In its first nomination and win, Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama wins a 2020 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material-Asia

First announced during the online award ceremony for the The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards held Friday, July 24, 2020 during Comic-Con International San Diego, Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama, and published by Kodansha USA Publishing, was awarded a 2020 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material-Asia category!

“Witnessing the spellbinding charm of this manga with universal appeal entrance the world has been enormously gratifying for us at Kodansha USA,” said President & CEO Alvin Lu. “This special recognition by the Eisners committee and voters is a great honor. On behalf of the enormously talented Shirahama-sensei, thank you.”

Often considered by the comics, manga and graphic novel industry as “the Oscars of Comics,” the Eisner Awards are voted on by industry professionals and given out in more than two-dozen categories each year during Comic-Con International San Diego. This year, Witch Hat Atelier won a 2020 Eisner Award, joining other Kodansha USA Publishing titles who have also received this award in the past including, Tokyo Tarareba Girls by Akiko Higashimura in 2019, and AKIRA by Katsuhiro Otomo in 2018.
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In a Q&A interview with Jeff Goldsmith, publisher of Backstory Magazine, writer, producer and director Goyer talks about his creative process, writing habits and some of his film moments.

Goyer is behind some of the iconic comic book film and TV adaptations including Blade trilogy, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, Dark City, Constantine (TV), Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

During the interview with Goldsmith, Goyer, discussed his creative writing process and what it took to bring these beloved characters and tales from the page to the screen, filling in the 7-year gap in his history in Batman Begins, Ra’s Al Ghul’s death at the end of Batman Begins, constructing the father/son tornado sequence in Man of Steel and creating aa memorable ending of Man of Steel. Goyer also provided a personal message about how the pandemic has affected his family.

The interview is also available in “The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith” podcast on iTunes or Spotify.

Writer Erica Schultz Introduces Fans to a New Generation of Magical Comic Adventures Starring a Female Lead

Hearst-owned King Features Syndicate, Red 5 Comics and StoneBot Studios will cast a spell on readers this October as they present a new take on the classic comic strip Mandrake the Magician in an all-new comic book series. More than 85 years after the original comic strip’s debut, this expansion of the Mandrake universe stars a new generation of heroes as they face off with familiar foes.

Hitting store shelves on October 28, the modern-day Mandrake, aka “Mandy,” will make her debut in the YA comic series Mandrake the Magician: Mandrake’s Legacy. The series will be complemented by a free, must-read webcomic. The project is helmed by one of today’s most innovative writers, Erica Schultz, a comic book writer, editor, letterer and instructor best known for her work on Marvel’s Daredevil and the award-winning crime series M3. She currently writes Forgotten Home for ComiXology Originals and teaches with The Kubert School and with ComicsExperience.com. The cover art will be provided by the talented Amelia Vidal (Marvel Studios & Boom Studios) and the series will also offer vibrant variant covers from artist Evelin Unfer. The beautiful and detailed interior art is credited to artists Diego Giribaldi, Juan Pablo Massa and Moncho Bunge.

Mandrake the Magician: Mandrake’s Legacy follows 17-year-old Mandy Paz, a magician-in-training who aspires to someday be just like the legendary Mandrake. She suspects her inborn magical powers must have something to do with her mysterious parentage, but so far, her mom’s lips are zipped, and she has to work out the whole magician thing with the help of her BFF, LJ. While she is learning to command her superpowers, she’s also navigating college applications, mean girls, the high school talent show, a magic mirror, a kidnapping and … monsters? Mandy’s world is about to get a whole lot weirder and way more enchanted.

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At today’s Comic-Con@Home panel, Legendary Comics announced a thrilling new original graphic novel, Head Wounds: Sparrow, from creator Bob Johnson, with story by John Alvey, and developed by Oscar Isaac (Show Me A Hero; the Star Wars franchise; Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming Dune) for his production company Mad Gene, and Jason Spire, available in stores and online in Early 2021. Leo Guidry is a bad person and an even worse cop. When he suffers a psychic head wound, his life on the edge slips into spiritual warfare. In a landscape of angels, devils, and everything in between, can a person utterly devoid of empathy find a way to overcome the forces of darkness that have infiltrated his reality? This is the world of Head Wounds: Sparrow.

During the panel, the creative team—including childhood friends Isaac, Johnson, and Alvey—discussed the deeply personal origin of the Head Wounds story. When diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma and as a way to cope, Johnson turned to his passion of writing and created the character of Leo. Inspired by a dream, Johnson conceived the supernatural affliction that haunts Leo throughout the story and forces him to face his own past trauma and lack of empathy. Head Wounds features an original world with compelling mythology created by Johnson and Alvey that will instantly draw in readers.

See the full panel here:

“Head Wounds: Sparrow is an exceptionally powerful tale as it draws from the creators’ own life experiences, as well as their passion for the medium,” said Robert Napton, Senior Vice President of Legendary Comics. “Sometimes things come together so effortlessly, and this is one of those projects.”
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The Superhero Kung Fu Extravaganza panel took place today at the virtual SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON, where Well Go USA shared the all-new trailer for INVINCIBLE DRAGON. The trailer debuted exclusively as part of the panel presentation.

Well Go USA will debut INVINCIBLE DRAGON on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital on October 6.

You can see the trailer below:

When a brilliant but trigger-happy detective (played by martial arts powerhouse Max Zhang, IP Man 3, Master Z: Ip Man Legacy) is outsmarted by a serial killer, he pays a high price for his momentary lapse in judgment. Robbed of both his fiancée and his job, he soon spirals out of control and goes back to what he knows best: fighting. Unbeknownst to him, a serendipitous reunion with an old rival (Brazilian mixed martial artist Anderson Silva) may be the key to unlocking the truth about his fiancée’s disappearance—and to apprehending the killer.

The 23rd Annual San Diego Comic Con Superhero Kung Fu Extravaganza — Ric Meyers (Films of Fury, Atlas Originals Presents Targitt) returned this year with amazing action scenes, along with master of remaster Frank Djeng (Iron Fists & Kung Fu Kicks), king of web-fu Eric Jacobus (God of War), Comedy Film Nerd Chris Mancini (Rise of the Kung Fu Dragon Master), and Jan Lucanus (Justice for Hire) — as well as special guests Peter Pham (Foggy Mountain) and Scott Adkins (Doctor Strange, Ip Man 4).