AUTHOR COMMENTARY REPRINT: MONO ANTHOLOGY MEGAMIX (AVAILABLE THROUGH LULU)

FOREWARD

by J.M. Matthews

What's in 10 years? What exactly is in a decade? Well, to me (2004-2014), that decade was 10 years of a labor of love, a year of unprecedented ups and downs.

When I first created the concept of Mono Jubei and his crazy, darkly imaginative post-apocalypse world of New-Earth, I was not aware of how much my style and vision would  become emulated worldwide in comic book literature, Japanese animation, and Hollywood. I thought my idea was great. I knew it was good, a good conceptual idea and package.  But I didn't know I'd be designing the model sheets of a new Action Hero Fantasy Archetype that would shape many action and fantasy projects to follow its example. A lot can happen in 10 years. While I never officially sold my script or premise to a studio, I was smart enough to know when the mainstream and indie scene alike were both openly taking pages out of my action-fantasy movie archetype playbook. From trenchcoat dual wielding, to fiery kick-ass redhead female "sidekicks", to dystopian visual utopias and paramilitary bureau agencies, to secret agents well versed in the kinetics of wuxia. A lot's been used from this Action Movie Bible and Blueprints I consciously designed to be so. The Following book includes a New-Earth Timeline history, short fiction outlines and a script I wrote, conceptual sketchbooks and illustrations, and a series of comic book pages. What started off as an animation pitch evolved into the large scale presentation book project you see before you today.

Been a wild ride indeed.

Here's to 10 to 30+ More.

Onward and Upward,

-J.M. Matthews

9/11/2014

NOW AVAILABLE TO ORDER THROUGH LULU