Ep. 93 – Greg Anderson Elysée (Is’nana the Were-Spider: Showtime)

We welcome back Greg Anderson Elysée to talk about Is’nana the Were-Spider: Showtime. This episode is also available on Google Play, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeart Radio and Spotify. The Hall H Show is hosted by Aaron Nabus and Alex Benedicto and is the “Voice of Independent Creators.”

Show Notes:

Hey there Hall H Show listeners!

Aaron Nabus here and on this episode, we’re joined by our good friend, Greg Anderson Elysée!

Greg has seven Glyph Awards (and counting) for his Is’nana the Were-Spider series of horror-fantasy, coming of age graphic novels and one-shots.

He is a Brooklyn, NY born Haitian-American writer, educator, filmmaker and model. Along with being the creator and writer Is’nana the Were-Spider, he is also the creator and writer of another series of comic books called Marassa.

It’s always fun having him on the show (check out episode 31 and episode 41). It’s also fun having him on a panel (watch our “Empowered” panel from Black Comix Day 2020 earlier this year).

Meeting Greg at Black Comix Day 2018.

The “Empowered” panel at Black Comix Day 2020.

On episode 93, he’s back with another one shot, Is’nana the Were-Spider: Showtime and it still has an active Kickstarter campaign going on until 8am PST on Wednesday, September 30, 2020.

Welcome back to the show, Greg, and congratulations on fully funding your Kickstarter for this newest Is’nana one shot (which will be a whopping 64 pages)!

Besides talking about Is’nana the Were-Spider: Showtime, some of the other topics discussed on this episode were:

• Greg’s love for Avatar the Last Airbender.
• John Boyega, Star Wars, The Black Panther, Lovecraft Country and the state of Black representation in our pop culture.
• Police brutality (in his comic book and in real life).
• How it was important to add an Asian female breakdancing character to Showtime.
• A very simple tip to help you schedule time to write.
• New projects that Greg is working on with people like Jason Reeves from 133art.

Kickstarter Campaign Trailer:

About Is’nana the Were-Spider: Showtime:

Taking place between Vol 1: Forgotten Stories and Vol 2: The Hornet’s Web, Showtime finds Is’nana befriending a group of street and Showtime dancers named the Silencerz – Princess C, Gris Gris, and Krimsin, three inner city kids who spend their free time dancing and entertaining while hoping to make some change for their craft.

Inspired by their moves, Is’nana is taken under their wing to spend the day with them, which includes Is’nana’s introduction to sushi, the subway system, entertaining an audience and unfortunately dealing with issues common to children of color in an urban city.

(source: Is’nana The Were-Spider: Showtime Kickstarter)

For this one-shot specifically, I wanted to highlight the coming of age aspect of Is’nana where he’ll finally be able to be a kid and enjoy himself but also deal with issues and reality of being a Black kid in an urban city.

Inspired by former students of mine who were b boy dancers, I also wanted to create this book as a tribute and homage to them and my love for street and showtime dancers that are a part of New York City culture. 

I also wanted to approach the topic and reality of race to Is’nana, who is still a fish out of water to our world, being that he is a spider from another realm who now has a human form.

Greg Anderson Elysée (from the Kickstarter campaign)

Creative Team:

• Writer and Creator: Greg Anderson Elysée
• Pencils and Inks: Michael White (aka Miguel Blanco)
• Colorist: Angael Davis-Cooper
• Letterer: Deron Bennett
• Bonus Story Artist: David Brame
• Cover Artist: Khary Randlolph

Cover Art:

Cover by Khary Randolph.

Thunder Round Questions:

• In the Star Wars universe, what kind of character would you be?
• It’s 10pm and you’re starving after a full day of writing. What kind of food would you be craving?
• Do you think in person comic conventions will be back next year? Which one do you think will be your first one that you will attend in person?
• Why is working out important to you?
• What was the last song you listened to?
• If Is’nana would have run into you and your friends instead of the breakdancers – what would he have experienced?
• What’s your favorite word?
• If you could teleport to anywhere in the world right now, where would you go and why did you pick that place?

Follow Greg Anderson Elysée:

Webway Comics
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram

Thank YOU:

Thank you so much for tuning into the Hall H Show podcast, where we love showcasing independent comic book creators like Greg Anderson Elysée.

Please check out the Is’nana the Were-Spider: Showtime Kickstarter campaign which ends on September 30, 2020. Even though it’s fully funded, please consider supporting it since a portion of the campaign goes toward future books.

If you believe in our mission to be the voice of independent creators, please leave us a comment and rating (hopefully five stars) on Apple Podcasts. You can also find this podcast on Google Play, Stitcher, iHeartRadio and even Spotify!

Peace, cheers and remember that representation matters. If you would like to recommend a guest that you feel deserves more attention, please reach out to us on any of our social media accounts or the contact form on our contact form.

Peace, cheers and please be safe out there! ~Aaron