Hunter Haute Comic Book Interview With Kosi Harris.
Hey Nubians,
Are you a fashion lover and geek girl? You must read this Hunter Haute Comic Book Created by Kosi Harris!
I have the pleasure of personally knowing Kosi Harris and I must say she's quite the She-ro. We met through mutual friends online and we've had the satisfaction of bonding over our love of fashion, comic books, beauty, cosplay, and more. Kosi also has a blog you should check out called One Creates Oneself. This Brooklyn girl is a smart cookie! She's an account director at a public relations firm and she recently acquired a Masters Degree at the Southern New Hampshire University. BOOM!
I remember when I first met Kosi a few years ago, she talked about putting together a fashion comic book and told me she had it all mapped out in her head. I was intrigued by the idea. It was only a matter of time. Watching Hunter Haute come to life and be so damn good makes me immensely proud of her. It's one of her many accomplishments and I have a feeling this is just the tip of the Iceberg for her creative pursuits.
This comicbook co-written by Phil Buck and Illustrated by Candace April Lee, has a solid storyline involving history, love, loss, determination, and the start of a new journey for Hunter Haute.
About Hunter Haute
"Amina Williams has just returned home from Brazil after taking a gap year from her studies at The Design Institute. Her mother, Alexia Williams, was a fashion industry mogul and the CEO of her own company, Williams Industries. There was much controversy surrounding the “accident” that killed Amina’s mother. After a year away, Amina must come home to deal with the fallout in her personal life and the within the business dealings of her mother’s empire."
Make sure you stop by Webtoons to read Hunter Haute HERE.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Kosi about Hunter Haute. I hope you enjoy and definitely read the comicbook. I promise it'll leave you craving issue #2!
K: Ha ha I don’t know if I have a secret.. coffee helps a lot. Getting a good night’s sleep. Creating realistic goals, a friend taught me this last year. For example, stating “get website done” on a to do list is vague. My friend mentioned writing a task like that that will NEVER get done. So I learned not to list things like that and write a task more realistic with my time.
Being around my family and friends inspire me, helps keep me focused and determined. In addition, understanding that projects can be moved around/be delayed and it’s not the end of the world. You have to take time to rest and have fun, it only adds to the productivity!
N: What was your main inspiration for Hunter Haute and how does this character relate to your life?
K: I started doing drafts for Hunter Haute before I had my BLOG, I think at the time I was looking for a creative outlet where I wouldn’t feel judged for my ideas. It’s a liberating feeling when you just sit down and write, whether it’s fiction, non-fiction it allows your brain to get everything you want to say out on paper.
N: Sometimes when we have a great idea we have a hard time finding the right people to partner with us. Did you have a hard time finding writer Phil Buck and illustrator Candace April Lee? Any advice you can give to creatives on finding the right people to work with based on this experience?
K: I had a harder time finding an illustrator than a writer. I think Phil and I having a love for comics and new ideas we just cliqued. Finding Candance was tough. Before finding her on Behance, I was looking at a few schools. And kind of like Goldilocks there were illustrators that had too much of this and less of that. Candance was just right :)
N: Which was your first love, fashion or comic books? Give us details!
K: Fashion, I have my older sisters to thank for that. They worked in the retail industry as image consultants. I used to play with my sister’s clothes all the time! I remember one of them had an old school 90s belt nameplate, I always joked when I “grow up” I would get one with my name on it. Ironically I am grown and that is making a comeback so I probably should get it.
N: It’s so interesting to see Capoeira as the main source of Amina’s fighting skills. Have you taken a Capoeira class in the past? What inspired this decision?
K: I have done it once, I thought it was a fighting style not seen in comic books or even in TV/Movies. Writers go straight to Karate, which is great but I thought it would be an interesting take as Amina is an avid traveler and a New Yorker.
N: I very much enjoyed the illustrations by Candace April Lee. They're very vivid, action-packed, and made me feel as if the book was actually moving haha, it made the characters come to life in my imagination. I also noticed the detail in the clothing, did you both pick out the outfits for the illustrations together or did you design them yourself?
K: It was collaborative to where I would have excel sheets highlighting each character’s style (yep it was super helpful for Candace) and different scenarios they would be in and the type of looks I would see them in. The outfits were a mix of inspiration of street style, trends, and personal experience being a New Yorker.
N: I noticed on one of the pages, Amina was looking at an old photo of herself with her mother and she had a superhero mask on. Would you say it was Halloween or was she going to Comic Con?
K: Halloween, where she would spend quality time with her mother and they would go to the Halloween Parade and be inspired by the costumes.
N: Speaking of Comic Con, I know you’re an avid cosplayer and we have bumped into each other at Comic Con's in the past. What has your favorite cosplay costume been?
K: My favorite Cosplay has been Catwoman from The Dark Knight Rises, it was the first cosplay I really took seriously prepping about 6 weeks in advance for it. I was able to work with a rad seamstress that I was in constant communication with from start to finish. LOL I loved it so much I danced to the costume with my diploma two weeks ago!
N: You’re going to hate me for this one… DC Comics or Marvel Comics?
K: Yes I do Nubia! Growing up, I was exposed to the DC world first through the cartoons. All the cartoons shows I've watched include Batman: The Animated Series/Adventures, Superman: The Animated Series, Static Shock, and Batman: Beyond
N: Does she drink Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts?
N: Thanks so much Kosi you’ve been an absolute treat! Last but definitely not least, when can we expect issue 2?
N: What was your main inspiration for Hunter Haute and how does this character relate to your life?
K: I started doing drafts for Hunter Haute before I had my BLOG, I think at the time I was looking for a creative outlet where I wouldn’t feel judged for my ideas. It’s a liberating feeling when you just sit down and write, whether it’s fiction, non-fiction it allows your brain to get everything you want to say out on paper.
N: Sometimes when we have a great idea we have a hard time finding the right people to partner with us. Did you have a hard time finding writer Phil Buck and illustrator Candace April Lee? Any advice you can give to creatives on finding the right people to work with based on this experience?
K: I had a harder time finding an illustrator than a writer. I think Phil and I having a love for comics and new ideas we just cliqued. Finding Candance was tough. Before finding her on Behance, I was looking at a few schools. And kind of like Goldilocks there were illustrators that had too much of this and less of that. Candance was just right :)
N: Which was your first love, fashion or comic books? Give us details!
K: Fashion, I have my older sisters to thank for that. They worked in the retail industry as image consultants. I used to play with my sister’s clothes all the time! I remember one of them had an old school 90s belt nameplate, I always joked when I “grow up” I would get one with my name on it. Ironically I am grown and that is making a comeback so I probably should get it.
N: It’s so interesting to see Capoeira as the main source of Amina’s fighting skills. Have you taken a Capoeira class in the past? What inspired this decision?
K: I have done it once, I thought it was a fighting style not seen in comic books or even in TV/Movies. Writers go straight to Karate, which is great but I thought it would be an interesting take as Amina is an avid traveler and a New Yorker.
N: I very much enjoyed the illustrations by Candace April Lee. They're very vivid, action-packed, and made me feel as if the book was actually moving haha, it made the characters come to life in my imagination. I also noticed the detail in the clothing, did you both pick out the outfits for the illustrations together or did you design them yourself?
K: It was collaborative to where I would have excel sheets highlighting each character’s style (yep it was super helpful for Candace) and different scenarios they would be in and the type of looks I would see them in. The outfits were a mix of inspiration of street style, trends, and personal experience being a New Yorker.
N: I noticed on one of the pages, Amina was looking at an old photo of herself with her mother and she had a superhero mask on. Would you say it was Halloween or was she going to Comic Con?
K: Halloween, where she would spend quality time with her mother and they would go to the Halloween Parade and be inspired by the costumes.
N: Speaking of Comic Con, I know you’re an avid cosplayer and we have bumped into each other at Comic Con's in the past. What has your favorite cosplay costume been?
K: My favorite Cosplay has been Catwoman from The Dark Knight Rises, it was the first cosplay I really took seriously prepping about 6 weeks in advance for it. I was able to work with a rad seamstress that I was in constant communication with from start to finish. LOL I loved it so much I danced to the costume with my diploma two weeks ago!
K: Yes I do Nubia! Growing up, I was exposed to the DC world first through the cartoons. All the cartoons shows I've watched include Batman: The Animated Series/Adventures, Superman: The Animated Series, Static Shock, and Batman: Beyond
It's no secret that mythology, especially Greek mythology has influenced the characters and stories in the DC Universe. Superman can be equated to the sun god Apollo, Batman to Hades, Wonder Woman to Athena, and Aquaman to Poseidon.
Over the years, writers have added more facets to these god-like characters and made it to where they want to retain their humanity, having acknowledged their mythic nature, that's very interesting to me.
From Marvel, I grew up watching the cartoons Spider-Man: Animated series, The Fantastic Four, and the original X-Men cartoon.
The first graphic novel I read from Marvel was The Dark Phoenix Saga. What appeals to me and to a lot of other people about Marvel are that the characters are flawed.
Many, if not all of these characters can be traced to characters from literature and even real-life people. Hulk is Jekyll and Hyde, Loki to Edmund from King Lear, Tony Stark to Howard Hughes , and Charles Xavier to Martin Luther King Jr.
Over the years, writers have added more facets to these god-like characters and made it to where they want to retain their humanity, having acknowledged their mythic nature, that's very interesting to me.
From Marvel, I grew up watching the cartoons Spider-Man: Animated series, The Fantastic Four, and the original X-Men cartoon.
The first graphic novel I read from Marvel was The Dark Phoenix Saga. What appeals to me and to a lot of other people about Marvel are that the characters are flawed.
Many, if not all of these characters can be traced to characters from literature and even real-life people. Hulk is Jekyll and Hyde, Loki to Edmund from King Lear, Tony Stark to Howard Hughes , and Charles Xavier to Martin Luther King Jr.
What appeals to me the most is that my favorite group of superheroes in Marvel: the X-Men have gone through the ringer in their 50 some odd year history. Facing discrimination because they're genetically different is very appealing to me as a person of color.
Despite my cosplays being DC based, with Wonder Woman and Catwoman, I would have to go with Marvel. I think in today’s world with social media making it seem as if everyone is perfect, it is important for writers to write characters that are flawed that folks can relate to. There is already so much showing us to be “perfect” there has to be a balance.
N: Spill! Can you tell us if you’re cosplaying as Amina AKA Hunter Haute this year?
K: OMG you are the 5th person to ask me that, now I don’t know! We’ll see!
N: If you could have one Super Power, What would it be?
K: Telekenesis. Telekenesis is a power with infinite possibilities. Actually, whenever I take a Superhero quiz I get Jean Grey. She is the queen of Telekenesis in the Marvel Universe. I think having the ability to control any element, influence any movement, and manipulate any physical action is far better than any other power. Imagine being able to cure cancer by destroying cancerous cells in a person’s body, or influencing an election…I’ll just leave that here :)
N: You can give me short answers here. Think of these as hypothetical questions almost to get to know Amina’s personality a little better. (They may be one word answers)
N: One word to describe Amina’s style?
Despite my cosplays being DC based, with Wonder Woman and Catwoman, I would have to go with Marvel. I think in today’s world with social media making it seem as if everyone is perfect, it is important for writers to write characters that are flawed that folks can relate to. There is already so much showing us to be “perfect” there has to be a balance.
N: Spill! Can you tell us if you’re cosplaying as Amina AKA Hunter Haute this year?
K: OMG you are the 5th person to ask me that, now I don’t know! We’ll see!
N: If you could have one Super Power, What would it be?
K: Telekenesis. Telekenesis is a power with infinite possibilities. Actually, whenever I take a Superhero quiz I get Jean Grey. She is the queen of Telekenesis in the Marvel Universe. I think having the ability to control any element, influence any movement, and manipulate any physical action is far better than any other power. Imagine being able to cure cancer by destroying cancerous cells in a person’s body, or influencing an election…I’ll just leave that here :)
N: You can give me short answers here. Think of these as hypothetical questions almost to get to know Amina’s personality a little better. (They may be one word answers)
N: One word to describe Amina’s style?
K: Girly but with a hint of Tomboy, she wears overalls with her Loubtutin heels and has multiple piercings.
N: Does Amina have a fashion blog?
N: Does Amina have a fashion blog?
K: No, but she hangs with bloggers.
N: Her favorite color?
K: Navy Blue.
N: Her favorite color?
K: Navy Blue.
K: Starbucks.
N: What’s her favorite designer at the moment?
K: Stella McCartney! With #45’s policies to damage the earth, Stella uses products that don’t harm the environment but preserve that. McCartney’s design’s are also a mix of girly and tomboy, like Amina.
N: What song is she blasting on her headphones right now?
K: HUMBLE by Kendrick Lamar.
N: What’s her favorite designer at the moment?
K: Stella McCartney! With #45’s policies to damage the earth, Stella uses products that don’t harm the environment but preserve that. McCartney’s design’s are also a mix of girly and tomboy, like Amina.
N: What song is she blasting on her headphones right now?
K: HUMBLE by Kendrick Lamar.
N: Thanks so much Kosi you’ve been an absolute treat! Last but definitely not least, when can we expect issue 2?
K: Late Fall!
Till next time!
Till next time!
Cheers
Xo Nubia Xo
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