MAX ZOLO PRODUCTIONS
BE THE HERO YOU WANT TO BE
Respect. Perspective.
Pain Brings Rebirth.
Art Reveals Strength.
Meet Max Zolo
Anime Scholar. Philosopher. Character Developer. Storyteller. Ageless Spirit.
“To everyone who has experienced pain find your inner strength and inner fire to overcome it so that you can have a form of rebirth.” – Max
Anime, a global phenomenon, has become an art form for a universal expression of humanity.
My passion for anime began with Pokemon and Yugi-oh and today my favorites are MIchigo and Hachin and Cannon Busters, both featuring characters of color with culturally authentic storytelling and music. Steeped in tradition as a Japanese art style, anime has come a long way and continues to evolve, and I am joining its evolution.
The Art World of Max Zolo
The Art World of Max Zolo
Art Books Available For Sale
The Art World of Max Zolo is an authentic representation of triumph for a young Black artist with cerebral palsy and ADHD who expresses his creative voice through his art. The Japanese expression “wabi sabi” means a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. With guts and full transparency in his original art and in his own words, Max shares his world view, revealing his own personal strengths and weaknesses, insights and dreams, and hope for creating a more compassionate and loving society.
At the Risk of Being Seen
At The Risk of Being Seen
Available on request.
To order your signed copy, please contact JR directly at johnrobert@maxzolo.com.
When you experience Max Zolo, the artist, inside the pages of At The Risk of Being Seen, you are also meeting John Robert Howland, the man, the mind and the spirit behind the art. The hope is that you will be moved—at the very least more open to the idea that people bring incredible gifts in so many different packages, the human spirit the greatest among them.
I don’t move like everyone else
but I’ve learned to move through what matters.
My body and my brain have taught me to listen closely,
to notice the small victories others rush past.
I’ve been called many things
but what I’ve learned to call myself is capable.
Not because I’ve overcome,
but because I’ve adapted,
again and again,
with heart.
I carry a kind of strength
you don’t see in the spotlight.
It’s abundant.
Accessible.
Creative.
And real.
This isn’t about being superhuman.
It’s about being fully human—
and knowing that sometimes,
difference is where the magic begins.
– Max Zolo
From A Special Fan: “I am impressed with his philosophy of life, social justice, empathy, and respect for all who live in this world. I was especially moved by his tribute to his mother. In his book, he affirms that his disability is his strength-this should be inspiring to anyone who considers disability a weakness.”
– Cleve Francis, Jr, Cardiologist and Country Music Singer, Songwriter
Available Signed Limited Edition Prints
A Man and His Hair
It begins as a crown of glory— full, thick, silky, soft enough for a mother’s kiss, wild enough for a child’s rebellion.
There’s power in it— freshly moisturized for Sunday, twisted for style, tousled in the mirror on the way to his first “I think I love you.”
Whiskers arrive next— awkward and patchy at first, then fuller, bolder, trimmed with intention or left to grow wild like a protest against time or tidy expectations.
The razor comes— not for the thrill of becoming a man, but for managing the map of where hair decides to live now.
Stubble. Shave bumps. Neck hair with a mind of its own. Nose hair, ear hair— stray threads of some strange inheritance passed down from the uncles who taught him to nod silently instead of explain.
He tries to tame it— oils, balms, clippers, patience. He becomes part ritual, part resignation.
Then— a silver whisper at the temple. A sign. Gray creeps in like quiet wisdom, like smoke from fires he's learned not to start. He tells himself it’s “distinguished.” It is.
The line recedes. He watches himself disappear in the mirror only to reappear somewhere deeper. A man now. Less hair, more soul.
He stands unbothered. Because he’s learned—
a man is not just what grows on his head, but what he holds in his heart, what he carries in silence, what he still dares to dream
in the face of time.
Duality
Tsukune Anno of Rosario + Vampire—melanated—is Max exploring his own identities in his anime characters.
Max’s many personalities are like Tsukune—Japanese chicken meatballs that come in all sorts of styles depending on the cook’s flair or chef’s kiss. Similarly, different versions of Max can show up depending on the mood, the moment, or who’s watching.
Tsukune, like Max, is a mosaic of selves, each piece catching the light a little differently depending on where you stand. One moment, he’s the spark that ignites a room with laughter; the next, he’s the quiet anchor, holding space for someone else’s storm. It’s not a mask or a performance—it’s instinct. Max doesn’t change who he is; he reveals the parts of himself that fit the moment best.
Like a well-loved dish with endless variations—think those tender Japanese chicken meatballs that shift with each chef’s touch—Tsukune is shaped by the energy aroundhim. His personality adapts not to blend in, but to build bridges. People find comfort in his presence because he meets them where they are. He listens in colors, speaks in moods, and somehow always knows what part of himself to offer – bold when courage is needed, gentle when hearts are soft.
Those around Tsukune find more than a friend or colleague; they find a mirror, a guide, a spark of possibility. His many sides don’t confuse—they connect. He reminds us that being whole doesn’t mean being the same all the time. It means being true, in all the ways we can be—like Max himself.
I Found You
I was visiting Africa’s gateway city Dakar, Senegal when I got the results. My DNA test revealed that I’m 26%
Nigerian, the closest I would ever come to knowing my ancestral family. As a hyphenated American, I had never felt particularly African until then. The next city I visited was Lagos, Nigeria. It was there that I met my African queen who I had been searching for since I began yearning to belong to someone—my soul mate. The ancestors sent you to me. There you were, waiting for me in my ancestral
homeland.
Michio
Michio is the cyborg nerd and best friend of Akari, the Revolutionist, the hero of an original manga created by Max Zolo. Michio’s cybernetics give him enhanced strength.
A Mother’s Love
Max is devoted to his mom who is a tremendous influence in his life and his biggest champion. He shares his close relationship with her in many pieces of his art.
Inspired by a wood carving by Bruce Peebles is a “Portrait of Mother and Son”. After meeting Max and inspired by the bond between he and his mother, Peebles surprised them both with this beautiful artistic expression that he “just felt inside” when he was in their presence.
Peebles, a well-known sculptor living in Nashville, died of pancreatic cancer at the young age of 53. His sculpting style was greatly influenced by his study in Zimbabwe, Africa, where he worked alongside the sculptors from the Shona tribe, reflected in his unique style of what he described as “releasing the figure inside a slab of wood.”
Max’s ink and watercolor painting is his own portrait of “Mother and Son”, inspired by Peebles’ work.
Put A Hat on It
The hat, stylish and deliberate, rests atop a hollow skull, a perfect symbol of empty show. Here lies the truth of superficiality: no matter how carefully we dress ourselves, no matter how artfully we craft our façades, beneath it all are the bare bones of who we really are.
The skeleton wears its hat like we wear our masks—outward signsmeant to impress, to conceal, to distract from absence or imperfection. But no hat can fill the emptiness beneath. No amount of adornment can bring substance to a hollow frame.
This image asks us to consider: what are we really hiding under our hats? When all is stripped away, does our presentation hold meaning, or are we simply dressing up the inevitable emptiness inside? The hat may dazzle the eye, but the skeleton reminds us that true worth cannot be worn—it must be lived.
Two Spirit
I rise— not to explain, not to defend, but to remind: The sacred was never meant to fit into simple definitions.
“Two-spirit” is a term created by Indigenous People that means a sacred presence that challenges colonial frameworks, embodies culture wisdom, and bridges multiple dimensions of existence. It’s not a label–it’s a calling, a cosmic alignment, and a deeply rooted identity that reclaims what was once stolen.
Liminal bodies help us transition into who we truly are or meant to be. The artist as healer moves through the emotional, spiritual and physical realms using creativity as a bridge for transitions.
Tituba
Tituba, a woman of African and Indigenous heritage who was the first person accused of witchcraft in Salem – and the first to confess as a strategy for survival. Her story is about race, gender, power, and guile.Limb-erick
There is in me the strength of Ichigo Though my journey is not of a hero
My superpower charms When I let free my arms Implore you look to rather than ago
“Ichigo is my hero in the Bleach anime series because he is strong, charismatic, and protective of his family and friends. I see myself in him.”
In this image, Max uses his own hand as the model holding his hero, Ichigo, out as an extension of himself. The hand at the end of the amputated part of the arm is the invisible intrinsic power that holds the will of a warrior.
Inspiration Corner
My Favorite
Character of Color:
Afro Samurai
Iyanu
Moon Girl
Black Dynamite
Creator of Color:
https://boondocks.fandom.com/wiki/LeSean_Thomas
The creator of Afro Samurai is Takashi Okazaki, a Japanese manga artist and graphic designer, renowned for his fusion of traditional manga aesthetics with hip-hop and Western pop culture influences.
Iyanu: Child of Wonder is created by Nigerian-American filmmaker, author, and entrepreneur Roye Okupe. It is co-created by Brandon Easton. Iyanu is a superhero tale set in the magical kingdom of Yorubaland, which draws from Nigerian culture, music and mythology. The series follows Iyanu, a teenage orphan who spends her days studying Yoruba history and ancient arts but yearns for a normal life. It premiered on Cartoon Network on April 5, 2025, and on HBO Max the following day. In May 2025, the series was renewed for a second season, while two feature films were announced to be released in 2025 and 2026, respectively.
Music:
Inspirations:
Okupe initially created the story to provide his unborn daughter with an inspiring, epic fantasy series in the vein of Avatar: The Last Airbender, but told from an authentic African perspective.
Natacha Bustos: Lead artist who gave Lunella Lafayette her iconic visual look.
Jack Kirby: Legendary comic artist, Kirby created the original Devil Dinosaur character who teams up with Moon Girl in 1978.
Michael Jai White (Co-Creator, Writer, and Lead Actor): Conceived the idea and starred as the titular kung-fu fighting, 1970s action hero, Black Dynamite
Voice Actor of Color:
Cree Summer who voices Penny from Inspection Gadget and Number 5 (Abigail Lincoln) in Code Name Kids Next Door
Keith David
• Goliath in Gargoyles
• Spawn (Al Simmons) in Spawn: The Animated Series
• President Curtis in Rick and Morty
• King Andrias in Amphibia
• Husk in Hazbin Hotel
• Dr. Dillamond, the goat professor, in the Wicked movies
• Manny in the DuckTales reboot
John Bentley – The Voice actor for Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Nick Fury, Iron Man 2. He also is the voice for several Marvel game characters including Barret in Final Fantasy and the Black version of Robin (of DC’s Batman and Robin). He also voices LeBron James in MultiVerses and Yosuke Tendo character for Yakuza: Like a Dragon.