THE REAL COMIC BOOK LIFE OF LUCIUS HAMMER

www.ravenhammercomics.comWhat's good Hammerheads?!!! This is Brian Williams coming at you loud and clear through the fearless, unapologetic but honest blog that you have come to love over the past couple of years. When I first started writing this thing, it was my instinct to write about things that mattered to me and if that went outside of the realm of my own self published funnybooks...then so be it. That was during a time when life was somewhat stable for me and I could afford to believe that people would give a damn about my personal views on random topics. I have now been enlightened by the school of hard knocks and guerrilla internet business tactics 101 that nobody really gives a damn about your opinions unless they like something you do or represent. When I started out writing this monthly, radical rant of mine...it was to keep people abreast of the happenings in the Ravenhammer Comics Camp....and as a self-publisher, sometimes you have to get away from updates on your own material because quite frankly...nothing happens. Sometimes...nothing happens for weeks, other times months and in Ravenhammer Comics' case...nothing really happened for about a year. Sure we had flashes of brilliance back in 2011...we actually completed issue 2 of Lucius Hammer and the second issue of The Harlem Shadow. But to keep it all the way real with the fans, the critics and the casual observers...we got distracted by strangers bearing gifts and making promises. We were approached in early 2011 by a seemingly knowledgeable and savvy businessman who wanted to take Lucius Hammer to prime time TV. After letting this individual weave incredible stories of compensation and royalties we were lured into believing we were on our way to signing an extremely lucrative deal that would have put us on easy street at least for the next ten years. Needless to say...I am not on easy street, we are no longer in contact with this individual and it's cost us an entire year of progress. One day I will write a nice essay on the do's and don'ts of intellectual property contracts but for now I will just say...never sign anything or believe anything until somebody puts the money in your hands. But the point of this blog today is to get back to the damn basics. Everybody that follows this blog or frequents the facebook page is basically here for one reason...Lucius Hammer. Whether it's the comic book that hooked you...the awesome pin-ups and exciting artwork created by our artists or just the notion of an independent comic book about a black superhero that doesn't suck...you are basically here to get the skinny on  the development of the Lucius Hammer Universe. The word "black comic book superhero" tends to stick in the craw of a lot of people out there...including my co-creator and sometimes collaborator, Christian Colbert. I won't go into any long drawn out explanations of my use of the word "black" in tandem with the word "superhero"...I will only say that when one is trying to find an "edge" or "differentiate" themselves in a fierce and competitive marketplace...finding a niche has always been my goal. I'm addressing most of the comic book fans here in this next statement but even the followers of this blog and facebook page realize that on May 4th...the pinnacle of fanboy ecstasy will be released on screen in the form of the movie called The Avengers. Yes...I will be there. Yes...I have been waiting for this film since I was about six years old. But it doesn't erase the fact that superhero films and cartoons have been en vogue for about 12 years or so now...we have risen to the heights of Spider Man and Dark Knight....or plumbed the depths of Hades with offerings such as The Punisher or The Spirit. Still...even on the eve of fanboy euphoria with the imminent release of the Avengers Movie...I'm still wishing on a star for a black superhero. I know...I know..." Hey Brian...Sam Jackson kicks ass as Nick Fury man...he's the guy who puts the Avengers together!". That's cool...I am a Sam Jackson purist. I love Mark Millar for changing Nick Fury to resemble Samuel L. Jackson. Even though I'm still a devoted fan to the original Caucasian Nick Fury...I gotta say...how does it ever get better than Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury? The problem I still have with Hollywood and various other media is the inability to buy black superhero product. I mean good stuff. There are a lot of indie creators out there that mean well...there are many characters that have been crafted by inexperienced hands that could be awesome given the right nurturing...but they miss the mark. Sometimes they are too black for their own good. Other times they are too nervous to stray away from the mold created for white superheroes so they become hopeless facsimiles of things we have already seen a million times over. These are the reasons I was compelled to create Lucius Hammer and build around him a universe of black superheroes that told a complete story. The stories told in the pages of Lucius Hammer would be ones that would explain why we have never seen black superheroes and the reason for their apparent absence. Once again...I am happy that the producers of The Avengers saw fit to include Samuel L. Jackson as a lead role in the movie...that is friggin awesome...but when I was little and went outside to play superheroes with my boys, I wasn't trying to be Nick Fury. I wanted to be Captain America, Superman, or Spidey. I'm writing and characterizing LUCIUS HAMMER as a black superhero because I want the public to know that is the aim of this story, this product, this intellectual property. TO CREATE A BLACK SUPERHERO for the masses. It is also my sincere hope and belief that he will make it to the big screen and be in bookstores globally soon but in order for that to happen...I have to communicate through this blog, my comic book and facebook how LUCIUS HAMMER is different, universal, entertaining and deserving of your attention and money. Most of you who read this blog know that I am the writer and creator of Lucius Hammer and at the onset of this endeavor to create the PERFECT BLACK SUPERHERO, I was stitching together whatever loans and funds I could get to get pages drawn, inked and colored...never mind the costs of printing and going to conventions. Two years away from LUCIUS HAMMER's birth...I am in a less than favorable financial position with regard to everything so this is a damn good reason for you not seeing any real movement as far as new Lucius Hammer product. That doesn't mean things aren't being dreamed up. That doesn't mean the mythology ends. Far from it. I have written thousands of pages concerning Lucius Hammer's exploits and created over twenty or more different characters that will most likely be spun off at some point into their own books or graphic novels...but I have decided that just telling you that in this blog is not going to be enough to tide you over until the next issue. What I am going to do going forward is up the ante in terms of content on our website. Starting June 1st...we will be launching RAVENHAMMER TV. This will basically be a video blog/ interview/ mini documentary that will cover all things RAVENHAMMER. You all will get to see the true creators of the material that has been produced so far and what has been done to create it. It will kind of be like the special features on a dvd. I'm pretty stoked about it and hope that it brings the audience we have built over the past two years closer to what we are doing....we have really created a community here and RAVENHAMMER TV is meant to be a forum for people to get closer to what we do and vice versa. On top of this...we are getting ready to sign a deal with Comic Flea Market to print our books on demand. So for all of you who have a printed copy of issue 1 of Lucius Hammer and wanted to get the second issues that we finished last year....guess what? You will soon be able to purchase those second issues from COMIC FLEA MARKET.  It sucks that it took us this long to figure something like this out but I have learned that you don't always start out knowing everything about what you're getting into and...that's alright. It takes an awful lot of money to make a project like this grow wings. I thought that by simply showing that I was able to competently tell an engaging story coupled with some very fine illustration that I would set the world on fire and it would be a wrap. Unfortunately things don't work so easily in the real world so as I journey further into THE REAL COMIC BOOK LIFE OF LUCIUS HAMMER I will be asking you die hard LUCIUS HAMMER fans, who really want to see this book succeed...or who just really want to see the story in my head as it is meant to be seen, for your financial contributions. I'm not asking anyone for millions of dollars (although I certainly would not turn it down), but I am asking for people who say they want this project to continue on...to invest in LUCIUS HAMMER. Buying our books from Comic Flea Market, telling other comic fans or enthusiasts about the book or ordering the books for kids you know that like comics would be a big boost for us. In addition we will also be launching a KICKSTARTER Campaign soon. This is a project based platform on the internet which showcases thousands of personal endeavors in the areas of film, self-publishing and music. People like myself who have been struggling for years to get the financial push they need to get them over the hump use this site to encourage and engage their fans in the financial part of their quest to succeed. We haven't decided on a final figure yet but we are thinking about asking for 10000.00 to 15000.00 dollars to use for advertising, creation of subsequent issues, and funds for convention trips. This seems like a huge request but it's not really when you consider the corporate juggernauts an independent guy like me faces when he finally decides to man up, pursue his dreams and step into the arena with the big dogs. There will be more updates in the next few weeks about Ravenhammer TV and a possible brand name alteration. A Lucius Hammer T-Shirt is on the way and being designed by cutting edge fashion design grads from Columbus College of Art and Design. So plenty of things are continuing to be "in the works" but we need you guys...the faithful HAMMERHEADS to continue supporting us and seeking out what we do. As much as we do this for ourselves because we feel it our calling in life...we also do it for you. Why? Because you deserve new ideas, new perspectives and new heroes. LUCIUS HAMMER, at the end of the day, is going to succeed or fail because of you. Get involved with me and my endeavor. Help me make this happen. I'm going to campaign all summer long until people in high places start looking at all this commotion on the internet about LUCIUS HAMMER. In return for you help...I promise you the most rousing, action packed, superhero saga I can muster with the best art and production values available. I promise you a new universe of three dimensional characters with depth, personality and charm. NEW HEROES. NEW ACTION. NEW ADVENTURES. Only from RAVENHAMMER.