The Hunger Games actress, musician and social justice commentator Amandla Stenberg made headlines earlier this year with the video, “Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows,” describing in detail what cultural appropriation is and how white artists fail to understand the culture they are misusing. She was also under attack for telling Kylie Jenner about her cultural appropriation of cornrows, chastising the reality star for using Blackness as an accessory but failing to address issues pertaining to the welfare of Black people. This year was huge for her to say the least.
Now, Stenberg has transformed herself into a comic book writer with her first series, Niobe: She Is Life. The series follows Niobe Ayutami, an orphaned elf teenager and future savior of an expansive and ever-changing fantasy world of Asunda. Ayutami is running from a past where the Devil himself is chasing her down. Stenberg’s character will act as a messiah figure, uniting all of the nations of her fantasy world in a final epic battle to defeat the hordes of Hell.
Art by Ashley A. Woods
Stenberg and Sebastian A. Jones will take care of the writing duties, while Chicago based artist Ashley A. Woods will be drawing the book. Woods hit the mainstream this year for producing socially-conscious work dedicated to the victims of police brutality. She has also been hired by Marvel for an upcoming project.
Stranger Comics’ Niobe: She Is Life will hit shelves on November 4.
