Felipe Smith/Darryl Makes Comics
Hip-hop pioneer Darryl McDaniels, a founding member of Run-DMC, who turned to comics for courage as a kid facing bullies in Hollis, Queens, has created a new superhero who takes the stage in DMC No. 1, the first in a new series of comic books from Darryl Makes Comics.
McDaniels told George Gene Gustines of the New York Times:
“I was a kid who had my lunch money taken away. …To get to my house was terror. Spider-Man took me to a place where everything was great. …Comic books were educational — they were empowering but also inspiring.
“I always wanted to do something with integrity. I didn’t want to be another rapper messing up another genre just because he has a hit record.”
Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, editor in chief of Darryl Makes Comics, noted the attention from a diverse fan base the comic book DMC was garnering at conventions like the recent Comic Con in Manhattan. “It’s Asian, it’s white, it’s Latino, it’s black, it’s 13-year-olds, it’s 63-year-olds.”
Bringing his vision DMC to the page, McDaniels worked with a team including Miranda-Rodriquez, Atlantic Records executive Riggs Morales, and story consultants Damion Scott and Ron Wimberly. The artists who bring DMC to life are Sal Buscema, Carlos Rodriquez aka Mare 139, Chase Conley, Jeff Stokely, Felipe Smith, Mark and Mike Davis aka The Madtwiinz, Shawn Crytal, Chris Sotomayor, and Deron Bennett.