This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.
State College resident Jason Lenox will debut the fifth issue of a comic book he co-created with Dennis Fallon and Jason Palmatier from 11 a.m. to on Saturday, Sept. 14 at Comic Cove, 528 Westerly Parkway.
Lenox has been creating and publishing comic books for 12 years, using crowdfunding to create his stories.
“Lord of the Cosmos” was described by Lenox as “a 1980s toy and cartoon inspired anthology comic book that takes place on a fantastic world of magic and technology under siege by savage villains, where ancient heroes have to return to save the world.”
A main story runs throughout each of the series issues. However, there are smaller stories throughout the issue, following what is known as an anthology format.
Lenox drew his inspiration from a few different places when creating “Lord of the Cosmos.” He discussed that he has always had an appreciation for 1980s cartoons and toys, which were a big inspiration for the comic.
However, he also drew inspiration from some comic books he is a fan of, like “Heavy Metal Magazine,” whose first issue came out in April 1977, and “2000 AD,” whose first issue came out in February 1977.
Lenox’s work appeals to fans in different age groups due to ’80s style and inspiration.
“Some of the attraction has been older fans that felt a connection with the book’s 1980s roots,” Lenox explained. “And the books have had enough appeal beyond that to attract new, younger fans.”
Lenox shared how it was important for him to have a close relationship with the fans of the comic — being that he is a self-published author, he likes to hear feedback from readers.
“I’ve always been comfortable going directly to the reader as a creator to pitch my ideas,” Lenox said.
During the Kickstarter event at Comic Cove, Lenox and Comic Cove will give fans “Lord of the Cosmos” memorabilia.
“We are going to be giving out samples of the new books, volumes of original artwork, new themed merchandise and even some character sculptures from the book,” Lenox said.
He shared that most of the original memorabilia he plans to bring to the event has never been seen by fans, noting he does not bring the memorabilia to conventions.
As for the future of “Lord of the Cosmos,” Lenox is already working on a sixth issue and hopes to make the story 10 issues long.
“Where it goes from there, only a 1980s-themed cyborg and an exiled Greek god with a talking sword can tell us at this point,” Lenox said.
