Charlotte’s about to get its very own superhero
When husband and wife team JC Kingsley and Carolyn Kingsley joined forces to create a superhero comic book, they knew the story of Ravenwatch had to be set in Charlotte.
“New York has got all these superheroes. If something happens in Omaha, Nebraska, they all have to fly there,” JC said. “There is no local guy. It would be neat for superheroes to start popping up in other cities. We wanted to give Charlotte one.”
At the end of August, the 13-page Ravenwatch comic book will be available at local stores or on Amazon for $5. Each comic book will include a code and website to unlock an online version for an additional $3.
The online version will feature a radio show format that reads the comic book aloud. In addition, certain frames will have a “play” button and will come to life. Watch some of the action in this trailer.
The Kingsleys have owned Sun and Moon Studios NC in Charlotte since 2013. They built a business that emphasized their individual talents: JC’s martial arts, stunt work and choreography, and Carolyn’s makeup, effects and costume design.
Like many other independent film studios, JC and Carolyn started with fan films that used existing characters from DC or Marvel films.
Independent studios produce these fan films to show at conventions like HeroesCon and Comic-Con. And while copyright laws prevent the films from being sold, they can serve as springboards for companies wanting to sell original works.
“It is [also] a way for us to get our feet wet and learn how to use our equipment,” JC said.
Eventually, though, the Kingsleys decided to develop a series with original content, which they could sell.
“We needed to develop a series that we would constantly be revisiting,” JC said. “It would always be the backbone of our business.”
The Kingsleys were intentional about choosing characteristics for Ravenwatch. Super powers are technology based, like a Batman or Ironman, and guns are not used to fight the villains. The plot lines for Ravenwatch come from the Charlotte Observer’s archives.
JC does most of the writing for Ravenwatch. He said, “We picked out the biggest headlines for the most criminal things that took place in the city. We are building the story around actual newspaper articles that came out about our city.”
Ravenwatch creators wanted a platform to discuss social issues specific to Charlotte. “We decided we would tackle the actual issues of Charlotte in our series and the newspaper was the best place to keep our storyline moving. We want people to talk about what they read in the comic book and possibly come up with some solutions.”
I was not privy to the yet-to-be-released comic book, but from what JC shared with me, Charlotte superhero, The Raven, becomes incapacitated early in the story. His support team decides to step in to be a superhero team to continue the work of The Raven. Ravenwatch is made up of Charlotte men and women with different backgrounds, making it easy for anyone to relate to one of the characters.
wOlly McNair, a local artist, drew the comic book’s black and white artwork. JC completed the coloring and lettering.
JC is passionate about advancing Charlotte and North Carolina in the film industry and supporting local issues. All but two of the 52 actors and crew members in Ravenwatch are from North Carolina. Sun and Moon Studios partnered with local businesses like Nerd Nation Magazine, Red Warrior Global and Single Cell Productions, Common Market, Rabbit Hole and Bailey’s Sport Grille.
“The people involved care about North Carolina issues and helping things [like the film industry] grow in North Carolina. As a company, that is something important to us,” said JC.
Photos: George Wilson, Chris Clark, Sun and Moon Studios, Manny Mac
This story was originally published July 25, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Charlotte’s about to get its very own superhero."