BELIEVE

IN THE
HERO
INSIDE OF
YOU.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2017
 ARVELL JONES
The Hero Within SPECIAL GUEST ARTIST
by Jermaine Dickerson Arvell Malcolm Jones is a veteran comic artist. His earliest work appeared in Marvel
Premiere #20-22 in 1975, drawing the martial arts superhero Iron Fist. He also co-
Somewhere, someone is crying out for help, either for themselves or
created the character Misty Knight, along with Tony Isabella for the Iron Fist series.
for someone else in needor both. In the Indian state of Assam, violent
floods claim countless lives and leave survivors in poverty, and in a His other Marvel titles include Deathlok, Luke Cage, Avengers, Captain America and
worsening health crisis. In South Africa, the global plague of human- more. Jones began work for DC Comics on a short 10-page story for DC Specials and
trafficking infects a nation still managing the aftereffects of apartheid. giant books of Legion of Super Heroes before getting his own series called Super-Team
Across the Americas, indigenous people combat the generational effects Family from 1976-1977. He also worked on All-Star Squadron in the mid-80s, penciling
of cultural genocide and colonization of their native lands.
the majority of the issues released between 1985-1987. He later returned to comics to
In the United States, a white supremacist apologist president enforces draw fill-in issues of Blood Syndicate and Hardware before co-creating and drawing
legislation that threaten the lives of immigrant families, Muslims, people the first 6 issues of Kobalt for Milestone Media Inc. In 1995, he co-founded a publicly
of color, women and LGBTQ people. Trans women of color are murdered traded company and ran an internet development company. Jones other achievements
at escalating rates at the hands of belligerent men who perpetuate toxic
include being a producer for numerous TV shows such as Totally Twisted Flix and Movie
masculinity. Black Americans continue to fall victim to racial and police
violence, and a judicial system that dehumanizes black bodies for profit. Show Plus, and serving as the Vice President of Developmewnt for Colours TV. He was
And in your neighborhood, a teen is contemplating suicide after being also an adjunct faculty professor in the Illustration Department at the College for Creative
forced into homelessness because his family disowned him for being gay. Studies, a storyboard artist for a production company, and is the co-founder of Comic Art
Workshop. Currently, Jones is the president of a video production company called Encode
But despite the worlds blight and despair, theres an overwhelming force
of good that combats these oppressive forces; people who are outspoken Entertainment LLC and he mentors aspiring professional comic artists. He is accepting
and protest systems of injustice, inequity, intolerance and inequality; commissions and has two independent projects due to be released soon.
people who not only speak on behalf of their struggles but stand in
solidarity with others enduring other forms of oppression. Theyre heroes.
Sometimes they wear red capes or vibranium suits. They may wield ANDRE BATTS
patriotic shields or lassos of truth as they leap through dynamic panels in SPECIAL GUEST ARTIST
the pages of a comic book. And sometimes, theyre simply the parent who
believes in your dream, the teacher who tells you to never give-up, or the Andre L. Batts was born May 4, 1966. He grew on the west side of Detroit and had a
friend who offers you shelter when you have nowhere else to go. strong bond with his family. But despite being so close, Batts love for comics made him
unique among his siblings and peers. His favorite characters included Doctor Strange, the
However, I believe the most important hero is the one inside of you. The
X-men and the Avengers. It was these comics that inspired Batts to teach himself how to
voice that urges you to do good even when it isnt the easiest thing to do,
that challenges you to be more than a bystander, is the reminder that draw. He would learn by looking at the colorful and dynamic panels in the books. After a
youre stronger than you think, and that your life and story matters. while, Batts briefly retired his artistic interest despite still reading comics regularly. But as
more comic shops left urban neighborhoods, Batts had to travel to the suburbs to find his
Thats the power we all possessthe power of a hero. That power allows
favorite titles. For him, this seemed like a deliberate move to remove these significant pop
us to see the value in our lives and the lives of others. It inspires us to be
outstanding citizens for the betterment of ourselves, our communities, culture markers from Detroits primarily African-American communities. Years later, Batts
and the world. began studying the Medu Neter and all that was related to his African culture. This opened
his eyes to the lack of African-American representation in comics, despite the high number
Whether youre protesting in the streets of Charlottesville, starting a local of black comic readers. Batts realized a lot of comic stories stemmed from ancient
youth literacy program, or writing a comic featuring a superhero inspired
African myths and spirituality, but were diluted to fit characters like Superman, the X-men
by your lifewe all have a part in making the world a brighter place.
and other Marvel and DC characters. Realizing this, he quickly went to work to create
But first, we have to believe in the hero within ourselves. characters in his own likeness. His most popular being Dreadlocks, an African-American
superhero Batts created in 1995, with a title released in 1996.

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SCHEDULE SCHEDULE
COMMUNITY ROOM LIBRARY

1:30pm - 2:45pm SPECIAL FILM SCREENING: 2:30pm - 3:30pm STEAMPUNK AND CHARACTER
LOOK TO THE SKY BUILDING WORKSHOP
Directed by Brett Culp By Aiesha Little
A feature-length, not-for-profit documentary film about HOPE and Want to get into steampunk but not sure where to start? Aiesha
young heroes who are inspiring us to believe in tomorrow. of Midwest Black Speculative Fiction Alliance will discuss the
film short SteamFUNK and Rococoa: A Black Victorian Fantasy
3:00pm - 4:00pm INSIDE OUT (steampunk as it pertains to people of color) and lead a
Ft. Citywide Poets steampunk character building workshop!

Citywide Poets youth will be leading a workshop that morphs fan

fiction and poetry. Participants will analyse poetry by famed au- 3:40pm - 4:10pm YOUR STORY IS JUST THE BEGINNING:
thors and craft work of their own. There will also be a live perfor- TOOLS + STRATEGIES ON CREATING A
mance of original work from YaKuZa Moon, AJanae (Sombade),
DOPE PLATFORM
and Eldric Laron.
By Ed Williams
Hang out with Ed Williams, founder of Arclight Comics based in
4:15pm - 5:30pm WONDER WOMEN OF YPSI Atlanta, GA as he walks you through how to turn your story into
Facilitated by Gillian Ream Gainsley
a platform that creates more of what you want to see put into
Panelists: Yen Azzaro, VicToria Harper, Lynn Malinoff, the world. In this workshop, youll discover your unique voice,
and Dr. Heather Neff personal brand, and mission, learn how to project your story
From educators to community leaders, Ypsi is full of women through social media, and why you can no longer keep your story
who have deeply influenced the community in various ways. to yourselfthe world needs to hear it!
Wonder Women of Ypsi highlights these amazing women, their
achievements and their powerful stories. 4:30pm - 6:00pm HERO POWER GAMING TOURNAMENT
Hosted by Cohl Echols & Sylvester Jennings
5:40pm - 6:00pm HERO OF THE YEAR AWARD
Presented by Jermaine Dickerson The Hero Power Gaming Tournament offers a FREE, fun and
inclusive competitive gaming experience with great prizes.
Award recipents: Marquan Kane and Dr. Heather Neff
Grand Prize: PlayStation 4, a 20 monitor and a pre-installed
The Hero of the Year and Rising Hero of the Year are awards
copy of Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite.
given to one adult and one youth, annually, for their outstanding
dedication to community service, volunteerism, education and
REGISTRATION OPENS at 3PM
the overall betterment of others.
Applicants must be between the ages of 12-18
(Look for the Hero Power table)

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 ABOUT HERO NATION
Hero Nation-Ypsilanti is a free, family-friendly comic convention
that celebrates superheroes and diversity by amplifying the
voices of people of color, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities
and womenwith the mission that everyone has a hero inside of
themselves that deserves to be celebrated.

OUR SPONSORS
Thank you to our superhero sponsors. You can see a full
list of our contributors at heronationypsi.com.

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heronationypsi.com