DO YOU HAVE A PEN NAME?
Not really… most people just call me by my name.
HOW DO YOU LIKE TO CELEBRATE JAMUHURI AS A CREATIVE?
Spend time with family and friends, relax and enjoy something stimulating on screen or reading.
HOW DID YOU COME TO DISCOVER YOUR TALENTS AS A DIGITAL CONTENT CREATIVE?
Well, it all started when I was about three years old. I got hooked on animations featuring Aliens and Giant Robots. Growing up, Stories from the likes of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov were of great interest and in a weird way helped me appreciate comic books from the silver age. I practiced a lot and sharpened my skills to where I am today… and I’m still learning.
DO YOU HAVE ANY CREATIVE INSPIRATIONS, BOTH LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL WHO YOU LOOK-UP/LOOKED UPTO SINCE YOU STARTED YOUR WORK?
Artists like Jack Kirby, Alex Ross, Tom Grummett, Claudio Castellini, Clayton Crain, Joe Jusko, Neal Adams, Jean Giraud (to name a few), have done amazing work in the comic book industry which I admire to this day.
Their work covers a spectrum of ideas, style and aesthetic that I appreciate because it demonstrates what an individual is capable of when they take their work seriously.
Locally, Artists like Paul Kelemba and Frank Odoi did a lot to help inspire our generation that’s putting Kenya on the pop culture map today.
WHAT ARE YOUR DREAMS AND ASPIRATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO THINKING ABOUT CREATIVES AND COMIC BOOKS IN KENYA? WHAT DO YOU WISH TO SEE SOME DAY?
I hope to see an established and thriving entertainment industry in Kenya creating content that can be appreciated both locally and internationally.
Comic books are an excellent medium for storytelling and have evolved a great deal providing solid source material for cross platform adaptations. A fact that’s self evident given what we’re enjoying in Pop‐culture today.
DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVOURITE CHARACTERS AND STORIES. WHICH ONES?
Here is a brief list:
Jules Verne : Journey to The Centre of the Earth, Master Of The world.
H.G. Wells : The Time Machine, War of the worlds.
Arthur C. Clarke : Childhood’s End
Comic books: Kingdom come, Superman Birthright, Superman Earth one, Miracle man and a select number of Justice League and Avengers titles.
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
A lot of conceptual artwork plus the first full volume of ‘The Dawn’. There are other comic related projects in the works which unfortunately I can’t share any specific details.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD?
What I see today in the local scene is encouraging, though we still need all those efforts and talents to be properly coordinated to create synergy and hopefully create something we can all be proud of and pass on to the next generation.
If you would like your story told, all your brilliant creators out there. Reach out to me on sam.opati18@gmail.com.
See you at the next comic convention
@briansamuel24 on IG
@sam_trinitas on Twitter
@SamOpati on Snapchat
Peace!