A new Shero arrives to the growing Shero Universe built by female-centered multimedia company Shero Comics. Young Grandmaster Choi, a prequel to their award-winning Rayven Choi graphic novel series, is scheduled to launch with a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign on February 1, 2023, kicking off Black History Month—literally.
The series tells the story of Rayven Johnson, a six-year-old African American army brat sent to South Korea after losing both parents. Rayven is adopted by her father’s best friend and KATUSA Don Choi, and his baker wife, Mai. In Korea, Rayven is faced with making new friends and learning a new culture and language, all while dealing with the grief from losing her parents. Rayven also faces a bully, who oddly helps her find her fighting spirit in Hapkido, and eventually becomes her best friend.
Shero Comics, led by multi-hyphenate Shequeta L. Smith, is looking to raise at least $5,000 to help complete the first book in the series. In exchange for the support, contributors can score cool physical perks such as buttons, stickers, and embroidered martial arts belts, as well as digital perks such as animated gifs of Rayven’s Hapkido moves.
“Twenty-three years ago, after a study abroad trip to South Korea, I returned to America with a deep respect for Korean culture and with this character, Rayven Choi, playing in my head,” said Smith. “In the graphic novel, you see her stepping into her power as an adult, but in this series, we get to see the source of where that power originates.”
Smith is launching the Young Grandmaster Choi book series with the plan of eventually adapting it into an animated series. As a former educator-turned comic book CEO, Smith is well aware of the lack of original black female characters in comics and animation, which is why she founded Shero Comics. Young Grandmaster Choi seeks to bridge that gap with manga-style artwork and inspiring stories that empower young women and girls.
The campaign for Young Grandmaster Choi launches on Kickstarter on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 and has a pre-launch page here https://bit.ly/3QQv6t9. For more information on Shero Comics and their upcoming crowdfunding campaign, you can visit their website to join the Shero newsletter or follow them on social media for updates. www.sherocomics.com