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White Cat Entertainment Brings On Shoshin Creative Lab’s Rylend Grant as Head of IP Development

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White Cat Entertainment

Since 2020, White Cat Entertainment has built an amazing slate of original, high-concept stories across graphic novels, podcasts, books, and film-ready concepts, each developed with expansion across multiple platforms in mind.

Now, the creator-led studio founded by Chris Mancini is expanding its business model with the launch of a creative solutions division with Rylend Grant, Managing Partner at Shoshin Creative Lab, as Head of IP Development.

Through this collaboration, White Cat Entertainment expands its development capabilities with Grant’s creative solutions arm, overseeing projects and positioning them for adaptation across its slate.

Key properties include Long Ago and Far Away, a fantasy-comedy with franchise and animation potential; Rise of the Kung Fu Dragon Master, a high-concept action-comedy suited for film and series adaptation; Alpha Cat, an all-ages sci-fi adventure positioned for publishing, animation, and licensing expansion; Pacify Me: A Handbook for the Freaked Out New Dad, a comedy memoir with television potential; and audio-driven properties including Conversations From the Abyss, an episodic horror anthology ideal for streaming adaptation, and The Quiet Journeys of Professor Atwood, a hybrid narrative series with opportunities across audio, publishing, and animated formats.

White Cat Entertainment is a content and publishing company founded in 2020 by writer, director, and producer Chris Mancini, which recently expanded its comics and graphic novel publishing footprint through a deal with Massive Publishing, which includes Long Ago & Far Away, Rise of the Kung Fu Dragon Master, and Alpha Cat. 

White Cat Entertainment is actively engaging partners across publishing, film, television, and digital media.

Crowdfunding Corner: The Adept, Assassin G, Immortal Swordsmen, and Fa Sheng!

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Backer Beware: Crowdfunding projects are not guaranteed to be delivered and/or delivered when promised. We always recommend to do your research before backing.

Immortal Studios is the home of the Immortal Storyverse, the first ever wuxia-centered, interconnected comic book story universe. They’re back with not one, but four new issues in one Kickstarter campaign. They continue to build the foundation of this epic Storyverse even further and even stronger. 

The campaign features The Adept, Chronicles of the Immortal Swordsmen, Fa Sheng: Origins, and Assassin G all lined up for their next big adventures — All in one shared universe. More Kung Fu, more Asian-American culture, and more wuxia fantasy action.

No Kickstarter is complete without an offering of tantalizing rewards and this campaign is no different. From digital copies to exclusive prints and special edition covers, Immortal Studios are delivering.

On to the comics…

The Adept #3

This is the one that started it all. Over 1200 backers took a chance on this series and became the founding Immortals of the Storyverse. We’re proud to bring you Issue #3, written by Charlie Stickney and illustrated by Yishan Li. 

It’s Amy’s first day as rockstar Sasha True’s head of security — and things may prove to be challenging than she expected. In an all-out battle with Sasha’s martial arts instructor, Amy discovers that the mysterious organization known as the Wheel has its eyes on the rockstar—and more, they want Amy out of the way. Permanently.

Can she discover what the Wheel is up to before it’s too late for Sasha—and for her? 

48 page comic!

Chronicles of the Immortal Swordsmen #2

Based on the seminal novel by Shiao Yi, and providing the foundation of the Immortal Storyverse, Payhuan Shiao, Brian Buccellato, and Jheremy Raapack bring you Chronicles of the Immortal Swordsmen #2!

As the threat of the Reckoning looms over mankind, Phil learns more of his connections to the mysterious Immortal Swordsmen from the enigmatic Ying Ying.

But even as Phil’s encounters more fantastic events —including a battle between the mystical  white gibbons and their enemies the white gorillas and the discovery of the long lost Immortal Cave — it is Ying Ying who faces  a life-changing revelation about her own past that may change everything. 

32 page comic!

Fa Sheng: Origins #2

Ripped from the pages of The Adept – witness the origin of the mysterious monk who has been training Amy (The Adept) in her dreams! Written by Rylend Grant and illustrated by Dexter Wee.

The origin of Fa Sheng continues! In the wake of the massacre at Liyuantun, the Kaiser sends troops to China demanding restitution and vengeance. Before the invaders stands the army of the Imperial General Yuxian. But will they be enough — even as desertion and betrayal rip through their number?

And in the ensuing bloodshed, the young soldier Chengren must find a way to survive in order to discover his destiny.

32 page comic!

Assassin G #2

One of the most popular series (as Sister Gan G) in the Shiao Yi pantheon is now a comic book modernized for a new audience, set in the neon-soaked 1980’s! Written by Jen Troy and illustrated by He Tao!

In the year 1982, Margot Gan, Assassin G of the Vermilion Pavilion, continues her deadly quest of vengeance — eliminating every member of the Yueyang family for a crime committed decades ago. 

Alone and desperate, the lone survivor, the young martial artist JP must find allies fast or face becoming Assassin G’s next victim.

48 pages!

SDCC 2022: Dynamite and Immortal Studios Announce Publishing Partnership

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Ahead of San Diego Comic-Con, Dynamite has announced a new publishing partnership with Immortal Studios, to bring the Los Angeles-based publisher’s shared universe of Wuxia martial arts-fantasy comic books to the broader marketplace. Through the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform, the Los Angeles-based publisher Immortal Studios has to date successfully funded three comic book series as part of a larger shared universe. Now Dynamite is set to bring these action packed titles to the direct market comic stores, digital vendors, bookstores, and beyond in multiple formats, with more releases and titles to come.

Immortal Studios’ Storyverse is spearheaded by the company’s Founder and CEO Peter Shiao, who is collaborating with a team of comic book storytellers to bring a modern sensibility to the Wuxia genre that has influenced contemporary pop culture, including Marvel’s Shang-Chi, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Matrix, and Star Wars, as well as countless anime and manga like Naruto. Wuxia, pronounced “woo-sha,” is a long running genre born from China that depicts the adventures and trials of martial arts heroes, often but not always in historical settings and with fantasy elements. The Immortal Studios’ Storyverse is inspired by the storytelling of one of the foremost authors in the Wuxia genre, Peter Shiao’s father Shiao Yi, whose novels have been adapted into film and television more than thirty times, including films by the Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest. 

Immortal Studios’ titles include:

  • The Adept by writers Tasha Huo, Charlie Stickney, Alison Norrington, and Peter Shiao, artist Yishan Li, and letterer Deron Bennett. The Adept tells the deep and personal story of a young woman on a journey to master an ancient martial art that was thought to be long lost. Filled with action, transformation, and mystery, the key theme is about homecoming and redemption. Two action-packed chapters have been produced to date, featuring kidnapped pop stars, arcade brawls, and more.
  • Chronicles of the Immortal Swordsman by writer Peter Shiao, artists Pop Mhan and Jheremy Raapack, colorist Rex Lokus, and letterer Deron Bennett. In this series, protagonist Phil Du escapes his struggles through parkour and online gaming. But when he’s suddenly pulled into an ancient order of supernatural warriors amidst a civil war and cataclysm, he will have to step up to his destiny.
  • Fa Sheng: Origins is created by Peter Shiao, written by Rylend Grant, illustrated by Dexter Wee, colored by Omi Remalante Jr., and lettered by Deron Bennett. The tale chronicles the humble beginnings of a great Shaolin Master. The series is written by Rylend Grant, a screenwriter, author, and Ringo Award-winning comic book creator who is also an ordained Soto Zen Buddhist monk.The series is recommended for fans of films based on the story of Ip Man, including the eponymous series and The Grandmaster.
  • Assassin G by writer Jen Troy and artist He Tao, featuring coloring by Hi-Fi Design and lettering by AndWorld Design. This summer Immortal Studios will launch a Kickstarter campaign for this new series, from the CW’s Supergirl TV series writer Jen Troy, about the deadly saga of vengeance between warring factions in the martial underworld in the early 1980s. The novel that inspired Assassin G by Wuxia master Shiao Yi, 甘 19 妹 (Gan the 19th Sister), is known as one of the preeminent IPs in the Chinese speaking world which has been adapted for television four times, and this new series will mark the story’s first comic book and English language adaptation. The Assassin G Kickstarter pre-launch page for the campaign is now live. 

Immortal Studios feature a range of variant covers from the likes of Gene Ha, Jim Cheung, Ming Doyle, Gian Gulang, Joyce Chin, and more. Other talents and staff behind the curtains include former longtime DC Comics editor Brian Cunningham and team members with experience at Disney, Warner Bros., Sony, 20th Century Fox, and more.

More details to come!

Exclusive: New Stretch Goals Revealed for Fa Sheng: Origins

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With about 5 days to go, Fa Sheng: Origins has blown past its crowdfunding goal! The six issue mini-series from writer Rylend Grant and artist Dexter Wee and created by Peter Shiao is about the humble beginnings of a great Shaolin Master.

We have the exclusive reveal that Immortal Studios is announcing three amazing prints featuring art by Dexter Wee, Yishan Li, and Gene Ha! These prints measure 8 x 10 and are printed on a card stock in full color, with no trade dress – just the stunning art for folks to enjoy.

The campaign is quickly approaching its $10k stretch goal and once they hit that level of funding, they’re unlocking something super special — a 4-page “back-up” feature that ties this Fa Sheng and present-day Fa Sheng together, in a tale that spans time and will blow your mind. They’ll also unlock a DRAW ME IN tier so that folks have the opportunity to be immortalized (see what we did there?) in the comic.

Fa Sheng: Origins is the latest comic book series from Immortal Studios, a Los Angeles-based publisher that is creating the first comic book-based shared universe of Wuxia martial arts-fantasy stories. The Kickstarter campaign ends on May 24th at 11:59 EDT.

Exclusive: Yishan Li’s Fa Sheng: Origins Variant Cover Revealed!

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Next Tuesday, Immortal Studios is launching a Kickstarter campaign for Fa Sheng: Origins by writer Rylend Grant and artist Dexter Wee. We have the exclusive reveal of the variant cover by Yishan Li!

The six issue mini-series, about the humble beginnings of a great Shaolin Master, is created by Peter Shiao and written by Rylend Grant, a screenwriter, author, and Ringo Award-winning comic book creator who is also an ordained Soto Zen Buddhist monk. Fa Sheng: Origins is illustrated by Dexter Wee, colored by Omi Remalante, Jr., lettered by AndWorld Design, and edited by Brian Cunningham. Issue 1 will feature a main cover by series artists Dexter Wee and Omi Remalante, Jr., as well as variant covers by Mona Finden, Gene Ha, Megan Huang, and Don Kramer.  

The Immortal Studios’ Storyverse is inspired by the storytelling of one of the foremost authors in the Wuxia genre, Peter Shiao’s father Shiao Yi, whose novels have been adapted into film and television more than thirty times, including films by the Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest. 

Created by Peter Shiao, the character of Fa Sheng is a death-cheating, mind-bending Shaolin Master, who first appeared in Immortal Studios’ flagship title The Adept.

Set in the latter days of the 19th century, Fa Sheng: Origins reveals how the confusion and carnage of China’s Boxer Uprising forces a young Fa Sheng to reevaluate his purpose in life, by dedicating himself to helping those in need. All that stands between him and his goal of empowering the masses are cowardly charlatans, backstabbing power grabbers, and ruthless adversaries. The story is written by Rylend Grant, an ordained Soto Zen Buddhist Monk in the lineage of Brad Warner and Gudo Nishijima who can trace his lineage directly back to the Shaolin temple.

Review: Suicide Jockeys #1

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Suicide Jockeys #1

Ten years after a catastrophic mission gone wrong, Denver Wallace, leader of the Suicide Jockeys – a poor, usually drunken, almost certainly mentally ill crew of monster-fighting, tank-and-aircraft-piloting suckers – must pick himself up off of the proverbial and literal floors, slap his estranged, desperately-fractured team back together and right what once went wrong.

I’ve been meaning to write this for awhile, but life has a way of keeping me busier than I intended. Regardless, by the time I finally got a chance to finish the review for the first issue, I realized that far too much time had passed and the second issue previews hit my inbox.

Suicide Jockeys #1 sets the stage and introduced you to the world of Suicide Jockeys, explaining the relationships ruined over the years while making sure to show you exactly what is involved in being a suicide jockey. The comic was very enjoyable, and left me hanging for the second issue. Honestly, that was the only drawback of the first issue, is that other than fleshing out the characters and their motivations, the plot didn’t advance much beyond the preview text.

That minor drawback aside, however, the comic explores the other side of heroes once the spotlight shifts away for whatever reason and the hero – whether that’s famous sports people, actors or even the super kind – is left without any real way of supporting them. Rylend Grant really captures feeling of being a down and out has been whilst flashing back to the glory days; this expositional flashback moments really serve to underline just how far Bruce Willis look alike Denver Wallace has fallen (while your mileage may vary, I loved the look of Wallace, and his likeness to Bruce Willis helped me get to know the character a little more as I heard his voice when Wallace was talking. Intentional or not, it was a fantastic way for the character to worm his way into my mind.

Davi Leon Dias and Iwan Joko Triyono, artist and colourist respectively, are joined by letterer Hde for the first issue (and likely beyond). The visual side of the creative team deliver everything you want from a comic set against a backdrop of monsters verses machines (the fact that it has taken me this long to bring the monster vs machine up should tell you how enthralling the personal drama of the comic is).

It has taken me far too long to review Suicide Jockeys #1, but with any luck you’ll be able to find the first two issues on the racks at your LCS. This is a really interesting comics and the debut leaves me excited for the second issue.

Story: Rylen Grant Art: Davi Leon Dias
Color: Iwan Joko Triyono Letterer: Hde
Story: 8.7 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.6 Recommendation: Buy

Source Point Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

Preview: Suicide Jockeys #2

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Suicide Jockeys #2

(W) Rylend Grant (A) Iwan Joko Triyono (CA) Edson Ferreira (A/CA) Davi Leon Dias
In Shops: Sep 29, 2021
SRP: $3.99

After learning that his lost love might be still be alive, adrift somewhere in the vast ocean of space and time, Denver Wallace must convince his estranged team to set aside years of bad blood, saddle up, and bring her back home. Also, there’s a pretty funny reality show subplot, a panel where a dog takes a massive dump, and you know… plenty of cool monster-fighting stuff.

Suicide Jockeys #2

Strap in for Tokusatsu Action with Suicide Jockeys from Rylend Grant and Source Point Press

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Ten years after a catastrophic mission gone wrong, Denver Wallace, leader of the Suicide Jockeys – a poor, usually drunken, almost certainly mentally ill crew of monster-fighting, tank-and-aircraft-piloting suckers – must pick himself up off of the proverbial and literal floors, slap his estranged, desperately-fractured team back together and right what once went wrong.

Creator Rylend Grant describes Suicide Jockeys as diverse cast Tokusatsu for the contemporary action movie fan. It’s essentially Voltron meets The Fast and the Furious… with an extra dollop of heart and soul.

Grant reteams with artist Davi Leon Dias, colorist Iwan Joko Triyono, letterer HdE, and producer RJ Hendricks, all of whom helped bring the Ringo award-winning political action thriller Aberrant to life. Aberrant is being developed for television by 24 & Felicity Executive Producer Tony Krantz.

Suicide Jockeys is a Tokusatsu comic through and through. Inspired by classic Japanese action television like Ultraman and Super Sentai, Grant teamed with Toku Expert Brad Warner, who previously worked for over a decade in Japan as an executive for Tsuburaya Productions.

Suicide Jockeys will also feature variant covers from Fabio Alves and Edson Ferreira who were both nominated for Ringo awards for their work on Grant’s much-lauded superhero noir Banjax. Banjax made a dozen critics ten-best lists in 2019 and was nominated for a total of 4 Ringo Awards.

Suicide Jockeys #1 will be available in comic shops and online at sourcepointpress.com on Wednesday, August 25, 2021.

The Peacekeepers is a Twisted Comic Book Love Letter to Crime Dramas

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Out now on Kickstarter, The Peacekeepers is a brooding and decidedly wicked crime drama that pulls no punches, that suffers no fools, that repeatedly gets knocked down, but always gets back up again with a smile. It’s an utterly treacherous comic dance.

All hell breaks loose in quaint a northern Michigan community when a team of in-over-their- heads bank robbers kills a beloved Sheriff’s Deputy. In a small town with BIG secrets, local detective Richard Holton races to peel back the layers of a depraved down-home conspiracy before the bungling Federal Agents assigned to the case send everyone involved to ground.

The Peacekeeper is by writer Rylend Grant, artist Davi Leon Dias, colorist Iwan Joko Triyono, and letterer HdE… the same twisted team that brought you 10 rip-roaring issues of Action Lab: Danger Zone’s critically-lauded political action thriller Aberrant. That comic is being developed for television by 24 & Felicity Executive Producer Tony Krantz.

This isn’t Grant’s first Kickstarter campaign. He raised over $15,000 back in July with a high concept sci-fi thriller titled The Jump. This Kickstarter campaign has already passed its goal guaranteeing it will be funded. You can chip in $5 for PDFs of Grant’s past work and $10 gets you the first two issues of The Peacekeepers. $20 will get you the print edition. Other pledges include variants, signed comics, original art, and more. The campaign ends on November 19.

The Peacekeepers

Preview: Banjax Season 1

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BANJAX SEASON 1

Writer(s): Rylend Grant
Artist Name(s): Fábio Alves (Artist), Edson Ferreira (Colorist), HdE (Letterer)
Cover Artist(s): Fábio Alves (Artist), Edson Ferreira (Colorist)
160 pgs./ M / FC
$14.99

A wholly original and delightfully twisted deconstruction of the superhero genre by Hollywood screenwriter/Aberrant-scribe Rylend Grant. A disgraced, terminally ill former superhero launches a violent and misguided Death Wish-like campaign to purge the city of supervillains before he dies. His former protégé – currently the public’s point-and-wink superhero ideal – is tasked with bringing him in. The Rub? He isn’t remotely up to it.

BANJAX SEASON 1
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