A lot has happened since my last update. First, Inchi #01 wrapped, and then 21 Steezy Snuffs launched! Truth be told, I kinda wrecked my very cool-looking site turning it over to an e-comm page. I still don’t love it yet, but I’ll get there! But that’s not why you’re reading this! Let’s talk art!
If you’ve already pledged for 21 Steezy Snuffs (21SS), then you know that I’ve been on studio lockdown finalizing art. It’s been so much fun! I’m super excited about where it’s at and coming together nicely. That said, (Pirate Voice) “there be 10 days left” on this Voyage at $707 raised. As I said in yesterday’s Kickstarter update, I’m thrilled! Considering this type of book isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, it’s incredible! But that’s why we serve tea, coffee, and scotch on this ship. No spiced rum in this update.
So let me take you through some of the new art that’s coming into the book. Another word of caution these are in progress! Let’s start with the surprise breakout star, the plague doctor!
Plague doctors have never gone out of fashion. Still, considering we have been living a modern plague for some time, perhaps that’s a boost. I love this dark and mysterious version, but this is how he will appear in 21SS with the story.
I’ll work the dark and mysterious version in somewhere too just cause he’s cool. Maybe on a keychain? Or a fridge magnet! This is what’s circling through my mind right now!
Ah, ha, ha! Love that movie, and oh, so true! But more on the fall conventions I’ll be at later!
These Animals are all “Rude men, gangsters, proper naughty boys, and all that bollocks!” Love that line from Guy Ritchie’s, The Gentlemen! In the print version, expect blood on Mr. Rabbit.
You probably never considered the challenges Brownies and Faerie Folk go through daily! Empathy is a blade that requires constant sharpening.
I love doing these silhouette-style pieces. It has an inherent drama to it that is unique to the form. In this piece, I’m working towards having the bloodied face the focal point as the story pivots on this detail. Sort of. 😉
OMG! She has no hands….NO HANDS!!! LOL!!! I love the drama unfolding on this one too. It’s different in that I’m going for more of an oil on canvas look. It’s exciting to see it coming together.
This book is a long-time dream come true with a wide breadth of art styles throughout. There are ten days to pledge if you want to support it directly. I appreciate you being on the Voyage in any case! I gotta get back to work, and you gotta get on to enjoying the holiday!
It’s a great day on the blimp because bookmarks and postcards have arrived! Take a look!
The stickers are due to arrive on Tuesday, and we are still on track for the book in the next two weeks. The stickers are due to arrive on Tuesday, and we are still on track for the book in the next few weeks. Once we get inventory, those will be on the website for purchase. Book 2 is already in art production! Can’t wait to post up some prelims.
There are just 8 days remaining in this campaign and only $115 left to unlock the Runa Postcard Extra! Thats thanks to some generous backers who joined us in the last few days. Remember, Runa is only available at a print tier so you can always upgrade your pledge to make sure you get this bonus! Either way, please share the campaign around in this final week because I really want to print this card!
Campaign Updates You Should Know About
I decided to do something fun with the project cover in this final week on Kickstarter. When you look for updates you will notice I changed the cover to this…
I’m calling this the “dark vs. light” version. Armida and her legion of monsters taking on the world against our hero’s! Speaking of Armida, she’s appeared a few times in the preview but for you guys…here’s another preview page!
But that’s STILL NOT ALL! I added TWO MORE preview pages to the story on the project so head over and check those out when you have a moment.
You’ll have just 8 more days to wait because I’m not giving you anymore teasers! More rewards, sure! We just have to get the word out. Thanks for your help!!!
Friends to Check out
Our friends over at Last Ember Press are currently raising funds for a unique take on Alice In Wonderland that has some fun reversals from the original.
Curiouser is a sequel of sorts set some time in the future starring Alice’s adult son, Alec as he gets pulled into a plot to save Wonderland from a hostile takeover by a mysterious new threat! Join, Alec, The Knave, The Mad Hatter, and more as they fight to restore Wonderland to the peace and balance that Alice managed to leave this wondrous place in when she left so many years ago.
I love this concept and the art is gorgeous. If your any kind of fan of Alice this is something you should be looking into…through a looking glass perhaps?
The campaign to print this book is 157% funded! So that’s $786 pledged and with just 13 days remaining I’d love to unlock a second stretch goal! Wait, you don’t know what a stretch goal is?
Stretch goals are extra’s that I can throw in the more money that we raise together. The first stretch goal was $750 and we blew past that last night. That means that everyone who’s backed this comic will be receiving this fun Inchi character sticker for free with their reward package.
The second stretch goal is set for $1000. I know we can do it because I know there are a few out there who want to stress me out and haven’t pledged yet. Well, let me sweeten the pot a little. If we get to $1000 pledged then it will unlock this Runa character postcard.
This postcard is a vertical format 4×6 that you can collect or actually mail out. Runa is a mermaid unlike any other and she can be yours once we get past this stretch goal. Please note that the art isn’t final…but close.
If your new to Kickstarter or went on there and thought you were looking at a Chinese menu then please watch this video I prepared just for you! It explains the reward tiers and what you get per contribution starting as low as $5. Please keep in mind that only “print backers” are eligible for the stretch goal unlocks which start at $10.
Please help this project get all the way from dream to reality!
Happy Friday everyone! Very happy for MoonBlimp indeed because as this is written we are already 86% funded and $66 away from goal. BUT, I still need your help to get us all the way there!
Please help this project get all the way from dream to reality!
If you’re unfamiliar with it, Kickstarter is a “crowdfunding” platform. In short, that means that entrepreneurs like me don’t have to rely on traditional funding vehicles in the hopes they can build a business or product that resonates with people. Instead, they can offer the business or product directly to people, and they decide if it resonates with them. They do this by “backing a project.” In most cases, this is in exchange for a product or service. In some instances, it’s just a donation.
In my case, Kickstarter is allowing me to not only raise the capital for this book but to offer you a unique experience on top of it. In the traditional model, I would print the books and take them to market in a static experience. What you see is what you get. However, Kickstarter allows me to offer you a customized experience through various reward tiers. These tiers allow you some control over what you value in the project.
Then there are stretch goals! The more funds raised, the more flexibility. As funding exceeds the goal, there will be free (no additional commitment) add-ons like art prints, postcards, stickers, etc. These are just fun things that can enhance the experience of a crowdfund that you can’t do traditionally. You’ll see those on the landing page Friday.
Lastly, trying an unfamiliar platform can be unnerving. Trust me, I know. But I think you’ll be hooked once you join the Kickstarter community. It’s an incredible marketplace full of unique projects from books like mine to film, music, and food!
While I KNOW you’re as excited as I am that Inchi is launching in just six days, there is much more content to enjoy and support! So many creators like me utilize the Kickstarter platform because of the power it imbues to the independent publisher. I’d love to take you through a few authors and titles that I think are worthy of your attention and support this June.
Bigfoot is lost in space! Enjoy his humorous & sensational adventure of aliens, betrayal, spaceships, empires, & arm wrestling!
This book is right up your alley if you are a fan of STAR TREK, FIREFLY, FARSCAPE, TMNT, and BUCK ROGERS. Can you imagine Jack Burton from BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA replacing Luke Skywalker in STAR WARS and realize how much better that would be?
If you can, you may have an idea of what you’re going to get from the SAVAGE SASQUANAUT!
The mind behind this is Wes Hartman. Wes is an internationally published and award winning comic book colorist, an indie creator, and a small press comic editor spending the last 15+ years working with the biggest and best talent and publishers (Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Aspen, Dynamite, etc.) in the comic industry. In that time his work has also been featured in TV, film, and video games. Currently he is developing an imprint, COSMIC ROOTS STUDIO, to feature a line of his creator owned comic and other future endeavors. This along with his family keep him insanely busy and chained to his desk being viciously whipped by deadlines, but occasionally he is allowed to see the sun as long he doesn’t get wet or eat after midnight.
Savage Sasquanaut ends in 26 days so jump over there and check out all the details!
A new comic starring monster-slaying, foul-mouthed, bumbling adventurers The Turner Family! Think The Simpsons meets Hellboy.
TurnerFamilyTerrors Issue #3: ‘The Professor’ – an adrenaline-fueled 28 page, part black & white, part technicolor, horror show! TFT is the new comic starring monster-slaying, foul-mouthed, bumbling adventurers The Turner Family!
Wait! I don’t have 1 & 2? Don’t worry because this campaign offers TFT #1 & 2 to catch readers up and debuts Chapter 3 of the Turner Family saga. Sparks fly in issue 3 as heroine Laura Turner reunites with her estranged father, Professor Ezra Brahms, world-famous monster hunter, sociopath, and all around lousy Dad.
The creator, Robert Krisch, is a comic book writer/creator and Emmy nominated TV editor based out of Culver City, California. After graduating film school from the University of Texas at Austin, Rob edited professionally in New York City before moving to Los Angeles. In 2017 he edited Earworm, a horror film that screened at over 50 film festivals (now available on Shudder). After helping tell other peoples stories for the past two decades, Rob has recently turned to producing his own works. In 2018, he wrote, directed, and starred along with his family in the Kickstarter funded nightmare The Crows of Culver. The award winning horror short screened at over 20 film festivals worldwide, including Roswell, Moscow, Glasgow, and Hollywood’s Chinese Theatre. Most recently Rob has been collaborating with Serbian artist Aleksandar Bozic Ske on the Horror/Comedy graphic novel Turner Family Terrors. Issue #1: Night Terrors was funded through Kickstarter and released in the fall of 2020. Issue #2: Welcome to Roswell was funded on Kickstarter in the Spring of 2021. Issue #3: The Professor is scheduled for a Spring 2022 release.
Sci-fi tale of abducted teens brought to a secluded, tropical island with no explanation, no supplies and no way off.
A group of teens are abducted and brought to a secluded, tropical island with no explanation, no supplies and no way off. Left to their own devices and forced to find a way to survive, they soon discover they aren’t alone – and their fellow inhabitants are hostile!
Things become more complicated when boxes begin to appear on the beach near their camp with weapons and supplies of unknown origin inside.
Part Lord of the Flies, part Hunger Games, this is a story of survival where you can’t trust anyone.
Dren Productions LLC is a publisher and creator of all things sci-fi, fantasy, nerd and geek. Our mission is not only to bring quality stories and graphic novels out to the masses, but to have fun doing it. We introduce classic science fiction, fantasy and horror stories to new audiences by creating original graphic novels, as well as create original stories that will knock readers’ socks off. Dren Productions – where dreams are alive!
A supernatural monster stalks the grounds of an exotic vacation resort…but something even more sinister hides under the surface!
Happy Hill is a supernatural vacation thriller and horror action dramedy comic book series about the deadly consequences of the pursuit of happiness, written by Bram Stoker-Award Nominated writer Rich Douek (Sea of Sorrows, Road of Bones, Wailing Blade) and co-written & drawn by artist Joe Mulvey (Scam, Wailing Blade).
Wyatt Willows and Thea Rippley are the only survivors of the infamous “Roanoke Orphanage” disappearance that claimed twelve children in a single night.While Thea has done her best to put it behind her, Wyatt is convinced that local urban legend, The Wudsman, was responsible and he’s been obsessed with proving it.When 6-year-old Mackenzie MacIntyre disappears on the grounds of the exclusive Happy Hill resort, the only thing found in the search is an old mask once worn by the Wudsman, covered in Mackenzie’s blood!
Happy Hill is a concept from the mad mind of Joe Mulvey. Joe made his comics debut as the writer and illustrator of the electrifying super-powered Vegas heist series Scam, from ComixTribe. He is also the writer, artist and creator of the acclaimed children’s book Mummy’s Always Right, was published in the Where We Live Anthology from Image Comics. This project reunites him with his WAILING BLADE writer Rich Douek, who has returned to script Happy Hill.
Happy Hill Ends in SIX Days! Grab your copy today!
The sequel to the over-the-top dark comedy continues, from the team behind Scout Comics’ RED XMAS.
“Six pregnant women go back in time and accidentally kill a young Hitler — unleashing a nightmare future! Now with mad scientist Nikola Tesla acting as Charlie to their Angels, they must save the world from the evil Exalted Father… before their water breaks!”
Think of it as The Handmaid’s Tale meets Kill Bill.
And if you thought Volume One was nuts… you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Brought to you by Fried Comics. Proud purveyors of offbeat, irreverent pulp fiction since 2013, FRIED Comics is a partnership between actor/writer Clay Adams and filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe. RED XMAS (now out from Scout Comics), P.B.O.W., DEADSKINS!, and RE-FRIED COMICS. We are super-backers on Kickstarter, and we always give back to the community.
An all-ages fantasy about magic, implicit bias, and heroism.
Birdwith Stick #2 is a 32-page comic book illustrated by EnricoOrlandi, a celebrated artist whose most recent personal project was signed by Dark Horse Comics. Enrico’s whimsical style is a perfect fit for a story involving anthropomorphic birds, and his imaginative flair truly brings to life the varying environments, architecture, and costumes in this fantasy setting.
The series will be a total of 3 issues, spinning a heroic adventure that traverses the region known as The Greenish. When birdsong abruptly disappears one morning without any explanation, the Bird Kingdom becomes divided by suspicion, accusation, and violent oppression. But one small Nightingale risks everything to seek out the true cause and restore his song.
CREATOR/WRITER JOHN SCHLIM JR is a lifelong storyteller who has worked as a journalist, editor, and copywriter. He’s also been published as a columnist, short story author, and comic book scripter. Most of his fiction falls into the genres of fantasy, science fiction, supernatural, or some combination thereof. His published comics work includes Dandelion (Arcana Studios), Fiendish Fables (Brain Scan Studios), Goth Ghost Girl (Ovation Comics), Masque (Ovation Comics), Infinity Agents (Ovation Comics), Battle Royale Planet (Ovation Comics), Thistleheart (Ovation Comics), and a contribution to the critically acclaimed Outlaw Territory (Image Comics). His writing studio, Fablehaus, is hidden somewhere in the legendary Owlwood of New Hampshire.
A Cotton Candy World is volume 1 of a storybook series from the Eisner & Harvey Award-winning cartoonist of Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand.
Alice in Wonderland meets Little Nemo in Slumberland with a dash of Studio Ghibli / Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away in this modern fairy tale adventure for all ages…
KUKUBURI: A COTTON CANDY WORLD
Young Nadia’s mundane life is turned upside down when she stumbles into an unpredictable fantasy realm, a world that feeds off the subconscious – turning simple thoughts into dreams or nightmares – encounters strange denizens, all while being hunted down by the realm’s self-appointed king.
Ramon Perez is a multiple Eisner, Harvey, and Schuster Award-winning and nominated Cartoonist. He is best known for his graphic novel adaptations TALE OF SAND and JANE, along with his current ongoing series STILLWATER. Ramón’s other lauded works include NOVA: RESURRECTION, ALL-NEW HAWKEYE, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: LEARNING TO CRAWL, JOHN CARTER: THE GODS OF MARS, and creator-owned endeavours BUTTERNUTSQUASH and KUKUBURI.
The Grand For-Now-Ly of this riotous, entertaining & charming superhero buddy-cop adventure is here! #1-3 available! CAN YOU DIG IT?!?
Spider-Squirrel is an entertaining, fun, riotously hilarious, generally humorous, sometimes silly buddy-cop super-hero action in the vein of Blue Beetle & Booster Gold, or Justice League International during the “BWAHAHA” years. I am pretty darn certain that you might actually kinda sorta maybe like this book a little bit, mostly.
Spider-Squirrel creator Charlie McElvy has long been a comics fan, whose writing has been described as reminiscent of Roy Thomas by Nexus creator Mike Baron and Savage Dragon creator Erik Larsen commented that Charlie, “has a great sense of page pacing… getting the reader to want to turn to the next page to see what happens next.” Charlie wrote and produced The WatchGuard in 2007, and was also a competitor on American Ninja Warrior season 10!
The Big Bad Wolves are after Panda City. Only one Panda can stop them. Join us on this 28 page fun underdog road trip adventure book.
Kai, a misfit teenage panda, dreams of becoming a warrior. His world is turned upside down when his village’s water supply runs dry. The wolves who live upstream have built a dam to protect their own water supply forcing the Pandas out of their land. Only problem is, his training simulations haven’t quite prepared him… This book is perfect for you if you love fun action adventure books and movies that just leave you feeling good and wanting more.
Farhan Qureshi spent ten years working as a VFX and CGI artist on movies including HARRY POTTER (3, 4 and 5), BATMAN, ALIEN VS PREDATOR, POSEIDON, PIRATES and RIDDICK. He has also worked as an artist in games including working on the launch of the XBOX ONE and was one of the lead artists for the LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES. Frahan has written four Amazon bestsellers including a book on CGI and VFX for film and game producers.
BOTH projects END THIS WEEK! Jump on it to unlock the special double backer reward!
COMING SOON
Let me end this post with a coming soon section! Here are some others to be watching for!!!
I know that was a lot but there is a lot to be excited about. Thank you for supporting independent creators and startups. The world gets a little more creative and interesting every time you do!
Here is your first look at the launch video for Inchi. It’s been on YouTube for a couple days so I could get reads from friends and family. However, it hasn’t been promoted yet. I’m really pleased with this opener and I hope you’ll like it too. A lot has happened in the world of MoonBlimp since the last time we spoke. It’s one thing to get a book ready for press and it’s a whole other thing to build the marketing and launch plan. Wow… it’s alot of work but so rewarding when it’s done.
Launch Date: June 10th on Kickstarter. Click the logo below to sign up for notifications directly on Kickstarter. If you’re already a Voyages subscriber I’ll let you know at launch too!
Why Kickstarter? It gives me a chance to offer you a bunch of really cool options from covers and extra’s. Including freebies if the funding levels are high enough. For instance, I’ll be offering three covers for this launch..
The market cover will be the one available in our shop and on digital book platforms AFTER the launch. Only Kickstarter backers will have access to the “Variant Covers”. More on those in the coming days…
Plot Preview Reminder…
Inchi (ink-y) is a creature born of mysterious circumstances. A beginning almost as bizarre as the characters he gets entangled with. Without a sense of self, this “born yesterday” cephalopod must cooperate with a foul-mouthed seagull and an empathetic mermaid to confront humanity’s genuine and present danger. An ancient and unseen evil has been kept at bay for centuries by a band of cursed crusaders looking for redemption. However, Inchi’s sudden and mysterious arrival has upset the delicate balance.
The story unfolds to reveal the threat’s true origins: love scorned and not reconciled. Centuries ago, Rinaldo and Armida were bound by love at a time when their beliefs were at war. Forced apart by the pressures of the world and hungry for revenge, Armida unleashes hell on humanity.
Inchi and his new companions must work together to defeat this immediate threat while trying to discover his own identity. All of this develops in a small out-of-the-way canal in the back alleys of Modern-day Venice.
Inchi #1 is a 24-page debut in a planned series about Inchi and his companions. This book is 100% FINISHED and ready for press! I just need to know how many to print! That means you won’t be waiting long to get a copy if you back this project!
24 Pages
Completely Press Ready!
Standard Comic Book Size @ 6.63″ x 10.19″
3 Covers To Choose From!
About me…David Patton(Writer, Artist, Publisher)
A few years ago before the pandemic I took a trip to Venice. Like anything in life, experiencing something is considerably more informative that anything you can read. I fell in love with the way the city and it’s architecture celebrated the sea. It showed me a side of the culture that was fascinating and awe inspiring. The idea for this story took shape while touring the city and taking in it’s art. During the early writing, I was able to make one more trip back before the world shut down and that’s when the production of this book started. I’m really excited to share the story with you!
That’s me in February 2020 during Carnevale di Venezia. Researching, writing, and not taking myself too seriously. The real world shut down shortly after that, and the world of Inchi opened up. Side note, if this is your first time reading about this, Inchi is short for Inchiostro, the Italian word for ink.
About Mariam Yasser(Colorist)
Mariam Yasser is a comic book colorist from Egypt whose work I found while researching a partner. I remember reaching out to her last year when the book was only half-finished, and I’m so glad she was available to push this to the finish line! Mariam worked as a professional illustrator for five years before starting comics in 2019. Mariam is quite versatile in her skill sets and aspires to create her own comic. She has worked on “The Ignis Quadrant”, “Into The Suck”, “Northwoods”, “Baby Barbaria”, “The Dark Star”, “Chernoborg”, “Resurrection House”, “Coleman Carmichael”, “Sydney Dossier” and now “Inchi”.
If this book concept interests you I hope you’ll consider signing up for the prelaunch on Kickstarter. Again, you can find this here.
More to come during the week! Thanks to everyone who has shown and continues to show support for the MoonBlimp mission!
You may be like me and say things to yourself like, “Enough already! Let’s see a book!” I think that’s fair, but I know for sure that the wait is almost over. Mariam is in the second half of coloring Inchi #01, and I am diligently working towards finishing the color and layout on 21 Steezy Snuffs. Two books I’ve talked about for a LONG TIME. Too long! If you follow me on Instagram, I uploaded a story with a snippet of these, but here is a better look!
How exciting is that! So with that said, I am still working towards planning the Kickstarter for Inchi and will get those details out mid-month. Related to that, I’m working on a promo video that is crucial to the campaign. I’ll share that with my Voyages family before I make that public. Planning a Kickstarter feels like almost as much work as getting a book created, but it will be worth it. Inchi will be first with 21 Steezy Snuffs following soon after. Here’s a process peek.
Many of my friends and followers in the blogging community are writers like me. I haven’t talked about this in a while, and I think it’s a good time to refresh memories. We share many similarities, but one point of difference is that I am a good storyteller but a mediocre writer. At least in the traditional forms. So I embraced sequential art (comics) to get my stories out to people in a way that makes up for my shortcomings. To communicate visually what I would struggle with in written words seems to be a worthy personal challenge. Perhaps, in the journey, I will become better at both. I hope to anyway. But what do all writers have in common? They want to get their stories, ideas, and thoughts out to the world. So this is my chosen vehicle. More importantly, it’s happening! With 21 Steezy Snuffs, I am forcing myself back to the tricky realm of words on a page. Armed with a copy of The Peregrine, how could I lose?
Thanks as always for all your support! Have a great weekend!
Recent inspirations have led me back to a project that I abandoned many winters ago. Thinking about it now, I don’t know why I looked the other way. I can’t help but recall some things that Elizabeth Gilbert said in her book Big Magic. I’m paraphrasing, but she talked about how ideas find you and then leave you if you don’t pay attention to them. Perhaps that’s the case here. I’m glad that when it went out into the world, it couldn’t find anyone else. So with great enthusiasm, I present to you Eyeser Wilhelm, a character from the story.
There is much that needs explaining here that will be in due course. For the time being, though, I will leave you with another great wisdom from Elizabeth’s book.
