■ Owl Update

A NEW SUPERHERO IS DESTINED FOR THE BIG SCREEN — a powerful, spiritually minded champion created by artist Chaz Guest, ’85. The character — Buffalo Warrior — was inspired years ago by the painter’s then 9year-old son Xian, who asked his father to create a superhero, someone who looked like them.

Chaz Guest, '85, artist

“It was a gift,” notes Guest, who went to bed thinking about the request.

He woke with the Buffalo Warrior character fully formed in his mind, including the hero’s backstory and imagery. Building on the inspiration, he created a series of Buffalo Warrior paintings as well as a graphic novel. Both tell the story of a boy born into slavery who grows up and enlists in the U.S. Army as a member of the historic Buffalo Soldiers, the all-Black regiments established by Congress in 1866. Guest’s soldier dies in battle, but ultimately is reborn as the superhero Buffalo Warrior, dedicated to fighting evil.

In September, Meridian Pictures acquired the rights to turn Guest’s Buffalo Warrior into a feature film. The project is out to writers and directors. “These paintings and graphic novel are rich and tell a timeless tale of our shared humanity and the hope for a better tomorrow that will entertain audiences around the world,” says Eric Paquette, chief executive officer at Meridian, commenting on the film industry website Deadline.

A recent painting by Chaz Guest draws from his Buffalo Warrior saga: "Spare Him to Tell the Others"; Oil, ink, and coffee on linen; Diptych 80" x 40"

The film promises to dramatically increase Guest’s already significant fan base. Among those who own his work are former U.S. President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, movie mogul Tyler Perry, jazz legend Herbie Hancock, Netflix Co-Chief Executive Officer Ted Sarandos, and Angelina Jolie. The latter commissioned a portrait of her daughter Zahara after buying a painting from the artist’s Buffalo Soldier collection. Guest, who is a sculptor as well as a painter, also created the statuette presented to winners of the ICON Mann award. Past recipients include Spike Lee, actor Samuel L. Jackson, and costume designer Ruth Carter.

Guest arrived at Southern as a gymnast on scholarship, uncertain of the direction he wanted his life to take. He studied graphic design and credits two Southern art professors with helping him find his calling: David Levine, who retired in 2020 as a Connecticut State University professor emeritus of art history, and the late Howard Fussiner. “These two put me on the path of the life I have now as a painter,” he says.

Looking forward, Guest hopes the Buffalo Warrior film will likewise inspire. “[Buffalo Warrior] not only satisfies that little boy in me that wanted to see a superhero come out of the cotton fields of American slavery . . . but will satisfy the imagination of generations of young and old that share the same desire,” he said in a release.