Kristopher Landis has worked in a number of genres and styles, including covering soccer for SB Nation and Major League Soccer, writing a mystery novel, and freelance journalism. Quest for the Dragon Star is Landis' first foray into full length non-fiction, and was a passion project. Landis lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife Victoria, who designed the book, and their two children.

Quest for the Dragon Star by Kristopher Landis

Quest for the Dragon Star: An Oral History of WMAC Masters is the first of its kind look at the classic 90s television phenomenon WMAC Masters. Featuring interviews with the creators, cast, and crew of the show, Quest for the Dragon Star is a must-read for any fan of martial arts, 90s nostalgia, or pop culture.

With never before seen pictures, drawings, and shocking info about the plans for the canceled-too-soon series future, Quest for the Dragon Star offers a unique glimpse into the creation, execution, and shaping of a television series. Diving deep into the connections with professional wrestling, Mortal Kombat, and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers fans of the series will discover entirely new layers to the classic show!

CURATOR'S NOTE

If you watched Quest For the Dragon Star in its day, you know that it would have made the perfect video game. Martial artists playing colorful characters and competing for glory—that could be the plot of any Capcom or Midway fighting classic. Landis keeps the show alive by speaking directly to those who made it happen, and the result is the perfect video game-adjacent story. (For an extra treat, check out the PDF version, which includes all the gorgeous artwork, photographs, and layout design from the original publication.) -David L. Craddock, curator

 

REVIEWS

  • "It was like living it all over again."

    – Erik “Panther” Betts, WMAC Masters Star

  • "Reading the book was a revelation. I learned things I never knew about, even back then, and remembered things I thought I'd forgotten!"

    – Jamie “Great Wolf” Webster, WMAC Masters Star

  • "Kris provides tons of details about each episode, including: how the show came to life, reasons for casting decisions and how the scripts transformed over time. His deep digging into the catacombs of the WMAC archives helps answer one of the show's longest lingering questions: what would have happened to JuKiDo if there had been a third season? Fans of the show will not be disappointed!"

    – Dan Hubp- WMAC Masters editor and artist
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

I decided I needed to know more. Specifically, I wanted to know if anyone involved with the show remembered where the story was heading, and more importantly, would someone tell me. So, really, this book started because I needed to solve a mystery. My writing background (one novel and some time spent covering the Columbus Crew, my hometown Major League Soccer team) gave me just enough juice to seem legitimate, or at least I hoped it would. So I did some digging and found email addresses for several cast members. I told them that I was a writer working on something about the show. Which was true. However, I wasn't about to tell them I had no real idea what form that something was going to take.

Chris Casamassa was the first to respond and say yes to talking with me. I don't know if you'd be reading this book if he hadn't been so kind, outgoing, and open in sharing his stories and memories with me about the show. Someone the caliber of Red Dragon (or Scorpion, if you're a Mortal Kombat fan) treating me like a legitimate writer not only gave me the confidence to take things on with aplomb but also helped to boost the legitimacy of me and this project in the eyes of the other cast members. Being able to toss out that, "I've already spoken with Chris" was a huge help in getting some of the others to agree to an interview with me.

It all grew from there. Each interview opened another door for me. "You should talk to…" and "let me get you in touch with…" became phrases I heard repeatedly. I was then and still remain overwhelmed with the openness and support the cast and crew showed me. As an outsider with no connection to the show other than being a fan, they had no reason to be as helpful as they were. It has been one of the most humbling experiences of my life.

All those stories and meetings finally led to the moment I had hoped for and set out to achieve. I was on a Zoom call with Norman Grossfeld, the show's Executive Producer, where he laid out the plans and storyline of the show and where it was heading in the future. It was surreal. Even as the cast and crew welcomed me into their world and trusted me to tell their story, I never truly believed I'd find out what was going to happen in Season Three. I've gone back dozens of times and watched the video of that call with him, and it's clear on my face how those revelations of what was to come affected me- I even get a little misty-eyed during the interview. No shame in my game, to steal a phrase from Bridgett Riley.