In a recently launched Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign from Second Sight Publishing and John Jennings Studio LLC, Shook! A Black Horror Anthology, a dream team of Black male comic writers and artists presents a first-of-its-kind EC-styled horror anthology featuring stories from the biggest collection of award-winning and nominated Black creators in the comics industry. With a funding goal of $50,000, this 160-page graphic novel is comprised of tales of horror, sci-fi, and suspense from some of the most talented Black male creators in the industry. The stories range from terrifying speculative fiction fair (the Grand Wizard’s reckoning) to horrific family fun (a group of elite superhero hunters).

SHOOK! A BLACK HORROR ANTHOLOGY

Shook! A Black Horror Anthology represents a long-discussed collaboration between Second Sight Publishing CEO Bradley Golden and COO and Collection Editor for the project, Marcus H. Roberts, and Professor John Jennings of John Jennings Studio. Described by Jennings as ‘Southern-fried’ horror, or Southern Gothic horror, in the campaign video, “the companies wanted to come together and tell engrossing stories, and also bring along what they felt was some of the great talent already burning up the horror scene.”

Roberts states, “I remember the feeling I got when the first Dream Team was announced” (referring to the original team of NBA players put together to play in the Olympics) “and I felt like the Black comics community deserved their own version of such a great team.”

The dream team that gathered for this anthology boasts a cadre of award-winning or nominated writers including Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia, The Return of the King/Boondocks), Eisner Award-nominee Kevin Grevioux (Brothers Bond), David F. Walker (Bitter Root, Black Panther Party), Alverne Ball (One Nation #1, One Nation: Old Druids), Marcus H. Roberts (The Protector, Hedge Hollow), Bradley Golden (Leave on the Light), John Jennings (Kindred, The Blacker the Ink), and introducing actor Evan Parke (Captain America and the Winter Soldier). Illustrating the book are Flavio CortesCharlier GoubileJamal WilliamsRoberto CastroDavid BrameGlenn D. BrownShawn Alleyne, and more artists to be announced.

Ezra the Hunter
Ezra the Hunter by Kevin Grevioux and Roberto Castro

“I’ve always wanted to do a Black horror magazine which would have interviews, short stories, etc’, says Jennings, whose story is about a former female breakdancer that is dying from AIDS and is beginning to see and experience terrifying occurrences as she is stuck between life and death. “I’ve had my story ready since 2004, I have just been waiting on a publication such as this.”

This is the first horror anthology from Second Sight Publishing, with the company already planning a second horror anthology comprised of Black women.

Also announced following the Kickstarter launch on November 1 was that writer Brandon Easton had joined the lineup of creators on the anthology. Learn more about Easton’s background below:

Just announced by Marcus Robert, Collection Editor for the SHOOK! A BLACK HORROR ANTHOLOGY project, writer extraordinaire Brandon Easton has joined the line-up of writers on the anthology.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Brandon attended Ithaca College and then earned his MFA in Screenwriting at Boston University. After teaching U.S. History and Economics in NYC public schools, Brandon relocated to Los Angeles and broke into the TV writing scene with the Warner Bros. Animation 2011 reboot of THUNDERCATS followed by TRANSFORMERS: RESCUE BOTS. His original graphic novel SHADOWLAW won the 2013 Glyph Award for Best Writer. Won five 2014 Glyph Awards and also nominated for an Eisner Award for the African-American inspired WATSON AND HOLMES graphic novel. An alumnus of the 2015 Disney/ABC Writing Program, Brandon wrote on season two of MARVEL’S AGENT CARTER and was commissioned to adapt the Japanese horror franchise VAMPIRE HUNTER D into a TV series.

Recent credits include JUDGE DREDD: FALSE WITNESS, MARVEL ACTION SPIDER-MAN, TRANSFORMERS: GALAXIES as well as the hit Netflix TV series TRANSFORMERS – WAR FOR CYBERTRON: SIEGE. Brandon was a writer for a variety of DC Comics series including MISTER MIRACLE: THE SOURCE OF FREEDOM, SUPERMAN: TRUTH & JUSTICE, SUPERMAN: RED AND BLUE and BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT.

Brandon spent the last two years at Blizzard Entertainment, writing content for OVERWATCH 2 and HEARTHSTONE. In Spring of 2022, Brandon was hired to adapt the acclaimed African-superhero series IYANU: CHILD OF WONDER into a television series for HBO MAX. Recently, Brandon was named the writer of KAMEN RIDER ZERO ONE for the new Titan Comics manga imprint alongside Stonebot Comics in collaboration with Bandai/Namco for release in Fall 2022.

This year, Brandon co-wrote TAKEOVER, an action-thriller feature starring Quavo for Trioscope Studios.

Check out additional images from the campaign below:

TASTY! ITCHY!
TASTY! ITCHY! by Bradley Golden and Flavio Cortes
Hell to Pay
Hell to Pay by Marcus H. Roberts and Jamal Williams
The Last March
The Last March by Rodney Barnes and David Brame

The Kickstarter for Shook! A Black Horror Anthology is live now. Click HERE to support.