Have you ever imagined a world where Black female superheroes rule? This is the reality in Kevin Lofton’s online comic world, “Giant Comix,” where heroes like Starbomb and Neptune Queen set the law of the land. Lofton, known as “Skip 2 My Loop” in his comic books, started the website Giant Comix in 2015. He is the writer, author, penciler, inker, and publisher.

Lofton has always had a passion for drawing. “I started drawing before I learned to write,” he said. However, creating your own comic world comes with more responsibilities than just sketching. To prepare, Lofton practiced his writing. “I never really pitched my work to any publishers, I was mainly interested in learning how to write and I wanted to learn as many genres as I could,” he said. From a coming-of-age tale to a horror story, Lofton discovered how to build his own world from nothing.

Although he has not released any books,  Lofton aims to sell both physical and digital copies of his artworks in the near future. At the moment, he is planning on starting a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for his projects online.

Lofton started an email list called Giant Watch to garner interest and fans for his work and to build anticipation for his big release, called ‘Giant Launch’. Lofton also publishes six weekly cartoons on his website, giantcomix.com.

With a bit of elbow grease, Lofton was able to master some of the challenges that came with creating Giant Comix. “The process is a nightmare,” he said. From hand drawing the illustrations, to inking, and scanning, and using Adobe illustrator to polish off each comic scene, learning the rhythm of comic book creation took a lot of work.

Most comics have a purpose, and Lofton, throughout his whole creation process, had a very specific goal. “With Giant Comix I want to create something that is specifically for and about girls,” he said. Lofton grew up reading comic books and understands that girls aren’t represented enough. And if they are, they aren’t accurately portrayed. “I want my comics to be serious, and not objectified,” Lofton said. He wanted to create a world that is “centered around female characters and female voices.”

Lofton noted that many females in comic books look like pin-up girls, with unrealistic bodies and appearances. In his cartoons, Lofton developed characters that broke those stereotypes. “I expressly wanted to create characters whose prowess and skills were their defining attributes,” he said. Although his characters and world are complex, Lofton’s primary goal is simple: “I want my characters to be real heroes to kids.”

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF KEVIN LOFTON