It has been over a thousand years since the age of wonders — a time where the divine ones blessed humanity with spiritual, structural and technological marvels. But in the blink of an eye, it all vanished, and all that was left were remnants of an ancient, advanced civilization. As humankind forges ahead, culture becomes knowledge, knowledge becomes history and history becomes mythology. Until Iyanu. A teenage orphan girl with no recollection of her past who suddenly discovers that she has hidden powers that rival the divine ones themselves. As Iyanu tries to come to terms with her new abilities, the people of Yorubaland become aware of an ancient evil that has reawakened. And all that is left between them and destruction are the memories locked away in the mind of Iyanu.
Roye Okupe: Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Roye Okupe is an author, speaker and entrepreneur whose passion for animation led him to found YouNeek Studios in 2012, an avenue that would allow him to pursue his dream of creating a diverse library of superheroes. Under that umbrella, Roye wrote, produced and directed several animated productions including, but not limited to, 2D/3D animated short films, TV commercials, show openers, music videos and much more. These productions have allowed Roye to attain many prestigious recognitions such as being #5 on Ventures Africa’s list of 40 African innovators to watch (2016) as well as being part of NewAfrican Magazines’ 100 most influential Africans two years in a row (2016 & 2017).
With the superhero genre currently at the height of popularity, Roye has made it a goal to create a connected universe of heroes, with origins from locations that are currently neglected and/or ignored. In August 2015, Roye released his debut graphic novel titled: E.X.O. The Legend of Wale Williams Part One, a superhero story set in a futuristic Nigeria. E.X.O. was received with critical acclaim and has since been featured on CNN, Forbes, The New York Times, NBC, The Guardian, ABC7, BBC, The Huffington Post, Mashabe and more! Roye’s sophomore graphic novel: Malika – Warrior Queen was also received with critical acclaim, selling more than 40,000 copies of its chapter one special during Diamond Comic’s Free Comic Book Day (2017). Both books have gone on to win several awards including a Glyph Comic Award (2017) and a Heruica Character Creation Award (2017).
