Monarch of Manhattan: A Modern Pulp-Fantasy Adventure

 

"Monarch of Manhattan is a modern-pulp, fantasy adventure for Blade and Black Panther fans. This book combines some of the best elements of both with a touch of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan, all set in a buddy-hero tale."

Monarch of Manhattan is the second, original, ongoing Visionary Universe comic series, debuting with a FREE 32-page first issue available now! Get it Here!

Set in Manhattan, the story centers around the strange visitor, Shakalla, a man from a distant past filled with wizards and monsters. Suddenly, he is transported across the ages into modern-day New York, with no way to get home!

He rescues poor Harold Harrington from being mugged and gains his first ally within minutes of arriving. Together, the two set out to figure out what happened and track down Shakalla's arch-foe, Daemonn Thornne, the wizard who killed Shakalla's father and exiled him as a boy.

Monarch mixes fantasy with modern-day action and adventure and introduces us to a truly unique hero. Shakalla hails from a much more technologically primitive world but a far more humanely advanced society. To him, justice is not just beating on criminals but addressing the greater ills of society. He was trained to think as an emperor, not a hero, and as he proves himself an intuitive genius beyond all others, he will fight those larger evils.

While Monarch has darker elements, it also includes a really strong 'buddy-hero' take with great chemistry between the main characters!

This series is brought to you by the incredible talents of writer/creator C. Edward Sellner, pencil breakdowns by Jose Aviles, inks by Rudi Sucipto, colors by Paul Little, and letters by Jacob Bascle.

Monarch will be published in multiple venues later in 2023, so be sure to follow along!

 

BONUS: GET THE FREE PREQUEL SHORT STORY!!!

Pre-Order The Good, The Bad, and the Uncanny: Tales of a Very Weird West Now!

 THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UNCANNY presents sixteen original and never-before-published adventures by some of today’s most visionary writers who have spun wildly offbeat tales of gunmen, lawmen, magic, and weird science.

Includes stories from Jennifer Brody, Greg Cox, R.S. Belcher, Scott Sigler, Carrie Harris, James A. Moore, Jeffrey Mariotte, John G. Hartness, Cullen Bunn, Maurice Broadus, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Marguerite Reed, Laura Anne Gilman, Aaron Rosenberg, and Visionary's own C. Edward Sellner, all edited by New York Times Bestselling Author, Jonathan Maberry.

 Pre-Order Now on Amazon!

 

 

The Boy Who Would Save the World

 

What would you sacrifice to save the world?

When young Timothy Hopkins witnesses his parents gunned down on the streets of London, he takes the last words of the shooter as a sacred trust to protect the world from ending by convincing himself EVERY day that TODAY the world will end.

Can, Anthony McGinnis, his well-intentioned Psychiatrist, the first to realize Timothy's burden, help him overcome the destructive path he has chosen for himself?

An award-nominated full-cast audio drama that takes a deep dive into the heart and soul of a young boy who carries a heavy burden.

Produced by EvCol Entertainment / Clockwork Digital Studios and written by Visionary CCO C. Edward Sellner.

BUY NOW

 

Character Spotlight: The Vicious, Brutal, Terrifying Charon

 

What's a great hero without a great villain? In Visionary's first planned ongoing comic series, The Knight, that role is filled by the mysterious and brutal ganglord Charon. Little is known of this villain, except he has been working with the Syndicate, the largest organized crime cartel in the world, as an enforcer in New York. But he becomes involved in a secret plot to gain personal power, which brings him to Washington, DC. From there, we know it will lead to an ultimate and final confrontation with his archenemy, the Knight, in the near future.

"Charon is the only character in The Knight to appear as possibly more than human, but nothing about his past is really known in the story just yet. He appears as an albino with pale white skin, red eyes, and shark-like teeth," shared C. Edward Sellner, creator of Charon. "There is much more to him than we reveal in this first arc, but those secrets will come to light in future issues."

What we do know is that Charon is one of the most brutal villains in the Visionary Universe, as proven by his bloody assault at the end of issue 1, and the depths of his evil will only dig deeper and more insidious in future issues.

"The best thing about Charon is how vividly artist Mario Torrisi and colorist Saul Maradona bring him to life in this first three-issue arc," Sellner added. "It's one thing to describe a character as intimidating, a predator in every sense of the word, and seething with hatred; it's another when skilled hands bring all that into focus through their visuals. Charon clearly dominates in every scene where he shows up, which is all credit to the fantastic team on this book."

Click here to get the first issue FREE!

 

The Knight: A Vigilante/Crime Drama That Breaks All the Rules!

"The Knight" takes superhero and crime comics tropes and tilts them just enough to give a fresh perspective, delivering a compelling and entertaining book that left me wondering how a lot of its best ideas had managed not to be discovered before. - ComicBook.com

The Knight is the first original, ongoing, Visionary Universe comic series from Visionary Comics, debuting with a FREE 32-page first issue available now! Get it Here!

Set in Washington DC, the story opens with the beginning of the Knight's final battle with his archenemy Charon in 2025. As the city burns around them during a cataclysmic event, the threat of a bio-weapon that can destroy the entire city is hanging in the balance!

We then jump back to more current times as the origin of the Knight begins to unfold. In an interesting twist, not only is the Knight's identity a secret in the story, it's a secret for us as well. Instead we meet several candidates, any of whom could be the mysterious Knight!

Is it Kincaid, the secret agent of some unrevealed agency, recently returned from an assassination mission in Afghanistan? He has just moved to Washington DC, and seeks to remain off the grid. Is being the mysterious vigilante his new mission?

Is it Father William Bennett, the disillusioned priest who serves at St. Mark's parish located in one of the roughest sections of the city? Surrounded by rampant poverty and violence, he has found his faith failing him, but his compassion for others remains strong. Is being the Knight his new way to make a difference?

Is it Miguel Jimenez or Kate Price, two honest, committed detectives working out of Ward 8? Miguel is a family man, who carries a heavy burden with his work, dealing with the worst in humanity. Kate is a single, professional, driven woman whose life is about the badge. Both are faced with a frightening new crime wave sweeping the city turning children into killers.

And what of David Michaels, the drug addict and dealer, who lost his family and becomes a target for his former gang boss, Charon? A ruthless, terrifying man of incredible strength, with white skin, red eyes, and sharp teeth, Charon thoroughly enjoys torturing those who betray him. David seems the one drawing these various individuals together in a series of events that will lead to one of them becoming the first costumed vigilante in the world!

The Knight is brought to you from the incredible talents of writer/creator C. Edward Sellner, artist Mario Torrisi, colorist Saul Maradona, and letterer Jacob Bascle!

The Knight will be published in multiple venues later in 2023, so be sure to follow along with our weekly newsletter!

 

Cue the Spotlights by C. Edward Sellner!

 

Visionary Quick Links

• Buy Visionary prints and merch! (20% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER)
• Make your next project Visionary! Learn about our Creative Services!
• Back The Good, The Bad, and The Uncanny Weird Western Anthology!
• Signup for Outrider's Kickstarter for Deadlands: Rise of the Black Circle!
• A complete list of published works by C. Edward Sellner, you can buy now!!
• Get the Visionary Creation Library of audio dramas at EvCol!
• Support Other Cool Kickstarter Projects - Visionary Certified!
• Check out our Visionary Creation web-comics series, including periodic short stories and new episodes of ongoing series every Tuesday:
  • Monarch of Manhattan: Tapas / Webtoons
  • The Knight: Tapas / Webtoons
  • Visionary Shorts: Tapas / Webtoons 

   

  Kickstarter Spotlight

  

  This is your ABSOLUTE LAST CHANCE to get in on this spectacular Kickstarter to get this Weird Western Anthology! Click here to back it now!

   
  

  Art Spotlight

  

  This is one of my absolute favorite pieces. When I decided to do an epic modern re-visioning of Paradise Lost, I knew I had to come up with a unique image of God, which led to this sweeping, majestic figure of light. One of the best parts is that in the story, this version of God always appears as the same species as whoever is looking upon this form of pure light, human or alien. God's form also constantly shifts, sometimes male, sometimes female, appearing with different ethnic traits, etc. A statement that we all are made in the image of God! You can buy a print here!
  

  Character Spotlight

  
  
  
  THE KNIGHT
  

  The Knight was one of my second-generation characters I originally created way back in college. This series was my first attempt at writing a more mature superhero, and yes, there is an absolute superficial resemblance to a certain other (Dark) Knight, but trust me when I say it ends there.
  

  We open the series knowing the Knight will sacrifice their life to save Washington DC, but no one knows who the Knight actually was. The first arc tells the origin story while keeping that identity a secret, as several major characters suddenly find their lives intersecting in various ways, all of which will lead one of them to don the stealth armor and become a hero to the people, even as we catch glimpses of their final battle!

  When I met Mario Torrisi on Facebook, I knew I wanted to work with him because of his gorgeous art. The designs above are his, loosely adapted from my original designs (trust me, these are much better) and meeting the technical specs for the armor itself.

  Click the FREE COMICS image below to get the full first issue FREE, along with two other great comics!
  

  

   

  

  Creator Spotlight

  As the founder, CCO and CEO of Visionary, I've had the best job in the world: creating cool stuff and working with the most amazing creators!
  
  Want to know more about me?  
  Check out this feature interview on my site!
  
  Want to know more about my published works?  
  Get the full list right here!
   
   
  Thanks for all you do to support our creative efforts!
  Please feel free to share the newsletter and our links.
  Word of mouth from fans is the BEST marketing!
  We will be skipping next week for the holiday!
  Happy July 4th! STAY VISIONARY!

   
  

Get 20% Off at Visionary's New Online Store!

Visionary is proud to announce the launch of our brand-new online store! You can get customized art prints from C. Edward Sellner and our other Visionary artists! From paper prints to deluxe framed canvas or metal prints. Or get our art on mugs, t-shirts or other merch! Customize each for yourself or as a special gift! We're offering 20% off all prints for our subscribers, so check them out!
(Here is our initial limited selection but more coming soon!) BUY NOW!

 

FREE COMICS & A Personal Update

 

First, let me just thank all of you who get our newsletter or surf my site, and actually open and check it out, often clicking on links to take a deeper dive! You folks are the main reason we're here! While creative work is its own reward, the feeling of it connecting with people, entertaining them, maybe even offering a little inspiration from time to time is amazing! So, know we appreciate it all.

Second, you may have noticed things 'glitched' the last week or so.

While I don't intend to make these newsletters personal often, I do feel I need to offer some explanations. A lot of the projects and efforts I've been promoting were originally started under a publisher partnership, this was an agreement I worked very hard to make the most of and it paid off on a lot of opportunities. Unfortunately, through no fault of my own, and no maliciousness on anyone's part, that partnership did not work out, leaving all the responsibility for all these efforts solely on me.

As those who know me might have gleaned, I can be very stubborn and dive into the deep end more than I should, so, I determined to move forward with EVERYTHING, but now on my own. And it was coming together. Unfortunately, it was doing so at the cost of my mental health and the time I wanted to spend on my own creative work.

So, I have decided, and it was a tough decision, to pull back and let most of the project management, licensing and development work I've done over the last two years go, which has been heartbreaking, but necessary. At this point, I need to fully commit to my own creative work as a writer and artist, limiting my involvement only to projects where I have a key creative role, not just an editorial or management one.

I do hope everyone continues to support Outrider, who did nothing but good by me, with whom I'm still hoping to write and do art for if possible, and EvCol Entertainment which has been the highlight partnership as it has been 100% creating my own stories, which is what I truly love. I will also continue releasing my own creator-owned work, but not as a full publisher. I will be seeking to do so through other publishers and platforms so I can focus on creating the work.

So, I hope you stick with me and Visionary, we've got some awesome creators, and you'll be seeing more from all of us in future weeks! In the meantime, as a thank you for your support, click below to get three FREE COMICS, written by me and brought to life by incredible artists! Then, check out our links below to find a listing of everything of mine that is currently available, and keep checking in here as we announce new venues, platforms, and options for getting my work directly, or through other publishers! We still have a heck of a ride ahead! Trust me!

Remember, always stay Visionary!

Visionary Quick Links

• Make your next project Visionary! Learn about our Creative Services!
• Signup for The Good, The Bad, and The Uncanny Weird Western Anthology!
• Signup for Outrider's Kickstarter for Deadlands: Rise of the Black Circle!
• A complete list of published works you can buy now from CCO C. Edward Sellner!
• Get the Visionary Creation Library of audio dramas at EvCol!
• Support Other Cool Kickstarter Projects - Visionary Certified!
• Check out our Visionary Creation web-comics series, including periodic short stories and new episodes of ongoing series every Tuesday:
  • Monarch of Manhattan: Tapas / Webtoons
  • The Knight: Tapas / Webtoons
  • Visionary Shorts: Tapas / Webtoons
    

Thanks for all you do to support our creative efforts!
Please feel free to share the newsletter and our links.
Word of mouth from fans is the BEST marketing!
STAY VISIONARY!

The Future Looks Truly Visionary!

 

Visionary Quick Links

• Make your next project Visionary! Learn about our Creative Services!
  
• Signup for our first Kickstarter for the Visionary Creation!
  
• Signup for Outrider's Kickstarter for Deadlands: Rise of the Black Circle!
• A complete list of published works you can buy now from CCO C. Edward Sellner!
  
• Get the Visionary Creation Library of audio dramas at EvCol!
• Support Other Cool Kickstarter Projects - Visionary Certified!
• Check out our Visionary Creation web-comics series, including periodic short stories and new episodes of ongoing series every Tuesday:
  • Monarch of Manhattan: Tapas / Webtoons
  • The Knight: Tapas / Webtoons
  • Visionary Shorts: Tapas / Webtoons
  
  

  Kicking Off Visionary Kickstarters!

  This Spring and Summer are shaping up to be truly Visionary! Between our studio work, especially with new publisher Outrider Entertainment, our own launch as a publisher, and our CCO Sellner spreading his creative wings, multiple projects will be launched on Kickstarter and new projects announced in the coming months, including our first licensed properties!
  
  Here's the Spring / Summer wave of campaigns you can sign up for now...
   

  The Visionary Creation Phase 1 Bundle
  

  

   
  Launching June 1, 2023, is the debut of the hottest new transmedia shared worlds setting! Dive into the Visionary Creation with 19 stories in multimedia formats, exploring a brand new omniverse from its beginning to its end, from a mythical age of magic to a far-flung future where humanity has spread to the stars! Witness the very birth of the Visionary Creation!
   
  Get the Full Details on the entire Visionary Creation Phase 1 Bundle! 
  Signup to be Notified on Launch at Kickstarter! 
  

  Deadlands: Rise of the Black Circle

  

  The new Outrider Entertainment brings you our first brand-new Deadlands epic in hardcover! Classic Deadlands heroes reunite to face a new, rising threat! When a new villain, La Bruja, unleashes the undead on the town of Nacogdoches, "Bad Luck" Betty McGrew, Velvet van Helter, Lacy O'Mally, and the harrowed Ronan Lynch must unite to stop her! But this is just the beginning of a much larger threat on the horizon! The Black Circle is Rising!
  
  Story by: Shane Lacy Hensley / Art by: Aaron Palsmeier
  Colors by: Simon Gough / Letters by: Jacob Bascle

   

  Signup to be Notified at Launch on Kickstarter!

   

  The Good, The Bad, and the Uncanny
  

  Tales of a Very Weird West

   

  

  Coming soon from Outland Entertainment, a stellar line-up of authors telling wild tales of a very weird west! Gunfighters, monsters, madmen, and ancient horrors roam the wild west, but true heroes always rise up to challenge the darkness!
   

  Features a brand-new Golgotha story by R.S. Belcher, and explores the wild west of the Visionary Creation in a brand-new tale by C. Edward Sellner. Also includes Visionary creators Jeffrey Mariotte and Greg Cox, among others, with the whole amazing package edited by Jonathan Maberry!

  
  Signup to be Notified at Launch on Kickstarter!

   

  Astral Vengeance Issues #1-3

  

   

  From Pet Piranha Entertainment, produced in association with Visionary Creative Services, the award winning Astral sci-fi, thriller series continues with a Vengeance! Volume 4 continues in single issues and with this campaign you can get issues 1-3, as well as the previous three volumes! Spanning time, space, and alternate dimensions, the powerful Astral, Lila, faces threats from our world and beyond!
  
  Created / Written by: Jay Magnum / Art by: Ariel Medel
  Colors by: Rohvel Yumel / Letters by: Jacob Bascle

   

  Signup to be Notified at Launch on Kickstarter!

The Visionary Creation Phase 1 Complete Checklist!

The Visionary Creation Phase 1 Complete Checklist!

 Signup to be notified when our first Visionary Creation Kickstarter goes LIVE!

As we grow close to the June 1, 2023 launch date for our Visionary Creation Phase 1 Kickstarter Bundle, we figured it was about time to give everyone a complete list of the 19 Epic Tales included in this massive collection we'll be offering at a great price!

 

All stories and art, unless otherwise noted, are by C. Edward Sellner.

 

Our core book is our Visions Serialized Collection - this unique, 100K word ongoing prose anthology series will feature several stories in each volume, half of them will be serialized ongoing novels, half stand-alone novellas, and short stories. Each story will be set in the Visionary Creation, and various threads will tie many of the stories in each volume together into a larger whole.

Visions Volume 1 contains:

Genesis: The Books of Creation

A modern re-imagining of the epic poem, Paradise Lost, by John Milton! An epic tale of the very beginning of all creation told in a cosmic fantasy style similar to JRR Tolkien's Silmarillion, Jack Kirby's New Gods and Eternals, and with the cutting edge of George RR Martin's Game of Thrones. This chapter opens during the final Judgement Day and then flashes back to tell the tale of how everything began, including the first darkening of the angel Lucifer!
Ongoing Serialized Series / Visionary Creation

 

SoulStar: The Dreaming

A genre-bending Superhero epic unlike any other! We open with our hero suffering total amnesia after a terrible battle that haunts his nightmares. When he awakens from a long coma, he finds himself marooned on an impossible alien world and possessing superhuman abilities that he doesn't understand. This volume ends with a startling and terrifying revelation of just how powerful SoulStar is.
Ongoing Serialized Series / Visionary Creation

 

 

Variant wraparound cover art by Colton Worley.

Monarch of Manhattan

A modern pulp fantasy! Shakalla was born in an Age of Magic, a warrior prince destined to become king. But now, in pursuit of his arch-enemy, the wizard Daemon Thornne, he finds himself in modern-day New York, a brand new kingdom to claim!
This series is also being released as an ongoing comic series. See below.
Serialized Novel Series / Visionary Universe

 

The Knight

Who is the mysterious vigilante protecting the streets of Washington DC? What are they fighting for, and what will it mean for the people around them? The Knight is similar to Batman, but everything is different. We focus on a small cast, any of whom could be the vigilante who takes to the streets to fight the organized crime cartel known as the Syndicate.
This series is also being released as an ongoing comic series. See below.
Serialized Novel Series / Visionary Universe

 

 

Art by Revin Denisya A. Putra

The Legend of Fire-Mane

Set in the Age of Magic, a Dwarven clan faces a new threat, and one of their greatest warriors must face the battle of his lifetime, against impossible odds. All while wrestling with his own doubts about the choices that brought him and his soldiers to this place and time. Witness the death and birth of a legend!
Novella Series / Visionary Universe

 

The Interview

A crusading reporter, Aairah Massood, has been seeking the truth about a top-secret government agency that deals with threats facing our world far beyond most people's imagination. When she learns the name of the man running it, Killian Grieves, she is granted an interview to learn all about GUARDIAN (Global Unified Armed Response Division / Intelligence Acquisition Network). As she does, she becomes concerned this may be her last interview. Ever.
Short Story / Visionary Universe

 

The Storyteller

An author shares the mysterious encounter he had when, as a boy, he became lost in the woods and met an old woman who opened his heart and mind to the true magic of storytelling. In the spirit of Neil Gaiman's works, this modern folktale will touch your heart and soul!
Short Story / Others Universe

 

Transfer of Power

Story by special guest author and editor of Visions, Greg Cox
In the far future, when humanity has spread to the stars and established interstellar civilizations, conflicts of power still remain. On one world, a peaceful transfer of power is about to face a challenge never expected and hard to believe. Greg Cox delivers a fascinating future world with future world problems.
Short Story / Visionary Universe

 

Space Station design and art by Wilbert Sweet

Comics and Webcomics

The Monarch of Manhattan

Visionary Universe & 32 pages of story!
NEW WEBCOMIC EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY!
A modern pulp fantasy! Shakalla was born in an Age of Magic, a warrior prince destined to become king. But now, in pursuit of his arch-enemy, the wizard Daemon Thornne, he finds himself in modern-day New York, a brand new kingdom to claim!

Writer: C. Edward Sellner / Pencils & Breakdowns: Jose Aviles

Inks & Finishes: Rudi Sucipto / Colors: Paul Little / Letters: Jacob Bascle

Cover by Azim Akberali

Read it on Tapas / Read it on Webtoons 
Pulp Fantasy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Knight

Visionary Universe & 32 pages of story!
NEW WEBCOMIC EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY!
In the near future, a vigilante called the Knight, sacrifices their life to save the city, proving to be every bit the hero the people believed. But who was the Knight? What was their story? Now the truth can be told!

 

Writer: C. Edward Sellner / Line Art: Mario Torrisi / Colors: Saul Maradona

Letters: Jacob Bascle / Cover by Mario Torrisi and Saul Maradona

Read it on Tapas /Read it on Webtoons 

Street Level Urban Superhero

 

 

Stretch Goal Third Comic!

First in digital and later in print, one of our final stretch goals will be an extra-sized comics anthology with four more tales of the Visionary Universe! All written by C. Edward Sellner, with art from various creators. New stories will be added as additional stretch goals!

Harmony in Green

In the distant future, on a world colonized millennia ago by human beings and where the plants covering this world respond to music, a new and unique civilization has arisen where musicians are the great powers of society. When one shows an intuitive gift for music beyond all others, it is claimed he will become the master of their world. But he and another may not agree.
Art: Dani Mendoza / Colors: C. Edward Sellner / Letters: Jacob Bascle

 

The Little Things

 In the future, a scouting mission to find habitable worlds for human colonies crashes on a world hostile to human existence. While the rest of the crew struggle in vain for their own survival, one looks in hope to the future.
Art: Joseph Slucher / Colors: C. Edward Sellner / Letters: Jacob Bascle

 

The Choice 

A disillusioned cop comes face to face with a legendary evil, and each must make a choice that will forever change both of their lives. Introduces a major mythos to the Visionary Universe.
Pencils: Sean Lee / Inks: A3Dico / Colors: Periya Pillai / Letters: Jacob Bascle

The above three short stories have also been adapted into audio-dramas by EvCol (see below).

 

Strange Kingdoms
King Ballakka must face a trial of wit, courage, and strength to reach the Old Mother in order to receive a prophecy that will reveal the destiny of his son, Shakalla. Prelude to Monarch of Manhattan
Art: Rafail Ter-Stepanov / Colors: Steven Dellasala / Letters: Jacob Bascle

Stretch Goal Audio Dramas from EvCol

Evcol Entertainment / Clockwork Digital Studios Original Productions, parts of the On Another Wavelength audio anthology series featuring the voice talents of Samantha Boffin, Michelle Campbell-Jones, Holly Gillanders, Will Harrison-Wallace and Mitch Howell, – Written by C Edward Sellner, Directed & Produced by Simon James Collier, Series Created & Co-Produced by Adam Dechanel, Soundscape Design: Zachary Elliott-Hatton.

 

 

The Boy Who Would Save the World

When young Timothy Hopkins witnesses his parents gunned down on the streets of London, he takes the last words of the shooter as a sacred trust to protect the world from ending by convincing himself EVERY day that TODAY the world will end.

Dark Thriller / Alternate Universe

Words
A world famous author is facing every writer's nightmare in this noir tale with a twist. What happens when a writer faces the reality that the words have stopped coming?

Drama / Others Universe

 The Little Things
Trapped on an alien world, their ship destroyed and faced with disaster, one woman will hold onto hope until her dying breath!

Science Fiction / Visionary Universe

 

Harmony in Green
An alien world colonized by humans eons ago is about to receive a new master, but not the one they expect! When a young man shows himself to be a musical savant, those who have prepared for his coming welcome him as the new master of their world.

Science Fiction / Visionary Universe

 

The Choice
Two men must each make a choice that will change both their lives forever! Detective James Corrigan encounters an ancient and dark threat on the mean streets of New York City.

Dark Fantasy / Visionary Universe

 

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