This weekend things get more exciting around here as we gear up for the third book launch AND shoot the live action short for Legend of the Mantamaji!
We’re working with Illusion Industries on this and check out the work they’ve done on Elijah’s armor:
I’m going to be posting from the set all weekend so make sure you’re following me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
2014 was a great year for Legend of the Mantamaji and 2015 is shaping up to be even better with the launch of the Legend of the Mantamaji 11 city (and adding) book tour! We have almost doubled the number of appearances over last year’s successful promotion tour (check out the Year in Review here.)
Our first stop in 2015 is at the historic San Francisco Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. This event attracts more than 30,000 people to the area with music festivals, film screenings, a brunch, march and this year – the first Black Comix Arts Festival! I was invited as a Special Guest and Sunday, January 18th I will take part in an Author Conversation with book signing to follow.
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to stay for the events on Monday as well. Right after I finish the book signing I will fly back to L.A. to shoot NBC’s Undateable. My awesome team will be there on Monday however, lead by my wife Nikki, to run the Legend of the Mantamaji booth.
If you’re in the Bay Area or up for a road trip, come out and support this great new con and Dr. King’s legacy.
Check out the news alert for more information:
What a year this has been! When Legend of the Mantamaji launched, independently through “And…Action!” Entertainment, we had no idea what the reception would be. It’s a big graphic novel series, we were starting from scratch, but I knew people would like the books if I could just get them into their hands. Now, two books into the series and response has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive. Let’s take a look at what the year brought:
Thank you again everyone for all of your support and don’t forget – Legend of the Mantamaji Book Three launches in February, pre-order here and mark your calendars for the 2015 Book Tour!
Today is the launch of Legend of the Mantamaji: Book Two! It seems like it was only yesterday we were gearing up for the first book launch and here we are again for the second book.
This has been a fantastic ride so far with family, co-workers, fellow artists and friends (new and old) coming together to support Legend of the Mantamaji. Checking Amazon today, there are only 13 copies of Book Two left which is amazing and humbling.
While the team was gearing up for the launch, our new friends over at BlackMensDossier.com posted their article on the series. Please show them some love and visit the site and share the article with friends:
There are few people in the world who don’t like movies. However, as a child, Eric Dean Seaton was more intrigued by the people behind the scenes and listed on the end credits.
Always a fan of storytelling, Seaton began to nurture a love and knack for creativity within the entertainment industry. As a director of various notable television pieces, he has expanded his craft to include that of comic book creator and editor.
– See more at: http://www.blackmensdossier.com/blog/2014/12/07/eric-dean-seaton#sthash.d3VKBI4X.dpuf
TV director Eric Dean Seaton offers his new three-book graphic novel series at special holiday bundle price that includes autographed copies. The series is perfect for graphic novel fans who want to keep a copy of the series and gift one to a friend.
Los Angeles, California (PRWEB) December 01, 2014
Graphic novel fans – and the people who love them – have a new hit to add to their CyberMonday shopping: TV director Eric Dean Seaton’s hit graphic novel series, “LEGEND OF THE MANTAMAJI.” The three book series has two holiday exclusives – two bundle pricing and every book purchased through December 20, 2014 is autographed by Eric Dean Seaton himself. The collectable bundles and autographed copies are only available through the Legend of the Mantamaji website.
Graphic novel fans are able to scoop up the last two books in the series ahead of their publish dates (December 10, 2014 & February 11, 2014). Previously, the only way to get all three books ahead of their release dates was to attend one of the popular comic book conventions Seaton has attended including, San Diego Comic-Con, Stan Lee Comikaze, New York Comic Con and Long Beach Pop Culture and Comics Expo.
“So many fans aren’t able to make it to the comic conventions, but show so much enthusiasm for the books, I wanted to make sure they could get their hands on them for the holidays. My signing pen worked overtime, but it’s worth it,” said Seaton, a two-time NAACP Image Award nominated, episodic director of hit shows like TBS’s “Ground Floor,” NBC’s “Undateable,” Nickelodeon’s “The Haunted Hathaways,” and “Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn;” Disney’s “Austin and Ally” and BET’s “Reed Between the Lines.” [READ MORE…]
Creating well-rounded female characters in comics isn’t hard. Just look around you for inspiration and if you can’t find real life representations, you need to expand your own circle.
The Sanctuants have the ability to conjure biogenic energy in their bodies. Almost wiped from the face of the Earth throughout the centuries, they currently live in secret among humans.
Diversity in comics is usually one of the main topics of the conversations I have when discussing creating the Legend of the Mantamaji with the press. And interestingly, the discussion of race tends to be shorter than the discussion of the portrayal of female characters in the series.
The reality is, creating strong, well-rounded, fully fleshed females isn’t any more difficult than creating any other type of character – and inspiration isn’t hard to find.
In my life and in my career, all the people that have been behind my advancement have been strong women.
When I first came to Los Angeles and started working on comedies, the creators and people in charge were women:
Detective Sydney Spencer, smart, tough with a mean right hook. She believes in the impossible possibility of supernatural happenings happening in her city and she’s going to get to the bottom of it.
They were all the same in that they were smart, strong and extremely talented. They were also mothers. I am lucky that, in my life, I have always been surrounded by women who were strong and who were hustlers. I have always seen women who were doing everything you traditionally saw men do and doing it well.
My mom is a life-long educator who still consults at John Carroll University in Cleveland in Multi-cultural Affairs. My wife owns her own thriving business. So when I created Sydney, Cornerstone and the other female characters in Legend of the Mantamaji, I was drawing on people I have seen, known, worked with or worked for.
Sanctuants from the Legend of the Mantamaji series are explicitly mentioned as equal to the male Mantamaji warriors. It’s an unusual call out among the comic industry, but I didn’t want any of the female leads to be any less than the main hero, just different. It makes the story’s history so much richer.
If I had to boil down three things I wanted to accomplish with the female characters in Legend of the Mantamaji, I have to say I wanted to create a new batch of heroes who are full, real characters; I wanted to make sure people were interested in their journey and I wanted to give women readers what they have been asking for and deserve from comic book creators – real representation.
Lisa Legardi AKA WRATH OF PLAGUE. Her day job she rules the airwaves in America with her own TV network. Her alter ego, Wrath of Plague, has the ability to shoot hundreds of deadly disease and plague-ridden daggers from her body.
That really shouldn’t be unusual. It shouldn’t be noteworthy to show women who have more going for them than being a love interest, a damsel in distress or a hero just waiting in the wings until someone needs help.
From our experience at the conventions and speaking with media pros and readers, people LOVE the Sanctuants and they love Sydney from the beginning to the end. They even want to see more of them. It’s the best response I could ask for and accomplishes all I wanted to do.
READY FOR A BUTT-KICKIN’ GOOD TIME? CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE LEGEND OF THE MANTAMAJI TODAY!
