I Won the 2013 GLYPH AWARD for Best Writer...

I was informed by folks in Philly at the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention 2013 GLYPH AWARD ceremony that I won the BEST WRITER AWARD for my work on SHADOWLAW. Here's a grainy shot of the unveiling. Thanks to all the judges for voting for me!

The GLYPH AWARDS were created 8 years ago to celebrate and acknowledge works created by and/or featuring African-American/African writers, illustrators and graphic designers. The ceremony is held every year at the East Coast Black Age of Comics convention in Philadelphia. 

Here's more info via WIKIPEDIA:


The Glyph Comics Awards recognize the best in comics made by, for, and about people of color from the preceding calendar year. While it is not exclusive to black creators, it does strive to honor those who have made the greatest contributions to the comics medium in terms of both critical and commercial impact. By doing so, the goal is to encourage more diverse and high quality work across the board and to inspire new creators to add their voices to the field.

The awards are named for the blog Glyphs: The Language of the Black Comics Community, at Pop Culture Shock, started in 2005 by comics journalist Rich Watson as a means to provide news and commentary of comics with black themes, as well as tangential topics in the fields of black science-fiction/fantasy and animation.

The Glyph Comics Awards have been presented at the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention, in Philadelphia, since 2007.

The TWO BRANDONS interview editor JOE ILLIDGE!

THE TWO BRANDONS INTERVIEW JOE ILLIDGE!

On this episode of THE TWO BRANDONS, we welcome the illustrious former Milestone/DC Comics/Archaia Entertainment editor Joe Illidge to discuss the recent high-profile departures from DC Comics, the aborted plans to kill John Stewart, and the recent creative team announcement for Quantum & Woody. Not for the faint of heart, easily offended, etc. 

We're all extremely proud of this one, and would appreciate you helping us spread the word. Joe breaks down WHY the industry is the way it is and he pulls no punches. Brandon Thomas and I were VERY happy to listen and learn from his insights. 

B. 

THE TWO BRANDONS podcast!

 

 

 

 

 

EPISODE ONE: Not for the faint-hearted or easily offended. This is the first episode of the new podcast show THE TWO BRANDONS starring writers Brandon Thomas (Miranda Mercury, Voltron: Year One, Voltron) and Brandon Easton (WBs new Thundercats TV series, Shadowlaw, Transformers: Rescue Bots). They discuss how to realistically fix the issues of diversity in the comics biz.

http://www.buzzsprout.com/10132

EPISODE TWO: Comic book writers Brandon Easton and Brandon Thomas discuss their past, present and future thoughts about the video game industry. Things they hate (Easton hates Sony) and games they can’t stop buying (Thomas loves Madden). See if you agree or not in THE TWO BRANDONS: EPISODE TWO.

http://www.buzzsprout.com/10132

 Also available on the Writing for Rookies podcast and Itunes! 

B. 

 

MILES AWAY Graphic Novel officially on the way!

"In the latest issue of PREVIEWS MAGAZINE (Feb 2013) on page 241, there's a fantastic full-page ad for the MILES AWAY graphic novel! 


Created by STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE star Anthony Montgomery, and co-written by Me/Brandon Easton (THUNDERCATS (2011), TRANSFORMERS: RESCUE BOTS, Shadowlaw), MILES AWAY is an excellent story of a young superhero thrust into an interstellar war. From Antarctic Press, April 2013."

This graphic novel represents two-and-a-half-years of hard work and dedication. After meeting Anthony by chance at the end of the day back at San Diego Comic Con 2010, we became friends. Eventually, we discussed collaborating to transform his TV series bible/pitch into an actual graphic novel. After changing creative teams a couple of times, we managed to soldier through to the end and not only complete the book, but also find a legitimate and well-respected comics publisher to put Miles Away on the marketplace.

There are many good reasons for transforming a TV or film concept into a graphic novel. Primarily, it is to bypass the lazy development executives' assistants who tire of reading thousands of pages of bad scripts during the week. A graphic novel is a solid proof-of-concept that presents a clear visual narrative in a compact and easily understood format. Anthony's idea was excellent and I knew the moment I heard it that we could create something fun, inspirational and inventive. A new hero for an increasingly multicultural audience. 

Miles tells the story of Maxwell Miles, a typical awkward teen with the super ability of photographic reflexes: he can mimic any physical feat he watches. 

The catch? 

He has to wait five minutes for his power to kick in and he never knows when they will cut off. 

As he learns about his new powers, an alien force is on the way that will change everything he knows about himself, his family and a secret organization that has been watching him since birth. 

MILES AWAY is now available for pre-order from Antarctic Press or at your local comic book store. 

This is a great book, and I ain't just saying that because I co-wrote it. 

B. 

Piggybacking Gail Simone a.k.a. Write!!! Or get off the Pot!

Acclaimed comics writer Gail Simone wrote a great piece about breaking into the comics biz. Read that here and then come back if you dare. 

I say the same stuff to "aspiring" writing talent over and over again. The bottom line is that if you don't have a finished product to show, then shut up and go away to work on that until you DO have a finished product to show. Asking questions is great, but people need to do their research and bust their ass.

I moved to LA with next to nothing and suffered from 2008 to the beginning of 2011 and no one gave a shit until I had a product on the table. That's what it comes down to in the end: PRODUCT. If you're wrestling with your concepts and talking about writing but spend all your time playing video games, chatting online, watching TV and other non-productive stuff, you'll still have nothing to show and you're wasting your time by pretending you're going to be a professional.

It isn't that complicated. Do work. Finish it. Edit it. Finish it again. Get it drawn up. Then market yourself smartly. You cannot market yourself with just pinups or concepts or nervous conversations at a convention. You have to have a product in hand. There's NOTHING that Gail Simone wrote in that piece that hasn't been repeated by hundreds of other acclaimed writers on multiple occasions.

More often than not, there's NOTHING holding a writer back other than their own crappy personal life habits. When I was starting out, the internet had little to no information about breaking into the business as a writer, and this meant that I had to do my own footwork, my own research, I had to shake a lot of hands and have a lot of people scoff at me for trying to learn more about the path to success. Now, google.com can provide you that same information for free. Without the cynicism and snark from petulant jerks.

There are many sites like my WRITING FOR ROOKIES podcast that provide you a ton of information for free. If you're still wringing your hands and wondering why your career isn't where you want it to be, it's usually because you're sitting on your ass wringing your hands instead of writing with them.

I am one of the most supportive professionals out there when it comes to working with new and unpublished writing talent. Me and a few of my comrades regularly give panels at conventions like WonderCon, Stan Lee's COMIKAZE, PopCon LA, etc. and I will continue to be a resource for new writers. 

However, there comes a time when you need to move beyond the "fledgling" status and move to becoming a producer of content. It's really that simple. 

For those serious about learning the comic book writing format, I am teaching a course on February 2nd, 2013 in Los Angeles. Check it out: 

PANEL-TO-PANEL: Writing Comic Books and Graphic Novels. 

Here's some other articles I've written about breaking into the business as a writer - 

THE PARADIGM SHIFT: Part One - Moving From Being a Consumer to a Producer of Content.

THE PARADIGM SHIFT: Part Two - Preparation. 

NAVIGATING THE CON: Get Yourself and Your Work Noticed.  

Good luck out there. 

B.

DOMINION'S LIGHT: The Graphic Novel Kickstarter!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brandoneaston/dominions-light-the-graphic-novel

The development of Dominion's Light began back in 1998 when I looked around the pop culture landscape and realized that there was no fantasy/sci-fi series that combined the elements of all the stories I love.

I wanted to tell a story of adventure, excitement, friendship, sacrifice and daring that took place in a world never seen in the graphic novel arena. While there have been many fantasy-based comic book titles over the years like Elfquest, Dragonlance, Elric and Battle Chasers, but none of them have collectively touched on themes that mattered to me nor did they feature an ethnically-diverse cast of characters.

Heroic fantasy like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and the Dragonlance franchise have influenced and mesmerized writers for many years, but the core criticism is that they present high concept Western European adaptations of reality that omit the vast diversity that exists in our own world.

After a lengthy search for a conceptual designer a few years ago, I discovered Jeff Stokey (http://jeffstokely.deviantart.com/), a very talented artist who shared my love of unique science-fiction and visually stunning fantasy universes. Jeff immediately understood what visual aesthetic I wanted for the story because of his own immersion in gothic and heavy metal artwork, science-fiction and fantasy cinema as well as the complex conceptual art of major RPG video game franchises.

Unfortunately, Jeff's schedule quickly became crowded and we were forced to push Dominion's Light further and further away until we decided to amicably part ways as colleagues on this project.

After an exhaustive search for a new artist, I found DAWID STRAUSS (http://dawidfrederik.deviantart.com/) - who worked in gaming and comics for seven years on projects like the MARVEL SUPER HERO SQUAD trading cards, DUNGEON RUNNERS and the smash hit sequel DARKSIDERS II.

Dominion’s Light is the story of three young people who are united by tragedy. Reso is a young man betrayed by his own father in order to alleviate gambling debts, Kyshia is a woman whose mysterious powers get her labeled as a witch and nearly executed by a mob and then there is Hammerius Rex, future prince of the LizardMan kingdom who is exiled by his peers.

And finally, there is Lord Valgon, sure to be a controversial character as he will be the first African-American villain in a fantasy setting since James Earl Jones in the original Conan movie.


Our story begins as the nations of Graid'yan are healing from the last great global conflict between the Lizardman kingdom and the race of warrior-sorcerors of Cerist Lunisia in the North. The war ended in a stalemate with both sides retreating to their respective lands and leaving the rest of the world in ruin.

The combatants were in search of the mystical power source known as the CYCLEAN BIBLE - a power so great that it can bend the nature of space, time and reality. Allowing the user to reshape the universe in their own image. Unbeknownst to the majority of people in Graid'yan, the only way to access the Cyclean Bible is through the use of the KEY ULTIMA - a device that reveals the true location of the Bible and the only thing in the universe that can unlock those energies.

Lord Valgon and his ruthless forces - the Valgonath Reapers - are scouring the world searching for the Key Ultima at the same time Resoloth goes on a quest to help his wayward father. After a deadly confrontation, Resoloth is on the run from the Reapers and comes into contact with the recently exiled Hammerius Rex and Kyshia, a teen girl condemned as a witch.

Can these three overcome their differences and survive the upcoming onslaught? Or is destiny playing a role in uniting such disparate creatures?

Dominion's Light will be a journey unlike any other you've seen before. From the windswept prairies of NERISTAD to the Las Vegas-inspired party islands of NEYONEEM to the lush Lizardman kingdom of MILLSREX to the strange, frigid wasteland of TERIST MALHAVIK to the final battle on the shores of GRAYHOLD. 

Our goal of $20,000 (US) is meticulously and carefully budgeted to cover the expenses of the art team of the graphic novel (pencils, inks, colors) as well as the cost of the nifty rewards you see here. Rest assured that your donation will 100% go toward the production of my dream.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brandoneaston/dominions-light-the-graphic-novel

B.

WRITING FOR ROOKIES EPISODE 15: Dale Wilson of BuyIndieComics.com

In this episode of WRITING FOR ROOKIES (the only podcast dedicated to the aspiring sci-fi, comic book and Hollywood screenwriter), I interview Dale Wilson of DWAP Productions, The Antidote Trust and BuyIndieComics.com.

Dale Wilson is one half of DWAP Productions, founder and Editor in Chief at BuyIndieComics.com, a Creative Editor at The Search Agency, a founding member of The Antidote Trust & a comic book creator/publisher. Dale has written several stories for DWAP Productions’ four-issue anthology Caffeine Dreams, the online comic collection MagnificentCreatures.com & other cutting edge sequential art.

Dale is not only a connoisseur of fine heavy metal and hard rock, but he has been in the American independent comic book scene for ten years and has seen so much in terms of how the business operates and the sacrifices a creator must make to survive. 

If you haven't gotten the chance to listen, Writing for Rookies is the ultimate resource for sci-fi and comic book writers who are new to the scene and want to learn how the business works from an honest perspective.

Writing for Rookies gives you real advice that you can actually apply in the real world for results. Check it out and let your friends know if you like it!

 B.