What Drives Me

At some point, I think we all had someone who we believed we wanted to be. Whether it be a superhero? An athlete? Maybe the protagonist of your favorite novel. Well, as for me, I wanted to be the hero. I wanted to save the world, or you know, my backyard. I wanted to have daring fights, superhuman abilities, and a slightly morally right nemesis. I would watch in awe as the superheroes on TV would battle it out with the bad guys, and be amazed by every moment of it. Yet, there was just one problem... there weren’t any heroes(or villains for that matter) that looked like me.

I know, you may be thinking 'It's all just pretend, what does it matter?’ Well, as a child, it's difficult to imagine yourself in a position where no one looks like you. As a African American girl, growing up in the 90’s, there were not very many opportunities to see myself represented as the hero I dreamed of becoming. So, naturally I began to think “Maybe I’m not fit to be the hero.” This all may seem silly to a fully grown adult, but in the mind of a child, it made me believe that I was incapable of helping others. In my mind, that had to be the reason why so few heroes that looked like me existed.

Now, let’s fast forward a little over 20 years to my young daughters. Who would have guessed my girls would inherit their mother’s fighting spirit! I managed to create 3 little girls, who dream of becoming people who can save the world (each in their own unique way). I was tickled by how much they resembled my childhood self - maybe a little too much. One night, while sitting on the couch scrolling through my phone(you know topical motherly duties), I heard my youngest daughter say something truly shattering, “You can’t be her (Wonder Woman) because Black girls can’t be superheroes”.

My heart broke. I felt so many emotions, but all I could do was sit there and feel the tears run down my face. I was so sadden because that one sentence brought back a deeply suppressed pain. However, i vowed that my daughters would not know this pain. If I couldn't save the world, I would at least create a world where heros who looked like them could save it. It was at that moment I began my journey to create comics where any and everyone can be a hero. A comic that surpasses limitations any child feels bound by. In this moment, through the tears and new sense of determination, I created Justice.

However, I didn’t stop at the creation of Justice. There are still so many others, besides my daughter, who feel they can’t save the world; I wanted to create a universe so big, everyone could fit into it. To ensure not one person is missed. To achieve this, I hold contests that allow people to submit character ideas. Ok, I know I’ve said the word “hero” like a million times, so let's talk about something else we offer... villains. Not everyone wants to be a hero, and that’s ok. So, I allow my audience to choose the villains too. This universe that I am building is a place where anyone can see it and see themselves in it, no matter what role they want to play.

I believed in this so much, I quit my career to completely dedicate myself to it. Supporting Harlynn Harris Productions and Justice Comics means supporting a world meant for everyone.

In short, my passion as an animator and comic creator is fueled by the hope of having everyone feel included in the narrative and use what I create to achieve this. Justice Comics became a universe that gave people, from all walks of life, someone to look up to. Whether you’re black, brown, gay, disabled, or none of the above, you will have someone who looks just like you. Winning this would allow me to continue creating for every person who struggled to find where they fit in. For every child, like my daughters who “couldn’t” become a hero. Now, when introducing myself, I say I’m a comic creator, but that in itself feels like I’ve finally become a hero. By supporting me, you give me a chance to continue saving the world.