We recently connected with Troy-Jeffrey Allen and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Troy-Jeffrey, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

It’s all a risk.

I’ve hit a point in my creative trek where I really appreciate the delusion that comes with choosing to be a maker of things. That delusion allows you to not think about the risk or potential embarrassment that can come from it. I dream up stuff for a living and convince others — co-creators or the audience — to take the ride with me. From the outside looking in, that is either risky or a disorder. But it’s that level of willingness to “show your ass” that separates creative people from everyone else. We’re all engineered socially not to be exposed in public, so inviting strangers into your head- whether it’s your painting, novel, film, or whatever- is bold! And it starts when you decide that you have something worth sharing.

Troy-Jeffrey, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Troy-Jeffrey Allen and, at this point, I’m desperately addicted to storytelling. It’s replaced (just about) every other vice in my life. Before making comics, I explored a lot of avenues to satisfy my narrative addiction — from film and video to pro wrestling and journalism. Comic books, however, consistently resonate with me. I’ve been doing that for about sixteen years.

These last few years I’ve been a hired gun, rendering creative services for the likes of Chuck D, Lion Forge, Oni Press, Free Comic Book Day, Smithsonian Channel, and the estate of Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Typically, that involves taking a concept and building a script to support it, but I’m also a marketing professional with an emphasis on videography. Finally, I’m the co-owner of RexCo Comics.

RexCo is home to a project I’m very excited for people to experience. It’s a comic magazine for adults called “AFROFUTURES.” AFROFUTURES was fully funded on Kickstarter last year, and it feels like the culmination of everything I’ve been doing! The magazine is an anthology highlighting the “thunderous imaginations” of multiple Black creators, including myself. Many of whom I’ve encountered during my nine years working in the comic book industry as a marketing person. AFROFUTURES isn’t so much about “representation” as it is a flex. The magazine has superheroes vs. zombies, cyberpunk body horror, revisionist World War II spy-drama, sexbots, hip hop, and post-apocalyptic suspense…we’re doing the most! I really believe that there is nothing like this on shelves, and that will be our advantage. This is going to really burn images into your psyche when you reach that last page.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

A lot of my collaborative style has been informed by filmmakers. I spent my pre-teen and teen years watching specials or reading about people like Stan Winston, Drew Struzan, Syd Mead, and Steven Spielberg. Specifically, in high school, I read REBEL WITHOUT A CREW by Robert Rodriguez (FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, SPY KIDS). The book documents the period when, infamously, Rodriguez donated his body to science to fund his first film. It sounds crazy but it exposed me early on to this attitude that creating art is a lifestyle. Also, this idea that it’s all risky — it’s all going to require a piece of you. Figuratively and, in Rodriguez’s case, literally.

Another book that impacted me much later is Grant Morrison’s SUPERGODS. Morrison isn’t just a great writer but one of the best things to happen to the genre of superheroes. The book is an examination of superheroes from his perspective. He walks you through his initial impressions as a youth and his philosophies that evolved from growing up with them. Healthily, it shows you why people care about Batman, Superman, etc. That sort of anthropological approach to pop culture is really what I value these days. What these stories mean to us culturally and individually. Also, what it says about us.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Probably my work hosting videos and interviewing comic book creators. At some point, I decided I just needed to be in the right rooms! But I also wanted to get paid. My solution was to get paid to be in the right room. So, I started working in marketing. First for museums, then for comics. There is a lot of trial and error in between, but it was important to me that I at least could be seen sitting across from notable figures within the industry, that you saw me on camera talking to Frank Miller (300, SIN CITY) and Rob Liefeld (co-creator of Deadpool). To people who read comics, those names trigger a nostalgic emotion. It takes them back to their favorite era in comics. I needed to be next to that and I needed to get paid to do it. It gave me a visibility that I couldn’t get on my own.

Beyond that, other people at least know my name because I made an MF DOOM tribute comic and video that went viral online. I joke that that little five-page comic is the most popular thing I’ve ever written. There are barely any words in it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rexco-comics.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tjacomics/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TJAComics
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/troyjallen/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoRexCo

Image Credits

Kim Photos