Vlogs Instead of Blogs and Other News

Last week posted a pair of vlogs (video blogs) instead of written blogs. I’m trying some new things in the hopes of expanding my readership.

One of the reasons I’m making videos is I believe that if people saw me and got to know me as a person they’d connect with me. And that relationship with readers would help them see my writing in a different light. I really want people to see the man behind the stories and the blogs form a relationship with him and see there is a person behind the fingers on the keyboard.

The other reason for the vlogs is because I’ve been really busy. I’ve been working on this new romance novel (more news about that coming soon) and it’s really been coming together. I finally found my groove on this story and the words are just coming to me. Characters are speaking to me in their own “voices” and the story is telling itself.  I’m practically writing three chapters a day and I’ve had a lot of fun writing this one.

On top of this new novel I’ve been editing three books for the summer reading season. Two YA, and a nonfiction. I’m trying to get everything right for the Isis/E’steem crossover paperbacks and eBooks and the new Stop Simpin Second Edition. I want the quality on all three to match the benchmark I established for Isis: Wrath of the Cybergoddess last summer that was almost error free.

On top of that I’ve been working posting and promoting eBay auctions. I’ve now got a year of sales experience on eBay and now that I’ve learned the ins and outs of the auction site. Right now I’m using all I learned about sales there towards my book marketing and promotion. Over the last year I’ve built a reputation for excellent customer service, communication and shipping product out in a timely manner. Some say I have the fastest shipping on the site!

And in addition to the novel and the eBay auctions I’m still promoting books. More titles will be coming to Kindle Unlimited this year like the new Isis: Night of the Vampires and E’steem Undercover.

With the Isis/E’steem Crossover Kickstarter being a failure, I have no idea what image will be on either cover. But both books will be out Memorial Day weekend.

In other Isis series news Isis: The Beauty Myth will be returning to Kindle Unlimited. After someone put the book on a site for a lousy Kindle covers, I’m going to turn a negative into a positive. So I’m going to give readers a chance to judge the book by its content, not its cover.

What many readers don’t know is that Isis: The Beauty Myth ties directly into Isis: Wrath of the Cybergoddess, a book which features a cover by Hero Business artist Bill Walko. I want readers to read both parts of the story and they’ll get that opportunity this summer.

Smashwords readers will get the New Stop Simpin Second Edition on Memorial Day Weekend. Just in time for the summer dating season. The New Stop Simpin is expanded with lots of new information and I believe lots of men will learn what NOT to do when it comes to approaching women. Like all the other books in the Simp Trilogy the Stop Simpin Second Edition will be FREE. 

If you want the original Stop Simpin though GET IT NOW. The eBook will be discontinued at the Start of Memorial Day weekend. However, I urge readers to get the new Stop Simpin as the information in it is updated and a lot more thorough in content than the previous version.

E’steem Undercover coming to the site later in the summer. E’steem has a big following on Smashwords and I want to give them an opportunity to add the book to the collection. Once the book is done on Kindle Unlimited in May, I’m hoping to release it there in August.  

E’steem: Undercover will also be the first E’steem book available in paperback. I’m thiking of releasing an Essential E’steem paperback so paperback readers can pick up her adventures. Unfortunately E’steem’s stories are too short to put in single volumes.

Once I finish this new novel, I’ve got to get to work on the editing of it. And writing the next adventures in the Isis and E’steem series. Running outlines in my head for both.

All this work on the SJS DIRECT titles is like a full-time job and I do it all while I continue to look for a full-time job. I believe I’ll get another full-time job. One of these days. Putting in applications and sending out resumes. Even posted several videos detailing what I bring to the table for a business.

A new blog will be up on Thursday I hope. I’m working out a schedule for videos and written blogs and I’m also pondering taking the blog and my YouTube channel in a new direction.

A Decade And A Half of Dysfunction at DC Comics

Have Superhero Comics Gone Too Far?

Jaden Smith and the Social Engineering of the Effeminate Negro Male

I was on Facebook and I saw an image of Will Smith’s son Jaden in a dress. Even worse, he was talking about how he liked to buy women’s clothes.

Good Gravy.

Will Smith you have FAILED as a FATHER. And Jada Pinkett you have FAILED as a MOTHER. If this is the fruit you have bared, you should be ASHAMED.

YOU HAVE FAILED AS PARENTS.

What many don’t understand presenting Jaden Smith’s image like this is part of a long-term social engineering campaign from the White Supremacists in Hollywood to feminize the Black man. Almost every year we see a picture of a Black man in a dress. Before Jaden Smith revealed his interest in dressing in women’s clothes, a few months before there were a series of Black male models walking the runway in cashmere dresses.

Damn. Just Damn.

Over the last 20 or so years there has been a constant stream of Black men presented in media wearing women’s clothes. Jamie Foxx as Wanda on In Living Color. Sheneneh and Martin’s momma on Martin. Larry Johnson as Grandmamma. Jaleel White as Myrtle Urkel. Marlon and Shawn Wayans as White Chicks. Chris Tucker on the Fifth Element. Martin Lawrence in all those Big Momma movies Tyler Perry as Madea.

I could go on and on. But tell me how many White men have been put in dresses over the last 30 years? For every Tootsie, Mrs. Doubtfire, or Ask Harriet with a White guy in a dress there seem to be five or more images a year of Black men in dresses pretending to be women.

And the images of Black men acting feminine like this are increasing not decreasing. Clearly there’s an escalation of the emasculation of the Black man’s image in American media.  

I’m beginning to think Dave Chappelle was right. In order to make it to Hollywood’s A-list a Black man has to degrade himself by putting on women’s clothes.

How is this social engineering? Jaden Smith is the son of Will Smith the highest grossing Black entertainer in Hollywood. He has a lot of influence on the impressionable minds of Young Black boys. And when they see him putting on dresses and talking about how he likes wearing dresses it sends a message to them that it’s socially acceptable.

In fact they think it’s cool. Why? Because if a celebrity is doing it then it’s going to get them cool points. So there may be a possibility of brothers running around in dresses just so they can get the attention of some goofy Black female.

Not understanding how they’ve lost face in front of her. No woman can respect a man dressed like her.

And with those boys thinking wearing dresses is okay, it’s a message gets passed on from one generation to the next. When they have sons they teach their boys that it’s okay.

What’s next Black men wearing makeup? Carrying purses? Wearing heels? Wearing perfume? When are Black men going to put their foot down and put a line in the sand like I did five years ago when I wrote the first blog about Black men in dresses?

What most of these young Black boys don’t understand is that one of the missions of White Supremacist institutions is to destroy the image of the Black man. When an image of Black man in a dress is presented in media it’s there to make a STATEMENT that a Black man is not a LEADER. That he is not strong. That he is NOT the head of the family.

The message these images send are that a Black man has been subjugated and made to submit. That he is BROKEN. In short he is White Supremacy’s BITCH.

Men put into the BITCH position are those that no one sees as leaders. They are not men who are respected by their women and their communities. They are seen as JOKES. Mocked, ridiculed and LAUGHED AT BY THE WORLD.

Jaden Smith is making a statement to the world: He is Hollywood’s BITCH. That he’ll sacrifice personal intangibles such as his DIGNITY and SELF-RESPECT for fifteen minutes of fame. He thinks he’s getting ahead by getting attention but he has no idea that the attention he’s getting will have him LEFT BEHIND.  

That’s the lesson he would have learned if his FATHER were MAN ENOUGH to take the time to teach him how to be a MAN. Not all attention is good attention. And when a man has to sacrifice his DIGNITY to get the attention of others he has sacrificed his personal power and the intangibles of his manhood.

And when a man sacrifices his personal power and intangibles of manhood he has put himself in a position where he loses face in front of other men. No man will take another man seriously when he has lost face in front of them.

When a man like Jaden Smith puts on a dress and talks about how he likes to wear women’s clothes he sends a message to other men: That he is BROKEN. That he is WEAK. That he is someone no one needs to take seriously. That he has no authority and no power as a MAN. That he has no presence. Again, he is a BITCH.

Brothers, the lesson you can learn from Jaden Smith is that a man’s personal power and intangibles of manhood are the most valuable things he can own. They are NEVER to be SACRIFICED. Not for fame, not for money, not for social currency. A man without dignity is a man without a face. And a Black man without a face is just another coon on the White Supremacist slave plantation of Hollywood. Jaden Smith is another slave. Black men, don’t let your kids follow this celebrity slave and wind up with their minds shackled by White Supremacy. Be the leader God made you to be and teach your sons how to be leaders in their own community. 

The Post Dan Didio Era at DC Comics

I’ve moved on from DC Comics. And I’ve come to accept that there won’t be change as long as Dan Didio, Jim Lee, Bob Harras, and Diane Nelson are in charge. But I also understand that something’s gotta give. Evenutally.  

Publishing is a BUSINESS. And eventually executives at the top are going to get tired of hearing deflections, bullshit, and more bullshit from DC’s current editorial regime. Sooner or later the numbers on the spreadsheets are going to tell a story people like Dan Didio just can’t cover up with excuses and quick fixes like Convergence.

The Dan Didio era at DC Comics is eventually going to have to end. And the next editor in Chief who takes his place at DC Comics will have a HUGE MESS to clean up.

I’m a visionary and a forward thinker. And as an independent publisher I see a rough road ahead for DC Comics. The post Dan Didio era will be a TOUGH one for DC Comics fans and the publisher itself as it makes the efforts to correct its course and navigate itself through a changing publishing marketplace. But I believe the DC Comics brand can overcome the challenges put in front of it if that editor in chief has the vision to see a bigger picture, puts on their hip boots, rolls up their sleeves, and understands the hard work that needs to be done. There’s a lot of GARBAGE that’s going to need to be hauled out at DC Comics and it’s going to have to be cleared out by a fleet of dump trucks. So that next editor in chief better bring a shovel and a rolodex with the numbers of a couple of trash haulers with them on their first day of work.

DC Comics has suffered from over a decade and a half of dysfunction. And that dysfunction has damaged the DC Comics brand internationally. Sales of DC Comics have declined. Sales of merchandise to such as action figures have stalled. Warner Brothers executives have appeared completely clueless as it tries to compete with Marvel Studios in making movies for the DC Comics brand. Overall, the DC Comics brand has lost market share in almost every sector with the exception of its Television division.

Right now the DC Comics brand is in a state of confusion. Most of iconic comic book characters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder woman are unrecognizable with customers young and old due a decade and a half of retcons, costume changes, and multiple reboots in the publishing division. The next editor will face a challenge trying to familiarize both old and new readers with DC’s characters and make their designs and stories memorable in their minds again. 

In the publishing division, the next editor-in-chief will also have to sort out the jumbled mess that is the DC Universe has become. DC’s Universe has gone from an easy to follow continuity to a confusing multiverse filled with enough plotholes and inconsistencies that would confuse a small child. Readers are told everything fits, but everything doesn’t when a reader follows a straight line. All of Didio’s mismanagement has led to a DC multiverse that has become completely Fucked Up Beyond All Repair.

I dare to say it, but to get to that straight line that makes the heroes accessible to new readers, the new Editor-in-Chief may have to hard reboot things in the publishing division. However, with an experienced publishing professional at the helm the DC new Universe would resemble something like it did before Didio was hired. One where The Golden Age is set in World War II, and there’s a clear line for legacy heroes leading to today. A universe where Superman wears red trunks and a cape, Diana Prince is Wonder Woman, Batman is Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson is Robin. Painful, but when you’re dealing with a decade and a half of dysfunction it requires a complete rebuild of a damaged brand. Again rebuilding a brand like DC Comics is a five to ten year plan, and several iconic DC franchises like Teen Titans and Wonder Woman are so systemically damaged by nearly two decades of bad storytelling they need a complete hard restart with brand new origins based on the original origins to get new readers and casuals back on board.

There has to be a plan to get readers to connect with and relate to the characters in the DC Universe. And reconnecting them with their stories. Again, that’s going to take five to ten years minimum, starting with the Trinity (Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman) and rolling out secondary titles like Green Lantern, Shazam! Flash, Aquaman, and Green Arrow six months afterward. Along with the trinity there should be a Justice Society book to show that the Golden Age left a legacy and that they’re still facing oldschool menaces  like Per Degaton and Solomon Grundy, but the first year of a DC relaunch should focus on building the worlds of the DC trinity and the secondary heroes and end with the formation of the Justice League and the launch of that title.

The second or third year should start with the introduction of other heroes like Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, and Firestorm and end with the formation of the original Teen Titans (new members like Cyborg, Starfire and Raven, coming in a year later). Again, this rebuilding of the DC Universe and the DC Comics brand will take five to ten years minimum, not be rushed together like DC’s new 52.

And in that time writers are going to be forced tell some great tales without the crutch of a gimmick or multi-line crossover event to carry them from issue to issue. Rebuilding is going to separate the hacks from the craftspeople, and when a creator doesn’t have the crutch of gimmicks and events to hold them up, they’ll be forced to get creative. The creators will have to focus on characters, their stories and making them interesting and compelling, using the original stories from classic DC adventures for inspiration, but taking them on modern twists.

And after the next editor-in-chief establishes a structure for the new DC Universe, they’re going to have to establish standards for content with the DC brand. Right now DC Comics are just inappropriate for just about adults let alone children. Yes, comics have fights in them. But the violence has gotten to the point of excessive with gory mutilations, decapitations gratuitous depictions, of death. When it comes to depictions action sequences DC comics today has crossed the line between good taste and…filth. The new EIC has to get the standard back to good taste if they hope to win over new readers in the 21^st century.

The standard for most blockbuster films today is PG-13. And I believe comics need to meet to that standard for content if they hope to compete with movies, TV, and the Internet. DC needs to become a family oriented brand just like Disney, and Superman needs to be treated with the same respect Disney gives Mickey Mouse and Disney’s Princesses.

The next editor-in-chief will also have to rebuild the brand for DC’s Super heroines. DC Comics has the best stable of recognizable female characters in comics. Supergirl, Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Starfire, Wonder Girl, Dr. Light, Catwoman and Harley Quinn. A gold mine for licensing and merchandising. But the way the DC’s heroines have been depicted pretty much alienate any female comic fan and casual and alienate most male comic fans. The cripplings, mutilations, and rapes of these characters are sickening and downright disgusting. The stigma from these depictions of violence against women have damaged the brand DC’s brand long-term with female readers.

With mothers, grandmothers and aunts giving kids money for comics, There’s no place for this kind of violence against women in comics. The new EIC will have to make a guarantee to readers that there will be no more women in refrigerators at DC. EVER.

And the next editor in chief at DC will have to extend an olive branch to all those creators out there. After the implementation of the New 52 most writers and artists have sworn off working for DC. A new EIC will have to be an ambassador of goodwill who reconnects artists and writers to the brand and gets them to understand the history of the characters they’re working with as they develop new adventures for them. They’ll have to diplomatically explain standards for quality and story. They’ll have to be open to working with creators and creating a team environment where everyone works together towards rebuilding the reputation of DC Comics.

There’s going to be a steep learning curve for some artists and writers as they learn that the excesses of the 1990’s are no longer the standard in a 21^st Century publishing world and that the gimmicks and shock marketing that worked then don’t work now. People are indifferent to shock and writers and artists are going to have to learn how to get comic fans attention with something other than a death, a gory comic panel or some other overused plot device readers have grown tired of seeing.

DC will also have to be open to changing the way it compensates artists if it hopes to get new ideas flowing for its publications. There’s a lot of fresh young talent out there in the indies and the webcomics scene who have proven they deserve a job at one of the big two, but the archaic work-for-hire model is keeping them from even considering working with them. DC’s new editor in chief will have to be an advocate for them when they talk to WB Bosses about profit sharing with them on licensing and merchandising if they hope to get forward thinking creators on board and bring their new ideas and new characters to the brand.

DC’s new editor-in-chief will also have to be open to creating products that aren’t in 32-page comic formats. The serialized comic today costs too much and offers little entertainment value for the comic fans’ dollar compared to competing products. OGNs (Original graphic novels,) eBook exclusive series, and even limited series will have to be the part of the publishing catalog along with reprints of classic material. Even exclusive webcomics should be part of a catalog at a new DC Comics. 

And that new Editor-in-Chief will have to make an effort to reach out to comic fans across the globe. They’ll have to be the ambassador of goodwill to DC readers young and old. Instead of being an aloof jerk like Didio is sitting at a comic panel blowing off readers at a comicon they paid their good money to attend, they’ll have to actively listen to their customers and get creators to listen to them at book signings. As I see it, creators are going to have to get out and sell their work at the Barnes & Noble and the comic shops just like they do at the tables when they do commissions. They’re going to have to talk to the readers. And that feedback from these interactions hopefully will help them create better stories.

Finally, the next editor-in-chief needs to insist that DC recent logo needs to GO. It’s the symbol of Dan Didio. The symbol of a decade of FAILURE. It’s design is uninspired, and reflects the how dysfunctional and directionless the brand has become. The DC brand needs to be represented by its iconic four-star bullet again. That bullet was a standard for quality. It meant the reader was going to get comics readers of all ages would be able to enjoy and heroes any parent would be eager to share with their kids.

Many comic fans complain about the Dan Didio era at DC Comics. But Shawn James would like to focus on the post-Didio Era. Like a last place football team with a first-round draft pick DC Comics would be a rough place to be in the first few years. But with a solid Editor in Chief with a publishing background, leading the brand like a great head coach a plan can be put in place to rebuild the franchise and make it a rock-solid team of writers, artists and editors who would be focused on taking into first place and gaining the most market share in the comic book industry.

Shawn Talks About The Modern Isis Series

The Supporting Cast in Comics

  

They have household names almost as well-known as the Superheroes in the comics they appear in. Lois Lane. Jimmy Olsen. Iris West. Alfred. Commissioner Gordon. Aunt May. Mary-Jane Watson. Betty Ross. Jim Rhodes. Who are these characters? The Supporting cast in your favorite comic books.

In order to make the hero stand out, a comic has to have a supporting cast. Those people going on and about their business allow the hero to have someone to save. Someone to give them a helping hand when they’re in trouble. Someone to be a love interest. And someone for their alter-ego to foil in their quest to figure out their secret identities.

However, these days there’s a disturbing trend when it comes to a Hero’s supporting cast. Everybody’s got powers. Everybody’s a super-hero.

Why are all the supporting characters becoming heroes? In the comic book business a franchise is considered bankable way to cross-market and license characters. And when supporting cast members have powers it means that the licensing department can sell twice as much merchandise than they would if there were just one hero. It’s a lot easier to sell War Machines than Jim Rhodes in the toy aisle. It’s a lot easier to sell Red She-Hulk than Betty Banner. And let’s face it, not that many people are gonna buy Lois Lane, Jim Rhodes, Commissioner Gordons, Alfreds, (Pre-52) Mary Jane Watsons and Aunt Mays outside of Shawn and diehard comic fans who love the characters.

 (For the record, I’d have bought all these civilians as action figures if I had the chance Take note Hasbro and DC Comics Collectibles! Instead of producing that umpmillionth Batman or Spider-Man action figures in neon colors produce a civilian or two. You’d be surprised how well they’d sell at retail! )

Yeah, I’m guilty of the franchising of characters myself. E’steem went from supporting character in Isis and The Temptation of John Haynes to becoming the lead character in her own books. But the character had grown so much in both books she was telling her own stories, and there was no way to make her adventures fit in another John Haynes story or an Isis story. So I kind of understand when a creative team spins off a character and lets them take the lead instead of following the hero.

However, I kind of miss all the civilians in comics. They added a humanized element that balanced a comic out. Civilians added a depth and a texture to a hero’s world. They allowed us to see what went on in the everyday life of the hero’s alter ego and the social issues they had to deal with when they weren’t out on patrol.

The way I see it not everyone needs to be a hero. Not everyone needs to wear spandex. When everyone is a hero it kind of sucks the life out of a comic and throws it’s story paradigm out of whack. If everybody’s got powers then what makes the hero special?

Case in point the Incredible Hulk. When it was just Bruce Banner turning into a big strong green man it was cool. He was big green and angry ready to kick the asses of all the super-strong badass villains like Abomination and Absorbing Man. He’s even ready to kick the asses of the more powerful Marvel Heroes like The Thing, Thor, The Silver Surfer and Iron Man and show him why he is the strongest one there is.  

Okay in 1980 we get She-Hulk. She’s big and green. In the beginning she’s almost like Bruce, brooding and sexually frustrated. But John Byrne comes along. And instead we get a fun vivacious character with a sense of humor. So she’s not like Bruce. She has her own adventures across the Marvel Universe without any problems.

Two Hulks male and female work well in a shared universe. Unfortunately, we fast forward to 20 years later. We get Red Hulk and Red She-Hulk. A Bomb. Skaar, son of Hulk. All of a sudden the Incredible Hulk’s world is getting a bit too crowded.

The Hulk can’t be the strongest one there is if four other people are just as strong as he is.

Sure all these characters are unique. But what makes the Incredible Hulk distinct is lost. The original character and his mission are lost as his supporting cast have all gone on to get powers and become super characters all their own. If everyone’s got powers then who’s going to be in the Incredible Hulk’s supporting cast? Who’s going to be his civilian rival? Who’s going to be his love interest? Why should the reader CARE about the Green Hulk if there’s a red, one doing the exact same thing he does in another comic?   

And what about Batman? When he started out he was the lone Guardian of Gotham City.

Okay we get Robin the Boy wonder. And Batgirl. They’re sidekicks. Part-time heroes who work probably during the summers and holidays when they’re not in school. And when they work cases it’s usually small stuff with dudes like Crazy Quilt or Teen Titans adventures. They still leave the heavy lifting for the Dark Knight in Gotham.

Fast forward a few years. Dick Grayson becomes a Man. He becomes Nightwing, forms his own mission for crime fighting inspired by his mentor and Superman. A role better to fit his multi-faceted role as the leader of the Teen Titans and his growth into manhood. He’s unique distinct and becoming his own hero. Sadly Barbara Gordon winds up crippled by the Joker (one of the BIGGEST mistakes of ALL time at DC Comics) and Batman is still the guardian of Gotham City.

This allows Batman to get a New bitter Robin, Jason Todd. He doesn’t work out and gets crowbarred and blown up by the Joker. That sets up a new better Robin, everyone likes Tim Drake. Things are still working well, the story paradigm isn’t messed up. Even with Barbara Gordon as Oracle, and additions like Helena Bertinelli coming in as the Huntress and Jean Paul Valley coming in as Azrael Gotham isn’t getting too crowded. Even with Catwoman occasionally fighting crime in between her cat burglary capers, there’s still plenty of ass for people in spandex to kick. Birds of Prey and these other characters still follow the story model of taking care of the cleanup work with D-list Bat villains while he takes on the A-listers in his rogues’ gallery.

But later on we get Cassandra Cain. Stephanie Brown, A new Azrael. And Jason Todd is back from the dead and calling himself the Red Hood. Then his son Damien Wayne shows up. And we have a new Batwoman. All great characters (exception being Todd and Damian Wayne I fucking HATE both of them), but let’s face it Gotham is getting too crowded with crime fighters. WAY too crowded in my opinion. Now readers know Arkham Asylum is filled with lunatics for Batman to beat up on, but in between Nightwing, Robin the ladies of the Birds of Prey, Batwoman, Red Robin, Red hood and Azrael patrolling Gotham with Jim Gordon GCPD, the rogues gallery is getting spread pretty thin.

And what makes Batman special winds up getting LOST. He’s supposed to be a silent guardian. A Dark Knight. A detective unparalleled. Hard to do that when there’s a dozen other people with all the people following the same mission. The way I see it the Batcave is becoming like a GCPD precinct. That’s not what the character was meant to be.

In most comics with too many franchise characters the story often winds up muddled. When everyone has a costume, the core mission of the character winds up getting lost. And instead of readers seeing what makes them special, the stories become about seeing WHO will make an appearance along with the hero and help them take on the bad guy.

In some ways having all these franchise characters makes the main character look weak. If Superman needs Superboy and Supergirl, Krypto the superdog to beat up on Lex Luthor then what makes him Super? After all, he’s got powers far beyond a mortal man. He shouldn’t need a gang to beat a guy who he could take easily on his own.

For me, a solo book is NOT a team book. A Solo book is supposed to have a story paradigm where the reader sees the hero and what makes them and their alter ego special. The main character has to carry the book on their own. People buy Superman comics for Superman, and Hulk comics for the Hulk. They don’t want to see a bunch of guys who do the exact same thing they do crowding the main character out of their own book.

And the supporting cast has to be able to help carry the load. Civilians make a hero’s world richer. They move stories forward. They help us get to know the main character. They show us why they’re our friend and give us reasons to care about them and their alter egos. And sometimes they tell stories themselves.

When I write stories in the Isis series sometimes I find the coolest characters are the human ones in the supporting cast. The way I see it it’s these background characters that makes the worlds in my stories richer and fun to write in. They add that contrast and color that makes Isis’ stand out in the shared SJS DIRECT universe. And oftentimes readers connect and identify with the supporting cast the same way they would with a main character.

A strong supporting cast can add color and flavor to a Hero’s world and make them stand out. However, when everyone has powers just like the hero it dilutes what makes a character original and distinct. A good comic needs more people without powers to show why the hero’s mission is important and what makes them special. A Superman isn’t Super if five other people can do what he can; a writer has to add civilians without super-powers who are unique to show us why regular people are special too.