Backerkit is almost ready... surveys coming shortly...
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Jun 17, 2022 at 04:19:28 PM

Hi everyone!

It has been a bit since our last update when the campaign ended, but we've been getting everything set up with Backerkit so that as soon as Kickstarter finishes collecting everyone's funds, we'll be ready to send out all the surveys. That collection phase should be finished this Friday as they are usually pretty spot-on-two-weeks-from-closing. If that is the case, as we expect it to be, you should get your surveys this weekend. We'll post a more detailed update when those go out.

In the meantime, the Backerkit pre-order store is open, for anyone who missed the campaign! Granted, you won't necessarily receive some of the campaign-exclusive timed bonuses, but you can still get in on the rest of the fun! Pre-orders on Backerkit will ship with the rest of the pledges, so it's practically the same party. 😊

Backerkit will stay open until the week of July 25th, at which point we'll lock orders to begin the fulfillment process. We'll share more information about all that a bit later down the road.

In the meantime, the books are printing and I even hope to have some advance copies in the next week or two to share. Things are rolling along right on schedule!

Thanks, everyone! More news soon!

WOOHOO! THANK YOU EVERYONE!
almost 2 years ago – Thu, Jun 09, 2022 at 07:30:26 PM

What a great finale! 

This is us right now:

Thank you everyone for joining us on this ride!

We may have come in exactly one backer shy of 1000, but we are not complaining. 😎 This was another fun ride, and it's going to be even MORE fun getting these awesome books into your hands!

The finished files are now at the printers and everything appears right on schedule to have in hand for a September shipping date. (Of course, we'll keep you posted along the way...)

What's next?

Well, after a celebratory Friday evening, we'll start setting up the Backerkit where you will be able to complete your order information (and pick up any extra add-ons, if you so choose). That should hopefully be ready to launch next week -- we'll post an update when those survey links are ready to go out.

Kickstarter will now start charging your pledges, and if they run into any trouble with your credit card, they should notify you to address the potential issue. They will keep trying for about 2 weeks, at which point, they will officially close the campaign. Any pledges that could not be collected will be marked as "canceled" so please try to make sure your cards go through! (If your pledge does get marked as uncollected, you will still have an opportunity to pay it in Backerkit, but better safe than sorry, eh?)

Ah... yeah. Time to step outside the office for some sunshine and vitamin D.

Today is a good day.😊

Free Collectors' Coin unlocked! Final stretch goals revealed! Plus: tour Zarkass!
almost 2 years ago – Mon, Jun 06, 2022 at 04:21:14 PM

Hi everyone!

We're back from a much-needed long weekend vacation, and now we're rested up and catching up with everything here with 72 hours left to go! Some might question the decision to go on a 4-day weekend trip while in the middle of a Kickstarter, but we left it in good hands while we were gone... evident in the nice spike we saw over the weekend! Can we keep up that trajectory in these last 3 days to unlock the last three stretch goals? You managed to help us unlock the golden collectors' coin while we were gone (that's now $25 in FREE BONUS STUFF with physical orders!), so we're hopeful! Fingers crossed!

We wanted to be sure to mix up the stretch goals between both titles, and the enamel water lily pin will be really sweet (if we can get there by end of day Friday)... Please spread the word and share the link to the campaign with everyone you know! 😊

As we round the corner of this final lap, we thought it would be fun to post a little tour of the planet Zarkass on our website. Check it out!

In TRAPPED ON ZARKASS, two agents are sent on a mission from the matriarchal Gaia (formerly-“Earth”) government to journey through the alien wilds of the planet Zarkass in search of valuable answers to top-secret questions, a subterfuge that will have unprecedented consequences for not just the agents, but the planet itself. But what makes Zarkass… Zarkass?

Glad you asked! Let’s take a trip to Zarkass and find out!

Do you crave ADVENTURE? Riding GIGANTIC BEASTS? Roughing it with the LOCALS?
Then the planet of Zarkass is for you!

Thanks, everyone! We can't wait to see how things turn out in these last few days!

Third Stretch Goal Unlocked! Plus a few questions to get YOUR input...
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Jun 03, 2022 at 09:00:33 PM

Happy Friday, everyone!

What a whirlwind week it has been! Not only did this campaign kick-off on a real high note, funding in 30 minutes, but we also got some great news from the Eisner Award Committee: four of our books have been nominated for Eisner Awards this year! 🥳

Best US Edition of International Material:

•  Love: The Mastiff, by Frederic Brremaud and Federico Bertolucci
•  Between Snow and Wolf, by Agnes Domergue and Helene Canac

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist:

•  Federico Bertolucci (Love: The Mastiff, Brindille)
•  Frank Pe (Little Nemo)

Many of you might already have Love: The Mastiff and Brindille from our previous Kickstarter campaign from a while back, and if you're interested in the other two, they are also available from Magnetic Press's webstore. Unfortunately, we can't combine webstore orders with pledge packages as they are fulfilled by two different warehouses, but STAY TUNED... these may all become available for bundling in a special campaign we are preparing for July... 😉)

On top of that good news -- 

...we also unlocked THREE STRETCH GOALS on this current campaign!

At this point, all physical tiers will receive three beautiful linen cardstock prints by Didier Cassegrain with their pledge for FREE! (Digital copies will also be provided for all backers at a digital tier or higher.)

Next up: CHALLENGE COIN!

These have been a popular collectible on most of our previous campaigns -- hefty 2" metal coins emblazoned with the campaign's signature title(s), a nice, tangible prize for helping us reach a notable level of success on each campaign. These are only produced in quantity determined by the campaign (usually rounded up to the nearest 100 or so, allowing for a comfortable margin of error), so getting one of these puts you in a very select group of supporters. 😎

The quality is top-notch -- just look at some of our previous coins:

I believe we have produced 12 of these so far, so we would love to grow the collection even further! So please help us by spreading the word, and we'll all benefit in the long run! 😊

Tell us what you think...

While this campaign has done very well bolting out of the gate, growth has admittedly already slowed down quite a bit... This isn't our first rodeo, and we know that ALL Kickstarter campaigns slow down after the first 3-5 days and don't usually pick back up until the final 48 hours. We are preparing a lot of interesting galleries and posts to hopefully keep things interesting and exciting over the next two weeks, but it occurred to us to see what YOU might think.

This campaign, unlike most of our previous campaigns, is challenged by the fact that there are two different books being offered, and while they share the same illustrator (hence the connecting theme of the campaign), they are very different types of stories that may appeal to two very different types of readers: an intriguing murder mystery vs a gonzo space action-adventure. It's like we're trying to showcase a delicious pizza by splitting the spotlight between ham and pineapple. (Okay, that may not be the best example if you're not a fan of Hawaiian pizza... so forget that simile...)

So far, numerically, the vast majority of backers have selected the Double Feature Tier -- both books. But we are curious which of the two titles really captured your attention? Certainly, we'd like to think that you will love BOTH books equally for their individual excellence (and the exclusive postcard prints and bundling discount should also help), but between the two titles, we're sincerely wondering: which title is the "headliner" and which is the "opening act?"

If you don't mind commenting below, please let us know which of the two you are most intrigued by: BLACK WATER LILES or ZARKASS. (If you're not sure or are evenly drawn to both because of Didier's art, you can also say "BOTH.")

We may experiment with some different project images, subtitle descriptions, etc over the next week or two, just to see what sort of things might move the needle in an interesting way. But don't worry -- the campaign offerings aren't changing! We just want to make sure that we can appeal to the most people for EACH BOOK. And that might mean focusing on one or the other as the "Headline" for a little bit.

Despite what some "experts" might say, there is no sound science to this Kickstarter thing (or marketing in general) -- there are a lot of guesses and observations, some of which might suggest some exploitable patterns, but in the end, it's all just guts. And we like to think we're gutsy, ready to try whatever might work, and equally ready to pivot in another direction if it doesn't. But one thing we have seen work is talking it out with you, the community, and listening to what you have to say.

So please let us know what you think! 😊

A History of Mystery: Making BLACK WATER LILIES
almost 2 years ago – Mon, May 30, 2022 at 11:47:55 PM

Hi everyone!

It is an overcast Thursday here in Chicago with the promise of more rain later in the afternoon. Again. Perfect weather for a mystery thriller, eh?

We thought it would be interesting to share a little "making of" spotlight behind BLACK WATER LILIES (along with a look at another Eisner-nominated murder mystery being offered as an add-on, THE GHOST OF GAUDI).

The full spotlight is posted on our website, "A History of Mystery: Making BLACK WATER LILES," including how the creative team came to the project and a video interview with Didier (admittedly in French, but you can set it to auto-generate translated subtitles) with some of his painting process. Here's a brief snippet, but you can click through to read the whole piece! 😎

A History of Mystery: Making BLACK WATER LILIES

Almost every genre of fiction has been tackled as a graphic novel — certainly an abundance of superheroes, science fiction, war stories, westerns, and fantasy. Often overlooked, however, even though it may be the most complex and intriguing entry in the medium, would be the mystery thriller. Excelling in prose, perhaps due to its non-visual nature and reliance on the reader to visualize their own scenery, mystery graphic novels have been fewer and far between, often quite difficult to pull off without giving away those important clues or twists prematurely in the artwork or framing. When they are done well, the results can be magical…

Good graphic novels combine carefully staged illustrations with poignant dialogue that, when used properly, can keep readers wondering “what’s really going on here?” Black Water Lilies follows in this grand tradition, and like all great mysteries, there’s more to it than meets the eye…

Michel Bussi’s Original Novel

Black Water Lilieswas first published in France in 2017 as Michel Bussi’s novel, Nymphéas Noirs. It follows the tale of two murders recounted by three women set in Claude Monet’s hometown of  Giverny, Normandy, where he painted his famous Water Lilies series.

Bussi used Claude Monet’s biography (by Michel de Decker) as a reference for many of the settings in the book, but was so concerned about representing the town of Giverny properly that he asked the locals to fact check his work. He wanted to present the town as a living, breathing place that many call home, not just the tourist destination it has become.

After the novel’s release and immediate success, Bussi was contacted by the Dupuis publishing house about producing a graphic novel version. He was introduced to writer Fred Duval and illustrator Didier Cassegrain, an experienced and talented team of comic creators who thought the could pull off the impossible: adapt Bussi’s “unadaptable” mystery without spoiling the shocking twist in the end. The trio also hoped to offer readers “a highly pictorial world without becoming a Monet parody.” The right creative direction would be essential.

Read the full article here!

 Then be sure to pre-order your copy of BLACK WATER LILIES in this campaign... and while you're at, add a copy of THE GHOST OF GAUDI for double the mystery and thrills! 🕵️‍♂️