The following is an interview with comic book creator Greg Burnham (Tuskegee Heirs) regarding the upcoming release of the graphic novel, The Search for Sadiqah, with Rosarium Publishing. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Burnham about his experience in working with artists Tiah Ankum, Tahilla Ankum, and Havana Nguyen to bring the story and characters to life on the page, the themes that he hopes may resonate with readers, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of The Search for Sadiqah! What can you share with us about the story’s premise and the genesis behind its creation?
Greg Burnham: Thank you! Sadiqah came to me in a late-night dream after watching a Tulsa, Black Wall Street Massacre documentary. I dreamt of a teenage girl, crawling out of the rubble after losing everything…everyone. It was quite a sad dream, but I wanted to focus on the resiliency of her digging out, and going forward.
BD: How would you describe your shared creative process in working with artists Tiah Ankum, Tahilla Ankum, and Havana Nguyen to explore the importance of acknowledging our past in order to navigate today’s struggles?
GB: For this series, I’d have to start at the beginning. My great friend, and co-creator of Tuskegee Heirs, Marcus Williams, helped greatly with the character design for Sadiqah, and her parents. From there, Shannon Sapenter took over and illustrated the first two chapters. Shannon set the tone and built the world with me. We had tons of fun looking up 1920s fashion, buildings, technology etc. I will always appreciate Shannon for his assistance.
I met Tiah during the DC Comics Milestone Initiative. At the time, I had an agent and we were looking to pitch Sadiqah. Tiah was interested, and she had already told me about Tahilla, her equally talented twin sister. The process is pretty awesome. I lucked out with Shannon, a person who really cared about the project. Tiah and Tahilla care just as much, and that’s what makes it so fun. I never want the process to feel like work for hire. I want it to feel like we’re in a band, trying to make a great album. Everyone’s voice matters. If there’s something you really like to do visually, I’m going to figure out a way to implement it into the script. I can’t wait to get started with the twins, for the next installment of The Search For Sadiqah.
With Havana, it was a bit different. She’s a good friend of mine, and we had been talking about doing something together for a while. The problem, she’s so busy! Along with her pencil/ink duties for the comic she works on (Kamikaze), she has a day job that keeps her busy. But after me pleading enough, she said yes. She also cares deeply about the work she does, and we had really detailed meetings before she got started. It’s only 6 pages of the story, but it was fun. We’ve talked about working on another project, so look out world, it may happen one day.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums – no matter the genre. How do you feel that Sadiqah’s story may connect with and impact today’s readers, and what, if any, conversations do you hope that it may inspire?
GB: I think it’s always powerful when people see heroes that look like them. Sadiqah is an intelligent, capable, fearless little Black girl who hates bullies. And she’s coming off one of the most egregious examples of bullying in U.S. history. But honestly, you don’t have to look like her to connect with the story. If you’re a fan of history, action, adventure, you’ll have fun. I hope the book prompts people to look into things we mentioned: Black Wall Street, The Red Summer of 1919, Blackdom, New Mexico, Peonage and how it was used to enslave indigenous people after slavery was abolished. So many good conversations can come from this story.
BD: What makes Rosarium the perfect home for this story?
GB: 2 words. Bill Campbell! A phenomenal writer and a great person. I love Rosarium because they are focused on multicultural and diverse speculative fiction. I’m excited for the opportunity to bring my historical, action, adventure, fantasy, Wuxia-style story to the Rosarium team!
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
GB: Why yes, there are. Marcus Williams and I are finishing up Issue 5 of Tuskegee Heirs. Tuskegee Heirs is a futuristic sci-fi, with teen pilots, mechs, and it’s just a good time.
I’m also getting ready to break ground on issue #2 of Bridges, a comic featuring 4 teenage girl superheroes who’ve taken the challenge to be protectors of Oakland, CA.
And since National Swim Day is quickly approaching, I have to mention my children’s book, Swim, Kelly! Swim! where I used an entertaining story to kind of demystify the swimming process. The book is available on Amazon.
I have other stuff I am not allowed to talk about, but will be coming soon!
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell readers who want to learn more about The Search for Sadiqah and your other work?
GB: I think the easiest way is to follow me on instagram at @greg_burnham7. I have all my links in my bio, so it’s pretty much a one-stop shop.
