Forged in Fire judge and blade expert Doug Marcaida, known for his iconic "It will KEAL" catchphrase, shares how he transitioned from martial arts and weapons expertise into creating comics. He introduces his series Lineage, which blends his authentic knowledge of combat and edged weapons into a compelling narrative with rich world-building and mythology. Doug explains the concept and inspiration behind Lineage, introduces the main characters and tone of the book, and details his current Kickstarter campaign for issues #2-4. He addresses how his expertise influences the authenticity of the action sequences, the challenges of creating his own comic series, and potential expansion into other media like games or animation.

You can back Lineage on Kickstarter until 3/16 here: http://kck.st/4s63TE2. And you can follow Doug practically everywhere, including his site, dougmarcaida.com, Facebook @kuyaDougMarcaida, and Instagram @dougmarcaida.

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In this special combined two-part interview, manga pioneer and Antarctic Press founder Ben Dunn shares the story of establishing one of America's first manga-focused publishers in 1984 and creating the long-running Ninja High School series in 1987. He reflects on how American audiences responded to manga-style storytelling in the 80s and 90s versus today and the challenges of sustaining a creator-owned series for over 100 issues. Ben also talks about his diverse body of work including Warrior Nun Areala—which was adapted into a Netflix series—and his innovative educational manga teaching spelling and grammar, while explaining Antarctic Press's approach to discovering and developing talent over nearly four decades. He offers perspective on the biggest challenges of running an independent publisher, what he's most proud of in his career, his view of the current state of manga and manga-inspired comics in America.

You can follow Ben on his site, bendunncomics.com, on Facebook @BenDunn or on Instagram @bendunn25.

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