Since his publishing company previewed the Legend of the Mantamaji graphic novel as a San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) exclusive months before their release, Eric Dean Seaton has had quite a whirlwind of a year. From its small, but earnest beginnings, the series has gone on to sell out at convention appearances as part of at 15 city (and growing) international book tour, been named a ‘Top Graphic Novel’ by Examiner.com and Atlanta Black Star, added to MTV’s Beach Reads for Social Justice Warriors list, earned brisk sales (including hitting top spots on Amazon.com), had continuous press coverage and has been picked up by major book distributors like Barnes & Nobles stores, Baker & Taylor, Ingram Books and public library systems. Seaton himself has been recognized with a Glyph Comics Awards Rising Star’ nomination and as a 2014 Samella Lewis Award winner for outstanding professional achievement. The momentum continues with Seaton’s appearance on “The Black Panel” – a closely followed SDCC panel – on Friday (10:00am – 11:30am Room 5AB) as well as his sneak peek at the upcoming Legend of the Mantamaji: Live Action Short which can be viewed all weekend at Small Press Pavilion Table P-13.
“Heading back to this year’s SDCC is like returning home,” Seaton said. “Last year, we launched previews of the book as SDCC Exclusives and this year we return with the Live Action Short’s sneak peek and my appearance on The Black Panel. It’s amazing to see how much Legend of the Mantamaji has grown and I am so grateful for all of the support, encouragement and even the discouragement we’ve encountered along the way.”
The Legend of the Mantamaji series will be available for purchase at San Diego Comic Con throughout the entire weekend and the books will be autographed by Seaton. Additional special appearances include: Legend of the Mantamaji artist Brandon Palas and Legend of the Mantamaji: Live Action star Philip Michael.
Remember when you were a kid you would do things in slow motion? Okay, okay, it was last Tuesday, but still, in your mind it was super cool just like the movies. Well, that’s what’s happening in this week’s episode of Legend of the Mantamaji: Behind the Scenes.
We find the team rehearsing more stunts that take place in slow motion with lead actor Phillip Michael, learning on the fly. Watch the video below and please SHARE & TWEET it out to friends!
The past couple of weeks have been great for the Legend of the Mantamaji team. The Legend of the Mantamaji: Behind the Scenes web series began and we’ve been hearing from readers and new fans about how much they enjoy the series so far and that they are looking forward to the Live Action Short (so are we). In cased you missed an episode or two, here is the entire series so far. Be sure to like the videos and share with friends, we need your support!
And don’t forget to pick up the graphic novels that started it all on Amazon, Comixology, Barnes & Noble (and in B&N stores) and on our website!
Guess what?! Another episode of “Legend of the Mantamaji: Behind the Scenes is out! And this we’ve released both episode two and three. Take a look at prop and set decorating and check out what it takes to get the superhero run just right.
The Atlantic Black Star has this week’s exclusive on the episodes and a terrific interview with Eric who discusses why he created the live action and what it’s like to be an independent creator right now:
As an independent with a new superhero, you encounter some pretty big obstacles,” Seaton said. “You have to dispel some long held misconceptions people have about independently published comics – that they don’t have longevity, that they are inconsistently produced, hard to find or not well made. Then, you have to establish your characters and the rules of your world in a way that’s interesting and to the point. I say this all the time – when Superman first came out he couldn’t fly, there was no Lex Luthor or Kryptonite. That first Superman would never make it in the comics now, it took years of great writers to develop him into the hero the world knows today. Now, you have to rich content and highly developed characters with all their powers right from the start. That’s one of the reasons why we did the short. You get to see what the Mantamaji can do and a good representation of the action and fun in the book in eight minutes.”
Read the rest of the article here and watch the new episodes below:
If you’re in L.A. or the surrounding area on May 9th, make it a priority to come out to take part in the Manifest Justice events. Eric has been invited as a panelist for the “Coloring The Future” moderated by Erika Alexander. Participants will discuss how they are creating new worlds in color and impacting how society thinks about race.
“I created Legend of the Mantamaji because I’ve always loved comics, and as a kid it bothered me not to see many people of color in the stories I loved so much,” Seaton said. “I wanted to create great stories with heroes, and magic and swords and have it feature people of color and strong women…stories that more people can identify with. It’s imperative for diverse creators to tell their story and create worlds of their own imaginings.”
The entire Manifest Justice event is several days of dialogue, events and activities with a focus on empathy, accountability, economic opportunity, compassion, dignity, power and opportunity for all communities.
Coloring the Future Panelists:
Erika Alexander
Tony Puryear
Brandon Easton
Shawna Mills
Betty Bynum
Mark Davis
Learn more about the Manifest Justice event: http://manifestjustice.org