Publication history
Its creator, Nicholas Da Silva, conceptualized the Dread & Alive series. It is the first superhero comic book with a Jamaican as the protagonist [2] [3] thus making it culturally relevant and boldly revolutionary in its undertaking. It's also noted as the first reggae comic book with a reggae soundtrack. [4]
Release
The first issue of the Dread & Alive comic book series was released on February 6, 2010, on the birthday of international reggae icon Bob Marley. [2] The series is also one of the first of its kind to undertake charity 30% of all digital sales, and 10% of all print sales from Issue #1 will go toward non-profit group HELP Jamaica! [3] [5]
The series will also see release on a compact disk featuring reggae acts such as Third World (band), Sahra Indio, Sly and Robbie, Shaggy (musician) and Freddy Locks. [6]
Music
The first Compilation CD 'Dread & Alive: The Lost Tapes Vol.1' saw release on September 14, 2010. [7] [8] Since release it has met with high praise, being described as "History in the making" [9] , [10] [11] [12] “a very STRONG compilation… one of the better lineups of the year.” [13] and “new territory in the collusion of art and Jamaican music”. [14] The CD is designed to be heard either alongside Da Silva's reggae comic book, or, as a special, standalone musical event. [15]
Dread & Alive the Lost Tapes vol.2 was released on October 19, 2010 [16]
On January 6, 2019, Nicholas Da Silva released the single, TROD, [17] under his artist name, ZOOLOOK. [18] It is the first track from the next story arc in the Dread & Alive series entitled From Babylon to Zion.
In order to promote the series Nicholas has teamed with Reggae Festival Guide to give away an 8GB iPod Touch to one of the members of the Facebook group. [3]
For 'Dread & Alive: The Lost Tapes vol.1' a series of interviews were done with World of Black Heroes to coincide with the launch. [9] [10] [11] [12]
In January 2018, Nicholas Da Silva began writing the next installment of his Dread & Series, a 12 chapter story arc entitled Nine Night. The series includes a soundtrack series in the form of a reggae version of a rock opera. Chapter 1 titled 'Hide Your Soul' part 1, is scheduled to release in February 2021 for Black History Month. News of the project has caught the attention of mainstream media.
On September 7, 2015, Nicholas Da Silva was featured on Afro-punk. [19]
On June 20, 2018, he was featured on WBEZ's [20] Worldview as one of 7 Black And Latinx Writers Working In Comics Today.
On June 20, 2018, he was interviewed on WBEZ's [21] Worldview by Galilee Abdullah - Black Comic Books: Nicholas Da Silva and Global Roots.
On October 9, 2020, Dread & Alive was featured in Jamaica Animation Nation Network's 'Caribbean Comics'. [22]
Dread & Alive returns with new Maxi-Series ‘Nine Night’ in February 2021! [23]
Ewart Beckford OD, known by the stage name U-Roy, was a Jamaican vocalist and pioneer of toasting. U-Roy was known for a melodic style of toasting applied with a highly developed sense of timing.
Culture are a Jamaican roots reggae group founded in 1976. Originally they were known as the African Disciples. The one constant member until his death in 2006 was Joseph Hill.
Horace Andy is a Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", as well as "Angel", "Spying Glass" and "Five Man Army" with English trip hop duo Massive Attack. He is also famous for a cover version of "Ain't No Sunshine". Andy is often described as one of the most respected and influential singers in Jamaica.
Jamaican culture consists of the religion, norms, values, and lifestyle that define the people of Jamaica. The culture is mixed, with an ethnically diverse society, stemming from a history of inhabitants beginning with the original inhabitants of Jamaica [the tainos] The Spaniards originally brought slavery to Jamaica. Then they were overthrown by the English. Jamaica later gained emancipation on 1 August 1838, and independence from the British on 6 August 1962. Black slaves became the dominant cultural force as they suffered and resisted the harsh conditions of forced labour. After the abolition of slavery, Chinese and Indian migrants were transported to the island as indentured workers, bringing with them ideas from their country.
Obeah, or Obayi, is a series of African diasporic spell-casting and healing traditions found in the former British colonies of the Caribbean. These traditions derive much from traditional West African practices that have undergone cultural creolization. There is much regional variation in the practice of Obeah, which is followed by practitioners called Obeahmen and Obeahwomen.
Kumina is an Afro-Jamaican religion. Kumina has practices that include secular ceremonies, dance and music that developed from the beliefs and traditions brought to the island by Kongo enslaved people and indentured labourers, from the Congo region of West Central Africa, during the post-emancipation era. It is mostly associated with the parish of St. Thomas in the east of the island. However, the practice spread to the parishes of Portland, St. Mary and St. Catherine, and the city of Kingston.
Michael Chung also known as Mao Chung, was a Jamaican musician who played keyboards, guitar and percussion instruments. He was also an arranger and record producer of Jamaican music, and worked with a wide array of musicians, notably Lee Perry and Sly and Robbie.
Inner Circle, also known as The Inner Circle Band or The Bad Boys of Reggae, are a Jamaican reggae band formed in Kingston in 1968. The band first backed The Chosen Few in the early 1970s before joining with successful solo artist Jacob Miller and releasing a string of records. This era of the band ended with Miller's death in a car crash in 1980.
Kenneth Byles, also known as "Junior Byles", "Chubby", or "King Chubby", is a Jamaican reggae singer.
Jepther McClymont OD, better known as Luciano, is a Jamaican second-generation roots reggae singer.
Uzziah "Sticky" Thompson was a Jamaican percussionist, vocalist and deejay active from the late 1950s. He worked with some of the best known performers of Jamaican music and played on hundreds of albums.
Earl "Chinna" Smith, a.k.a. Earl Flute and Melchezidek the High Priest, is a Jamaican guitarist active since the late 1960s. He is most well known for his work with the Soul Syndicate band and as guitarist for Bob Marley & the Wailers, among others, and has recorded with many reggae artists, appearing on more than 500 albums.
Black people have been portrayed in comics since the medium's beginning, with their portrayals often the subject of controversy. Mainstream comic publishing companies have had a historical trend of being predominantly white and male, reflecting the lack of representation and inaccurate depictions of Black people in comics. The integration of black characters in mainstream and superhero comics has endured various obstacles and challenges. Critics have noted that black men and women have historically often been portrayed as jungle or ghetto stereotypes, and as sidekicks as opposed to primary characters. In recent years, with the integration of more Black people in mainstream comic writing rooms as well as the creation of comics on digital platforms has changed the representation and portrayals of Black people in comics and has started to reflect the complexities of Black people across the diaspora.
Clarence Linberg Miller, better known as Count Prince Miller, was a Jamaican-born British actor and musician.
A motion comic is a form of animation combining elements of print comic books and animation. Individual panels are expanded into a full shot while sound effects, voice acting, and animation are added to the original artwork. Text boxes, speech bubbles and the onomatopoeia are typically removed to feature more of the original artwork being animated. Motion comics are often released as short serials covering a story arc of a long running series or animating a single release of a graphic novel. Single release issues of a story arc are converted into ten- to twenty-minute-long episodes depending on content.
Fitzroy Edwards, better known by his stage name Edi Fitzroy, was a Jamaican reggae singer, active from 1975 but best known for his work during the dancehall era.
Oje Ken Ollivierre, popularly known as Protoje, is a contemporary reggae singer and songwriter from Jamaica. His mother is Jamaican singer Lorna Bennett, best known for her 1972 rendition of "Breakfast in Bed". His father is a former calypso singer Mike Ollivierre from the island nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. He has one daughter with his wife Lindsay.
Tavis Scoot, better known as Smiley, is a reggae artist. He has been making music since he was seventeen years old. He moved to the Netherlands in 2000. For three years he toured with the popular Dutch reggae band, Out of Many.
Winston Hubert McIntosh, OM, professionally known as Peter Tosh, was a Jamaican reggae musician. Along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, he was one of the core members of the band the Wailers (1963–1976), after which he established himself as a successful solo artist and a promoter of Rastafari. He was murdered in 1987 during a home invasion.
