Though just 16 years old, Amandla Stenberg has very strong ideals when it comes to feminism and women of colour, who often go under and misrepresented; she shot into fame with her role as Rue in The Hunger Games movie and now is coming up with an exciting new comic, centered around the experiences of a young black warrior woman named Niobe Ayutami.
The comic will be called NIOBE: She is Life and tells the story of a mixed-race, Niobe Ayutami, who is half human and half elf. The protagonist will be seen on her adventures to help save the world and on this journey will be about her self-discovery to find out exactly who she is and all the powerful things she can do.
What makes the storyline interesting is the fact that the character Niobe has many characteristics similar to Amanda. Both of them are trying to connect with their mixed racial background and are on the quest to discover their innate powers and strengths. Not only this, Niobe is busy breaking barriers just as Stenberg is doing in reality. Together, the two are a powerful duo who proudly represent women of colour through all dimensions.
“She is on a path to a destiny that will test her faith and her will, something we can all relate to. But there’s never been a character quite like her — one who shatters the traditional ideal of what a hero is. We need more badass girls!” Stenberg said.
Stranger Comics teamed up with Amandla to bring NIOBE to life. The CEO of the multi platform publishing company Stranger Comics Sebastian A. Jones told Huffington Post, “I may be mixed, but I am not a young, black, teenaged woman, so it would have been idiotic and morally insensitive of me to not team up with someone who could really engage with Niobe’s soul and state of being.”
In the past, Jones has made it a point to create projects that target underserved audiences and this could be seen in his book series “I Am Mixed” and the “I Am” book series.
The comic is written by Sebastian A. Jones and Amandla Stenberg and is illustrated by Chicago artist Ashley A. Woods based on layouts by Stranger’s Art Director Darrell May. The comic is expected to be released on November 4 along with The Untamed graphic novel.
