Posted in: Comics, Conventions, Phoenix Comicon | Tagged: Comics, entertainment, phoenix comicon

Devil's Due Comics' Sherard Jackson Talks Diversity At Phoenix Comicon

Donald Guillory writes for Bleeding Cool:

At conventions, I typically walk around looking for something to catch my eye. There seem to be endless moments when I don't stop to look around at someone's table, displays, items for sale. There are some ventures down rows of tables and booths where I don't take a picture because there isn't something that piqued my interest. This is definitely not true of Sherard Jackson of Devil's Due Comics.

I found myself looking at a display that many authors and artists set up. Most are pretty similar and unassuming. His appeared that way at first — and then I looked closer. Jackson was sketching a cover of Rom. I was intrigued, as that was the first comic book I recall ever owning. We struck up a conversation about the history of comics, of which my knowledge was highly lacking in comparison.

As we spoke and I looked over the comic, he discussed his love of sci-fi and action. He introduced me to previous works like Semantic Lace, which he described as a Middle-Eastern Ghost in the Shell. We discussed some of his other works. One that stood out was Galaxys For Hire, a followup series to Galaxy Girls which featured a crew of female bounty hunters whose fate is tied to the destiny of the galaxy. It was an intriguing backstory that helped to continue to bring more diversity into the world of comics.

He's currently working on the series with Devil's Due Comics, as well as a webcomic entitled Darby about a Baby T-Rex and the misadventures he finds himself in. With respect to future projects, Jackson is looking forward to working in animation again.

For his characters, he sees that it is their actions that define them as heroes, not their gender or color — when adversity comes, they take action. For people who challenge his choice to create an all-female team, he asks "why does that matter?" With diversity, he wants to demonstrate that the people out there who look like his readers can be the hero, too, and take part in those adventures. Jackson's hope is that his readers feel empowered by the actions his characters take in facing adversity. He sees much opportunity in creating characters and stories that are accessible to all.

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