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We As Americans: Catchy, Isn't It?

Published Sun, 01 Sep 2019 11:00:18 -0500

Sean P Terry writes,

About a decade ago, I had the thought: What if there actually WERE superpowered people in the world? People that—on a low level—could actually bend steel? Or perform telepathy? Or telekinesis? How would they meet? How would they find each other? Then it hit me:

Billionaire. Playboy. Genius.

No, not Iron Man. The Genius. A man literally named: The Genius. Well, actually Alexander Vermont (by birth), The Genius as his public persona–in the same vein that Kevin O'Leary is known as Mr. Wonderful, or Warrant Buffet is known as The Oracle. Known for his vast wealth and manipulation of markets, he's an economist, political advisor to the president, and an opportunistic philanthropist… but those are minor details. The important thing was that HE could succeed in putting the team together.

And We As Americans was born.

Next I wondered, who would draw it? How about Marvel and DC Superstar Edgar Salazar? If Edgar could draw the Uncanny X-Men (which I grew up worshipping), he could certainly draw We As Americans. After all, the first five pages of the book are a homage to Giant Size X-Men #1 with Genius playing the role of Professor X, reaching out to and recruiting the team

Next, I knew the series would need a great cover. Seeing the recently released Superman #1, I thought what if Versace Jackson (pronounced "Ver-sayce"), were to mimic that same Superman pose? Versace is a bodybuilder, a man of pride and integrity, and the character that opens the series with page 1. But knowing how iconic the Ivan Reis imagery is, I thought I'd need someone known for drawing icons. So the solution? Was Ed Benes.

You see, I grew up, with superheroes as my heroes. I didn't have a lot of money. I didn't have a ton of friends or a lot of opportunities. But what I did have? Was escapism… power fantasies… and namely? Comics. I grew up with the '90's animated series… X-Men, Batman, Spider-man and went from cartoons to comics. And when I was old enough? (Ish). I picked up Preacher. Then I picked up Sandman. And suddenly? I had new heroes. Their names were: Ennis. Ellis. Gaiman. Bendis. Millar. And of course, Moore. And when I wrote this work? It was to honor them. I spent a decade crafting this 12-issue series with punch and politics, laughter and social commentary, big action, and a big finish. And I wrote it to still mean something whether it was read today, or in ten years from now. So please, help make the dream come true. And help bring the project to life!

Articles like this on Bleeding Cool are fantastic and a great way to reach a lot of fans. The project just launched this week and has a ton of time. And with sincere thanks, joy, and humility, I'd like to thank the industry pros that have already backed us . Gary Frank sent out a tweet and backed the project! So did Stephanie Phillips. Justin Gray is a backer, and even Patrick Zircher sent out a tweet!

And there is a special free offer for any Bleeding Cool readers who back We As Americans. All backers at Gold Elite Tier or above, will receive a FREE high-quality 9×12 cardstock print with your choice of cover! And if your tier already contains a print, you'll receive a second of your choice at no charge! Just type in CODE: GENIUS! in the messages section when you back the We As Americans Kickstarter and thank you for helping to bring this project to life!

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