Brandon M. Easton
Brandon M. Easton is a professional writer, screenwriter, and educator based in Los Angeles, California. Easton was born in Baltimore, Maryland and resides in Southern California. Easton is mainly known for his work on the Warner Bros. Animation reboot of the ThunderCats series as well as critical acclaim for his work in the comic book industry.
Educational background
Easton earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Ithaca College in 1997, Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from Boston University College of Communication in 2001 and Masters in Secondary Social Studies Education from the City University of New York-Herbert H. Lehman College in New York City in 2005. Easton often credits his time at Ithaca College as a “major transformative moment” in his life and says it gave birth to his writing voice and sociological perspectives.[1]
Easton regularly writes and speaks on issues of race in the comic book industry, and has been published in various articles discussing racial barriers for writers of color.[2] He is also a mentor to new comic book writers, and has a regular panel called "The Writer's Journey" where he and other colleagues discuss the secrets to breaking into show business.[1]
Writing and podcast career
Easton has written for the Boston Herald, Crashpad Magazine, and a variety of other publications, and taught as a public school teacher in the New York City public schools from 2003 to 2008. In 2008, Easton moved to Southern California to pursue writing, and since that time Easton has been writing for television and comics.[3]
Easton has been named the writer of the international franchise Armarauders[4] from Mecha Workshop as well as a guest writer for the new Watson and Holmes[5] comic series published by New Paradigm Studios.[6] In 2012, Easton signed a multi-graphic novel writing deal with LION FORGE COMICS,[7] a new transmedia company based in St. Louis, Missouri and has authored multiple comic books, including "The Joshua Run,” "Roboy," and an upcoming biographical graphic novel about the life of pro-wrestler Andre the Giant.[8] Easton's original graphic novel SHADOWLAW garnered coverage in publications/outlets like USA Today,[9] Wired,[10] Forbes[11] and Ain't It Cool News.[12]
Brave new souls documentary
Easton is the producer, writer and director of Brave New: Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Writers of the 21st Century - a documentary that addresses the issues of race and representation in the comic book industry, genre publishing and Hollywood.[3] Easton interviewed new, but acclaimed, writers like Nnedi Okorafor, N.K. Jemisin, Geoffrey Thorne, Anthony Montgomery, Erika Alexander, Tony Puryear, Hannibal Tabu and several others.
Awards
Easton is a recipient of the 2015 Disney-ABC Writing Program, a one year program that is considered to be one of the most successful writer programs in the entertainment industry.[13]
Easton was a 2014 nominee for the Eisner Comic Industry Award for Best Single Issue or One Shot,[14] which is considered the Comic Industry's equivalent of the Oscar Academy Awards. Easton also received three GLYPH awards[15] in 2014 from the East Coast Black Age of Comics, including Fan Award (WATSON AND HOLMES #6), Story of the Year (WATSON AND HOLMES #6), and Best Writer (WATSON AND HOLMES #6).[16] Easton is also the recipient of the 2013 Glyph recipient for Best Writer for his original graphic novel Shadowlaw.[17]
Easton was also a semi-finalist with the Hollywood Black Film Festival's Project Stargazer in 2013 – collaboration with NASA to find and develop science-fiction writers of color.[18]
Television
- Thundercats (2012)
- Transformers: Rescue Bots (2014)
- Agent Carter (2016)
- Avengers Assemble (2018-2019)
- Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy (2020)
Comics
451 Media Group
- Bad Moon Rising #1-6 (2015-2016)
Arcana Studio
- Shadowlaw[19] (2014)
Antarctic Press
- Miles Away[20] (2013 GN)
DC Comics
- Truth & Justice - digital issues #4-6 (newsstand issue #2) [2021]
Dreamwave Productions
- Arkanium[21] (2002)
- Transformers: Armada Free Comic Book Day (2003)
IDW Publishing
- André the Giant: Closer to Heaven (2015 GN)
- Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #1-3 (2017)
- Jim Cornette Presents: Behind the Curtain - Real Pro Wrestling Stories (2019 GN)
- Judge Dredd 100-Page Giant (2020)
- Judge Dredd: False Witness (2020)
- M.A.S.K. #1-10 (2016-2017)
- Revolution: M.A.S.K. #1 (2016)
- Star Trek: Waypoint Special #1 (2018)
- Star Trek: Year Five #3-4 (2019)
- Transformers: Deviations (2016)
- Transformers: Unicron #3 (2018): M.A.S.K. backup story
Lionforge Comics
Marvel Comics
- Civil War II: Choosing Sides #1 (2016)
- Marvel Action: Spider-Man #1-2 (2020)
Mecha Workshop
- Armarauders: The Last Battalion #1 (2015)
New Paradigm Studios
- Watson and Holmes vol.1 #6[24] (2013), vol.2 #1 (2016)
Stranger Comics
References
- "Brandon Easton, Writer/Creator | Creative Screenwriting Magazine". Creativescreenwriting.com. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
- http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/09/13/understanding-ethnocrunching-how-racism-works-in-the-comic-industry/; http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=51461
- "'Brave New Souls': Brandon Easton on sci-fi, comics and black writers | Hero Complex – movies, comics, pop culture – Los Angeles Times". Herocomplex.latimes.com. 2014-05-21. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
- "Armarauders_Minisite". Mechaworkshop.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-01. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
- "Watson And Holmes". New Paradigm Studios. 2013-01-18. Archived from the original on 2014-06-07. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
- "New Paradigm Studios". New Paradigm Studios. 2013-01-18. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
- "Lion Forge Comics". Lionforge.com. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
- Arda Ocal (2013-08-05). "Comic book about Andre the Giant coming soon - Baltimore Sun". Articles.baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
- "â€" USATODAY.com". Usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
- Lawson, Corrina (2011-10-19). "The Church Versus Vampires in Shadowlaw | GeekDad | Wired.com". Wired. Archive.wired.com. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
- "Brandon Easton Talks About Writing Comics And Cartoons". Forbes. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
- "AICN COMICS REVIEWS: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN! CRACK COMICS! CATWOMAN! GODZILLA LEGENDS! DEAR CREATURE!... - Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news". Aintitcool.com. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
- "Disney".
- "2014 Eisner Award Nominees Announced". Comic Book Resources. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
- "'Watson & Holmes' Wins Big at Glyph Awards". Publishersweekly.com. 2014-05-19. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
- "Glyph Comics Awards :: East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention". Ecbacc.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
- "2013 Glyph Comics Awards Winners :: East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention". Ecbacc.com. 2013-05-19. Archived from the original on 2014-07-09. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
- "HBFF Project Stargazer Semi-Finalists : Hollywood Black Film Festival". Hbff.org. Archived from the original on 2014-11-24. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
- Easton, Brandon (Feb 27, 2012). Shadowlaw. Arcana Studio. ISBN 978-1926914459.
- Montgomery, Anthony; Easton, Brandon (May 28, 2013). Miles Away. Antarctic Press. ISBN 978-0930655037.
- Easton, Brandon (2002). Arkanium. Dreamwave. ASIN B000RN71TS.
- Easton, Brandon; Reed, Carl (Apr 24, 2013). Roboy. Lionforge Comics. ASIN B00CHRXJES.
- Easton, Brandon; Alexander, Flex (Jul 20, 2013). The Joshua Run. Lionforge Comics. ASIN B00E1SOTR2.
- Easton, Brandon (Dec 11, 2013). Watson and Holmes #6. New Paradigm Studios. ASIN B00HARGS48.