About

A Letter From The Author

I fell in love with comic books at about the age of 9. It was a place for me to escape, a world full of magic and mystery. Growing up on a council estate in Southeast London (what Americans call the projects), comic books and graphic novels offered me a window to look through that didn't involve people running away from the police, or drug addicts hanging around on the block.

When I looked through these windows, I saw heroes, super-powered individuals who fought against evil for the greater good. There was only one problem; most of the ones that had the really cool powers, most of the “best” superheroes, didn’t look like me. And so, although it didn’t reduce my enjoyment of the books, it was something I wished would change.

I heard a phrase once: “If the conditions you desire do not exist, you create them” and so I had always desired to write and produce my own book. However, wanting to do something and actually doing it are two different things. So for a long time, it didn’t get done.

In a sad turn of events, I went to prison in 2012 for possession of a firearm, and whilst there I decided that this wasn’t the end for me. I refused to let this situation be an excuse for me to allow my life to spiral out of control, and to allow me to play the “victim of the system” blame game. I decided that whilst I was there, I was going to begin preparation for the rest of my life. I wasn’t going to count the days; I was going to make the days count. And so, amongst other things, I decided to write HERU, and what I thought was only going to be one book, turned into a mini-series, then a whole comic book universe.

When I came home, I started work on finding an illustrator and that was a monumental task in and of itself. After going through 6 artists, one of whom got 7 pages deep, then decided it was too much for him, I met Kevin Phillps online, and like many comic book heroes I had read about, he came in and saved the day (sounds like the start of a bromance, lol). He helped me bring my vision to life and brought an amazing addition to the team, Matt James, as colourist.

Somehow we managed to overcome time and space (UK, USA, and Australia) to get this done. This is the first book of many, and what you hold in your hand is not just the birth of a new hero, but the birth of a whole new universe!

I’ll close by saying this: “When dreaming, aim for the stars, and if you only make it to the treetops, then at least you left the ground!”

See you at the top!

Jason Barrett