A love of comic books at an early age inspired two Gainesville men to create a diverse cast of comic book characters.
Terance Baker, an Eastside High School graduate, and James Bethel, a Gainesville High School graduate, have been professionally creating comic book characters since 2012 through their company, B Brothers Comics. Both men served more than 20 years in the military before turning their attention to comics.
“I opened my first comic in third grade, a copy of ‘The Incredible Hulk’ with Wolverine’s first appearance,” Baker said. “I was hooked on the visual medium at that point.”
Bethel had a similar experience.
“During my early years in grade school, around third or fourth grade, my reading level was not where it should be, and my teacher at the time allowed me to read comic books to help improve it,” Bethel said.
The comic duo creates a diverse group of characters because they did not see much diversity in the comic book industry growing up.
“The significance of my characters was to create superheroes that looked like me, because there are not many Black American superheroes, so I created one by the name of Z-Lunar,” Bethel said.
Superheroes were overwhelmingly White when they were growing up and “did not look like us,” Baker said. “So we simply wanted to see that. It’s important for the next generation and every generation thereafter to be able to see people who look like them.”
One of Baker’s characters, Pink Hammer, is based on the values of strong women like his wife, Detria. The character gains superhuman powers from an alien source after losing her family in a hurricane. Another character, Tasha Brown, embodies compassion, strength and loyalty.
Captain Defender is another character created by Baker.
“Captain Defender was the very first superhero I created for Baker Comics because I wanted to see a hero who looked like me,” Baker said.
Baker said his work can be found at bakercomics1.com. Bethel said his work is available through www.kablam.com and IndyPlanet.com under “James Bethel.”
Baker said he inherited his artistic ability from his father, John Baker.
“He and my mother, Roberta Baker, always encouraged me to keep it up,” Baker said. “In fact, my dad was featured on TV news back in the day and appeared on the cover of The Gainesville Sun’s Scene magazine as a local artist extraordinaire.”
Baker said he dedicated an “Art of Terance Baker” book to his late sister, Teresa Baker, who often told people, “My brother is art.”
“Creating characters just came naturally to me,” Baker said. “I consider myself a very creative individual and try to inspire others as well. I’m always drawing.”
Bethel said he learned to draw and create comic book characters by reading comics and imitating what he saw on the pages.
“Drawing was an escape for me, and it was therapeutic for me upon my return from Iraq,” Bethel said.
Baker and Bethel have become a regular presence at Gainesville’s 5th Avenue Arts Festival in recent years and have attended various events to showcase their work. In 2024, they participated in an Afrofuturism comic workshop. They also have attended festivals and conventions in Atlanta, the Space Coast, Ocala, Tampa Bay, Daytona Beach and St. Augustine.
“I even hosted my own convention three times back in the day called ICC Convention, based on my Facebook group, Independent Creators Connection, which has over 18,000 members now,” Baker said. “That’s impressive considering I started with 23 members back in 2013.”
Diversity remains a central theme of B Brothers Comics, with the company creating Black male and female characters and heroes from a variety of backgrounds.
Among them is Lisa D. McWorth, a 5-foot-6, 128-pound Black woman whose abilities include being a biological duplicate of Captain Defender. Her powers include enhanced sensory perception, flight, and the ability to emit energy blasts from her hands.
A full lineup of B Brothers Comics’ characters can be viewed at bakercomics1.com. Print editions of the company’s work are produced through Ka-Blam Digital Printing.
Print copies typically cost between $5 and $10, Baker and Bethel said. Baker estimates he has created 80 to 90 characters, while Bethel has created between 60 and 70.
The duo said they’ve received a positive response from the community, but Baker hopes to grow their following even further.
“I still have a full-time job and a family, and everything that I have achieved thus far has been like a hobbyist – so to speak. A lot of people often ask me, ‘Hey, when is your next comic book coming out?’ So I guess that means the ones who buy them like them. I also do commissions on the spot for fans as well as photography. We even cosplay.”
Cosplay is the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book or video game.
Bethel said his favorite characters include Batman, Superman, The Hulk, Thor and Black Panther.
Baker said his favorite characters are the Incredible Hulk, Superman, Spider-Man and others.
The duo also produces fan films, including parodies and adaptations of mainstream movies, as well as short films featuring their own characters.
“My YouTube channel is ‘Artist Baker,’ ” Baker said.
“We’ve done numerous fan-based YouTube movies because you cosplay different Marvel and DC characters,” Bethel added.
When asked what message he hopes to share with the public, Baker encouraged people to embrace their creativity.
“Create something for those who will be here after you,” Baker said. “I was never the big guy in high school, never the football jock or the ladies’ man. I liked to draw, I enjoyed it.”
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: B Brothers Comics in Gainesville brings diversity to the page
Reporting by Cleveland Tinker, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cleveland Tinker, Gainesville Sun | USA TODAY Network
