book tour | Legend of the Mantamaji -Science Fiction Diverse Graphic Novel

eric dean seaton, legend of the mantamaji c2e2

TV Director Brings Diverse Sword & Sorcery Series to C2E2 Chicago

by Eric Dean Seaton April 25, 2015April 18, 2018 0 comments

The brainchild of one of the hottest directors on the small screen, Eric Dean Seaton’s Legend of the Mantamaji, with its high-flying adventure, brilliant art and fast-paced action, is landing at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo this weekend. The series brings together diverse characters that are not tied to stereotypes and has gained the recognition of critics, fans and award committees alike.

With ancient knights, fire swords and 3,000 year old legends, Legend of the Mantamaji is just the kind of graphic novel fantasy lovers dream of – and the kind of series that is changing the face of superheroes in comics. “It shouldn’t be unusual to see ethnically diverse characters and strong women in the genre. Yet, there is still a problem with representation in sci-fi and fantasy – despite readers’ requests,” Eric Dean Seaton, television director [Undateable, That’s So Raven, Austin & Ally, Bella and the Bulldogs] and creator of the Legend of the Mantamaji series, said. With thousands of comics and pop culture lovers attending this weekend’s Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, Seaton looks forward to connecting with fans of the series -and meeting new ones – at Booth 136, Thursday through Sunday, at McCormick Place — 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive.

“At its core, Legend of the Mantamaji is a fantastic adventure series inspired by my years of directing really great shows. People want good stories that have heart, are smart, funny AND represent the broader world,” Seaton said.

Nominated for a prestigious 2015 Glyph Comics Award and riding high off the release of the third book in the series, Seaton recently expanded the national book tour to 14 cities in the U.S. and Canada:

Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo [C2E2] (April 24-26)
East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (May 15 – 16)
Puerto Rico ComicCon (May 21 – 24)
Heroes Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina (June 19-21)
Comic Con San Diego (July 7 – 12)
OnyxCon, Atlanta, Georgia (August 15 – 16)
Wizard World Chicago (August 20 – 23)
Fan Expo Canada in Toronto, Canada (September 3 – 6)
Long Beach Comic Con in Long Beach, California (September 12-13)
Wizard World Columbus in Columbus, Ohio (September 18 – 20)
New York Comic Con (October 8-11)
LA Times Festival of Books (April)
WonderCon Anaheim (April)
Black Comix Arts Festival, San Francisco (January)

You don’t have to be at C2E2 to pick up the series! Read a sample chapter and pick up in our store today!

All Kids & Teens Need Superheroes of Color – Sword & Sorcery Series to LA Book Festival

by Eric Dean Seaton April 16, 2015April 18, 2018 0 comments

“Representation matters, and not just to minorities,”Eric Dean Seaton, television director and creator of the Legend of the Mantamaji series said.

“We are sending kids out, unprepared, to encounter a world that is much more diverse and rich than it is made to appear in literature and comic book culture. We are stunting their imagination and their futures with one-sided stories.” With an expected 150,000 book lovers attending this weekend’s L.A. Times Book Festival, Seaton hopes to connect with fans and gain new ones of all backgrounds and ages at booth 743 Saturday and Sunday.

Buy Legend of the Mantamaji Book One Today

“People have sometimes overlooked the series as being ‘just for Blacks,’ or ‘for feminists,’ but that’s their hangup, not the story’s,” Seaton said. ‘The focus is not on the race of the characters. There’s no monologue about being a strong woman in the series. It’s not diversity for diversity’s sake. The characters are focused on figuring out the mystery and coming to grips with the idea that supernatural forces are going to destroy the world. It’s an awesome adventure story with magic, mystery, superpowers, evil doers…everything superhero fans love about the genre.”

The Legend of the Mantamaji series brings together diverse characters not tied to stereotypes and has gained the recognition of critics, fans and awards committees alike. Nominated for a prestigious Glyph Comics Award and riding high off the release of the third book in the series, Seaton recently expanded the national book tour to 13 cities in the U.S. and Canada.

Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo [C2E2] (April 24-26)
East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (May 15 – 16)
Puerto Rico ComicCon (May 21 – 24)
Heroes Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina (June 19-21)
Comic Con San Diego (July 7 – 12)
OnyxCon, Atlanta, Georgia (August 15 – 16)
Wizard World Chicago (August 20 – 23)
Fan Expo Canada in Toronto, Canada (September 3 – 6)
Long Beach Comic Con in Long Beach, California (September 12-13)
Wizard World Columbus in Columbus, Ohio (September 18 – 20)
New York Comic Con (October 8-11)

About Legend of the Mantamaji:

Legend of the Mantamaji tells the story of Elijah Alexander, an Assistant D.A. who has learned that his childhood storybook legends are actually the true stories of his heritage and that he is the last of a race of mystical knights known as the Mantamaji. After realizing he’s only part human, Elijah struggles with the shift in his world and becomes a hunted man charged with ridding the world of an ancient evil no other Mantamaji has ever been able to defeat. The full-color, action packed series has hair-raising plot twists and smart storytelling for all superhero fans.

The books feature artwork by Brandon Palas, colorist Andrew Dalhouse who has worked with From Boom, Dark Horse, Image, Marvel and DC and lettering by Deron Bennett, who was nominated for an Eisner Award for his work on titles like Jim Henson’s Dark Crystal, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand and Helldorado, among others.

Eric Dean Seaton Extends Book Tour for Hit Graphic Novel Series ‘Legend of the Mantamaji’

by Eric Dean Seaton March 31, 2015 0 comments

Riding high on the release of the third book in the Legend of the Mantamaji series, episodic television director Eric Dean Seaton [NBC’s ‘Undateable,’ Disney’s ‘Austin & Ally’] has added new dates to his national book tour for the popular Legend of the Mantamaji graphic novel series. The tour takes Seaton to some of the most popular comic book and pop culture conventions:

Wonder Con in Anaheim, California (April 3-5)
Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo [C2E2] (April 24-26)
East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (May 15 – 16)
Puerto Rico ComicCon (May 21 – 24)
Heroes Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina (June 19-21)
Comic Con San Diego (July 7 – 12)
OnyxCon, Atlanta, Georgia (August 15 – 16)
Wizard World Chicago (August 20 – 23)
Fan Expo Canada in Toronto, Canada (September 3 – 6)
Long Beach Comic Con in Long Beach, California (September 12-13)
Wizard World Columbus in Columbus, Ohio (September 18 – 20)
New York Comic Con (October 8-11)

“The series has been so well received that we have been able to add more cities and shoot a live action short for the series that debuts in late Spring,” Seaton said. “This entire process has been a dream come true and my favorite part is meeting and interacting with fans. I am offering several exclusives along the tour including the release of the live action short and a sneak peek of the custom Mantamaji costume from the short.”

The Legend of the Mantamaji series has been named a “Top Graphic Novel” by Examiner.com and Atlanta Black Star, sold out twice on Amazon.com and all three books made the top 10 list for Graphic Novels, Contemporary Women on Amazon.

About Legend of the Mantamaji:

Legend of the Mantamaji tells the story of Elijah Alexander, an Assistant D.A. who has learned that his childhood storybook legends are actually the true stories of his heritage and that he is the last of a race of mystical knights known as the Mantamaji. After realizing he’s only part human, Elijah struggles with the shift in his world and becomes a hunted man charged with ridding the world of an ancient evil no other Mantamaji has ever been able to defeat. The full-color, action packed series has hair-raising plot twists and smart storytelling for all superhero fans.

The books feature artwork by Brandon Palas, colorist Andrew Dalhouse who has worked with From Boom, Dark Horse, Image, Marvel and DC and lettering by Deron Bennett, who was nominated for an Eisner Award for his work on titles like Jim Henson’s Dark Crystal, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand and Helldorado, among others.

Praise for Legend of the Mantamaji:
“Standouts include female characters who are smart, strong warriors equal to the male characters in the book with no “a**-to-the-camera” poses, great pen work by Brandon Palas, coloring by Andrew Dalhouse of Boom!, D.C. and Marvel, and lettering by Eisner-nominated artist Deron Bennett.” —Buzzfeed Community

“Fans who bemoan the ‘big two’ for a lack of vision, or effort, to create bold new characters and franchises, should learn that innovation can often be found elsewhere. ‘Legend of the Mantamaji ‘ has all of the excitement, imagination and suspense to be a TV or film series on its own, but instead it is here as a comic to be enjoyed by the masses who crave them. ‘Legend of the Mantamaji’ volume one is a must read for those who crave all of the spectacle and action of superhero comics, yet want a comic which offers creative new ideas and a progressive storyline with real weight behind it,” Alex Widen, Brooklyn Comic Book Examiner

“Legend of the Mantamaji is teevee director Eric Dean Seaton’s (Sonny with a Chance, That’s So Raven, Good Luck Charlie) first shot at writing comics, but this is clearly a professional storyteller with writing chops and a lifelong love of the medium, both of which are on full display here. I am not sure what I expected when I was invited to review Legends of the Mantamaji, but I can tell you I was definitely impressed by the quality world-building and storytelling.” —GhettoManga.com

About Eric Dean Seaton:

As an episodic director, Eric Dean Seaton has directed 200 television episodes of 38 different hit TV series, including NBC/Warner Bros. comedy “Undateable,” TBS’s “Ground Floor,” BET’s “Let’s Stay Together,” Disney’s “Austin & Ally” and Nickelodeon’s “Bella and the Bulldogs.” He has also directed 18 music videos and two pilots for Nickelodeon, as well as two pilots for Disney XD. Seaton is a Cleveland, Ohio native and graduate of The Ohio State University. Eric, his wife children live in California. Legend of the Mantamaji, named a Top Graphic Novel series by Examiner.com and Atlanta Black Star, is his first graphic novel series.

For Media Interview | Book Review Requests Contact: Terreece M. Clarke, (614) 467-0361 | Press(at)Mantamaji(dot)com or TClarke(at)LifeSliceMedia(dot)com | LegendoftheMantamaji.com

2015 Legend of the Mantamaji Graphic Novel Book Tour Starts This Weekend

by Eric Dean Seaton January 15, 2015January 15, 2015 0 comments

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: