LABYRINTH of NATAS
✨ A Magical Origin Story: How Our Comic Was Born
Every great comic book begins with an extraordinary origin story — and ours started in the most unexpected place: Ancestry.com.
Aaron Holliday and I are both obsessed with the mysteries of our roots. We each took DNA tests, built sprawling family trees, and followed the breadcrumbs of history wherever they led. One day, while exploring his Holliday lineage, Aaron stumbled upon the mountain of research I had compiled on the same family. Curious (and maybe a little brave), he reached out to ask if I could help him on his search.
That message opened a door neither of us knew existed.
As we dug deeper together, we discovered that our families were connected — not just by name, but by centuries of intertwined history. Our paths crossed at the Holliday–Haven House in Aberdeen, Mississippi, a place where our ancestors lived side‑by‑side in ways that were both profound and painful.
We read slave narratives and historical documents together, sharing the awkwardness, the heaviness, and the truth. We learned that our families had coexisted since the early 1600s, beginning in Jamestown, Virginia. The weight of that history settled over us like a fog — chilling, humbling, and strangely familiar.
As the descendant of the enslaver, my heart felt heavy. And yet, something in my soul recognized Aaron, as if we had walked through those centuries together before. Fate, ancestry, and a whisper of something ancient seemed to pull us toward each other.
From that shared reckoning, a friendship sparked.
We talked about our work, our passions, and the creative magic that fuels us. I told him about a new story I was dreaming up. He told me about his graphic design wizardry. And somewhere between history and imagination, a collaboration was born.
Ideas flew. Worlds formed. Characters stepped forward. And just like that, our first comic book began to take shape — a creation woven from truth, creativity, healing, and a little bit of destiny.
This is how The Labyrinth of Natas came to life — not just as a story, but as a story of the Otherworld.
LABYRINTH of NATAS
✳︎
COMING SOON!
✳︎
a Collaboration
between
J.R. Black
&
Aaron Holliday
LABYRINTH of NATAS ✳︎ COMING SOON! ✳︎ a Collaboration between J.R. Black & Aaron Holliday
✨ Step Into the Labyrinth of Natas
A vintage‑style comic with a modern magical heartbeat
In a time long before humans walked the earth, the world was alive with enchanted beings — creatures of wonder, wisdom, and wild imagination who lived together in harmony. But everything changed the moment humans arrived. With them came fear of the unfamiliar, a hunger for control, and a shadow of destruction that threatened all things magical.
To survive, the creatures forged a hidden sanctuary known as Otherworld, a realm tucked between realities where magic could breathe freely. For a while, it worked. Peace returned. Stories grew. Life shimmered again.
But walls between worlds never hold forever.
Labyrinth of Natas invites you into an old‑school comic adventure where mystical beings step beyond the borders of Otherworld to discover what humanity truly is — and what it forces them to become. Their journey is filled with danger, transformation, and revelations that will reshape both worlds in ways no one could have imagined.
A tale of magic, courage, and the fight to stay true to who you are, even when the world fears your light.
Follow the adventure. Enter the labyrinth. Nothing inside stays the same.