Published Jun 4, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT
Growing up in rural Iowa as a reluctant reader, it all changed when he started reading the original Fantastic Four by Lee/Kirby. Now Austin can't stop reading. He has written about comics for Comic Book Yeti and he has also written tons of indie comics, best known for Big Guns Stupid Rednecks.
Shaquille O'Neal is known around the globe as a Hall of Fame basketball player, movie star, and media personality. His newest endeavor is in the world of comic books through publisher Archie Comics.
Shaq is teaming up with Archie Comics for Vengeance Unchained: The Legend of Black Caesar, a new comic book series following a mythological West African pirate. The series will be written by Stephanie Williams (Nubie and the Amazons) with art by Ray-Anthony Height (Moon Girl and the Marvel Universe) and Studio Sky-Tiger. The official longline gives us more information on the project: An African king of extraordinary physical presence must navigate the brutal transformation from royalty to slavery to piracy, searching for his kidnapped love while discovering that freedom in the Caribbean comes only to those willing to take it by force.
“Growing up, I always loved stories about warriors who refused to quit. Black Caesar starts as a king, loses everything, and takes his freedom back on his own terms. That’s the kind of story I want to help tell. We built something that’s going to entertain you and make you think, and I’m ready for the world to see what we created with Archie Comics, an iconic brand I have been a big fan of for many years. Archie has such an incredible legacy of storytelling, and being able to collaborate with a brand that has meant so much to generations of fans made this project even more exciting for me," O’Neal said in an official press release shared by Variety.
Shaquille O'Neal Is No Stranger To Comic Books
Archie Comics has been gaining more attention with all of its recent announcements. Its new partnership with publisher Oni Press seems to already be bearing fruit. Archie Comics has announced Archie in Hell, Archie #1, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1, which are all coming to stores this fall.
Shaq is no stranger to the comic book realm. Shaq not only has a large tattoo of the Superman symbol, but also adopted the "Man of Steel" nickname. He also has an extremely large comic collection full of Silver Age and Superman comics.
In 1997, he starred in the film Steel, which is based on the DC character of the same name. He also had a guest appearance in an episode of the animated Static Shock cartoon. He even appeared in a special issue of the Justice League, where he was given powers for a short time.
Mike Parris, Matthew Gross, and Colin Smeeton from O’Neal’s Jersey Legends Productions and Authentic Studios will be handling the new comic project in association with Archie Comics. Jersey Legends Productions has previously worked on documentaries with Amazon Prime as well as other movie projects.
Shaq's timing of a new African comic book hero couldn't be any better. Recently, many fans have organized a boycott of DC Comics due to the lack of Black characters in the mainline universe, though that has now ended. The DCSoWhite Campaign is still ongoing and calls attention to an important issue.
Vengeance Unchained: The Legend of Black Caesar will be available later this year wherever comics are sold.
English (US) · 