Posted in: Comics | Tagged:

How Yi Soon Shin Got Stan Lee To Be So Forward With Him

Published Tue, 09 May 2017 10:30:56 -0500

Kody Schitt wrote for Bleeding Cool from Planet Comicon.

There were many independent and upcoming comic creators present at Planet Comicon Kansas City. I wanted to take a moment to spotlight one of these promising creators I met with.

Onrie Kompan is the writer and creator of Yi Soon Shin, a limited series based on the true story of Korean Admiral Yi Soon Shin who repelled the invading Japanese army during the Imjin War of 1592-1598. Yi Soon Shin's forces were outnumbered ten to one yet he successfully defeated the Japanese army twenty-three consecutive times without suffering a single loss.This was a period in history when The Orient was plagued with chaos. The samurai invaders left a destructive wake of carnage in their path raping and slaughtering indiscriminately. Yi Soon Shin and his relatively small naval fleet were the only thing preventing a full Japanese takeover of the Korean Peninsula. This series details the escapades and acts of valor during this brutal war.

Since launching the title, Kompan has sold out of graphic novels and single issues at fifty-four consecutive conventions, with the graphic novel having sold over 62,000 copies. He sold over 1,000 books during his three days at Planet Comicon alone. Last year at New York Comicon, he sold over 1,500 copies.

This is Kompan's first book and it was funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign. He hired an international team of artists and co-wrote the book with David Anthony Kraft who had runs writing Marvel titles including Defenders, She-Hulk and Captain America. This lead to Stan Lee authoring the forward for the graphic novel and giving the book a ringing endorsement.

Thanks to the success of the Kickstarter campaign, Kompan scored a licensing deal with Precious Metals Coin Company, who are making coins based off the original art work from the book. He also has a toy deal in the works and was licensed to make the film The Admiral: Roaring Currents which is currently available for streaming on Netflix.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!