$9K and counting and some more podcast love!
over 3 years ago
– Sun, Nov 01, 2020 at 06:58:12 PM
Hey all,
I am freshly back from at weekend spend online at Baltimore Comic Con Live! It was a packed couple of days, full of fun and chicanery. The highlight, perhaps, came Saturday afternoon... my dear friend David Avallone (Elvira, Betty Page, Drawing Blood) and I did our podcast - THE WRITERS BLOCK - live from the virtual con floor and some first ballot Hall of Famers stopped by... Matt Fraction (Haweye, Sex Criminals) and Stan Saki (Usagi Yunjimbo). That's on top of a lineup that already included David Pepose (Spencer & Locke), Troy Little (Rick & Morty), Drew Edwards (Halloween Man), and IDW Editor Scott Dunbier. It was a bonkers show! A must watch. I promise to have some video for you on Wednesday.
CHEERS TO COMICS
I appeared on the CHEERS TO COMICS Podcast this morning to discuss THE PEACEKEEPERS. Host Brian Wayne also strong-armed me into pitching IDW a pretty badass impromptu COBRA KAI take on air. It's a fun listen. Check it out HERE.
STATE OF THE UNION
Our little campaign is cruising along nicely. I'm really happy with that backer number. More importantly for you guys, we're nearing that $10K stretch goal! Once we cross that threshold, everybacker is going to recieve an incredible print from Davi Leon Dias and Iwan Joko Triyono. This is a really incredible effort from the two of them. I can't wait to show it to you. You're going to love it.
In the meantime, stay safe out there!
Rylend
P.S. - Some friends of mine have some WONDERFUL campaigns going right now and I wanted to take a minute to highlight them...
JUST 30 HOURS LEFT TO BACK ISSUE 2 OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE COMIC BOOK!
THE JUMP artist Fabio Alves recently took over penciling duties on Steven Prince's MONSTER MATADOR. They are currently running a Kickstarter campaign to fund the 2nd issue of their new series.
Set in a near future where monsters appeared suddenly and without warning, bringing death and destruction. Ramon Alejandro Estévez-Guerrero roams the earth fighting these monsters in memory of his late wife and to make a better world for his daughter – he is the MONSTER MATADOR!
It's Matadors fighting Kaiju Monsters. It's TONS of fun. There are plenty of ways to catch up on what you missed. CHECK THIS OUT! You won't regret it!
Chayoma is a medieval epic fantasy series, filled with magic, awesome action, majestic scenes and jaw dropping storytelling. It tells a story of a girl born with special abilities but was coerced into evil by the political deceptions of her own people's ruling class. She must go through several events to understand the gravity of her purpose while a very dangerous plan is about to befall all of the Kitara kingdoms of east Africa.
Chayoma is one of the Mlezi from The chronicles of the newborn rise of the Mlezi vol#1, but for this kickstarter we look at her life way before the rise of the Mlezi (Mlezi means guardian in the Swahili language).
Chayoma curse of the Jangura is also the story of the Basoro and the Jangura, remnants of the Bachwezi dynasty also known as demigods, they seek to restore their glory after the great war and return to the celestial plain.
JUST 15 HOURS TO GO ON THIS ONE! CHECK IT OUT HERE!
Early Haunts is a 100-page graphic novel anthology of seminal ghost stories which inspired Sleepy Hollow, Ring, A Christmas Carol Illustrated by some of the most talented horror artists around today!
Check it out HERE.
Mixing familiar aesthetic elements from THE LORD OF THE RINGS with character threads from YA tales such as THE GIVER series and the GRACELING series, WAHCOMMO will appeal to fans of high fantasy from every direction. Filled with classic elements of role playing games such as BALDUR’S GATE, THE ELDER SCROLLS, and THE WITCHER, WAHCOMMO offers an adventure filled with an exciting and unique visual style that mixes comic art with painterly brushwork and the cinematic scope of an animated feature. It's a bold narrative about determining one's own fate and defying social expectations.
CHECK IT OUT HERE!
Baltimore Comic Con/Ringo Awards Fun
over 3 years ago
– Sat, Oct 24, 2020 at 11:12:41 AM
Hey all,
Just a heads up that I'll be online all day, participating in Baltimore Comic Con Live.
I was interviewed this morning by Spencer & Locke Creator David Pepose as part of the Ringo Awards Nominee Spotlight show.
At 5pm EST/2pm PST, Elivra/Drawing Blood writer David Avallone and I will be doing our podcast THE WRITERS BLOCK live from the con, interviewing a gaggle of Ringo-nominated creators including Stan "Usagi Yojimbo" Sakai!
Here's some info on that:
THE WRITERS BLOCK w/ David Avallone & Rylend Grant - Episode 7 - The Ringo Awards
A weekly post-con-style roundtable romp with some of the most outspoken (yet still employed) creators in comics. Show biz war stories. State of the comic union. Furious debates over ‘80s televisions shows. Great lobster bisque recipes. Something for everybody.
This week Rylend and David talk Ringo Awards with nominees Stan Sakai, David Pepose, Troy Little, and Scott Dunbier.
And then, of course, the awards go live at 8pm EST/5pm PST. My last book BANJAX is nominated for FOUR Ringos this year, including BEST SERIES (along side BITTER ROOT, BLACK HAMMER, and SOMETHING'S KILLING THE CHILDREN).
Wish us luck!
Stay safe out there!
Rylend
P.S. - Some friends of mine have some WONDERFUL campaigns going right now and I wanted to take a minute to highlight them...
Killtopia is an award-winning cyberpunk comic series set in a mega-city in future Japan. The city's Sector K district is infested with killer mechs. Heavily-armed soldiers of fortune called Wreckers are paid to hunt them for money, fame and glory.
Our story starts as a rookie Wrecker called Shinji encounters the world's first sentient mech called Crash. They are then both hunted like fugitives across the neon-soaked metropolis by Wreckers, android killers and Yakuza gangs in a violent battle royale to end them all. Their mission: use Crash's unique gift to cure the world of a devastating nano plague called the Rot- simple, right?
The series has been created from a love of old-school manga and anime, dystopian fiction and the work of Japan's finest videogame developers - all qualified and culture-checked by family members and friends living in Japan.
CHECK IT OUT HERE.
HAUNTING is an ongoing supernatural horror comic series. It is written and created by Phil Falco, with art by Anna Wieszczyk, colors by Andres Samboni, and letters by LetterSquids.
HAUNTING follows Bram, your average, everyday bratty teenager...who just so happens to RAISE THE DEAD!
Wherever he goes, ghosts appear - restless spirits that attack the living viciously and without prejudice. Bram has spent his entire life turning a blind eye to the destruction and deaths caused by his strange ability. But his recklessness finally catches up to him in the form of Deacon, a mysterious and vengeful man from his past. Deacon corners Bram and Faith, a small-town girl with a tragic past, in Dusty Springs. Now Bram will be forced to learn that his actions have consequences... whether he takes responsibility for those consequences is another question entirely.
CHECK IT OUT HERE!
NIGHTMARE follows Lucinda "Luz" Padilla as she discovers her recurring nightmares are actually alternative realities. When news of a fire at a hospital breaks, and her fellow Sleepyheads (the unwilling participants in a twisted sleep study) start going missing, Luz's recurring nightmares resurface and wreck havoc on her relationship, job, and sobriety. With her girlfriend Kara Williams, Luz finds herself face to face with the past she can no longer ignore, and in a nightmare she can no longer escape.
Fans of Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Warriors horrifying dream worlds and Fringes' sci-fi conspiracy will love this dimension-hopping dark fantasy. Fair Warning: some graphic violence and horror content makes this project unsuitable for certain audiences.
CHECK IT OUT HERE!
I get lost... in COMICS!
over 3 years ago
– Fri, Oct 23, 2020 at 12:26:18 PM
Hey Backer-types!
I had TONS of fun yesterday talking PEACEKEEPERS with the guys over at Lost'n Comics.
This is one of the more lively and enjoyable interviews I've done in a long time. These guys did their research and hit me with some really cool questions. It's definitely worth a watch or two.
TIER TALK
I figured I'd use this space now and then to highlight some of the cooler tiers we've made available this campaign. One of the items I'm really excited about this go round are those one of one 6x8 hand-drawn/hand-inked pieces in that ORIGINAL ART tier. I've seen more than a few of these now and trust me, Davi is kicking complete ass here. They're gorgeous.
Anyway, most campaigns would just send you a character at random. There's some fun in that, I guess... not knowing what you're going to get... but after talking to Davi, I think we are going to go ahead and allow you to choose which character you get. So, if you pick this tier, you'll get an email from me shortly after the campaign ends asking who you'd like us to draw.
So, check that tier out back on the campaign page and let me know if you have questions...
Until tomorrow... Stay safe out there guys!
Rylend
P.S. - Some friends of mine have some WONDERFUL campaigns going right now and I wanted to take a minute to highlight them...
IND-XED is a lo-fi sci-fi 28 page one-shot comic book by Fraser Campbell, Lucy Sullivan and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.
Meredith is an ordinary young woman just trying to get by until she wakes up one morning to find she has been IND-XED, marked by those who control her society as a stateless, nameless and worthless non-person. Desperate to find out why, she follows a clue to The City, where rumours hint that others like her dwell within the shadows.
“Utterly exquisite— warrants a stiff drink & a Joy Division soundtrack.” Shelly Bond
THIS ONE ONLY HAS 40 HOURS TO GO! CHECK IT OUT NOW!
LA MANO del DESTINO tells the tale of a once-champion Luchador – who, after being betrayed by his friends and unmasked in the ring, agrees to a Faustian bargain with a mysterious promoter. He gains a new power and the identity of La Mano del Destino in order to exact revenge upon his betrayers. Set in a swanky, 1960s Mexico where Lucha Libre is intrinsically woven into all aspects of society and are the most important events that happen within this world, this tale winds its way through the machinations and motivations of all types who inhabit this unique setting.
Can La Mano del Destino get his revenge while remaining the champion he knows himself to be? - Get the complete arc HERE to find out!
The concept for My Beautiful Liar: Stories Inspired By The Songs of Nine Inch Nails is pretty simple. What story plays in your head when you listen to your favorite Nine Inch Nails song? The editor approached some of his fellow comic book creators and asked them to create 4 to 8 page stories inspired by their favorite Nine Inch Nails songs. The song acts as an inspiration, jumping off point, theme or mood for the story. Each story varies in style and genre.
Check it out HERE.
THE 2020 PEACEKEEPERS PROMOTIONAL TOUR BEGINS!
over 3 years ago
– Thu, Oct 22, 2020 at 12:25:37 PM
Hey all,
Solid day yesterday, but I can really feel things starting to slow down here on Kickstarter. I think everyone is (necessarily) wound pretty tight about this election... but we soldier on. With that said, if you guys would be so kind as to tell a friend about the campaign, tweet a link out, shout our praises out your front window (etc) it'd really be a big help.
THAT PROMO TOUR
Anyway, as I alluded to in my previous update, I started the 2020 PEACEKEEPERS Promotional Tour earlier this week. The first stop was the BEARDED COMIC BRO Youtube show...
"Bearded" is a friend and regular backer of my crazy Kickstarter exploits. We had tons of fun tallking all things comics/all things PEACEKEEPERS. I figured you all might get a kick out of watching. Here's the LINK.
ADD-ON QUESTIONS
I've received some messages asking about specific rare Aberrant/Banjax variants - think Gremlins, Rocky IV, Karate Kid, Demon in a Bottle - whether or not they'll be available here. Short and sweet? Yes! I do have a few copies of most of those more sought after con-exclusive issues and I will be offering them here via the Kickstarter add-on engine. We're still playing catch up on a few things - campaign kickoff takes a lot out of you - but I'll try to get them up ASAP and I'll warn you/preview them here when they go live.
Until tomorrow, dear friends... stay safe out there!
Rylend
P.S. - Some friends of mine have some WONDERFUL campaigns going right now and I wanted to take a minute to highlight them...
The Miskatonic High meets Lovecraft P.I. crossover is like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, where they got our high school comedy mixed in with their noir bad-assery, and we got their paranormal detective mixed in with our sarcastic teens.
For anyone who isn't familiar with either of these series, this is a great place to give them a try with no previous knowledge. Miskatonic High is the comic series about students who take on H.P. Lovecraft-style monsters and their small-town high school...they're just not sure which is worse.
Lovecraft P.I. imagines the macabre world of H.P. Lovecraft fused with noir detective novels of the 1920s and 1930s. Short on temper and long on occult knowledge, his unique talents are put to the test against an array of fearsome creatures and villains.
These are two of the most fun and inventive takes on esoteric horror in indie comics right now. While it helps if you have a passing knowledge of H.P. Lovecraft and his stories, it isn't necessary to enjoy this crossover.
Both series have plenty of back issues and trades if you want to get caught up!
CHECK IT OUT HERE!
A Sci-Fi saga about a space-truckin’, ass-stompin', wrestle goddess, who’s on a quest to find her long lost daughter and become the greatest trucker of all time and the Champion of Truck Off, the Wrestlemania of the starways.
Mother Trucker is Over the Top and Running Man meets Barbarella and Wonder woman. The world she inhabits is 80’s WWF Wrestling, Monster Trucks and far out Americana. Essentially a Heavy metal magazine version of American Kinnikuman.
Mother Trucker is a love letter to the Saturday morning cartoon world building with a truck load of edge and heart. It’s big Dudes, big Trucks, big business brought to heel by one bad Mother Trucker. In a Galaxy where trucking reality shows and wrestling rules entertainment, Truck Off is the ultimate annual event. Truck off is a high stakes competition where the best intergalactic shipping contracts are won by wrestling on the backs of trucks while racing around the rings of Saturn. Can Mother Trucker go all the way and take the Bridge-mart Championship belt at Truck Off 12 and win the Truck of her dreams? Big wig corporate giants will do anything to keep her from winning, keep her from the prize and keep her from the truth of her past. To take them on she’ll need to become the baddest Mother Trucker in the galaxy.
CHECK IT OUT HERE!
“RDW” is a tale about coping. Coping with loss, responsibility, command, addiction, withdrawal and more. It also features social commentary, PTSD, corporate interests and much more, in a Dark Fantasy setting – all of that, in a striking visual package.
It is Asterix – Mister Robot – Samurai Champloo - The Witcher books, Promethea and the game GRIS, rolled into One.
Its as if the harsh reality of real life problems were informed by a world with Dragons and Spell-casting. Sometimes this can be the solution to all our problems and sometimes it can be the sole cause for them. In this particular case, we're stuck in the middle, with Astrid, our protagonist, not knowing where to turn.
CHECK IT OUT HERE!
Slow Pokes is a comic book that answers the question of what would happen if Sloths were fast? They'd be killing machines of course!
London James is a rebellious high-school teenager ready to move on to the next phase of his life. The only thing standing in his way is a request from his best friend Karate Carlos…oh and a bio engineered sloth who is now freakishly fast and out for blood. From the twisted mind of Steve Urena, Slow Pokes is a vulgar fun-filled filled horror-comedy thrill ride that’s filled with sloths, slaughter, and slapstick.
CHECK IT OUT HERE!
Five Star RAVE Review from PopCultHQ!
over 3 years ago
– Wed, Oct 21, 2020 at 12:18:32 PM
Hey all,
What a tremendous first 48 hours! 105 backers! $7500+! We are firmly ahead of the blistering pace we set on THE JUMP #1. Thanks so much again for helping us kick this party off with a definitive and authoritative BANG. Some good news for you this morning...
THE REVIEWS ARE IN!
I wanted to let you all know that THE PEACEKEEPERS #1 just received it's first review from a major comic site and it is a gushing five star RAVE.
Jason Bennet from PopCultHQ says:
"Grant’s cinematic prowess is on display like never before. This may be his best work yet."
and
"This is some next-level s***… The theatrical feel, the brilliant delivery, the character development, and the remarkable comic book experience… You want greatness, look no further."
I know I've been telling you for a while that this thing is pretty damn good. Well... if you don't believe me, maybe you'll take Jason's word for it? HA!
LET THE PODCASTS BEING!
I started the 2020 PEACEKEEPERS PROMOTIONAL TOUR and we'll have interviews and podcasts and the like dropping all over youtube, spotify, and apple all week. I'll hit you back here soon with some links and you can watch me dance/mug for the cameras. They'll be packed with plenty of great info on the creation of the book/where it's headed... and I'm generally at least mildly entertaining on these things.
As always, if you need anything re: the campaign, I'm here for you, just fire off a message.
Stay safe out there, huh?
Rylend
P.S. - Some friends of mine have some WONDERFUL campaigns going right now and I wanted to take a minute to highlight them...
The steam-fantasy epic continues in this a high-quality hardcover graphic novel about loss, revenge, and conflicting loyalties.
The Story
In Volume 1:
Dubbed the "Abomination" because of his appearance, enslaved gladiator, Roan, carries within his human body the blood of a mystical and nearly extinct race known as the Ancients. He jumps at the prospect of freedom when a mysterious girl named Dara appears at his cell and offers him a chance at a new life in exchange for his help. Together with the aristocratic Caspian, roguish Elnor, and grease monkey Mac, they embark on a mission to track down an artifact that Dara believes may be connected to Roan's ancient, Impure Blood.
In Volume 2:
The party returns to Turien, a city they escaped just days before, to track down an artifact with ties to the Ancient Blood. There they find an army of golems has risen up out of the earth and sea, leaving death and destruction in its wake. When Roan is brought face to face with the leader of these unnatural monsters, he is presented with a choice between his human and Ancient heritage.
Tensions mount as each member of the company finds their loyalties shifting, their secrets exposed, and their questions unanswered. Who is Auhle? Why is he after the Ancient artifact? And what does an old hermit cast out of the Watcher Society have to do with it?
CHECK IT OUT HERE!
PROJECT MAGUS is a military fantasy set in a very near dystopian future. Through extensive research of history, chemistry and human biology, this story presents Magic in a gritty, scientifically grounded fashion. The series was launched in March of 2019 through Kickstarter and has already published three issues with a fourth soon on the way.
The story centers around Corporal Victoria Lopez, a hot-tempered Marine with a haunting past. Victoria discovers an extraordinary ability that aids her and her allies against a rising threat of overwhelmingly powerful Spell Casters.
CHECK IT OUT HERE!
Cool Note: PARANEON is written by a renowned hacker in the cybersecurity industry.
Paraneon is a new universe where earth has technocentric cities, underground worker colonies outside of them, and post-apocalyptic distant desert lands. All factories have been moved to Mars -- where there's more androids than humans.
The three comics, titled "The Hive Network", "Neon Skyline", and "Portals" are available as three individual comics or as a graphic novel collecting them. The initial offering gives a glimpse into the universe of Paraneon.
Use the link below to access the campaign:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paraneon/paraneon-sci-fi-cyberpunk-comics-for-hackers-by-hackers
