Editor’s Note: Black Hole Comics and Entertainment is a new project by our long-time contributor Toren Chenault. There’s a lot of exciting stuff happening, so we’re honored today to give him a chance to tell you all about it…oh! And check back to the site later today for a preview of CONTENT one of the exciting new books from Black Hole…

By Toren Chenault — Another new comic book company?! Not quite. This is Black Hole.

My name is Toren Chenault and I'm one of the co-founders of Black Hole Comics and Entertainment. I’m from Cincinnati, but currently live in Lansing, Michigan. I'm also the President/Publisher/CEO whatever other fancy title people like to have with these types of companies. That isn't important. What is important is that you are reading the very first post for Black Hole! And I'd like to welcome you. Welcome you to a new and bold company that combines comics with other forms of storytelling. I want to break down today who we are, what makes us different, and why we'll be a force for years to come in this space.

What is Black Hole?

This is simple. Black Hole is a comics and entertainment company. We're a small team working with a bunch of diverse creators to bring you stories in all types of formats. Comics, short stories, graphic novels, and even short films and creator interviews. Stories matter, the people telling them matter. We aren’t just a comic publisher trying to take a share of that market. And we aren’t a site featuring only short stories. It’s going to be a little bit of everything. Black Hole is about respecting all different forms of storytelling. As well as different creators.

Like I said, it's simple.

Why Black Hole?

This isn't as simple. And some of you might not agree with this but that's okay. Most industries are all about who you know. We love to tell each other that talent and hard work will always prevail, but sometimes that simply isn't true. Comics, film, music, and many other industries exclude people for a variety of reasons. And sometimes it's not about exclusion, it's about only letting people in who have connections. People who have a friend of a friend who knows a writer at Marvel Comics. And that doesn't sit right with me. It never will.

Black Hole will be a platform for creators to tell their stories. A REAL option for people looking to flex their creative muscles. I'll get more into that in a second.

I thought about doing Black Hole, at first, for purely selfish reasons. I released my debut novel, Mystic Man, two years ago. It's a superhero novel where I made my own universe. A story in which I try to answer the question "How would America react to the world's first black superhero?" And from Mystic Man, I built the universe with a series of short stories. Four to be exact. And I wanted to get it out to more people, so I thought "Why not make a company? Combine all this great IP into one entity?" And maybe that would have been a cool idea, but I wanted to work with other people. Help other people get their Mystic Man's out. I didn't sell much of Mystic Man, but I did it. Wrote the book and published the short stories and all that. Other people deserve to do the same thing. I think everyone has that story in them. Which is where ‘Stories For Everyone’ comes from. So, that's when I started talking with my friend and Black Hole co-founder Nick Couture.

Nick's around my age and has the same passion for stories. In the few years I've known him, he's taught me a lot about trying new things in comics and film. His perspective on life is different than mine, but we both share that same energy for stories. And it's funny enough that most of our conversations happened when we were working at a comic book store. Black Hole is our brainchild come to life. Both of our passions for stories and creators coming to fruition. And it's from this passion that we established the three pillars of this company. Creativity. Innovation. Diversity. And I want to get into how each of them plays into who we are and what we do.

CREATIVITY

This is one of the simpler points. Creators matter, and I want people to have access to a platform to get their work out. When you work with Black Hole, we own nothing except our brand. You own complete creative control over any story or art that comes out with us. When we call for submissions, don’t be afraid to pitch your wildest ideas. Ideas close to your heart, that mean something. We don't own any IP and that's not what we're attempting to do. And creators will always get paid working with us, no question about that. We’re a platform for creators, and a place fans can support diverse work.

INNOVATION

Artwork from CONTENT. — Artwork from **CONTENT.**

How are we different? What are we doing that's different? Black Hole launches with my debut comic CONTENT (Editor’s Note: again, check back for a preview later today!). A murder mystery about this weird little alien named Sills. With the very talented artist Vincent Van Hoof on art and lettering. Black Hole also launches with FIVE short stories from writers and artists from all walks of life. There's space, horror, politics, fantasy, any type of genre of story you could want will be in these stories. And each story will feature art from artists as well. Some in the actual stories, but most will be covers. Black Hole will ALSO launch with creator interviews. We'll be interviewing writers and artists, asking them for a deep dive into their thoughts on just about everything. Our first one featuring talented comic book writer Curt Pires!

We have a lot going on. And this is just the beginning. Podcasts, graphic novels, and short films are all on the agenda and most will be announced and done this year. No other company is doing what we're doing. Bringing other mediums together and treating them with the respect they deserve. It won't happen overnight, and we're going to have to earn people's respect and loyalty. But we plan on putting action behind these words. In due time.

DIVERSITY

Here's another area where we might lose some people. But I really don't care. This company will never, ever tolerate any racism or bigotry. From fans, creators, anyone who wants to associate themselves with the Black Hole brand.

And we will always commit ourselves to telling stories that matter. Stories that are weird and represent the uniqueness of the creators telling them. So, if you have a problem with stories about or by black people, women, the LGBTQ community, trans, non-binary, Muslim, and any other minority community out there, this isn't the company for you. We will always fight for representation and that starts by setting the record straight from day one.

Day one of Black Hole Comics and Entertainment is April 8th, 2020. Myself and Nick are going to work hard to bring you cool stories and innovative content. We have a BIG announcement in the coming weeks. But for now, let me just say bring your best story ideas!

Toren Chenault is a writer and creator from Lansing, Michigan. He released his debut novel, Mystic Man in 2018. He's the owner and co-founder of Black Hole Comics and Entertainment. Toren has a passion for comics and all forms of storytelling. His influences range from hip-hop to anything science fiction related.