By Gina Yarbrough
San Diego, CA–The talent behind Cartoon Network and HBO Max’s “Iyanu” returned to San Diego Comic-Con for a panel and a signing at the Dark Horse Booth at the San Diego Convention Center on Sunday.
“Iyanu,” a Lion Forge Entertainment Production, is an adaptation of Dark Horse Comics/YouNeek Studios’ award-winning graphic novel series Iyanu: Child of Wonder by award-winning Nigerian creator and producer Roye Okupe. The series is deeply rooted in the vibrant culture and mythology of Nigeria’s Yoruba people.
The all-Nigerian voice cast is led by Serah Johnson as Iyanu, a teenage heroine who must uncover the mystery behind her newfound powers to save her people from an ancient curse threatening to destroy humanity. Johnson, known for her extensive voiceover work within the animation industry and audiobooks, is the first Nigerian and African to win the Society of Voice Arts Award for Outstanding Animation Character – Film or TV – Best African Voice Over for her work on “Moji.”
In addition to Johnson, the Nigerian cast includes Okey Jude (“Hotel Labamba,” “The Governor’s Daughter”) who voices Biyi, Iyanu’s carefree adventurer friend. Samuel Kugbiyi, a multifaceted artist, plays Iyanu’s bookworm friend, Toye. African Movie Academy Awards winner actress Adesua Etomi-Wellington (“King of Boys,” “Gangs of Lagos”) voices Olori. Blossom Chukwujekwu (“Falling,” “Stolen Lives”) voices Toye’s father Kanfo. Stella Damasus (“Gone”) voices Sewa. Shaffy Bello (“The Score,” “Battleground”), voices Emi – The One Mother; and esteemed actor Ike Ononye (“Doc Martin,” “The Lovers”) is Elder Alapani.
“Iyanu” is a superhero tale set in the magical kingdom of Yorubaland, which draws from Nigerian culture, music and mythology. The animated series follows Iyanu, who spends her days studying history and ancient arts but yearns for a normal life. One day, responding to danger, she unknowingly triggers her divine powers, the likes of which have not been seen since the Age of Wonders. With newly discovered superpowers, Iyanu joins forces with two other teens, Biyi and Toye, as they embark on a remarkable journey to discover the truth about the evil lurking in her homeland. Throughout her adventure, she’ll uncover the truth about her past, her parents, and her ultimate destiny to save the world.
“Iyanu” premiered this spring on the Cartoon Network and streamed on HBO Max. It has a 26-episode, two-season order.
Roye Okupe, creator, executive producer, and showrunner of Iyanu, joined story editor Brandon Easton, writer Kerri Grant, and supervising director Vincent Edwards for a panel discussion offering an exclusive first look at the upcoming movie, “Iyanu: Age of Wonders,” along with new details from the series’ season 2. Karama Horne (Lion Forge Entertainment, integrated marketing lead), moderated the discussion.
“Iyanu is about a young girl who discovers she has powers. Her memory has been wiped, so she doesn’t know where her powers come from, and who her parents are because she is an orphan,” Easton explained about the story.
The series distinguishes itself from conventional animated programming through its focus on Nigerian culture and storytelling traditions.
“We definitely dealt deeply into Nigerian food, Nigerian music, martial arts, and the whole nine yards,” Easton said. “It’s very authentic, and people are responding to the authentic nature of the show.”
With the superhero genre currently at the height of popularity, Okupe has made it a goal to create a connected universe of superhero and fantasy stories inspired by African history, culture and mythology.
“I grew up loving fantastic adventure stories, action adventure, and super heroes,” Okupe said. “I was going to create one from a Nigerian perspective.”
After moving to the United States in 2002, Okupe was introduced to Marvel film franchises such as Spider-Man and X-Men, an experience that inspired him to pursue the creation of an animated series rooted in Nigerian culture.
The Lagos, Nigeria native’s passion for comics and animation led him to create YouNeek Studios in 2015, an avenue that would allow him to pursue his dream of creating a diverse library of superheroes.
“I think the audience is responding really, really well to it, and personally, I’m humble and very, very grateful for that.”
The series was financed and overseen by Black-owned animation studio Lion Forge Animation.
