Dread & Alive: Nine Night

Good vs Evil

ZOOLOOK, the alter ego of IRIE Magazine’s founder and Editor-in-Chief, Nicholas Da Silva, is taking over the ROOTS feature section of our publication as he returns to his comic book roots to pen the next story arc of his Dread & Alive series entitled Nine Night™.

Each month, the ROOTS feature will chronicle an event or theme in the Dread & Alive series that coincides with the story arc, Nine Night™. The ROOTS feature will also introduce characters appearing in the series. This month’s featured character is our sistren, Miss Lulú of MundoReggae. In the Dread & Alive: Nine Night graphic novel, Miss Lulú is characterized as a Radio DJ in the City spinning the best in reggae, dub reggae, ska and dancehall music for her late-night listeners. She will become the calm voice of survival during Nine Night.

Myal vs Obeah

ZOOLOOK’s Dread & Alive series is rooted in Afro-Jamaican spirituality, folklore, and myth. Written as a trilogy entitled, ‘From Babylon to Zion’, the main story arc follows the literary theme of the eternal conflict between good and evil. In Dread & Alive, ZOOLOOK attempts to illustrate that evil has the power to influence anyone and that sometimes, good is not always victorious in battle.

In Dread & Alive, ‘Good’ is portrayed by ‘Myal Magic’, the source of power for Cudjoe, the Myalman, while ‘Evil’ is portrayed by ‘Obeah Magic’, the source of power for Quaco aka Shadowcatcher.

CUDJOE or Kojo, the Akan name given to a male born on a Monday is a Myalman (wizard), or medicine man (healer). A master of Myal (good magic), he can heal with his hands and has the ability to repel and destroy the evil that is produced by Obeah. Cudjoe also has the power to create a stronger magic than that of the Obeahman. Cudjoe carries a powerful staff that bears the head of the Conquering Lion of Judah, a staff that can only be controlled by him. With it, he is able to exercise supernatural authority over the forces of nature. He also possesses one of two prized amulets of the Jamaican Maroons, a talisman with untold powers that protects him.

Cudjoe is knowledgeable about the pharmacopeia of herbs. His powers are used for curative and protective purposes and rarely for malicious or injurious ones. As a Myalman, Cudjoe’s greatest power is his second sight. He can not only see into the spirit realm, but he can also converse with the spirits.

QUACO or Kwakú, the Akan name given to a male born on a Wednesday is a powerful Obeahman, or Shaman (sorcerer). Like his brother, CUDJOE, he is immortal. As the feared Obeahman, Quaco used his powers of Obeah to ward off their enemies and to protect their freedom. His powers allow him to control both the living and the dead. As a master of Obeah, he has the ability to raise the dead, giving life to zombies, and steal a person’s shadow and use it to cause great harm or even death. He can also shapeshift, changing his physical appearance at will, from human to animal. Stripped of his amulet for abusing the spiritual powers, he has abandoned his Akan name, taking the alias, Shadowcatcher..

Release Date: January 6, 2019
Label: ZOOLOOK / Dread & Alive Series
Copyright: 2019 ZOOLOOK
Total Length: 4:01
Total Tracks: 1
Format: Single
Genre: Dub Reggae

Crowdfund Dread & Alive

Fans can now join ZOOLOOK by supporting the Dread & Alive: Nine Night™ project with a crowdfunding contribution through the official website at the url below:

LINK | Crowdfund Dread & Alive: Nine Night

Every contribution receives a perk. ZOOLOOK has included a special set of crowdfunding packages where fans can become part of the storyline, either as an extra or an actual character. There’s even a crowdfund package for product placement in the story.

Dread & Alive: Nine Night™ is scheduled to release on Halloween, October 31, 2020. To stay up to date on the latest developments and key events regarding the Dread & Alive series, fans and newcomers to the series can sign up for the DREAD ALERT at the URL below:

LINK | Subscribe to the DREAD ALERT™

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