There’s a new pan-African comic book anthology called “Long Distance” that is conducting a crowdfunding campaign.

AFRICAN MYTHOLOGY

While there are hundreds of anthologies based on Greek, Norse or Asian mythology, the least explored culture is African history and mythology. That’s where “Long Distance” comes in.

Beserat Debebe is founder of ETAN COMICS and writer/creator of HAWI, ZUFAN and JEMBER.

Born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Debebe fell in love with fantasy stories via the animated shows, video games and movies he used to watch as a kid.

After coming to the U.S.A., he was introduced to the world of comics, graphic novels and manga. Debebe says he used to spend his days in libraries and bookstores reading them because he couldn’t afford them.

Consequently, he’s created a new anthology on pan-African mythology titled “Long Distance.” He says:

After school + a few years in the corporate world, I finally built the courage to create the stories I’ve always wanted to see in these mediums; stories that explore African history and mythology.

CREATORS FROM ALL ACROSS AFRICA

More than two-dozen African creators have been recruited to contribute to the anthology. They’ve worked for Disney, Marvel, Netflix and other outlets.

Among them, they are:

• Cover artist Sanford Greene, co-creator of the “Bitter Root” comic.
• Foreword by Kwame Mbalia, New York Times bestselling author — he wrote “Rick Riordan Presents: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky” — and is head of Disney’s new imprint.
• A story by Prince Joel Makonnen, the great-grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie
• A story by Booker Prize-shortlisted writer Maaza Mengiste

The anthology is in the same vein as Netflix’s “Love Death + Robots,” “Star Wars: Visions” and “Pokemon Evolutions.”

Check out the crowdfunding campaign at kickstarter.com.

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