Back to the beginning

Following last week’s installment on the history of Voyage Comics, after a few years of business, we set our sights on creating a new superhero.

One of the problems with creating a new superhero is the fact that between Marvel and DC Comics, there exist approximately 18,000 superheroes! This means that inevitably we would be influenced by a pre-existing character and so the challenge was to create a superhero who was set apart, not following the same “mold.”

At the time, I was getting annoyed by the rise of the “anti-hero,” the hero who really wasn’t a hero. Some popular examples include Deadpool, The Suicide Squad, and The Boys. Basically, these heroes are only less evil bad guys. In order to “save” the day, they have to take down someone who is more evil than them. The main problem with these “heroes,” is the fact that they live lives of utter depravity, and are examples of humanity at its worse.

They aren’t heroes you would want your kids to grow-up and imitate!

Faced with this growing trend, I went back to the beginning and did some research on the original Batman series that started in the 1940s. I wanted to see what superheroes looked like when they first started. What I found was something much different than the modern anti-hero narrative and it inspired me to begin developing a character who could be a light in a dark place.

I also began reading G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown series and was intrigued by the detective priest, seeing another classic example of crime-fighting.

All of these influences were poured into our first superhero of The Phantom Phoenix. He may not be a “saint,” but he also isn’t an “anti-hero.” We hope that Martin Claver’s adventures showcase a superhero you and your kids can truly root for.

After a few years, Voyage had a growing library of comics, but we encountered one of our most difficult obstacles yet….distribution! How do you convince the world that you have a product they need, but didn’t ask for?

Find out next week in Voices of Voyage #5!