Tochi Onyebuchi

• Born 1987-10-04

A former civil rights lawyer who is best known as a science fiction and fantasy author. Tochi Onyebuchi is an American writer born in 1987, raised between a love of science fiction and a deep passion for comics. The son of Nigerian immigrants, he has always lived in that space between identities, and it is precisely from there that he draws the energy fueling his storytelling. As a young reader he devoured the adventures of the X-Men, admired Black Panther as a symbol of pride and resistance, and nurtured a love for the manga Blade of the Immortal, which taught him how comics could be both brutal and lyrical at once. After his studies, and even a formative experience as an intern at Marvel, Onyebuchi brought his unique voice into the world of comics. His debut came with a Domino story in the anthology Marvel’s Voices: Legacy, regarded as one of the most striking pieces ever written for the character. But the real leap came in 2021 with Black Panther Legends, a miniseries retracing the origins of Wakanda’s hero, illustrated by Setor Fiadzigbey. For him, a longtime fan, writing those pages was the realization of a dream, a return to the roots of his passion. In 2022 Onyebuchi took on another symbol of American comics: Captain America. First with the special issue Captain America #0, co-written with Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing and illustrated by Mattia De Iulis, then with the ongoing series Captain America: Symbol of Truth, brought to life by artist R. B. Silva. There Onyebuchi explored the myth of the star-spangled hero while weaving in themes of racism, social justice, and the representation of the African American community. Whether writing novels or comic scripts, Onyebuchi never fails to leave his mark: an Afrofuturist energy that upends conventions, a focus on Black heroes seen through new lenses, and a storytelling style that transforms pain and anger into narrative strength. Comics remain his most natural ground, where the visual language amplifies his ideas and allows him to give face and body to the questions that have always accompanied him: who we are, where we come from, and what kind of heroes we can become.