Trade Rating: THE ADVENTURES OF LION MAN remasters a lost 1940s character

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The Adventures of Lion Man

Writers: John Jennings, Damian Duffy, Bill Campbell, and Yvette Lisa Ndlovu
Artist: David Brame
Pin-Up Artists: Christa Cassano, Javier Cruz Winnick, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Tim Fielder, Joel Christian Gill. Ashley Guillory, Jannie Ho, Bizhan Khodabandeh, Patrick Lay, Gigi Murakami, Jamie Noguchi, Olu Oke, Ben Passmore, Nate Powell, Jason Reeves, Stacey Robinson, Fabrice Sapolsky, Jocelyn Strong, and Anthony Summey
Publisher: Rosarium Publishing
Publication Date: August 2025

Thanks to the mega-hit movie, we all know who Black Panther and Wakanda are, but the name of Lion Man only rings out to a select few in the Blerdshpere. With Lion Man now in the public domain, indie publisher Rosarium Publishing has dug in the crates for a remastering of this lost ’40s character…a remastering and more.

With a successful crowdfunding campaign, the Afro-Futuristic Lion Man High Council of John Jennings, Damian Duffy, Bill Campbell, Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, and David Brame are now ready for worldwide distribution of The Adventures of Lion Man.

When asked how important it is to both you and the fandom to keep characters and their creators like this alive in today’s zeitgeist, writer/publisher Bill Campbell stated, “As a Black publisher, etc., from Pittsburgh, the fact that ALL-NEGRO COMICS was first published in my hometown struck a serious note with me. So, that was one of the reasons I’d wanted to pay tribute. The other is that, even less turbulent times, Black people have to fight a constant battle against erasure. Lion Man and ALL-NEGRO COMICS were victims of such erasure. So, to me, it’s always important for us to reclaim what has always been ours. No shade to Jack Kirby (I’m a big fan), but Black Panther was not the first Black superhero. I feel it will always be important for people to re/claim their rightful places in history. I’m just glad I got the opportunity to help.”

In the introduction, Michael Dando, an Associate Professor at St. Cloud State University, provides a more comprehensive and eloquent summation of Lion Man’s publishing history, including the hate creatives received for creating heroes that broke stereotypes. Instead of a single comprehensive story, Lion Man is an anthology, with each creative team interpreting the Lion Man mythos in their own way.

Before readers dive into these new interpretations, they can read a reproduction of the source material by Orrin C. Evans and George J. Evans Jr. Whether as a purist who must consume all information about a character or as a novelty to embrace this snapshot of American Comic Book history, don’t skip this chapter if you aren’t familiar with the character or the types of comics published in that era.

By mainstream standards, if readers compare today’s comic books with their sleek manga aesthetic, or detailed art combined with dynamic storytelling and topped off with digital coloring and lettering, then those comics of the early days will look like a Model-T parked next to a Lamborghini. The original Lion Man story has crude anatomy, unrefined storytelling, the limits of the coloring process of that time, and it can be a bit jarring. But as you read the story within the context of the era it was created in, and the artwork can be embraced with more understanding that this was all new for them. The story is a basic good vs. evil that could have been set anywhere in the world, but they chose Africa for this setting, crafting a world that sets the ground for future Black characters.

The following sections are all different takes on the name and vibe of Lion Man, from the illustrated story The Lion Outside, written by Jennings with art by Brame. Part history, part monologue, this section starts the reimagining of Lion Man off to a strong start with bold imagery that invokes Afro-futuristic ideas with a Jack Kirby vibe.

Writers Bill Campbell and Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, along with artist David Brame, give us a fast-paced action adventure in A Plague on the Nation. The most grounded of the Lion Man stories, with the straightforward plot of a plague mixed in with a political coup.

Point blank, The Tower is my favorite story in this collection. For this story, Jennings and Brame merge to become their BLKKATZ persona for the overall story. What starts as an inventor immersing himself in a VR world quickly becomes a fantastical journey that creates a mythical landscape for this hero’s quest, with its weird, ethereal world and manga-like weapons and level-ups.

If you like women wrestlers and demonic monsters, Fantomah: Squared Circle is the story for you. Breaking from the Lion Man mythos, writer Damian Duffy and artist David Brame’s dark and over-the-top violence spotlights the dangers that women face in and out of the ring, and that’s not including the demons.

Another fun section of the book features a pin-up gallery of other reimagined characters that are now in the public domain. This field of talented independent artists includes Christa Cassano, Javier Cruz Winnick, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Tim Fielder, Joel Christian Gill. Ashley Guillory, Jannie Ho, Bizhan Khodabandeh, Patrick Lay, Gigi Murakami, Jamie Noguchi, Olu Oke, Ben Passmore, Nate Powell, Jason Reeves, Stacey Robinson, Fabrice Sapolsky, Jocelyn Strong, and Anthony Summey.

Wondering about plans to follow up with more Lion Man stories or some of the other public domain characters featured in the book, Campbell stated, “We would definitely love to do more, and we do have things in the works. It would be fun to play with the public domain, maybe even create a Lion Man Universe!”

The Adventures of Lion Man is a solid read with some great Afro-Futuristic concepts and visuals. When they have another go around, I would love a more cohesive Lion-verse with a singular plot thread that creators can pass from one to the other, as well as getting some of the gallery artists to do a story or two.

The Adventures of Lion Man is out now from Rosarium Publishing

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