Cannon Busters

The pilot for the planned series Cannon Busters, released recently to Kickstarter backers, explores fantasy, adventure, and history genres with something we rarely see in animation; black lead characters. As creator LeSean Thomas told us in a recent interview, it makes sense for him to make work that reflects the world he's used to. Hopefully that thinking is becoming more commonplace. Bumblebee is getting buzz in DC Super Hero Girls, with an additional chance to shine in the animated short, Hero of the Month: Bumblebee, while Princess Allura was reimagined as a brown woman for Netflix's Voltron. But there are an increasing number of independent creators working to animate their own original stories with black characters at the forefront. Whether it's at the bottom of the ocean, or in futuristic versions of Africa, there are animated series with black lead characters that we think you should look out for!

LeSean Thomas is back with the pilot to his planned animated series, Cannon Busters. The show, which premiered for Kickstarter backers this past Friday, follows a robot named S.A.M.; an outdated maintenance service droid by the name of Casey, and a man on the run, aka Philly The Kid. Together, they travel to help S.A.M. reunite with her best friend, who also happens to be a prince. Thomas spoke with ComicsAlliance on what viewers can expect from Cannon Busters, working with Joe Mad, and why he chose a black woman as the lead character.

If there's one thing that you need to know about the staff here at ComicsAlliance, it's that we're staunchly anti-cannon, and feel that they should be busted as often as possible. As a result, our interest was piqued when we heard about a new Kickstarter for a project from comic artist and animator LeSean Thomas called Cannon Busters, which seeks to raise $120,000 for what we assume will be an extended and thorough campaign design to leave no cannon un-busted. Finally, we will have these fearsome weapons out of the hands of the pirates that menace our shores.