Dread & Alive Comic Book Series by San Fransisco based Nicholas Da Silva
Dread & Alive Comic Book Series by San Fransisco based Nicholas Da Silva creator of the first Jamaican Superhero/Comic book series.
The Dread & Alive series follows Eco-warrior, Drew McIntosh, as he fights against the forces of babylon (illegal smugglers, human traffickers, illegal loggers, etc.)Drew McIntosh is the roaring lion, protector of the animal world to which all humans belong.
On the small island of Jamaica, in the heart of the Cockpit Country, there once lived in isolation, a tribe of free-spirited people. Feared and respected for their intricate systems of guerilla warfare and their rebellious independence, the Jamaican Maroons resisted all those who tried to tame them and bring them into submission. They lived off the land and nurtured their culture among their young. Through years of the threat of enslavement and elimination, the Jamaican Maroons developed an inherent distrust of outsiders – with one exceptional.
Dread & Alive Introduction:
I was seven years old when I first journeyed to the rain forest of Jamaica, unaware of what lurked inside this unforgiving paradise known as the Cockpit Country. A strange and virtually uninhabited place, this was the home of the Jamaican Maroons, a tribe of free-spirited people, feared yet respected for their rebellious independence. Under the leadership of Cudjoe, their wise and benevolent chief, they lived in isolation and resisted all those who tried to tame them and bring them into submission.
My father, Philip McIntosh, was a direct descendant of this misunderstood tribe. An anthropologist by trade, he was a determined man with many righteous causes including the preservation of cultural identity. So when he was summoned by Cudjoe to come to the village of Accompong, he readily accepted the invitation.
My mother, Maria McIntosh, saw it as an opportunity to come closer to her roots. For me, it would be another move, just as when I left my birthplace of Kingston to live in Montego Bay, or MoBay as the Islanders called it. For the next eight years, the Cockpit Country would become my home away from home.
From a distance, I watched my parents as they work fervently with the Jamaican Maroons to help preserve their culture and to replete their resources. And as time progressed, I too became a part of this unique society. Under the watchful eye of Cudjoe, I learned the ways of the Jamaican Maroons. I became familiar with the trackless rain forest. I learned how to live off the land, how to hunt and fish and, most importantly, how to defend myself from any outside threats. I guess you could say the only thing that separated me from the other youths was my physical appearance; my thick, natty dreadlocks.
But when I was chosen by Cudjoe to be the protector of a rare amulet said to give invincible powers, as fulfillment of a prophecy, I never expected that this talisman would bring so much trauma to my life. From the tragic death of my father and the near fatal confrontation with ShadowCatcher, the village Obeah Man, to the constant struggle to control the untamed savagery that lurks inside me, I’ve come to an understanding that the amulet has changed my life forever. My destiny has been foretold.
Now as an adult and without the presence of my father, I treasure my friendship with Cudjoe, as would a student to his teacher. And as I don the amulet, I keep in mind my vow to my father: To continue his work in preserving and protecting this beautiful planet and the rights of its inhabitants. To Cudjoe: to use my knowledge and training for the good of mankind and to protect the amulet from ShadowCatcher. And to myself: to use my strength and abilities to make the world a better place for all; a world of future, a world of love, a world of paradise!
My name is Drew McIntosh and I am the Roaring Lion, protector of the animal world, to which all humans belong.
Dread and Alive #4 and the new CD are in FEATURING: Mutabaruka, Turbulence, Perfect, Abijah, Kiddus I, Freddy Locks, Kenyatta Fire, Odel, Bunny Rugs, Jah Mali, Erup, Nature, Lady Saw, I Octane*, Lutan Fyah*, Toussaint*, SOJA* (*CD Bonus Tracks)
The album is available on all e-tailers. The CD is available in stores and at dreadandalive.com
