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Date: 7/13/2022
SPRINGFIELD – For Keshawn Dodds the release of his first comic book as well as the production of his first animated production continuing the story of his “Menzuo” series are the next steps as an author and educator.
Dodds is the executive director of the Boys and Girls Club Family Center in Springfield. He recently formally released his latest two endeavors as a writer at an event at the club.
The author is a Springfield native who served as a mayoral aide for Mayor Charles Ryan as well as a 10-year stint as the director of Diversity and Community Engagement at American International College. In 2018, he was named a recipient of the Ubora Award.
He explained to Reminder Publishing that after writing four books in his science fiction series “Menzuo” – first started in 2003 – he had hit a barrier: writer’s block. What he decided to do was to do two different projects to continue the story, a comic book, “Menzuo: War at Home” and an animated film, “Menzuo: Ground Zero.”
Dodds said the half hour film was the result of a year’s effort as he taught himself an animation program and did the film by himself. He laughed as he recalled the effort had a big learning curve and said how his characters might initially walk the wrong way until he thoroughly understood what he was doing.
Helping him fund the project were grants from the Springfield Cultural Council and the Community Foundation.
The film can be seen online and Dodds used a number of local people for the voices, including publisher and spoken word artist Darryl Moss. Dodds supplied two of the voices himself. The half-hour production can be seen for free at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKYlmus_z18.
Both the film and the comic book advance the story forward and is a “bridge” going to the story in his fifth book, he said.
He said, “it was really fun” working with an artist on the comic book. That experience was new to him as he said he had to “teach myself” to write script for the artist breaking down the story and into four to six panels a page for 22 pages. He used a Kickstarter campaign to help make that project happen.
Dodds said at the film’s premiere that he had “always wanted to create a comic book.” He is donating sales of the comic book to St. Jude’s Hospital.
His series of books tells the story of an 11-year-old superhero who gets his powers from the sun. His intent was to create “a great tool” to encourage reading.
Inspired by friends and family members to fulfill his goals, Dodds said, “The only barrier is you.”
His novels and comic book are available for sale at his website, https://www.newageofheroes.com/.