In 2021, Dark Horse Comics and YouNeek Studios announced their partnership to bring the YouNiverse of African-inspired superheroes to a wider audience. Now those heroes are set to join forces for the first time in an all-new graphic novel. The Oloris: Heroes Will Unite Volume 1 will see YouNeek heroes Malika, WindMaker, E.X.O., and Fury come together to face an alien threat. The book comes from the creative team of writer Roye Okupe, artist Sunkanmi Akinboye, colorist Etubi Onucheyo, and letterer Spoof Animation.
Here’s how Dark Horse describes The Oloris: Heroes Will Unite Volume 1:
The heroes from across YouNeek Studios’ different titles unite for the first time in this epic crossover event! When an unknown anarchist unleashes an army of extraterrestrial androids on the continent of Africa, Malika—legendary warrior queen of the 15th-century West African Empire, Azzaz—must put together a team of “unlike-minded” heroes to respond before it’s too late. Featuring appearances from other YouNeek YouNiverse heroes like EXO, Fury, and WindMaker, several YouNeek storylines finally converge.
Okupe and YouNeek Studios first announced The Oloris back in 2019 as one of the studio’s then-self-published titles, though the book was not released prior to the announcement of the Dark Horse partnership. That makes The Oloris the second all-new YouNeek series to debut from Dark Horse, after last year’s debut of WindMaker.
Look for the The Oloris: Heroes Will Unite Volume 1 softcover graphic novel to arrive in bookstores on Tuesday, August 8th, and in comic shops on Wednesday, August 9th.