We recently connected with Martheus Wade and have shared our conversation below.

Martheus , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

I think one of the unexpected problems I’ve faced doing comic books is the perception of what I’m supposed to be creating. I’m a black man who’s main character is a Japanese woman. That’s hard for some to get over. I never thought that would be a “problem”. But, the older I get, the more it becomes a problem. Being black, there is a real expectation and limit in what I’m supposed to creatively do and I’ve always wanted to break that ceiling and create what’s real to me. Sometimes thoes expectations coincide with what I choose to create. But most often it does not.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Martheus Wade and I am a designer and comic book creator based in Memphis TN. I create comic books and art with my my wife and son who, together, we make up MAW Productions, LLC. It is a graphic design and comic book production company. Our most popular book has been Shinobi: Ninja Princess which was published by Scholastic. We are currently continuing that book while branching into the story’s future in our new book Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa. I’m most proud of our work with those two books and I’m looking forward to working with my son on ideas we are cultivating for our next series.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first graduated from the UofM, I wanted to work for ad agencies and work in mainstream comics. I found a job as a graphic designer while continuing to submit work to Marvel and DC Comics. However, it didn’t go as planned. While I did get a chance to work on a few named comics from IDW, I was let go from my graphic design job. I continued my job search and submission process. However, what no one tells you is that, working for Marvel or DC is more than being good. It’s more about who you know and who likes you. After years of going from one creative job to another and having the door slammed in my face time and time again at the big two, I ended up working at the Memphis Redbirds where, I thought, I would retire. Unfortunately, Covid hit and it meant I would be let go. For me, that was it. I refused to spend my life asking for a chance. After years of seeking validation at a job, or employers I decided to do what I always wanted to do. Start my own design company but create a section dedicated to our comic books we had been long working on. I decided to bet on myself when no one would.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn was the thought that the loudest person in a room is the one telling the truth. I used to tend to focus on the one negative response from a contemporary or a reader and push away the positive responses. This is really prevalent with social media. It’s important to be realistic and reflective with any creative endeavor. But, at the same time, you have to allow yourself to be proud of yourself and what you have achieved. I’m still working on allowing myself to like my work and what I do rather than concentrate on the few who do not.

Contact Info:

• Website: ToshigawaUniverse.com or MawProductionsLLc.com
• Instagram: Toshigawa universe
• Facebook: Toshigawa Universe
• Linkedin: Martheus Wade
• Youtube: Toshigawadotcom
• Other: You can also download digital versions of our comics on Amazon.

Image Credits
Photo by Janet Stone Wade