How Roye Okupe’s Nigerian comic book became a global hit

Weekend Magazine: When did you first decide that you wanted to make your own comics? Adewunmi Roye Okupe: It was about 2012. It’s something I have wanted to do for a very long time, I just didn’t believe that I could. I thought it was a far-fetched dream. Right now I am doing a lot […]

Weekend Magazine: When did you first decide that you wanted to make your own comics?
Adewunmi Roye Okupe: It was about 2012. It’s something I have wanted to do for a very long time, I just didn’t believe that I could. I thought it was a far-fetched dream. Right now I am doing a lot of comics, but the original plan was actually to do a lot of animation, or only animation, actually. The reason I took the step into comics was to build the market for animation in Nigeria or Africa. At the time that I wanted to do it, it was almost non-existent. A lot of investors are very hesitant to invest in something that they don’t really see at a pace where they can compare Nigerian animation making good money.
While I was running around trying to raise money for the animation, I couldn’t find anybody. A lot of people liked what I had done. A lot of people liked the animated pilot, but they couldn’t compare it with anything else so they didn’t know what to do with it. I did it as a comic book first and proved that there is actually a market for it.
In 2014 I decided that I wanted to quit my job in the US. Then I put together a one-year plan to see, and to put together some things that would allow me to do that eventually in June 2015.

WM: With the book a hit, do you have plans for animation?
Okupe: Definitely. Like I said, the main reason for doing the book was to prove that there is a Nigerian and African fan base for this kind of stuff. A lot of people did not think that this could work in Nigeria or in Africa. I have always believed in the market. It’s very evident with the amount of people who came out for the Lagos Comic Con last week Saturday. Even I who have always believed in the market for long, was overwhelmed with the amount of people who turned up.
There are plans to now use the momentum from the book to go back to what I originally wanted to do, the animated movies. The book has opened a lot of doors for us and it is all about trying to use that opportunity to bring on the right partners, the right people to take it on to the next level.

WM: Do you have any plans for a live-action movie, and has Hollywood come knocking?
Okupe: I do eventually want to do live-action movies based on my characters but I feel like it’s too early for that right now. I’m one person who believes in trying to take things step by step. I could try to do live-action, and if it doesn’t have the right visual effects, everything you built could be destroyed by creating a movie years ahead. But it doesn’t mean that if there was an opportunity to do a proper one, I wouldn’t take it. But it can’t just be about trying to cash out. It has to be the right time, right people and done in the right way.
People who have invested so much in these characters can actually go and have an experience that they can be proud of and tell other people and be associated with. It shouldn’t be substandard, just because it is a Nigerian superhero movie.

WM: If the character continues to grow do you have any plans to relinquish it to other writers as is the tradition?
Okupe: That is something I think about all the time. EXO is not the only book that I plan to do. I’m actually working on my next project right now, called ‘Malika The Warrior Queen.’ It actually takes place in pre-colonial Nigeria and it follows the exploits of a character who struggles to keep the peace in her expanding empire. That is part of what I want to try and do to show the different side of Africa and show the after story, not just for Africa and Nigeria but for people all over the world.
But these characters, I always tell people, are like my children. It’s so hard to put them in the hands of others, but eventually it is something that I need to start doing because you have to see what other takes on them are. I don’t know it all, or have all the skills as a writer. There are other writers out there who may see things that don’t even cross my mind. 

WM: Do you have plans to expand EXO with other stories and characters?
Okupe: Yes I can expand a little bit on that. EXO is the flagship story, and character of my company. But we have plans to create a whole universe of different and diverse superheroes which is why we are going to be working on Malika which is a very strong female character. There are not a lot of African stories when it comes to comic books and even less so when it comes to female African characters.
There is a definite plan for expansion, with a lot more other characters, all within the same universe. As much as Malika is a different book, there are certain stories in it that are referenced in EXO. The stories are all tied up in a shared universe. It will be a lot of fun for people who have started reading my books to start seeing what I’m going to do next.

WM: As a fast-rising comic book creator, what aspect of your job is most important to you?
Okupe: To be able to inspire people. Growing up, I always loved cartoons, superheroes and I watched them on TV all day – like, Batman, Superman and the Transformers. I was glued to the TV and ultimately my mother had to drag me to school. There were no Nigerian characters on TV in terms of cartoons, so for me it was always something that I fantasised about. And because I didn’t see it, I didn’t believe it. I didn’t see anyone doing any Nigerian cartoons, so I just thought it was something Nigerians couldn’t do. So I feel my job is to inspire the next generation to pursue their dreams.
I am a very strong believer that God has put something in each and every one of us that we should share with the world and we were all put on this earth for one reason or the other. I feel that everyone has the potential to build something different.

WM: How do you recharge your creative batteries?
Okupe: I try to look at what people are doing in other industries. A lot of people try to be better within their own space. But I feel that there is more to be learned with doing something different which is what inspired me a lot throughout this journey. When I wanted to do comic books and animation, I did a lot of research in so many other mediums. Also, I watch different TV shows that have nothing to do with superheroes and I am able to build a different dynamic and write my own stories and different things you see from different parts of life. I watch a lot of movies, I listen to music as well and I try to watch a lot of classic movies and TV shows to feel in touch with what people used to do back then that was successful to them and try and see if I can bring some of that from the past into what I am doing.

WM: What tools work for you most?
Okupe: I think the most important thing is having a very powerful computer. I like to do a lot of editing, I animate and I do a lot of graphic designs and a lot of other things. It is very important to me that I have a good machine.  Apart from that, I also try to surround myself with people who are more talented and smarter than me. I don’t draw. I’m the writer and creator and I work with a lot of artists and I always like to give them credit. My artists are Sunkanmi Akinboye, who does the actual illustration and there is Raphael Kazeem who does the colour.  We have another illustrator, Chima Kalu and Ayodele Elegba, my editor. Godwin Akpan is the guy who does all the covers. 

WM: Elegba is quite the ‘comic book advocate’. How did you meet?
Okupe: I met Mr. Elegba on Facebook. The funny thing is that when we were working on the first book, I didn’t see any of the artists. Everything was based on emails and phone conversations. The first time we met was after the book was featured at last year’s Lagos Comic-Con. That was the first time we actually met. So we all worked remotely and a very good achievement and this proves that you can work with anybody anywhere in any part of the world as long as you all have a common vision and goal, you can actually get to that point.
These are people I owe a lot of my success to because they were able to put together a lot of this. So much credit must go to them. They are very talented people and when I work with talented people I like to give them a room to express themselves and not restrict them just because it is my idea or my story. I like to see what they can bring to the table, as well.

WM: Do you feel like some kind of kinship with other comic book creators? 
Okupe: I think I do, to most of the artists that are based in Nigeria. The reason being that we love the same things. So first of all I’ll say the people whom I’ve worked with are the ones I feel most connected to. But apart from that, even other comic book creators in Lagos, I do feel connected to them. Even though we are in competition, competing for the same fan base, I know most of them personally and I always say we are in this industry together and we are trying to build it together so why are we even competing? We have a lot of mutual respect for each other and because the industry is so small and is growing, I think we have to stick together.

WM: How much have you made so far, in naira and kobo?
Okupe: (Laughter) I can’t let my financial life become common knowledge now. Maybe sometime later.