Posted in: Comics, Current News | Tagged: dwayne mcduffie, Epiphany Engine, kickstarter

Epiphany Engine – A Multiverse Inspired By Dwayne McDuffie

Over 70 Black creators team up with Advent Comics and over 40 comic publishers for crossover graphic novel Epiphany Engine on Kickstarter.

Over 70 Black creators are teaming up with Advent Comics and over 40 comic book and graphic novel publishers for a crossover graphic novel Epiphany Engine on Kickstarter. The project is led by Advent Comics' Tony Kittrell and editorial director Joseph P. Illidge. Each chapter will showcase the work of a different creative team, including lead writer Brandon Thomas, Rodney Barnes, John Jennings, Chuck Patton, and Colleen Douglas. Publishers involved include 4th Wall Productions, Griot Enterprises, Konkret Comics, and Second Sight Publishing.

Inspired by Crisis on Infinite Earths and Fantastic Four, Epiphany Engine follows the McKalis, "a family of brilliant scientists who have been scattered across the dangerous multiverse after a fight with the mysterious adversary, Abzylom. The fabric of the multiverse has ruptured, causing universes to bleed into each other and sending most of the Mackali family into scattered destinations, leaving the youngest member Todd McKali without his family in a cosmic and frightening variation on Home Alone. Abzylom wants to collapse the existing multiverse and mold a new universe while destroying the McKalis. In order to save the multiverse and defeat their cosmic foe, the family must find each other and build an army of fighters from across the multiverse of Black superheroes."

"The McKali family is led by Prof. Dwayne McKali, an incredibly brilliant explorer and father, but often myopic and overcontrolling, and Dr. Jackie McKali, a world renowned physicist and mother who is the balanced yang to Dwayne's ying. In order to save the multiverse, the parents team up with their gifted kids, 19-year old Jett McKali, an impulsive tech genius who is unafraid to jump into the fray, and 17-year-old Octavia McKali, a chemist and theorist who keeps the family together and on task. The family is inspired by historical real-life and fictional figures: iconic writer Dwayne McDuffie, legendary comics creator Jackie Ormes, Disney's "The Famous Jett Jackson", award-winning science fiction author Octavia Butler, and legendary actor Tony Todd of the seminal horror film "Candyman"."

"Dwayne and Jackie's youngest son, 10-year-old Todd McKali, is a child prodigy who incorporates all of the specialties of his famous family. The family is hunted by the villainous Abzylom. Unhinged, psychopathic and incredibly brilliant, Abzylom has been traversing the multiverse and his body has become infused with the chaotic energies that bind and separate universes."

Along with these original characters, Epiphany Engine include Andre Batts & Urban Style Comics' mystical protector Dreadlocks, Roosevelt Pitt and Amara Entertainment's Purge character, Jiba Molei Anderson and Griot Enterprises' African deities superteam The Horsemen, Danny J. Quick's 4th Wall Productions' MMA ninja Aceblade, Lonzo Starr & Konkret Comics' cosmic hero Akolyte, Dorphise Jean & Spirits Destiny Studios Haitian heroine Spirit Destiny, Bradley Golden and Second Sight Publishing's character Victoria Black, Michael Watson's Freestyle Komics' powerful Hotshot, Anansi the trickster god of stories, Ray-Anthony Height & Studio Skye-Tiger's heroic vigilante Midnight Tiger, Quinn McGowan & Legends Press' highflyer Wildfire and Tony Kittrell/Advent Comics' powerhouse Titan the Ultra Man.

"This is the event that started with the publication of All-Negro Comics #1 in June 1947 and continues on in spirit in the Epiphany Engine Graphic Novel which launches on June 19, 2024, a full seventy-seven years later. To say that the stars aligned, both figuratively and literally, would be an understatement." said Project Manager Tony Kittrell. "This is a star-studded crossover that is loaded from top to bottom with some of the best creators in all of comics. The Epiphany Engine Graphic Novel brings together all aspects of the Black Comic Book Industry to create a new benchmark upon which a new generation will expand from. The personal and professional reward of being a part of this history-making crossover event is one and the same. It can be said without any hyperbole whatsoever that Epiphony Engine is THE EVENT of 2024!!"

"31 years ago, I started my career at Milestone Media, Inc., and in June of that year Milestone and DC Comics published the first issue of "Static", introducing one of the most beloved superheroes in global culture. Static ignited the world over the decades through comic books, animation, and merchandise, inspiring generations of creators, executives, and cosplayers. To launch Epiphany Engine on the anniversary of Static's debut in the world speaks to the fact that our stories and characters are powerful and universal, for everyone and anyone who loves good stories and compelling journeys.", said Editorial Director Joseph P. Illidge, "I've seen the comic book industry change profoundly since 1993, and the resilience and determination of the Black entrepreneurial comic book community is at the top of the list, so Epiphany Engine is both a creative and business crossover event. Just as Static was a pebble in the pond with ripple effects extending more than 30 years, it is our hope that three decades from now Epiphany Engine will be a beacon for the new generation of creators and publishers with fantastic and meaningful stories to tell in comics and entertainment."

The Kickstarter campaign for the Epiphany Engine graphic novel is live. Rewards will include an option for fans to buy a 1:1 creative consultation with Epiphany Engine producer Tony Kittrell, Editorial Director Joseph P. Illidge, and a surprise creator(s). Other rewards will include original artwork, exclusive variants, boxed sets and more.

Fans who purchase the graphic novel will be mailed the book in January 2025. Covers for Epiphany Engine include those by Chriscross, Keron Grant, Alitha E. Martinez, Jamal Igle, Sean Damien Hill, Canaan White, Marcus Williams, Kris Mosby, Michael Watson, Stanley Weaver, Jr. and Eric Battle. The afterword will be by Marcus H. Roberts of Second Sight.

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