Street-corner comic plans to turn a new page
LIFE IN PICTURES: Nathan Jacobs, aka Robo Hobo, with his own comic book on Durban’s streets MOVE over Superman, there’s a new superhero in town.
He doesn’t wear a cape, have bucketloads of money, amazing gadgets or stand-out superpower. What he does have is street smarts and ingenuity, and he’s not afraid to use them.
His name is Robo Hobo, and he’s here to help — and he’s using his very own comic book to do that.
Robo Hobo, whose real name is Nathan Cedric Jacobs, is a 32-year-old beggar who operates on the corner of Solomon Mahlangu Drive and South Coast Road in Durban’s Bluff suburb.
But he dreams of something much bigger.
He hopes that his comic book, Robo Hobo: Die Arme Boesman, will be the platform he needs to get off the streets.
A chance encounter at the traffic light about two months ago led to the creation of the comic book. That’s when Jacobs met graphic designer Cole Rose.
Rose was wearing a Marvel Comics T-shirt, so Jacobs told him: “That’s a cool shirt. I also like comics.”
When Rose said he drew for a living, Jacobs asked: “Could you, like, maybe, draw me?” When Jacobs saw the pictures Rose had drawn, he suggested to the artist “do a story about me”.
“I gave him the story of my life. People always want to know more about me,” said Jacobs.
Rose was thrilled to help. “I use Solomon Mahlangu Drive every day to work, so I see [Jacobs] every morning,” he said. “He’s a nice guy who talks to me at that robot every day. He asked me if I would draw a comic for him and I said ‘yes’.”
Rose gave Jacobs a spare notebook and the next morning it was returned with the Robo Hobo story written. In less than a month the comic was done.
“I enjoyed working on it. It was nice to have free range on it because he just gave me words,” said Rose.
Jacobs claimed he was from an abusive home, and was often beaten by both parents and his older brother. He said he got caught up with the wrong crowd and was jailed for shoplifting. He lurched from one crisis to the next.
Die Arme Boesman does not contain only Jacobs’s life story — and even some paid-for adverts — it also shares safety tips for the streets. Among them: “Always be alert [and] look for suspicious people”; “Texting and waiting for the robots to change” is not advisable; and “Always keep your handbags under the seat.”
Jacobs said many people were judgmental. “But I have a lot to offer. I’m a product of love. People who give me money . . . those people show me love and they make me want to change and tip the scales from the darkness into the light. I can help because of my knowledge of the streets. I could do motivational talks and crime-prevention talks on how to avoid housebreakings and smash-and-grabs.”
He isn’t selling the comic yet, but is asking for donations in return for a copy. And he’s already planning a sequel. “This is just the beginning.”
I can help because of my knowledge of the streets