UNC grad creates multicultural comics

UNC graduate Jazmin Truesdale is bringing diversity and feminism to the comic book industry, one hero at a time.

Although she graduated from UNC with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science in 2009, fitness isn’t her only outlet. Although Truesdale has a background with comic books — having grown up reading them — she didn’t break into the comic book industry until she launched Aza Comics in 2014 as part of a promotional marketing strategy for Jazmin Fitness, her fitness training program.

Truesdale initially planned to create a video game, but when she started developing characters, she decided to expand their world into comics.

“My mom says that I don’t know how to think small,” she said.

She used her business knowledge to reach out to people in the industry and get her comics started. She hired a team of comic book writers and illustrators and got to work, creating digital novels which will be released before the comics.

The first of two digital novels will be released on Oct. 12 and provide the background for the comic book, which will be released in 2016.

While a student at UNC, Truesdale immersed herself in different cultures by becoming a member of Chispa, Sangam, Black Student Movement, Delta Phi Omega and by living in the Spanish House Living Learning Community. She wanted to represent these cultures and more in a field where cultural diversity isn’t well-represented.

“I can think of only a few comic book characters who look like me, which doesn’t make sense because there is an entire continent of people who look like me,” she said.

To solve this problem, she created a superhero team of five women who represent each of the five major ethnic groups of the world.

One of Truesdale’s characters, Kala, is an African-American woman raised in Charleston, S.C. When the Charleston shooting happened, Truesdale said she felt an obligation to include it in her character’s world.

“I want this project to be my art — to say something,” Truesdale said.

“To not include it would feel like a lie.”

Truesdale said she wanted to make sure her characters accurately represent women.

“My characters face evil super villains, but they also have to face the evils that women deal with everyday,” Truesdale said. “Sexism is our invisible evil that we have to deal with every day.”

Ryan Kulikowski, owner of Chapel Hill Comics, said there are a lot of problems with the way women are represented in the comic book industry. He said he credited fans with pushing comic artists to create more representational content, and he said comic shop owners should present fair books.

“There are books out there that represent people well,” Kulikowski said.

“We pride ourselves in being open to everybody and not just a store for dudes.”

UNC student Lauren Shumpert said Truesdale’s comics sound like a refreshing change.

“That appeals to me a lot because I always felt like comic books were for boys,” Shumpert said.

@KyleyUnderhill

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