Comic books inspire Lauren
THE resilience, strength and family values of Marvel comics’ superheroes helped Lauren Bianca Maduray, 26, deal with the challenges of being a child of divorced parents.
Maduray was so inspired by the superheroes she has now written her first comic book, The Shadower.
She said, as a child, she was forced to adapt to life without her parents being together.
She found solace in the pages of Marvel comics that depicted superheroes who were able to conquer evil with good. This resulted in her belief of being able to do the same.
In her self-published book, to be launched next month, Maduray tells the story of Cassey Evans (main character), who plays around with medication and becomes a superhero. She discovers there is a villain who is not human and who has to be defeated.
Maduray used herself, her parents and friends as characters in the book who fight evil and gain the victory.
She said her comic book was different from others because it did not have drawings, but pictures of actual people who took on a character.
She said: “It took me about a month to write the story and about six months for it to be published.
“As a child, I loved Marvel. It was fascinating to me because of the pictures, bubbles, the stories and the fun in between.
“When the idea came to write the book I thought it would be good to try it because I had not come across other female comic writers in Durban.”
Maduray also participates in cosplays for Black Widow and Wanda, both Marvel characters.
“I love starting new trends so I thought to start this. On my birthday I wore my Black Widow suit and went out. It’s hard to find people in Durban who would do that. People from Durban usually go to other provinces for Comic Con. I think my book will attract more comic fans to Durban,” said Maduray.
She added her love for comics had changed her perspective on life.
“The concept of Marvel is what gripped me as a child. Yes, they fight villains and good always overcomes evil but I also liked that they had family incorporated into them.
“They always look out for each other, whether they are related or not. They know the difference between right and wrong. That’s what my personal life is like as well.
“I’ve already started on book two which is a continuation of my first book,” she said.
Digital and hard copies of the book are available on Amazon and Mmstore.
The launch of will take place on May 6 at Project Mayhem in Hillcrest.