The Ma brothers Bio Richard Ma-The oldest of the brothers is an attorney who never lost his love of comic books. This level headed "creative equalizer" behind the scenes at Epic Props has a martial arts background that includes Isheen Ryu Karate(5.yrs), Mantis and Baji Chuan (8.yrs) Jerry Ma- The middle brother dabbles in mantis and has "mastered the art of DVD watching". Ever the artist his wit is as quick as his pencil and pen. Childrens clothes designer by day Epic Props lead artist by night. Jimmy Ma- The youngest of the creative trio is a stockbroker by trade. This writing force behind the team has studied Western Boxing, Sanshou style fighting,and Mantis The Epic Props trio is now in print through Digatal Webbing Presents issues one and two.

Kicking With The Eight Dragons A BLT exclusive review of the online comic strip Reported by Keith Williams As a comic fan who has studies martial arts, I have to say anything with "dragon" in its title has better hold my interest. Lets face it this mythological creature which is revered in the east as well as the west has been used, and misused, far too often. Having said that The Eighth Dragon, available online at www.epicprops.com and in print through Digital Webbing presents#2, held my interest. Created by the Ma Brothers, this tale of good and evil reads like "Mortal Kombat meets Saturday afternoon Kung Fu cinema". Set in a mythological China, the evil Kanon has through treachery beated Master Li Xu Wen and his protege Tupa in the tournament known as Contest of the Clouds. With his new power, Kanon is determined to bring about hell on earth. To save humanity from Kanon’s cruelties, enter the intrepid Troy and Meiling, junior disciples of master Wen. They must seek out the one warrior who can raise the legendary eighth dragon, and thus save the world. At first glimpse, the premise may not sound that original, but it gets much deeper. Inside this Kung Fu/sci-fi epic is the love story of Troy and Meiling, a love so deep that it is recreated through out time and space again and again. It is the goal of the Ma brothers to thread this love story through many different titles in different universes. As for the flow of action, it is not Dragon Ball. No spheres of energy being hurled at opponents here, just clearly illustrated technique. Done mainly in horizontal sequences, you get to see the start and finish of each volley of blows. An easy task for the lead artist Jerry Ma whom has two solid martial artists for brothers, Richard and Jimmy. They choreographed the moves while Jerry drew it out. In other words, don't expect half-hearted kicks, punches, and chops that some of our better known costumed heroes use. Expect to feel the weight of leg-sweeps and palm-strikes that come from systems of actual martial arts including Mantis, and the lesser recognized but extremely powerful Baji Chuan. The writing thankfully never gets bogged down in narratives. Jimmy Ma does a good job with dialogue that actually explains the strengths of certain moves, and often times, names them. This can be educational for martial art fans. The 8th Dragon is loaded with potential not as polished as some of Hong Kong's best selling series (A Man called Hero, Wind and Cloud) but definitely not something to sleep on either. Comic fans should watch these Ma brothers they are really on to something. Read The Eight Dragons at www.Epicprops.com A LITTLE ABOUT OUR NEW WRITER! Keith Williams was born and raised in Brooklyn. As a youth, he spent most of free time reading comics, making up heroes and watching old school anime to escape from a declining neighborhood. A big fan of Kung Fu movies and wishes to some day have the body of Lo Mang (The Toad from the Five Deadly Venoms). Has trained in karate, boxing and for the last eight years Hsing-I. Currently freelancing (Photoshop, Illustrator when able) but also in the progress of throwing comic art back in the ring. Biggest goals include: to deepen comprehension of Northern and Southern Hsing-I; to successfully blur the lines between comics and video games using 2D and 3D; and to be able to fly like in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Send comments about this review to our new contributor, Keith.

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