Although she graduated from UNC with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science in 2009, fitness isn’t her only outlet. Although Truesdale has a background with comic books — having grown up reading them — she didn’t break into the comic book industry until she launched Aza Comics in 2014 as part of a promotional marketing strategy for Jazmin Fitness, her fitness training program.
Truesdale initially planned to create a video game, but when she started developing characters, she decided to expand their world into comics.
“My mom says that I don’t know how to think small,” she said.
She used her business knowledge to reach out to people in the industry and get her comics started. She hired a team of comic book writers and illustrators and got to work, creating digital novels which will be released before the comics.
The first of two digital novels will be released on Oct. 12 and provide the background for the comic book, which will be released in 2016.
While a student at UNC, Truesdale immersed herself in different cultures by becoming a member of Chispa, Sangam, Black Student Movement, Delta Phi Omega and by living in the Spanish House Living Learning Community. She wanted to represent these cultures and more in a field where cultural diversity isn’t well-represented.
“I can think of only a few comic book characters who look like me, which doesn’t make sense because there is an entire continent of people who look like me,” she said.
To solve this problem, she created a superhero team of five women who represent each of the five major ethnic groups of the world.
