cover by Courtland L. Ellis
Harriet Tubman: Demon Slayer is a red hot comics title and will be coming to you soon as a series on Disney. I think there are a lot of folks that are still new to this while many can’t wait to see the series kick off. With that in mind, I wanted to interview David Crownson, the creator and writer of this project, as well as other great titles like Killer Bee and Nightmare in Newark, part of his storytelling business, Kingwood Comics. I want to share this remarkable story of a determined creative person who gets things done. I refer you back to my review for this comic book series. This is a case of the making-of-story being as fascinating as anything else about this unique comic. At the end of the day, Crownson wanted to equip his comic book with the energy of Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained within a world like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And Crownson undoubtedly succeeds.
David was on a trip, a pretty important one, in Ghana, West Africa, for a few months. David is an actor by trade. It was around 2014. He was auditioning for a part in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and almost got it. David has family in Ghana so he was in a contemplative and comfortable place. He happened to catch a documentary on Harriet Tubman and discovered she is revered in Ghana due to her strong family roots there. Later, David viewed two movies: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. And it was that combination of things when it first clicked for him: Harriet Tubman: Demon Slayer. Okay, so that’s the first part: a natural eureka moment. I won’t spoil it by going over every subsequent detail. You’ll want to check out my interview, which you can click to right below.
I think that’s what really struck me about David: along with being very determined, he is also very generous. He genuinely wanted to share his story and was happy to take that leap with me and follow the flow of the conversation. That’s what storytelling is about: being in tune with who you are, what you want to say, and connecting with your audience. That’s what makes Harriet Tubman: Demon Slayer work. Here is a character on the right side of history, fighting the good fight, seeking the light at the end of the tunnel. Okay, so there’s the core factor to success: solid content. And then there’s all the other elements that need to line up. Just when David needed to secure compelling and iconic cover art for his proposed series, he found the perfect artist in Courtland L. Ellis. Now, you’ve got an instant calling card that is as memorable as anything you can think of. Instant recognition.
It pays to create good content every step of the way when you’re promoting your work. You never know who might be watching. That’s exactly what happened to David after he took the time to create a very cool commercial. It was such a good live action version of the comic that it looked like it was a real show. Prentice Penny happened to see it and that led to Harriet Tubman: Demon Slayer being tapped for a series on Disney. All you can do is keep the faith. That’s what David Crownson has done and keeps doing. For more details, and how to purchase Harriet Tubman: Demon Slayer, visit Kingwood Comics.
