HERU, Son of Ausar
by
Roger Barnes
Publication Date: 1993
Comic book published by Afrocentric Comic Books, member of ANIA, an association of Black independent comic book publishers.
Notes: Heru, Son of Ausar combined elements of African religious traditions and symbolism with the 90’s era depiction of modern African leaders and role models. Not all of the stories were set in the United States either. Heru took place in Kemet, the African name for Egypt in days of old, for instance.
Notes: Published under the ANIA comic imprint founded by Nabile Hage, Roger Barnes, and Roosevelt Pitt in 1993. Ebony Warrior and Heru were part of a wave of Black authored comic book titles from that period. ANIA is taken from a Swahili word meaning “defend” or “fight for”, and it wasn’t one organization but rather a combination of six separate African-American-owned publishing arms. ACB Comics, Hype Comics, Up Comics, Dark Zulu Lies, Omega 7, and Africa Rising all joined forces under the ANIA banner with the intention of moving their stories, featuring Afrocentric heroes and mythology, out of niche stores catering to Black interests and into mainstream comic shops.