Believe in your project

After the Kickstarter Edition of Patriot-1 was published, I felt it was strong enough to do bigger and better things. I'm still tweaking the screenplay version and I'm exploring options of crossing into other media, but the heart of the project will always be the book.

It took 7 years from initial idea to finished form. Mostly because I was still finding my voice as a writer, I was trying to figure out how I wanted to do things. I teamed with a few artists but none of them clicked until Dexter. And of course, Donna Gregory's colors really brought the book to life.

But I poured a lot of heart and soul into that book and not just crafting the story. I did ALL of the graphic design work. I did the lettering. I did the book layout and format. I designed the covers, the spine, the back cover. That book is very much a part of me. And after the book was finalized, proofs approved and printed, I was able to actually sit down and read it to enjoy it. Are there things I would do differently? Yes, of course.

When the script was finished, my
editor and good friend Keith Dallas said to me "honestly, that was better than I thought it would be." Keith's guidance and opinion means a great deal to me and he used to edit my reviews at Comics Bulletin and he's been with me since I decided to jump into comics. But after I sat down and read it, to actually enjoy the finished product, it hit me. I thought to myself, "the book is actually pretty good." That's also around the time a lot of the positive response came in from Kickstarter backers. Then in Baltimore and New York Comic Con, regular readers, indie creators and established creators all commented on how the book looked.

I really thought I had crafted something special. So I did a little research and found the Independent Book Publisher Awards (IPPY Awards). These awards are legit, and looking at past winners, I didn't think I had a snowball's chance in hell. But I believe in my story, I believe in the quality of my work - it's something I pride myself on. So I submitted the book to the awards.

About a month or so later, following more positive praise from readers on Amazon, Kickstarter backers and beyond, I submitted it to Diamond for distribution.

Diamond is the lifeblood of the comics industry. Love them or hate them, if you want your book to really get out there, it has to be in the PREVIEWS catalog. I debated about it for a few days. You see, Diamond is scary for indie creators. A lot of us are afraid of rejection whether we want to admit it or not. Diamond is this big, scary entity that has a reputation for not being friendly to small press and indie comics.

I debated and debated. I have a weird knowledge of Diamond because I've worked at a comic store for 13 years, so I've seen the ups and downs at the retail level.

Then I read Tyler James' really insightful column at ComixTribe. I've known Tyler for a few years, we used to hit a lot of the same conventions and he's a really, really good dude. If you ever come across ComixTribe at a convention, meet Tyler and the crew. They are good bros that love comics and have some really great, unfiltered and honest insights into the business.

As I've mentioned, the book was accepted by Diamond, it was in last month's catalog and hopefully it does well sales wise. And it was because I believed in the project. I ignored the fear of rejection and went for it.

And that brings us back to the IPPY Award. I felt confident, but I wouldn't be upset if I didn't win anything. However, as it turns out, Patriot-1 won the Bronze Medal for Outstanding Graphic Novel - Drama/Documentary. I am much more excited about the award than I thought I'd be.

I've always believed in this book, I believe in the characters and the message, and I believe in my ability to craft an entertaining story. The IPPY Award is a small piece of validation that all the hard work has meant something.

Now Patriot-1 is an award-winning book, I'm an award-winning writer. Dexter is an award-winning artist and Donna is an award-winning colorist. It's kind of neat.

Next time you think twice about submitting your project to Diamond or putting it up for an Award... ask yourself if you really believe in the project. What's your biggest fear? What is holding you back? Don't let anything keep you from believing in the work you have done.
  

Tried Tumblr....

Not for me. Didn't really do what I wanted it to. It's a cool platform, but it's great for sharing images and stuff and that's not a lot of what I like to do.

Fitting it all in.

I haven't updated here since October. Not because I didn't want to, but because I just had a lot of other things happening. Patriot-1 was funded, fulfillment was intense and time consuming, a few conventions happened and I started to plan for the future of TJ Comics and Patriot-1. And my day job tends to be a little nuts and exhausting. Plus on top of that, I have 2 year old twins and a 10 month old, all of whom, along with my wife are the complete center of my multiverse. It's a little hectic.

With Patriot-1 done, and LIMITED Kickstarter editions available on Amazon and my online store, I started to refocus on projects on hold - Steel Creek - and new projects that I've wanted to start for a while - ExtraOrdinary. You can read the first issue of ExtraOrdinary HERE.

Not to mention, I started the plotting of the second book of Patriot-1.

I also wanted to turn Patriot-1 into a screenplay. That's still a work in progress, but I needed to take a break from it.

But during the convention endeavors - especially New York Comic Con, where I sat in Artist's Alley with The Artist's Choice for the 2 days - the response to Patriot-1 was really positive. Now, here I was, some indie creator a few hours one day sitting next to Phil Jimenez , the next day sitting next to Joe Rubenstein. Really, I was a peon amongst legends.

But honestly, for the first time I felt I belonged.

I did a panel at Baltimore Comic-Con about Kickstarter comics hosted by Visionary Studios. I was on the panel with my good friends Jamal Igle and Mike Kingston - but it wasn't really until being back at NYCC - which nearly made me shut down TJ Comics in 2011, that I felt I belonged.

I realized I was doing what I really wanted to do.

And I really believe that Patriot-1 is something special. I submitted it to the Independent Book Publisher Awards and started to look for more distribution channels besides my online store and Amazon.
Make no mistake, TJ Comics is a one-man operation and it's hard to juggle everything.

But one day I literally woke up and said to myself, "Screw it, I'm just going to submit it to Diamond."

You see, there was this fear I had that because I was just some indie creator looking to break in with the big publishers - a veritable nobody - my book would never be accepted by Diamond. So I thought about it, took a look at Tyler James' incredible write-ups on indie comics over at Comix Tribe, and just decided to pull the trigger. The worst that happens is they don't accept it and nothing changes.

Well, after a couple weeks of waiting, a nice chat with a Diamond rep, a new cover and a price drop later, Patriot-1 is now in April Previews for a June release. If you're interested, you can print out the form below, fill it out and give it to your retailer.

On gender, race and sexism in comics.

It's really difficult to figure out where to begin with the topic(s) of sexism and diversity in comics (they go together).

Why is it so difficult?

Because I'm a white male who created a white male character at a time when the culture is calling for diversity in ethnicity, gender and even sexual orientation.

Let's just get this part out of the way, when I look at people, I don't see "ethnicity." I just don't. It's not how I was raised; it's not how I am wired. I look at people and I see different cultures, I see different religions, but I see one common and undeniable trait in all of us: We are all human.

We all have different experiences that shape us and mold us, but at the end of the day we are human. That's why I don't see racial lines. We are all equal in my eyes. Some of us are more fortunate, some of us are less fortunate, some of us are in the middle. But at the end of the day, I see us all as human.

Unfortunately, and as evidenced by Ferguson and the response, the racial divide is still a major issue in America. And that's sad. It's depressingly sad.

And that’s also what sparks the debate in our comics and our movies based on comics. Most recently, it was Guardians of the Galaxy. There was some uproar over the fact that Star-Lord was a white male, and that all of the Marvel movies (in particular) are populated and led by white males. That is very true. And it’s also true that Star-Lord, created by Steve Englehart and Steve Gan in 1976’s Marvel Preview #4, is a white male. He’s also half Spartoi (in the comics) and something else in the movies. Could he have been a different ethnicity? Sure. But there does exist a contingent of fandom that would cry foul at changing that aspect of the character. Does it really matter? No, it doesn’t in this case. But Chris Pratt was beyond perfect for the role.

In fact, the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe has been perfectly cast. And the second Marvel casts a non-white actor in a role that is based on a white character the “diversity for the sake of diversity” argument erupts.

There are two obvious changes in a character's ethnicity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. First is Nick Fury. In the comics, an older white guy who ages slowly thanks to the Infinity Formula (or as recently retconned – endless Life Model Decoys). In Mark Millar’s The Ultimates, artist Bryan Hitch modeled his Nick Fury as a younger black man modeled after Sam Jackson. This change was well-received by fans and has mostly translated across all media. It worked and continues to work because everyone could and can picture Jackson as Fury.

The second is Heimdall. Played by Idris Elba in Thor and Thor 2, some fans did cry foul that a black man was cast as a white, hulking, Norse being. But here’s the thing about Idris Elba. He’s electric. He has so much gravitas and ability that he mystifies and steals every one of his scenes in both Thor and Thor 2. You want Heimdall to do that. He sees everything. He feels the weight of the nine realms, and Elba crushes that role.

Kind of a side note, but speaking of Elba, there’s this brilliant interview he did about playing James Bond and why he doesn’t want to do it. And he’s not wrong.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/04/idris-elba-james-bond_n_4541389.html
 
For example, let's say Moon Knight, one of my all-time favorite characters, is cast and it's not me. Let's say a black actor, or a latino actor or whoever is cast as Marc Spector. Do I care? No. I don't care. What I care about it said actor's talent. Is said actor going to do the character justice? That's what matters. That's really what should matter.

Of course, the real talk – and I think what people really want – are a Black Panther, Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) and Black Widow solo film. I personally believe the Black Widow movie will happen after the lovely lady that portrays the character has her child and is ready to go. And I also think that adapting the two story-arcs by Greg Rucka and Devin Grayson – the one where the other Black Widow tries to kill the one we love – would be the perfect story. It needs to happen and soon, and I’ll be there when it does.

In terms of both Black Panther and Captain Marvel, a character I adore, I’m more inclined to let Marvel’s plan play out. I think Age of Ultron will be the bridge to Wakanda and Black Panther, and I believe Agents of SHIELD and Guardians of the Galaxy is the bridge to Captain Marvel. Both have been set up, and I’m really hoping there’s a huge payoff for both of them.  But Marvel has had a deliberate plan in their cinematic universe and it has yet to fail me.

And I have heard “you're a white male well-represented in those movies!” And I don’t like that, because that’s a) not why I see the movies and b) no, I actually enjoy the movies to see my favorite characters brought to life. I’m a big Captain America fan. And Cap has been done pretty well on the big screen. As I've said, I don’t care who plays who or whatever, if the movie is good and the character is true to who they are, I’m in.

Something like this upcoming Fantastic Four movie, there’s a lot of uproar because the characters won’t be true to their roots and that “diversity for the sake of diversity” is at play. Michael B. Jordan, a fine actor, was cast as Human Torch. Kate Mara, a fine actress, was cast as Sue Storm. The problem people have with the casting? One is white and one is black. In the comics, Johnny and Sue Storm are brother and sister, it adds to the dynamic and family aspect of the Fantastic Four. Apparently in this new film, they are adopted. I’ll admit, it does take away from the dynamic of the Fantastic Four a little bit. Why not just make them both black? Seriously? Meagan Good would be a solid Sue Storm.

Is it diversity for the sake of diversity? To use the controversy as PR? I don’t know maybe, but the same thing happens in comics.

There was some uproar over Thor becoming a lady and Falcon becoming Cap. To which I simply said, “Well, if you’ve been reading either title, this is pretty much the direction they’ve been going in for a couple years.” Both provide for interesting stories. Of course, my only argument against Falcon becoming Cap is the same as it was when Bucky became Cap. The mantle of Captain America doesn’t work without Steve Rogers. It’s that whole greatest generation thing… and this isn’t the first time Falcon has assumed the shield. I also don’t want it to take away from Falcon, who is a great character with his own identity. But nevertheless, as much as I am not a huge fan of Rick Remender’s Cap run, I’m interested to see where it goes and the Batman Beyond-ish dynamic they’ve set up.

Speaking of Remender's run... I'm not even going to get into the #FireRickRemender nonsense. Because that's what it was... nonsense.

Now, there’s still a continued push for comics to be more inclusive. For more female creators like Gail Simone and Kelly Sue DeConnick, both of whom are amongst my “oh she’s the writer, I’ll give it a try.”  And I am 100% for that. Not everything Simone and DeConnick do are my cup of tea – as with every writer — but, frankly, if the story is good, if the characters are developed well and all that… then who cares if the writer or creative team is white, black, male, female, gay, straight… who cares. I want stories that are engaging, in service to the character and their evolution, and don’t feel like a chore to read before I drop the titles. I wish more fans shared that sentiment and that this was the norm in the industry.

There have been major improvements on the female characters in comics front. Batwoman, Ms. Marvel becoming Captain Marvel, the NEW Ms. Marvel, the new look Batgirl that everyone loved… we need to see more of it sure. Hell, I want more Captain Marvel merch aimed at girls so that my daughter can A) have a really awesome superhero to follow and b) so I can dress her up as Captain Marvel to match her twin brother dressed up as Captain America.

The way Kelly Sue DeConnick has been going with the character, I may not have to wait much longer. And it's not because DeConnick is a female creator that makes Captain Marvel such an enjoyable read, it's because she's a hell of a good writer.

Need a classic example of a female creator being a hell of a writer and creating really enjoyable stories? Look no further than Louise Simonson. Especially her work on Superman.

My point is, yes PLEASE hire more female creators. We might get another Johns or Bendis. We may even get another Chuck Austen. Comics isn't just a man's game. Comics are for everyone.

But of course, things can get rather ugly.

I'm not going to really go into that Milo Manara cover of Spider-Woman all that much. Should editorial maybe been a little more mindful of the cover given the current state and scrutiny of the comics industry? Maybe, sure. But a best-selling and valuable variant cover has just been born. And let's be honest, the bloggers and commentors going off about how "Milo Manara can't draw" obviously have no idea what they are talking about. Manara is a very specific type of artist who has been around for years and has drawn many a Marvel covers. After all, at the end of the day if you don't like the cover, you don't have to buy it.

What warrants real mention, however, is treatment of women in the culture. When I first starting making comics and doing shows, I would set up a table, usually with my friend and editor Keith Dallas and we'd just chat about comics, sell our comics, get annoyed with other sellers around us, take turns walking the floor and just take it all in. Recently, I did my first show in a long time. It was my first show with Patriot-1 and my first con being a dad. It wasn't a great convention - bad venue, non-buying crowd - and as much as I felt back in my element... I just wanted to go home to my wife and kids. I mean I'm at these cons to do business. I'll mingle, network and make/see friends in the industry... but at the end of the day, I'm there to sell my books.

Now I like conventions. I love cosplayers. I love when guys and gals put a ton of thought into their outfits. Whether authentic, gory, homemade, sexy or whatever... I love it. What I don't love is the way some dudes act.

At this show, the table next to us had a "booth babe" for lack of a better term, one of the days. Nice girl, making some money being there... attracting customers to table. Now she had a pair of short, short tights on that showed off a little bit of her backside. Okay, fine, whatever. Good for you. Confident women are the best. What isn't the best is the real creepers that wouldn't just take pictures WITH her, they would take pictures of her. You know, when she's not looking, when they are behind her and with their cameras blatantly pointed at her ass. 

I face-palmed a few times. I felt gross. As a man, I just felt dirty. I mean I hear all these stories about sexual harassment of cosplayers and women at these cons and I just get grossed out. And when you see it first-hand like that... I mean it's like you are witnessing the creepy neighbor videotape the girl across the street without her knowledge. Whenever I caught someone in front of my table doing it (quite a few times they were on the other side of the aisle or walking away) I would try and distract them by going into my sales pitch. It worked a few times, other times it worked in the sense that these guys didn't want to be sold anything so they ran.

I don't feel like some kind of upstanding citizen or anything. I just like to think I'm a decent man and human being. I've done dumb shit my life like everyone else, but as a 30-year old father of three and a man who loves the comics industry and culture, I'm just not going to put up with it.

And I come home, and then the Yale Stewart thing erupts. I just... my mind was blown. But sadly, given the general idiocy of some men today, I wasn't totally surprised.

In a nutshell, Yale Stewart is an acclaimed creator of the JL8 webcomic and works on some DC Kids books. Eisner-nominated. He does stuff aimed at kids.

Except one thing in particular. He got into a public spat with artist Ulises Farinas, who was upset that every time there was a national tragedy or incident, Stewart was quick to make charity wallpapers and such. Farinas was basically accusing Stewart of being an ambulance chaser.

Then came the real bombshell. That "one thing in particular" I mentioned. Yale Stewart has a real thing for sending pictures of his genitalia to women in the comics industry.

SIGH.

Like... dude. You are now, as Rich Johnston called you, the Anthony Wiener of comics. 

It's just mind-numbing. And this isn't just Yale Stewart. It's everyone... every man. Don't take dick pics. Ladies... don't text nude photos. They do nothing but cause trouble. Seriously. Even if they are welcome... they might bite you in the ass. Plus, the NSA gets them too. And that's fun.

But what's worse is Yale Stewart's "apologies" and all the idiots that have come to his defense. My favorite comics blogger Valerie D'Orazio has a nice collection of comments in defense of Stewart here: http://valeriedorazio.com/post/95300889192/silence-is-consent

I read these and I cringe. I literally feel sick. You people that come out in defense of this ass clown are the reason the industry has these issues. I mean come on. 

Since when do "mixed signals" mean you get a dick pic? I mean I was never that great at reading women - most guys aren't - but really? You're not sure if she's interested so you just... ugh. 

And you do kids books. And charity work. You sir, are an asshole. Because of you we take a nice big step backwards.

Maybe I'm just lucky. I've been with my wife for almost 10 years, married for 4 and I've never looked at another woman. We've been together since college - before I got into the comics industry. My wife is funny, beautiful, smart, a fantastic mom... and the best part, she could care less about comics and this culture I'm part of. That really might be the best thing ever. She supports me and everything I do... but she doesn't have any interest in it and every time I hear one of these stories, I'm glad she's not a part of this nonsense. 

I guess what this all stems from is where I fall in the industry and a weird feeling that somehow I'm the bad guy.

I'm white. I'm a male and I'm currently hocking Patriot-1 starring a white, male lead. I love comics, I want to change the industry, I want to be a big part of the industry and leave a mark on the culture and maybe make humanity a little better in the process.

Yet with all the talk and need for diversity, respect for women, uproar over slight changes, big changes and no changes, what did I do? I created and put out to the market, a white male hero wearing an American patriotic costume. (The American angle is best suited for another post).

So, Should I feel bad? Does all of this suddenly devalue my book? Am I considered “part of the problem” because of my creation?

 

I hope not because it’s got a really diverse cast. And every character that appears in the book was created a long time ago. It’s got a really strong female lead who is one of my favorite characters of the one’s I’ve created mostly because she’s tough, smart and thoughtful. I actually named her and kind of modeled her after real-life super-spy badass Valerie Plame.

But why is my main character a white male as opposed to a black male? Or a female? I want to answer this question. Not because I feel like I have to, but because I want to. The answer is because the main character’s look is sort of modeled after me. Remember I mentioned someone "other than me" being cast as Moon Knight?

Many moons ago, before I focused on writing, I wanted to be an actor. I still kind of do, I just don't have the time. I have zero real acting experience, but the kid in me only ever wanted to play a superhero in the movies or TV and leave my mark on the culture that way. It's good to have the big romantic dreams... even today.

So yeah, Patriot-1 with his brown hair and blue eyes, like a couple other characters I've created in the past, is kind of designed that way. Though today I have much less hair.

But the truth is, Patriot-1 is a great story. Really. And when it comes to comics and the movies based on them and the culture surrounding us, that's what we need to focus on. Good stories. I want to see a Black Widow movie. I sure as hell want to see Carol Danvers in the movies. I want to see Black Panther. And most importantly I want to enjoy the hell out of those movies like I have  just about every other Marvel movie.

I also want Wonder Woman done right. Not this Batman v. Superman loose Dark Knight Returns adaptation nonsense.

As an industry and a culture, we need diversity to get there. We need writers and creators with different experiences and interests to get us there. We need a broader range of characters at the forefront of the culture without compromising their own identities.

As creators we need to focus more on telling, selling and spreading great stories, not becoming the story.

I love comics and I love being a part of the industry and I will fight for it to be equal for everyone. I will fight for "Comics are for Everyone" for as long as I can.

This is what we do. And we can do better.

It's been busy...

It's been a busy, crazy, roller coaster month and a half since I launched the Patriot-1 Kickstarter on July 1.

Thankfully, the Patriot-1 Kickstarter was successful. That's only the beginning of the work... what comes next is trying to organize rewards, it took me a week just to get the files in the right size and format to the printer, but now it's all good things are moving along and after 7 years, Patriot-1 is real. I've held it in my hands... I've read it like 5 times... I carry a copy in my bag to work.

It's all exciting stuff, I did a convention and sold a few copies, but the convention itself wasn't great, but Baltimore is on the horizon and I can't wait. I hate, HATE being away from my wife and my kids... but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Kickstarter was a roller coaster, and I will have a post on the experience soon.

But what's really been eating at me this week is the news. The stuff in Ferguson, the horrid state of racial relationships in America, and delving back into comics, the rampant sexism that is currently fueling raging debates among friends and professionals.

It's all a bit crazy, really. And something I feel like talking about.

Patriot-1 Kickstarter

Patriot-1 has been on Kickstarter... that's why I've been missing :)



https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1247701955/patriot-1-an-action-packed-original-graphic-novel

Patriot-1 is coming to Kickstarter

Creating comics is not an easy task. When you are the writer, creator and publisher rolled into one, it’s that much more difficult.

Why you ask? Because after crafting your script or idea, you have to find an artist. You have to find one that is affordable, understands the pitfalls and tiny budgets of creator-owned books and is also reliable. You also have to find additional artists if you need an inker or colorist. They have to be flexible and unless they are published by a major company, they have to be available. They also can't expect a fortune. Even with all of that, you have to make sure the art fits your story.

And while you are paying the artist(s), you are likely making nothing. Zero.

It's a tough road, an expensive hobby. But if you are like me, there are just stories you want to tell. 

And to think, my skill set includes pre-press, graphic design and lettering. But it's all self-costs I eat.

Patriot-1 is a character that has existed in some form or another for as long as I can remember. His name has changed, his look has changed and even the universe in which he exists has changed.

But he took on his current form in 2007. I’ve spent years researching and following the U.S. Military and World History and I’ve always had a fascination with Special Forces. With Patriot-1, I wanted to create something authentic and realistic without forgetting that it was a comic book. I'll be the first to admit I didn't have the stones to serve, but I'll be damned if I haven't learned anything I can. 

I've always been enamored with the real-life superheroes of special operations forces. I think of myself as a bit of an amateur historian on the subject. After all, I own and have read just about every book and watched every documentary there is on Operation Neptune Spear (and that's just one of many).

I graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in film with a screenwriting concentration. I love movies and comics, but over the past 7 years, I sacrificed a lot of time to craft this story into its current form because it is the story I’ve wanted to tell.

In that time, there have been a few insanely talented people that have come and gone. Whether it was delays, long development times or they just got better paying gigs; I eventually found the perfect team in Dexter Wee and Donna Gregory.

Originally intended to be a five issue series, I eventually let the story take the helm and it naturally found its way to a 176 page graphic novel. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past five years that I have created comics, it’s that having the entire story available for readers is insanely important.

For examples, Mack Turner: Slayer of the Dead and Steel Creek are two projects that have been halted for a couple of years because the artists got better paying gigs and I shifted focus a bit. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s that much harder to gain an audience when they are waiting for the next installments.

Thus it was very important to me that Patriot-1 be a complete story. After an earlier version was rejected by a publisher, I rewrote the entire thing and it became something else entirely. The core concepts were still the same, but it is undoubtedly the best thing I have ever written.  It’s exciting, the characters are deep and the action is non-stop.

Putting the book (finally) into production was a must. I wanted a completed project and now that I have it, the debate over how to release it took off.

Submit it to more publishers? Take out a loan? Print on-demand? Digital only? Release as a webcomic?

The possibilities seemed endless, the questions mounted.

But so-called “traditional” routes of publishing are becoming a thing of the past. In 2007, I was trying to figure out ways for Patriot-1 (Or U.S.Avenger as he was then) to be incorporated into a publisher’s plan or universe.

In 2007, Kickstarter wasn’t a thing. By the end of 2013, crowd-funding (Kickstarter and Indiegogo) made up 2 percent of the comics market. Considering Marvel consistently owns 40 percent of it… that 2 percent is massive.

I’ve contributed to a number of Kickstarters. As long as they are successful and the people behind them are passionate, Kickstarter is perhaps the single greatest outlet for creator-owned and small press comics.

Why? Because you can directly connect with your readers. You can offer cool incentives that a backer would otherwise be unable to obtain.

With all of this in mind, and after years of watching the growth of comics on Kickstarter, it only makes sense that it becomes the outlet for Patriot-1.

But here’s the beautiful part of it. Patriot-1 is complete. There are many projects that hinge on Kickstarter success before they even start production – but Patriot-1 is complete. I am not turning to Kickstarter to fund the project; I’m turning to Kickstarter to fund the print run.

Ideally, I’d like to offer a 200-page hardcover graphic novel. Complete with an alternate cover gallery and concept art, I’m looking to raise enough money to provide the book for backers and self-distribute to other outlets such as Amazon.

There will be incentives like prints, commissions, a custom cover and maybe even a collectible… but the book will be available at a (roughly) $25 level. That’s a 200-page, full color book for $25 (plus shipping).

Bargain.

I’m aiming to launch the Kickstarter on July 1 or before. So stay tuned.