As the creator of a universe of women superheroes, I often get asked how I create my characters. Well, the truth is that I use real life. When I create a character, I start from scratch and often times it’s personality traits that will inspire a character. I’ve even used personality traits from multiple people to create just one character. So, for Women’s History Month I’ve decided to acknowledge the incredible women who have inspired my characters.
Music legend and Icon Janet Jackson turns 50 today and Aza is celebrating the best way that it knows how. “I would say that Janet has always inspired me creatively,” says Illustrator of Aza’s first book, The Keepers: Orgins, Remero Colston. “She’s not afraid to change it up for the sake of her craft and that is a quality I admire.” It was Miss Jackson’s catsuits that helped him create the style of Thema, Aza Comics’ beloved superhero Queen.
Using inspiration from her latest music video ‘Dammn Baby”, Colston created a tribute piece to honor the legendary performer and her youngest dancers, the #JBabies (Kyndall Harris and Taylor Hatala).
A Janet Jackson superhero? We all saw this coming. It’s no secret that Aza Comics’ CEO is a Janet Jackson STAN (just check out her instagram @jaztruesdale) but surprisingly creating a character with personality elements of her favorite entertainer was the last thing on her mind. “My mother gave me the idea,” Truesdale laughs. “Originally, Thema was inspired by my own mother and then one day I was telling her about the character and she says ‘right, so when you do the movie and Janet Jackson is fighting Kiran in a catsuit…’ that’s when it clicked for me.”