PRESS RELEASE: Rock Paper Scissors Comic Book Series Wraps Up Final Issue With Undertones of Human Injustices

Mississauga, Ontario (February 23) – a first-of-its-kind independent comic book series that morphed the popular internationally played hand game Rock-Paper-Scissors into a living calamitous planetary war is celebrating the release of its final issue with a Kickstarter campaign. The Paper Rock Scissors N’ Stuff Wars #4 (of 4) campaign, created by Zelpha Comics, will begin February 28th and will run for 35 days. 

After launching two previous successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaigns for Paper Rock Scissors N’ Stuff Wars #2 and #3 – with the first issue self-funded by creator Luanga Nuwame in 2016 – this outré comic book series that chronicles a war between anthropomorphic empires will conclude with its fourth issue. Luanga Nuwame and artist Hugh Rookwood are creating a 32-page epic battle between the kingdoms of Paper, Rock, Scissors, plus newly added living elements of plastic, Water, Sand, and the Anvil Gods. The series is cartoony, yet touches on serious content, so it can appeal to multiple age groups while tackling mature issues such as the foreign occupation of nations and slavery. 

What sets Paper Rock Scissors N’ Stuff Wars apart from other comic books, beyond its non-superhero offbeat premise of sentient inanimate objects, is the various harsh real-life themes that play out in the narrative’s plot. The first issue begins with the genocide and occupation of the Papers by the Scissors kingdom that believes it’s superior to the Papers and deserves to rule. The Rock kingdom is xenophobic and untrusting of anything that isn’t Rock. The newly introduced Plastics are aware of all the kingdoms and they seem to be playing a long game of manipulation. And then there are the powerful Anvil Gods who hold the secrets to how life began on the planet and they feel it is their right to impose their will on all the kingdoms for the perceived ‘greater good’. The Anvils also control a slave army of simple-minded Glues tasked with causing mayhem on command. Ultimately, the conflicting ideologies and desires of the various creatures and kingdoms led to the war wreaking havoc on their planet. 

Writer Luanga Nuwame, who is a 43-year-old father of Jamaican and Togolese heritage, uses the series to showcase themes of ethnic hatred, power dynamics, the mindset of being a ‘superior race’, faith in specific higher powers, and trying to find one’s place in a complicated world – by way of a playful cartoony story format. Artist Hugh Rookwood creates a stunning visual adventure that expresses important themes in a way that doesn’t insist upon itself. These themes are woven into a fanciful cartoony world that is meant to appeal to children and adults. Paper Rock Scissors N’ Stuff Wars is intended to be wacky and outlandish, yet poignant and harsh, in its approach. 

“With the help of my artist friend Hugh, my goal with Paper Rock Scissors N’ Stuff Wars is to explore the idea of living elements who don’t know what humans are, yet think and act like us,” states Nuwame. “Think about what happened when feudal colonial powers explored new parts of the world. Think about the racial and religious tensions still happening today worldwide. I’m putting elements of humanity into cartoon objects trying to make sense of their own world!” 

To help kick off the final issue’s crowdfunding campaign, Zelpha Comics has enlisted numerous legendary independent comic book artists to create variant covers and pin-up artwork. These names include Michael T. Gilbert (creator of Mr. Monster), Mike Rooth (acclaimed cover artist), Bill Maus (creator of Nira-X), Dan Cote (co-creator of Zen the Intergalactic Ninja), George Todorovski (Heavy Metal Magazine artist), and Marvin Mariano (comic/ toy package design/tattoo artist). Various up-and-coming comic book artists have 

submitted artwork for the campaign and Lue hints that a “really big name” mainstream artist is considering submitting a cover design during the campaign. The Kickstarter campaign for Paper Rock Scissors N’ Stuff Wars #4 (of 4) will begin at 6 pm on February 28th. Additional information and pictures can be found on the comic’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RockPaperScissors ComicBook and directly on Kickstarter at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zelphacomics/paper-rock-scissors-n-stuff-wars-4-of-4-the-final-war