Science fiction and horror are two of the most popular genres of literature, film and television. But for African American fans of those genres, being into these types of stories can sometimes be a double-edged sword. Oftentimes, black youngsters who grow up loving comic books or Star Wars can find themselves mocked and misunderstood. Actor-screenwriter Kevin Grevioux, star and co-writer of the popular Underworld series, had to experience that kind of prejudice many times as he pursued his passion.
“A lot of people don’t really think we belong — that goes for blacks as well as whites,” he tells rolling out. “They look at a large black man who reads comic books and likes science fiction, and they say ‘OK, this is kind of weird.’
“But that generally comes from their myopia,” he adds. “And their ignorance about who can create these things and how far these stories can reach.”
The Howard University alum grew up with a love for those kinds of stories, and after graduating from college with a degree in microbiology, he decided to apply that love to creating his own characters and his own comic books. Soon, he’d written his Underworld series, and since then, he’s made a name for himself bringing his unique storytelling, a combination of horror and action, to life. Now, another of his creations, the comic I, Frankenstein, is making the jump to the big screen. The movie, starring Aaron Eckhart, is due in theaters January 2014. It tells the story of Frankenstein’s monster, who becomes involved in a war between two feuding clans of immortals.
“The theme that I touch on the most [in my work] is probably redemption; [the] understanding that we’re all sinful creatures and we all need some kind of forgiveness and redemption — some cleansing of what is genuinely evil within ourselves,” explains Grevioux. “And I think monsters, given their creation, are just that. And when you try to go beyond your beginnings, you achieve some type of redemption and some type of cleansing. And I like that.
“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is to stick to your guns and don’t give up,” he shares. “Because if you give up , you get nothing. You have to be careful what you hear — because a lot of people are going to come at you with what they think are ‘truths.’ But these truths don’t necessarily work for everyone. You have to find what works for you and execute it to your best ability.
“To that young African American kid who loves science fiction and horror and wants to get into creating comic books, I would tell him or her to make sure you know how to write and make sure you know how to draw,” Grevioux advises. “Once you do that, you start creating your own intellectual properties. That’s the way of controlling your creative destiny.”
