Picture it…it’s 1988 and you’re 5 years old. Your father puts a movie into the VCR and gives you a snack and tells you to “check this out.” The first time I heard the trumpets in the opening credits, the hairs on my arms stood up and I paid close attention to what was happening. As the Superman shield appeared on the screen I could only imagine the look on my face as absolute bliss. Jaw slacked open, cheese stick hanging halfway out of my mouth and I was hooked. As I stood there absorbing the 1978 Superman: The movie with Christopher Reeve I knew my life changed.
I watched that movie thousands of times through my childhood, so much so that I knew every word of Superman I and II. Growing up, my parents always supported my artistic curiosity. They were always putting the pencil in my hand and supporting me in any way that they could. And of course like every other kid who watched cartoons, I wanted to be an animator. So I practiced every day, applied to art schools and contests.
It wasn’t until I was 17 when I really sat down and started creating my own universe. A cast of characters that no one has ever seen before. I drew huge inspiration for Athos from Superman, but his powers are vastly different. At the same time, I was huge into conspiracy theories. Aliens, flat earth, Mayan calendar, you name it I was studying it. It’s just one of my fascinations, I find them interesting. One day I came across this conspiracy theory about Planet Nibiru and the Annunaki. I thought it was perfect for Athos.
Of course, I’m not copying the theory word for word but Athos’ origin is loosely based on that theory. Athos hails from a race of aliens called Ancients, who created humanity. The reason he was created was to protect the planet and humans from outside forces. Now, because I want to leave most of his story a secret so you read about it in the pages of the book, let’s just say he gets put into stasis by his own people and awakens thousands of years in the future to a totally different Earth than what he left.
There is so much more to the story of Athos and I really hope everyone loves him as much as I do. From the time I was 17 when I created his universe I’ve added so much to the Athos “family.” To be able to share his story with the world is a dream come true for me.
Thank you everyone for the support, I’ll see you in the pages.
John