When I first started building the Kilo Comics Universe, I wasn’t thinking about headlines. I wasn’t trying to make political statements or ride the wave of current events. I was creating worlds and characters—heroes, villains, vigilantes—who live in the same messy, complicated world we do. And when you create grounded characters, they naturally end up facing grounded issues: war, migration, hate, conspiracy, inequality.

Over time, I realized that many of my stories—Gonen, Cossack, Coyote, Champions of Gaia, Echo Force, Chronomancer, and others—had grown to reflect some of the most controversial and politically charged topics of our time. Not because I designed them to. But because it’s hard to write about heroes without acknowledging the kinds of real injustices that give rise to them.

Take Gonen, for example. I began outlining it in 2019. It’s about a deep-cover Israeli operative embedded within Hamas, torn between allegiance and humanity. By the time I was deep into writing, the real-world Israel–Palestine conflict had escalated in ways I never anticipated. Suddenly, a story that began as fiction started to feel like it was ripped from the news.

Same with Cossack, which I started in 2020—years before Russia invaded Ukraine. Coyote was in motion before the U.S. border became the centerpiece of presidential politics again. Chronomancer and Echo Force both explore conspiracy theory worlds that, in today’s climate, feel oddly close to reality.

This wasn’t by design. I didn’t write these stories to chase controversy or capitalize on trauma. I wrote them because these were the paths my characters led me down. These were the battles that made sense for their world.

I get that not everyone will see it that way. Some readers may interpret my stories as politically charged or one-sided. That’s okay. But let me be clear: I’m not here to tell you what to think. I’m here to tell stories. Stories that ask hard questions. Stories that explore what it means to stand up when the world is falling apart. Stories that find hope—even in chaos.

The truth is, a lot of the issues in my comics—racism, war, religious hate, xenophobia—aren’t fiction. They’re real. And if I’m building a superhero universe that pretends those things don’t exist, then I’m not building a universe that feels honest. I’d rather take the risk of alienating a few people than stay silent and write something meaningless.

I know these stories might not sit comfortably with everyone. Some will see them as political, or assume I’m pushing an agenda. But the truth is, I’m writing the worlds as they are—or as close to them as a superhero universe can get. These characters are forged in the fires of real issues because that’s what gives them weight. That’s what makes their decisions matter. And if that makes the stories more complicated, more uncomfortable, or more likely to spark conversation, then I’ve done my job as a storyteller. These stories matter to me. They’re thrilling, heartfelt, and grounded in something real. And if they make people feel, think, or even argue—that’s the power of storytelling.

I’m not picking sides—I’m just telling the story.

If you’re interested in stories that go beyond capes and catchphrases—stories grounded in the world we live in—stick around. There’s more coming. You can explore more about the Kilo Comics Universe, or follow my journey as I bring these stories to life.