July 10, 2019

Meet Ben Ajayi of Fiasco in North Dallas

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Ajayi.

Ben, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It was 2013, my junior year of college. I was thinking what my plan after undergrad would be. Working a 9-5 for 30 years just didn’t sound exciting in the least bit to me. For as long as I could remember, I had a comic book story floating around in my head. So, I decided to finally put pen to paper and that’s how Fiasco was born.

Has it been a smooth road?
Last year, after a few missteps and finally gathering funds. I felt really good about the direction Fiasco was heading in. But unfortunately, everything came to a complete stop when I got news my friend who was like an older brother to me Victor Momoh passed away. Losing him had me questioning my purpose and I wasn’t in the great space to create much of anything months after his passing. It wasn’t until I sought professional help in therapy that I was able to get in the mindset of creating again. I encourage everyone especially black men to seek professional help when needed!

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
What would you do if you went from a high school senior to one of the strongest beings on the planet? That’s where we find 18-year old Matt Johnson when he gets thrown into a super-powered generational feud that’s been taking place in the shadows for decades. Will he join his family in this fight? Or will their deception be too much for Matt to overcome?

As creator/writer of Fiasco, I didn’t want to write another cookie cutter type of story that we’ve heard over and over again. I wanted something that when you read it you can see some parts of your life within the story. I want this fiction world I created to feel as real and authentic as possible, and honestly just to write a super dope story. What makes Bradley Thomas (Artist/Illustrator) and myself the proudest is the response we’ve gotten from people so far. The amount of love we’ve gotten so far was beyond grateful and proud of what we’ve accomplished up until this point.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I feel like Dallas is the perfect place for creatives like me. Dallas has so many dope young ambitious individuals just waiting for an opportunity. I would recommend just going out to network and I promise you’ll find someone to collaborate with. Dallas has everything you need right here.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Derric Chambers, IG: @Dc_luxestudios

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