This week, Immortal Studios launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the first comic book-based shared universe of Wuxia martial arts-fantasy stories, with a series of interconnected comic books inspired by the storytelling of Shiao Yi, in the form of the new title Assassin G. From Jen Troy, a writer for the CW's Supergirl, and artist He Tao, with coloring by Hi-Fi Design and lettering by AndWorld Design. Assassin G presents the deadly saga of vengeance between warring factions in the martial underworld in the early 1980s. The novel that inspired Assassin G, by Wuxia master Shiao Yi, 甘 19 妹 (Gan the 19th Sister), is known as one of the preeminent IPs in the Chinese-speaking world which has been adapted for television four times, and this new series will mark the story's first comic book and English language adaptation. The Assassin G Kickstarter campaign is now live.
Artist He Tao and Immortal Studios have provided ComicBook with an exclusive first look at the character sketches for the comic. You can see both the black and white and color versions of the sketches below.
In Assassin G, Margot Gan was orphaned at the age of two and raised to be a master martial artist, the virtually unstoppable and ghostlike Assassin G. Her sole mission in life is to eliminate the powerful families of the Seven Cultivations Alliance and avenge their betrayal of her stepmother, the formidable Shui Hongshao. But everything changes when Assassin G encounters JP Yin, the leading heir of the Yueyang Family (one of the families of the Seven Cultivations Alliance).
"At the heart of Assassin G is a thrilling game of cat and mouse that plays out between an Assassin syndicate and the ruling martial families," said Jen Troy. "When they meet, both fists and romantic sparks fly, leading us to wonder: will their mutual admiration lead to something more, or will their loyalties to their respective families keep them apart like Romeo & Juliet? It's the classic 'will they, won't they,' and it plays out in a super-fun globe-trotting adventure in the '80s."
"Assassin G delivers Wuxia action and international intrigue," said He Tao, an artist from Tan Comics, who has worked on HOME and Free Fire comics. "Each page needs to capture the interpersonal drama that drives the story, along with widescreen set pieces and '80s era culture. I was a fan of the original Gan the 19th Sister in Chinese, and It's a career high to bring the story of Assassin G and JP Yin to life in the first ever comic book adaptation of the story to bring this classic to a new international audience."
Immortal Studios' Storyverse is spearheaded by the company's Founder and CEO Peter Payhuan Shiao, who created the Immortal Storyverse, is collaborating with a team of comic book storytellers, to modernize and globalize the Wuxia genre that has influenced contemporary pop culture, from Crouching Tigter, Hidden Dragon to The Matrix and Star Wars. The Immortal Studios' Storyverse aims to bring together all the various influences of the storied Wuxia while incorporating the storytelling of one of the foremost authors in the Wuxia genre, Peter Shiao's father Shiao Yi, whose novels have been adapted into film and television more than thirty times, including films by the Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest.
"Our goal is to bring the entirety of the wuxia tradition from its founding spiritual ideals thousands of years ago, and more recent interpretations, into the contemporary world," said Peter Shiao. "In Assassin G, We're transporting the core story elements of the original 甘 19 妹 (Gan the 19th Sister) into the greed-fueled, pop driven, and post war days of the early 1980s at a time when many of the ancient traditions are disappearing to reflect where we are at today. I am so very excited to introduce this legendary story to the West for the first time, while offering the millions of existing fans brand new story elements."
Assassin G #1 will feature a main cover by He Tao, as well as variant covers from celebrated comic book artists Jim Cheung, Joyce Chin, and Gene Ha, and a variant cover by celebrated painter Gian Galang, who created the artwork for the Criterion Collection's Bruce Lee boxed set and is creating his first comic book art for the project.
"With her mastery of the Vermilion Pavilion's signature fight moves such as Chiral Light and Umbral Strike, Assassin G is truly without peer," said Hank Kanalz, Immortal Studios Head of Publishing. "This is our fourth addition to the Immortal Storyverse, and I'm quite pleased how this story has solid threads into our other series, and yet stands alone as an exciting new action-packed thrilling quest for revenge."