One of the most fun panels I participate in at San Diego Comic-Con is called How to Get News Coverage?. This brainchild of Rik Offenberger (the mastermind behind the First Comics News and G-Man Comics) has become an SDCC tradition, and for good reason. This panel is very focused on giving up-and-coming creators real-world advice about how to build buzz for their properties. Let’s face it, creating a comic is a lot of work ….and then promoting the comic is a lot more hard work too.
During the panel, I like to make an offer for creators to promote their comics in this column. We’ll feature one this week and another next week.
Let’s start with David Hankins. He is an engaging, passionate creator who’s found a way to make creating comics a family team effort. Here’s a look at his Powers Squared:
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The comic book Powers Squared tells the story of identical twins Marty and Eli Powers, who discover on their first day of college that they share superpowers that they had been granted when they were young. These powers originate from an encounter with a Kitsune, a magical fox yokai, whom the boys rescued from under a fallen tree branch. As the boys learn how best to use their powers, they have to deal with the evil Dr. Atlas, who believes they have a special compound in their bloodstream that he wants to synthesize and weaponize to create an army of super soldiers.
The book was co-created by identical twins Paul and Trevor Hankins, and their father, David. Paul and Trevor consumed a lot of cartoons, anime, comics and manga for years and noticed that whenever a series featured twins, they were usually one-off or gimmick characters and when there were twins as leads, they were usually fraternal. Powers Squared allowed them to explore the representation of identical twins as leading characters without resorting to longstanding stereotypes while showing that twins, while very similar, are also individuals.
David and Paul handle the writing, with Trevor doing the lettering. The art for the book is done by Rachel Wells, who has been drawing since issue #6 and the coloring is currently handled by Julia Canon, who has been with the team since issue #13. They have released thirteen issues but are currently working on Issue #21. The books are available in print and digital formats and along with merchandise can be found on the book’s website: https://powerssquaredcomicbook.com/the-campus-store.
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Wow! I admire their creativity and entrepreneurship. And talk about going the extra mile – The Hankins also have a weekly podcast: On the Air with Powers Squared.
Next week: more “actual comics” at San Diego Comic-Con.
