Commentary: Why We Need More Comics Like Wes Craig’s ‘Kaya’

Creator-owned comics are my speciality and one true love. However, it’s time to deliver some tough love to creator-owned comics. I find it disheartening that with so many indie books being published, how few are fun and appealing for all ages. One of the few notable outliers is Kaya by Wes Craig. So, in this article I’m going to highlight what the book is doing so well and what other comics should learn from it.

Iconic Character As the Lead

Indie comics are going through a phase of “high concepts with opaque titles.” They typically have a run-on sentence as the title like “The thing under the stairs eats brains!” Or the comic is pitched as a high concept mash-up like “time-travel during the apocalypse.” Kaya tells us who this is about in the title and her character design is instantly iconic and appealing. This is a subtle difference but I want to see iconic characters highlighted instead of high concepts.

Ultimately as a reader I care more who the comic is about as opposed to what the comic is about. Don’t underestimate the power of a charismatic character with a cool design; these surface elements are often what attracted us as young readers and too often get lost amongst adult creators.

Cool Villains

Whoever started the “we don’t need a villain in our story” trend should be dropped into a pit of man-eating piranhas. The most popular superheroes often have the best rogues galleries. In Kaya, we are introduced to Lord Vox and his mutant henchmen. Not all antagonists need to be a three-dimensional Shakespearean characters. Villains with cool designs that are wicked and fun to watch have their own appeal. Just let bad guys be badasses, and we’ll go along for the ride.

Appeal to New Audiences

Everyone knows that the industry will stagnate and die if we only make comics for middle-aged male readers. Yet, I’m flabbergasted by the amount of indie comics with a grouchy middle-aged man as the lead character. Kaya is a young, gorgeous, powerful black girl and we need more characters like her. If new readers can see characters that are relatable or aspirational, they’ll be more likely to pick up a new comic.

Embrace The Art of Animation

Animated films are some of the most intricately put together cinema. There are dozens of hand drawn films that are loved by multiple generations and across the world. That’s why its so refreshing that Kaya looks like a high quality hand drawn animated film. In a comic book landscape that often focuses on gritty realism or abstract expressionism, Kaya looks fun, fresh, and charming.

Truly All Age Comic

I don’t read many All Age books because too many of them exist in this plush zone devoid of danger or consequence. Kaya is brilliant in that is reads like Lord of the Rings or a classic superhero book. There’s still danger and excitement but nothing too inappropriate for young readers. Honestly, it’s a relief to take a break from indie comics that have become over reliant on blood, sex, and cuss words, and just get back to solid storytelling with interesting characters.

Atmospheric Action

Look at the following sequence from Kaya #3:

I love it when creators take the time to build up a scene with atmosphere before delivering a great action pay off! Interesting fights and breathing space are unfortunately some of the first things to get cut in a comic. However, when they’re done well they become the reason I read the comic.

In Conclusion

In the past, I’ve highlighted books for early readers but there need to be a lot more. We need at least ten books like Kaya! I want to see more comics that I can easily recommend to a reader of any age or gender. We need more indie-comics that are fun, colorful, and exciting. Indie comics have the potential to become the new face of American comics and pop-culture. If more creators followed Wes Craig’s example, this could happen sooner than you think.

For more you can read Rachel Bellwoar’s interview with Wes Craig here and listen into Tito’s podcast interviewing Craig here.