Amazing Dad Created A Super Hero Inspired by Son with Down Syndrome
Being able to see yourself in the media you consume is incredibly important. Ryan Potter being cast as Beast Boy is a big deal. Jason Momoa being named Aquaman was/is a big deal. Representation plays a big role in how we go through life because if there’s something you want to do but can’t find anyone who looks like you doing it, then, subconsciously, you can feel like there’s no way you can do it too. Unfortunately, people with disabilities are often forgotten about in the ‘we need more proper representation’ equation, but one father is hoping to help fix that problem.
When Chip Reece found out that his son would have down syndrome, he began looking through his own comics for a character his child could relate to, only to find that he couldn’t find any. His son, Ollie, was born in 2010 and spent the first couple of months of his life having surgery after surgery in order to fix two different congenital heart deflects and Reece tried to see if he could name any superheroes who had suffered from the same sort of thing. While Tony Stark’s own heart problems came close, the new dad wanted a character that his son could relate to completely, and since there wasn’t already one out there, he decided to make one himself.
With illustrator Kelly Williams, his first 10-page-comic book was called Metaphase and after gaining attention from Alterna Comics, he fleshed it out a little bit more and with the help of a Kickstarter in 2014, was able to sell about 1,500 printed copies.
The father and son duo recently went to The Air Capital Comic-Con to promote the comic and Reece stated that it was the first time his non-verbal son had actually reacted to the story. “He pointed at the book and the character then pointed to himself. He’s finally realizing that it’s for him.”
Metaphase can be purchased here for $4.99.
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source: cbr.com
