the stars have aligned and we were able to ally ourselves with right partners who understand the property and are ready to bring The New Mythology to a wider audience.”

The Horsemen has become a seminal work in the world of independent Black Comix with the second title in the series, The Horsemen: Book of Olorun included in the long-running exhibition Heroes: Principles of African Greatness at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and is a part of the museum’s permanent collection.

Duncan Rouleau of Man of Action Entertainment, will serve as Creative Consultant for the animated series.

The creative studio and writers collective started in 2000 and created the megahit Ben 10, a three billion dollar boys’ action empire that has been called the most successful superhero launch of that time. They also created cult favorite series Generator Rex for Cartoon Network and are co-executive producers and writers for Marvel’s Avengers Assemble and executive produced/wrote Ultimate Spider-Man on Disney XD. Man of Action creations include The Great Unknown, KAFKA, Officer Downe, I Kill Giants, The Crusades, and Big Hero 6, Disney’s first animated feature based on a Marvel property featuring the team and characters created by Man of Action. 

Corey Davis’ Roc Bottom Studios will handle the animation production of the series.

Roc Bottom Studios has garnered praise from hundreds for their stylistic and innovative approach to their craft. Their creative works have been featured in The Underwire Online magazine with their creator owned comic, Lion’s Den Revolution, the first comic to ever be presented in digital desktop format. Other comics credits include, Queen of Sin and Master’s Devils for Legion Studios, and 803 from 803 Studios. Roc’s titles include, Order,  Shadowclub Karma, and Jet Boy: Dawn of K.R.O.N.O.S. , a comic/animated series. Corey Davis is also the Head of Animation for Jam Network. 

Want to get familiar? Back our Kickstarter campaign today and celebrate 25 years of Griot Enterprises!

www.griotenterprises.com

www.manofaction.tv

www.rocbottomstudios.com

GRIOT ENTERPRISES TURNS 25!

Welcome to 2024!

It started with 32-page black & white Preview Book. 25 years later, Griot Enterprises has become a vanguard of entertainment and a cornerstone of the Black Comix movement…

And, we’re just getting started.

As we turn 25, Griot is on the move. The first stop on our year-long celebration is Michigan State University Comics Forum on February 1^st. We’ve got new books coming and working hard to bring our stories, and characters, to a wider audience…

That’s right. We’re going for animation, but we need your help.

How can you help? It’s simple.

Buy one of our products.

A book, t-shirt, pin, it doesn’t matter. Every little bit helps.

Here are some of the products we have to offer:

THE NEW MYTHOLOGY

The gods have chosen them to protect humanity from itself…whether humanity wants them to or not. They combat those who control the fate of the planet. Through their actions, the world would never be the same. 

The cornerstone of the Griot Enterprises brand, The Horsemen is the story of seven ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances, as the gods of ancient Africa possess them.

4 PAGES 16 BARS: A VISUAL MIXTAPE

In 2015, diversity became the buzzword in the comic book industry with companies like DC and Marvel claiming to lead the charge, but merely scratching the surface of the complexity and intersection of race, culture and gender.

4 Pages 16 Bars: A Visual Mixtape is a celebration of where true diversity exists in this industry, a sampler for potential fans to enjoy unique intellectual properties, a showcase for existing and upcoming talent as well as a source guide for those fans to purchase these books. 

The scene is more diverse than Image or Dark Horse. This is visual Jazz, Rock, Funk, Hip Hop and electronic music. This is art for the people.

THE DARK KINGDOM

Enter a world where African folklore meets Two-fisted Blaxploitation action. Discover a hidden universe where deep self-hate manifests an immortal killer while a spiritual paradise falls to rebellion; where augmented super-spies save the world, the undead rule the nightlife…

And a new hero rises bringing justice to the gates of Hell.

The Dark Kingdom is the secret universe that exists in the role-playing games published by Onyx Path Publishing. Collected for the first time, experience the shadow path of The Blaxis before starting your next campaign.

COMIC BOOK EDUCATION

Comics are an art form. Sequential art is, arguably the oldest form of visual communication.

These titles, Influence: The Art of Comic Book Art and Manifesto: The Tao of Jiba Molei Anderson, delve into the tools and techniques that required to make great comics…

Class is in session!

To make it even easier for you, here are some direct links to purchase our products:

DRIVE THRU COMICS

GLOBALCOMIX

ZAZZLE

BTW, for everyone who makes a purchase, send an email with your proof of purchase to info[at]griotenterprises.com and receive a digital download of the GEU Look Book absolutely FREE!

So spread the word, tell your friends, buy some fantastic books for yourself or your friends, and come celebrate our 25th birthday by helping us raise $2500 to get to the Michigan State University Comics Forum on February 1^st!

https://www.griotenterprises.com

THE JANKY HUSTLE

mar·ket·ing

/ˈmärkədiNG/

noun

The activity or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.

When I began my professional journey as an artist, I worked in a few industries. The majority of my early experience was working for marketing and advertising firms.

This wasn’t by coincidence. My ultimate goal was always to work in the comic book industry and every job I took was to further my education towards that goal. Working in marketing in advertising allowed me to gain the knowledge that was lacking in my arts education.

See, arts education is great in training young hopefuls to realize their personal vision and develop their technique & skill, but it’s not so great in teaching students the business of art. So, working for these corporate firms was my way of gaining the knowledge necessary to be successful in the extremely competitive field of comics. As a result, the lessons I learned were crucial in the development of what would become the realization of my dream, Griot Enterprises.

Why does Luke Cage endure after over 50 years? Joe Illidge breaks down the Hero for Hire’s lasting appeal

Come to find out, I’m pretty good at marketing and advertising. It’s challenging work to develop a message with the proper voice for a particular product to bring to the masses. However, I don’t mind using my skills as an illustrator, designer, and writer to bring awareness to projects, products, and people that I believe in. Dare I say, I actually enjoy it. In fact, I actually teach marketing and advertising at the collegiate level.

Which is why nothing is more annoying than so-called “marketers” hitting me up whenever I launch a Kickstarter campaign.

Marcus H. Roberts explores the African American presence in horror comics with Dark Legacy

They come out of the woodwork like roaches with vague and general messages about how they can increase visibility. Or, even worse, want to introduce you to “influencers” that are “guaranteed” to bring eyeballs to your project. Then, they want to charge exorbitant fees for their “services” well before, and most times above, the fundraising goal you’ve set for your campaign.

Yet, they have no website to direct you to their business nor evidence that their “efforts” were successful in getting the campaign funded.

In those terms, I know how women feel when they got a whole bunch of scrubs trying to holla at them…

And, if you spend the time you could have spent promoting your campaign to say “no thank you” to their inquiry and explain why you don’t need their services, they try to bully you into working with them.

Get… The… ENTIRE… Fu*k… Outta… Here!

Hip Hop and Comics go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Check out eight historical Hip Hop comics in The Other Element

Here’s the thing: we spend money for the services that we don’t want to take the time to do for ourselves. What these so-called “marketers” count on is that artists don’t want to be involved with the business of being an artist or publisher (gotta keep this piece in the realm of indie comics production), that they would rather work in their studios drinking hot drinks and watch the rain lightly fall while they exist in their own little creative bubble letting other people “work” for them.

A reason why the majority of my Kickstarters have been financially successful is because I do the work necessary to make them successful. That means getting the word out there via blogs, social media, video, email, and interviews; using the tools available to all of us to help market and advertise our products.

In fact, the only time I lost money on a Kickstarter was because I hired another company to help with marketing a campaign.

I was looking to expand my reach and was seduced by their “success” record as they had a few celebrities in the client list. However, after taking their fee upfront (which, one should never pay), they did almost nothing in terms of marketing. I wound up doing all of the work anyway and got the campaign funded, but it was a financial loss because of the funds wasted working with a company that didn’t put the effort into understanding my brand nor the time to run the campaign any better than I had in the past.

It takes time to build a brand and develop a following. It’s an art form in its own right. If one doesn’t want to invest the time to properly create a marketing strategy, then by all means spend the money to hire a “marketing” firm to do that work for you.

Just spend it wisely.

The longest-running marketing tool celebrating independent works from creators of color

With 17 days left in our campaign, 4 Pages 16 Bars: A Visual Mixtape Vol. 09 – ’23 Til Infinity is 47% funded. Help this campaign get to the Promised Land by backing the Kickstarter today!

4 Pages 16 Bars Kickstarter

HOW HIP HOP IS 4 PAGES 16 BARS: A VISUAL MIXTAPE?

How Hip Hop is 4 Pages 16 Bars: A Visual Mixtape Vol.09 – ’23 Til Infinity? Well, one of the stretch goals is a whole comic book written by Jiba Molei Anderson and illustrated by Klebs Junior based on the classic Tupac track Street Fame!

Street Fame from the yet-to-be published D’Cyphr: Breaking the Code

How Hip Hop is 4 Pages 16 Bars: A Visual Mixtape Vol.09 – ’23 Til Infinity? Well, The Blaxis is a clique, a collection of some of the greatest creators in the indie game. One of the stretch goals is grabbing these fabulous titles from the crew!

The Blaxis Pack bundle of digital comics includes Witchdoctor: Open Fire from Griot Comics, Southside #3 from Advent Comics, Justice #1 from Wingless Entertainment, Is’nana, the Were-Spider: the Ballads of Rawhead & John Henry, from Webway Comics, Yi Soon Shin #1 from Onrie Kompan, and Mississippi Zombie from Second Sight Publishing & Caliber Comics!

How Hip Hop 4 Pages 16 Bars: A Visual Mixtape Vol.09 – ’23 Til Infinity? Well, if exceed our goal, all backers will get the Mystery Channel EP by Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Killah Priest (with a cover designed by 4 Pages curator Jiba Molei Anderson) absolutely FREE!

Griot Enterprises has partnered with 600 Block Records to offer this exclusive stretch goal!

So, sign up now and get notified when the doors to the Cypher open October 31!

4 Pages 16 Bars Kickstarter

A GREAT OPPORTUNITY… FOR THE RIGHT PERSON…

Professor Ellen Wetmore

“In the 1980’s, from 7th to 12th grade, I went to an art magnet school, entry by portfolio only, with a student population of mixed races and cultures that reflected our community in Saginaw, Michigan. When I went to my BFA program in 1990 at the University of Michigan, my freshman class featured exactly two Brown students and one Brown professor.”

“Where did everyone else go?”

It was this personal observation that would lead Ellen Wetmore, Professor and Department Chair of College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Massachusetts – Lowell, to create her first graphic novel Dante: A Divine Comedy.

Dante: A Divine Comedy follows Dante Alighieri, an African American English professor, through an arcane faculty job interview at a predominately white institution. From the customs line at Logan airport to a meeting in the Ninth Ring of Hell, Dante has to figure out how to survive at Everwhite, and the surrounding Commonwealth, without the privilege of being white.

Dante: A Divine Comedy

“Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy is a central structure for this book,” Wetmore explains. “Alighieri’s work was made while he was a war refugee from his native city. This work first struck me as a litany of revenge against social and political rivals from a creative, if impotent artist.”

“As the American political and social scene heated up, I returned to these creative depictions of anger as imagery for my own growing anger,” Wetmore continues.

“Many of my 21st century visual fantasies of hell come from Dante, Virgil, and Bosch. Satan eating a faculty member is based on the Satan at San Pietro Cathedral in Bologna, Italy, by Giovanni da Modena. My first funding request for this project was rejected as depicting something too dire, too horrific. It was an image from the Dante’s Inferno.”

Page from Dante: A Divine Comedy

Through the development of the project, Wetmore had to face some hard truths when dealing with subjects of race and class within the graphic novel.

“I had to face my whiteness to understand more about what I’ve done to reinforce the violence we Whites use to preserve for ourselves the golden tickets of professional tenured teaching jobs,” Wetmore opines. “This is a book for younger me and for my white colleagues. My black colleagues and students ‘have been black a long time’. They don’t need this book. This is a bird watching guide of the racisms we perform. The faculty behaviors in this book are based on personal observations, especially of myself.”

Page from Dante: A Divine Comedy

Despite this, Dante: A Divine Comedy is more humorous surrealistic satire than horror story. Wetmore was inspired by works such as Boots Riley’s film Sorry to Bother You, Donald Glover’s Atlanta series and Jordan Peele’s Get Out in the development of her tale.

“Comedy is important to me because it speaks truth to power,” Wetmore states. “Black comedians whose work may be influential here, more or less in order of my awareness of them, are Richard Pryor, Dick Gregory, Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, Wanda Sykes, Dave Chappelle, Moms Mabley, Katt Williams, DL Hughley, and Aries Spears. All of these comedians have discussed institutional violence and police violence decades before whites could see it.”

Page from Dante: A Divine Comedy

Dante: A Divine Comedy is published by Griot Enterprises and available now on Amazon. Visit the Griot Enterprises website for more information.

www.griotenterprises.com

COMMUNITY MEMBERS, WE MADE IT!

With 24 hours left in our campaign and 45 backers, The Dark Kingdom Kickstarter is FULLY FUNDED… Huzzah!

But that’s just the beginning. In other news…

Wu-Tang affiliate Killah Priest has just released his new EP, Mystery Channel, featuring Tall Black Guy.

“Killah Priest’s Mystery Channel EP, is his first release on 600 Block Records after his acclaimed features on Pugs Atomz’ Test Drive LP in 2022. The EP, features two original productions from Tusk57, an amazing Tall Black Guy Productions remix, and instrumentals of all three tracks.

Tall Black Guy’s remix of Mystery Channel is a soulful jazzy take on the EP’s namesake, bringing his signature style to his first collaboration with 600 Block Records. From humble origins in Detroit, raised on a healthy diet of Motown, Jazz and early Hip Hop…Tall Black Guy has become a standard bearer for the current hip hop beats scene. Through a steady stream of productions filled with incredibly clever sample flips and deft production chops, he has won fans across the world, including Gilles Peterson, Lefto, Jazzy Jeff, Questlove and countless others.”

The cover for this new release was designed by Griot Enterprises’ publisher Jiba Molei Anderson and is available in stores (physical and digital) today!

Finally…

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art will release the catalog to its landmark, award-winning, multi-platform project Heroes: Principles of African Greatness Sept. 3. Initiated and led by curator Kevin D. Dumouchelle, the “Heroes” project has grown from an in-person exhibition built of more than 50 art works from the museum’s collection, which ran from 2019 to 2022, to an ongoing multimedia digital experience featuring videos, an interactive tour, a curated playlist and finally, a book published by Hirmer Publishers and jointly distributed by the University of Chicago Press. The book, authored by Dumouchelle, will be available in bookstores worldwide and is currently available to pre-order.

“Designed in a bright, colorful and accessible graphic-novel style, the book is open-ended in layout and framed as an invitation to “choose your own adventure.” Heroes is the first collection-focused catalog from the museum to apply the National Museum of African Art’s field-leading exhibition practice of inviting connections between works by African artists across the full spectrum of time, media and geographies represented in the museum’s collections. The book is accompanied by a series of digital entry points, including a full exhibition website, a set of seven curated Google Arts & Culture interactive exhibitions, as well as a playlist available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music of its connected songs.”

Why should you get this book? Well, Griot Enterprises’ flagship title, The Horsemen, is a part of this exhibition and is featured in the book… So, pre-order this bit of Black History today!

There’s still time left to back the campaign and we still have some bomb stretch goals that you can grab. This #MeanOlLion’s birthday is on the 17th and we’re trying to get to 50 backers by then. Be one of the candles on this cake by backing the Kickstarter… LIKE NOW!

www.griotenterprises.com

THIS JUST IN

Griot Enterprises has just joined the Inked Studios family!

With over 100 successful crowdfunding campaigns, Inked Studios has become a premiere marketing force for indie comics! With their grit and perseverance to learn and grow in an ever-changing media dynamic, Inked has collectively raised over a million in funding for The Inked Family of clients.

The Horsemen and The Dark Kingdom creator Jiba Molei Anderson will be attending FanExpo Chicago 2023, Aug. 10-13 at the Donald J. Stephens Convention Center… We hope to see some of you there!

You can’t hold them down!

The final soundtrack for The Dark Kingdom is the latest episode of GOTM for that earhole! This mix is chock-full of 80s bangers and is a sonic popcorn movie in the best way. Not only is this mix a shout out to all the Baddies who hold it down and make those moves, it’s also peak Leo Season shenanigans!

01. Wild Girls – Klymaxx

02. Boys  – The Mary Jane Girls

03. One Night In Bangkok – Murray Head

04. Club Tropicana – Wham

05. Firecracker – Yellow Magic Orchestra

06. Sound Of Stereo (Original Mix) – Model 500

07. No More Waiting feat. Creative Theory & JJ – Nicolay

08. Lost Ones – Lauryn Hill

09. Cha Cha Cha – MC Lyte

10. Remy Rap – Remy Ma, Rapsody & DJ Premier

The Griot Enterprises Universe is growing!

“I have read many anthologies in my day, but very few resonate the way that The Dark Kingdom has.

The various genres that the story touches on helps to keep things fresh. From the fantasy epic, The Song of Lionogo to the 70s Blaxploitation inspired Getback’s Revenge, from the action/espionage thriller Skintight & Coldust to the urban horror thriller The Blood Disco, each world has been meticulously constructed by the hands of Jiba Molei Anderson.

This book is a MUST READ.”

Gene Selassie
Author – The Ghoul Academy

With 10 days left in our campaign, The Dark Kingdom is 67% funded. When we reach our goal, all backers will receive this 11” X 17” print-ready PDF poster. So, make this year’s Leo Season a great one by backing The Dark Kingdom on Kickstarter today!

www.griotenterprises.com

GO DEEPER INTO THE GRIOT ENTERPRISES CATALOG!

Go deeper into the griot enterprises catalog by selecting the “Library” reward when you back The Dark Kingdom!

Here’s what’s included in this reward tier:

Celebrate 20 years of The New Mythology!

THE HORSEMEN: BIRTH OF THE SPARK

Written by: Jiba Molei Anderson

Illustrated by: Jiba Molei Anderson

Essays by: John Jennings, Lisa Kottas, & Brian J. Lambert

The groundbreaking series celebrates its 20th anniversary with The Horsemen: Birth of the Spark!

Witness a reinterpretation of The High Concept, the very first Horsemen story published in the now-legendary 1999 Griot Preview Book!

The first Orisha makes her entrance and commands your respect as the Elder Champions of Creation face their greatest challenge in The Consonance: Revelations!

The Claw of Akebulan. The Counsel of Gaia. They are the daughters of the Lion and the Grace and mothers to the children of the Avenger. Discover the truth behind the emergence of the Orisha in Shango: Birth of the Spark!

The bill comes due as The Horsemen come face to face with humanity’s spiritual rot in The Last Day!

Comics are Hip Hop!

4 PAGES 16 BARS: A VISUAL MIXTAPE VOL. 08 – CHANGE CLOTHES

Compiled by: Jiba Molei Anderson

Written by: Marco Lopez, Milton Davis, Akinboye Olasunkanmi and others

Illustrated by: Aries Art, Terry Huddleson, Andre Roberts and others

The 4 Pages 16 Bars: A Visual Mixtape anthology series is a celebration of where true diversity exists in this industry, a sampler for potential fans to enjoy unique intellectual properties, a showcase for existing and upcoming talent as well as a source guide for those fans to purchase these books. 

The contributors for this eighth volume include Malachi Bailey (Her), Raudric Curtis (Dambe), Michael Watson (Hotshot) and many more.

The comic book industry is more than DC or Marvel. The scene is more diverse than Image or Dark Horse. This is visual Jazz, Rock, Funk, Hip Hop and electronic music. This is art for the people!

The philosophy behind it all!

MANIFESTO: THE TAO OF JIBA MOLEI ANDERSON
Written and Illustrated by Jiba Molei Anderson

He is a writer, illustrator, designer and educator. He is the curator of the 4 Pages 16 Bars: A Visual Mixtape anthology series and a contributor to the Onyx Path Publishing role-playing game catalog. He is a Pioneer/Lifetime Achievement Glyph Award recipient and his work is in the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Now, Jiba Molei Anderson, creator of The Horsemen, shares his work and his thoughts on illustration, design, writing, and the philosophy behind it all in this visual and educational retrospective of his career.

Who is part of your artistic DNA?

INFLUENCE: THE ART OF COMIC BOOK ART

Written by Jiba Molei Anderson

Jiba Molei Anderson, creator of The Horsemen, takes the reader a journey of artistic development and discovery reflected in 11 comic book artists that left a personal mark on the evolution of a unique visual language.

Featuring original art from comic book legends such as Jim Aparo (Batman), George Perez (New Teen Titans, JLA/Avengers), Larry Stroman (X-Factor, Alien Legion, Tribe) and more, Influence: The Book of Comic Book Art is a celebration, study guide, and peer examination of the work that influenced (and inspired) Anderson’s artistic development throughout his career.

The World that hides in plain sight!

With 15 days left in our campaign, we are 50% funded. Help us reach our goal during the height of Leo Season by grabbing these books and more when you support The Dark Kingdom on Kickstarter today!

www.griotenterprises.com

WHO WALKS IN THE WORLD THAT HIDES IN PLAIN SIGHT?

Who walks in the World That Hides In Plain Sight?

Meet the Monsters that threaten and the Allies that aid the Partisans of Griot Enterprises’ The Dark Kingdom, written and illustrated by Jiba Molei Anderson, when you support the Kickstarter campaign today!

https://www.griotenterprises.com

AND, WE’RE OFF!

Who walks in the World That Hides In Plain Sight? Meet the denizens of Griot Enterprises’ The Dark Kingdom!

Written and illustrated by Jiba Molei Anderson (The Horsemen, 4 Pages 16 Bars: A Visual Mixtape), The Dark Kingdom is a 64-page graphic novel exposing the secret universe that exists in the role-playing games published by Onyx Path Publishing…

It’s all connected…

Back this campaign like, RIGHT NOW!

Dark Kingdom Kickstarter link

www.griotenterprises.com