Tag Archives: artists writers & artisans

Marshawn Lynch Goes Beast Mode with AWA this October

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When Oakland calls, Beast Mode answers. Artists Writers & Artisans (AWA) has announced Beast Mode 510, a 120+ page graphic novel conceptualized by AWA Chief Creative Officer Axel Alonso, written by NAACP Image Award-nominated author Sheldon Allen, and inspired and guided by NFL legend and cultural icon Marshawn Lynch. Launching October 6 and set in Oakland, CA, Beast Mode 510 is a mythic, irreverent, and deeply personal love letter to the city that raised Lynch and continues to define the former running back and Super Bowl XLVIII champion. Inspired by Lynch’s larger-than-life persona and backed by the Oakland icon himself, the title transforms the “Beast Mode” mentality into a cinematic new comic book hero rooted in loyalty and community.

Blending stylized action, interconnected mystery, and sharp social satire, Beast Mode 510 channels the just-retribution of The Equalizer with the comedy and social satire of Atlanta, with a healthy dose of West Coast swagger. At its center is Beast Mode: the 510’s legendary fixer and freelance sleuth whose rough exterior hides a code of loyalty and willingness to deal with problems others won’t touch. If you’ve got a problem the authorities won’t handle, Beast Mode will. No invoices. No contracts. Just results.

Written by Sheldon Allen with art by legendary Eisner Hall of Fame artist Denys Cowan, Beast Mode 510 assembles a powerhouse creative team that translates Lynch’s unmistakable presence and Beast Mode mythology into a vivid, kinetic graphic novel epic. The title reimagines the Beast Mode mentality as a bold new storytelling universe rooted in Oakland, grounded in truth and elevated to myth. The book is colored by Chris Sotomayor and inked by Dexter Vines, with cover art from Rahzzah and chapter break art by Ron Ackins.

In Beast Mode 510, Lynch’s legendary “Beast Mode” mentality becomes mythic. Most of the time, Beast Mode is Level One cool: laid back, sharp-minded, enjoying a glass of Hen and a freshly rolled blunt. But faced with enough bother, the dial can turn all the way to Level Six, and an unrestrained force of nature is unleashed. What starts as a super-secret birthday surprise for his mother spirals into a globe-spanning conspiracy involving three missing young women, a Silicon Valley slavery ring, Yakuza assassins, reptilian billionaires, a million-dollar bounty on his head, a world economy-shattering takedown, and so much more. As enemies close in and chaos escalates, Beast Mode must protect his family, defend his city, and confront powerful forces threatening the community he loves.

Beast Mode 510 will be available online and in stores wherever graphic novels are sold on Tuesday, October 6. 

AWA appoints Diya Sagar as the Company’s First Chief Financial Officer

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Diya Sagar

Artists, Writers & Artisans Inc. (AWA) has announced the appointment of Diya Sagar as the company’s first Chief Financial Officer. 

Diya Sagar is an experienced finance and investment professional with an international background. She has worked with businesses of all stages, including large-cap public companies, private equity-owned corporations, and venture-backed startups. Sagar joins AWA from its lead shareholder Lupa Systems, James Murdoch’s private investment firm, where she was an investor in media and technology companies. Previously, she led corporate development & strategy at Endemol Shine Group, the world’s largest independent TV production company at the time. She started her career in investment banking at Deutsche Bank in London, covering M&A and capital raises for technology, media and telecoms companies. In addition to her financial and operational acumen, she has a keen understanding of how new technologies and strategic partnerships can support creators’ work. She received her M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management and B.A. in Economics from the University of Durham.

In her new role, Sagar will work closely alongside AWA’s executive leadership team including Anderson, Co-Founder and Co-Chairman Jon Miller, Chief Creative Officer Axel Alonso, AWA Studios’ President Zach Studin, and General Counsel Bob Cohen. In addition to being responsible for the financial management of the company, Sagar will lead business strategy, corporate development, M&A, operations and emerging technology initiatives.

NYCC 2023: AWA announces its signings, exclusives, and more!

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Comic nerds unite! With New York Comic Con (NYCC) just around the corner, Artists, Writers and Artisans (AWA) has announced an array of activities and offerings that will take place at this year’s highly anticipated pop culture event. Showcasing the freshest and most critically acclaimed graphic fiction creators and their work, AWA is hosting a special creators panel with Chief Creative Officer Alex Alonso, holding several talent signings at its booth, and showcasing its first line of custom merch that celebrates AWA’s creators and their titles. Throughout NYCC on October 12-15, AWA can be found on the Show Floor at booth #3456.

AWA has assembled a lineup of the world’s most renowned comic book talent who will be on-site throughout the fan-forward event to discuss and showcase their latest work. AWA’s NYCC offerings include:

  • NYCC Panel: Inside AWA’s Fall Debuts with Axel Alonso, Mark Russell, and Frank Cho – To kick off the Con, fans are invited to join Mark Russell (last year’s Eisner winner for “Best Humor Publication” with NOT ALL ROBOTS), writer of the recently debuted RUMPUS ROOM alongside Emmy® and Ringo Award winner Frank Cho, creator of FIGHT GIRLS – DELUXE DIRECTOR’S CUT EDITION (announced last month as AWA’s first Kickstarter), in conversation with AWA Chief Creative Officer Axel Alonso as they take attendees inside their latest releases and upcoming projects. Following the discussion, fans will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A with the panelists and take home several giveaways from the event. The panel will take place on Thursday, October 12 from 3:00-4:00 pm in room 406.2.
  • Talent Signings at the AWA Booth – During the first three days of the Con, AWA is holding talent signings at its booth (#3456) with fan-favorite writers and artists including:
  • Custom Merch & Con Exclusive Offerings – To celebrate its latest lineup of popular series, AWA is debuting its first-ever merchandise collection, a series of t-shirts featuring designs by its renowned stable of artists including Mike Deodato, Jr., Joe Quesada, and ACO. The artwork featured includes scenes from popular AWA titles like NOT ALL ROBOTS, THE MADNESS, and BLACK TAPE. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase the collection at the AWA booth.

In addition to the apparel, AWA is also offering three special-edition Con exclusive series issues including RUMPUS ROOM #1 Convention Exclusive (special cover by artist Kaare Andrews (E-RATIC)), RIBBON QUEEN #1 Convention Exclusive (special cover by artist Fay Dalton (NANCY DREW AND THE HARDY BOYS)), and an AWA Variant Cover Bundle Set which features four AWA comics with covers by Frank Cho covers.

Fremantle invests in AWA

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Devil's Highway Vol. 1 cover

Fremantle has made a strategic minority investment in Artists, Writers & Artisans, Inc. (AWA). AWA is an independent developer of bold and relevant stories across graphic fiction, film and television. This investment signifies a deepening of the initial partnership made between Fremantle and AWA in April 2022, which saw the companies come together to collaborate on co-developing a slate of TV projects based on AWA’s rapidly expanding IP library.

Fremantle and Lupa Systems co-led the investment round alongside new capital from long-term backers of AWA and a number of strategic individual investors with expertise in production, finance, sports, human rights and technology.

AWA Studios, AWA’s film and TV arm, will benefit from Fremantle’s strategic input and investment, whilst also unlocking the specialist expertise of the global content powerhouse, its infrastructure and its renowned international distribution footprint.

The two companies have announce that the first project on the joint development slate is Devil’s Highway, a thriller based on the successful comic series by Benjamin Percy and Brent Schoonover in which a young woman seeks to unravel a sinister mystery hidden in the dark underbelly of the long-haul trucking industry.

The expanded partnership was spearheaded by Andrea Scrosati, Fremantle’s Group COO and CEO Continental Europe, and Matthew Anderson, Co-Chair and President of AWA.

AWA is backed by Lupa Systems, Lightspeed Venture Partners and SISTER. Marvel alum Axel Alonso serves as Co-founder & Chief Creative Officer overseeing editorial output. In 2021, the company established AWA Studios, its film and TV division, helmed by Hollywood veteran Zach Studin as President. Matthew Anderson, Co-Chair and President, and Jon Miller, Co-Founder and Co-Chair, lead AWA’s executive team.

Since its launch, AWA Studios has quickly amassed a robust film and TV operation, kicked off by the announcement of feature film adaptations of Chariot by Bryan Edward Hill and Priscilla Petraites, which Warner Bros. acquired in competitive bidding; Marjorie Finnegan: Temporal Criminal by Garth Ennis and Goran Sudzuka, which Ruben Fleischer will direct; and Hotell by John Lees and Dalibor Talajic, to be directed by Elle Callahan, among many additional projects currently  in active development. 

In December, AWA formed a Creative Council including luminaries Reginald Hudlin, Gregg Hurwitz, Laeta Kalogridis, Joseph Kosinski, Al Madrigal and J. Michael Straczynski to help guide the company on complex creative matters and nurture ideas across a range of platforms.

The minority investment in AWA is the latest in Fremantle’s investment activity, which in 2022 saw the company take majority stakes in Eureka (Parental Guidance, Holey Moley), Label 1 (Five Dates a Week, Hospital), Element Pictures (Normal People, The Wonder, Conversations With Friends), Dancing Ledge Productions (The Salisbury Poisonings, The Responder), Lux Vide (Devils, Medici) 72 Films (9/11: One Day in America, All or Nothing: Arsenal), Wildstar Films (America the Beautiful, America’s National Parks), Silvio Productions (Buried, The Baby Daddy) and a minority stake in Fabel Entertainment (Bosch).

AWA Studios and Upshot Present “Covid Chronicles” on NBC

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AWA Studios

AWA (Artists, Writers & Artisans) Studios‘ Upshot imprint has launched Covid Chronicles, a visual exploration of the men and women on the front lines of the Covid-19 crisis, combining hard-hitting investigative journalism with expressive and vivid comic art. Journalist and writer Ethan Sacks tells the stories of five people in some of the hardest-hit locations. Sacks is joined by artist Dalibor Talajić and letterer Bosung Kim.

The stories include:

  • An ICU nurse in New York City struggling to cope with witnessing an ever-growing death toll, as she furiously works to keep her aging mother safe at home.
  • A covid survivor retelling her near-death experience, including a last-minute recording to her children she never expected to see again.
  • An Italian opera singer whose inspiring balcony performance went viral.·      A beat reporter who sent his family to the suburbs as he puts himself at risk every day to cover the epidemic in New York.
  • An ER doctor operating a covid testing facility forced to make potential life-or-death decisions with their limited supply of testing materials.

The first episode of Covid Chronicles is live now and is available exclusively on NBC.com.

AWA Studios Launches iPOP! – iOpeningStories

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iPOP!

Last week, Artists, Writers & Artisans launched iPOP! – iOpeningStories a new “imprint” that looks to focus on webtoons, the popular digital comics platform whose audience is massive. Between Webtoon and Tapas, the monthly readership for the sites is near 60 million people a month. The first iPOP! story to launch was Be Wawa: Enter the Dragon. 

iPOP! also announced its upcoming release schedule:

  • Raider Babies #1: Scwew Yew – June 10th, 2020
  • Raider Babies #2: Scwew Yew Twew – June 17th, 2020
  • Starwar #1: Stupid – June 18th, 2020
  • Starwar #2: Tew Stupid to Live – June 23th 2020
  • Lion Queen #1 – Olivia Exotica – June 24th, 2020

Watch and read for free on these sites:

AWA Studios Launches iPOP! and Debuts Be Wawa

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Debuting on Youtube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, AWA Studios has launched a new studio, iPOP!. iPOP! is focused on stories in both video and webtoon formats with the first series Be Wawa debuting today.

Check out the video below and readers can read AWA’s Be Wawa webtoon for free on Webtoons and Tapas.

AWA Studios is a new comic publisher headed by Bill Jemas as CEO and Axel Alonso as Chief Creative Officer. The company has released a handful of series with top tier talent featuring different distribution models and different revenue models. iPOP! looks to be another interesting move for the company focused on the massive webtoons market. More information and details will be coming soon.

Preview: Year Zero #1

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Year Zero #1

Writer: Benjamin Percy
Artist: Ramon Rosanas
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Sal Cipriano

Ben Percy (Wolverine) and Ramon Rosanas (Star Wars: Age of Resistance) team up to present an epic tale that offers a global look at the Zombie Apocalypse. A Japanese hitman, a Mexican street urchin, an Afghan military aide, a Polar research scientist, a midwestern American survivalist – five survivors of a horrific global epidemic who must draw upon their unique skills and deepest instincts to navigate a world of shambling dead. Year Zero wrestles with the weighty moral and theological questions posed by the pandemic and investigates its cause and possible cure.

Year Zero #1

AWA Studios Releases a Trailer for Old Haunts

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AWA Studios has released the official trailer for the supernatural crime thriller, Old Haunts, written by Ollie Masters and Rob Williams, art by Laurence Campbell, colors by Lee Loughridge, and lettering by Sal Cipriano. Old Haunts has an updated release date of June 10, 2020.

Three Made Men, standing at the brink of retirement, find their unbreakable bond put to the ultimate test when they are suddenly assaulted by the ghosts of their past. Confronted by decades of buried secrets – resentments, affairs, double-crosses, and murders – the three friends have no choice but to unearth the deepest, darkest sin from their past and pray they don’t find an empty grave.

Preview: Year Zero #1

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Year Zero #1

Writer: Benjamin Percy
Artist: Ramon Rosanas
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Sal Cipriano

Ben Percy (Wolverine) and Ramon Rosanas (Star Wars: Age of Resistance) team up to present an epic tale that offers a global look at the Zombie Apocalypse. A Japanese hitman, a Mexican street urchin, an Afghan military aide, a Polar research scientist, a midwestern American survivalist – five survivors of a horrific global epidemic who must draw upon their unique skills and deepest instincts to navigate a world of shambling dead. Year Zero wrestles with the weighty moral and theological questions posed by the pandemic and investigates its cause and possible cure.

Year Zero #1
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