Onaji Rouse

Onaji Rouse was a Black comic book writer, creator, screenwriter, filmmaker, and actor based in the Los Angeles area, and a founding member of the Konkret Comics family. He was the founder of Obsolete Studios LLC and the creator of Odina — an African-American female superhero whose story Rouse described as 'a love letter to Black women.' Odina, an award-winning series published through Obsolete Studios and Konkret Comics, follows a genetically gifted super-soldier navigating the weight of her past while living unapologetically in her skin. The series ran across multiple issues and a sourcebook, available through IndyPlanet and Konkret Comics. Rouse was also the creator of Kandake, a second comic series published through Konkret Comics. His inspiration for centering Black women as powerful superheroes came from his own matriarchal family — his mother, four sisters, and nine nieces — whom he credited as the heart of his creative vision. Beyond comics, Rouse developed Drafted: Origins, a live-action spinoff film adaptation of Odina, and was an actor and screenwriter working in the Atlanta area. He was nominated for two Glyph Comic Awards — Best Writer and Rising Star — significant recognition for an independent Black creator building his work entirely from the ground up. Onaji Rouse passed away in April 2026. Konkret Comics paused their planned releases in his honor. His legacy — and Odina's — lives on.