Launching Something New
It's both the hardest thing to do... and the most exciting thing for comic creators. Grawlgore & Shanks #1 arrives on Kickstarter TODAY!
So, this button right here was staring me in the face this morning…
Kickstarter creators will all recognize pressing that green beauty as literally the LAST action that separates the crowdfunding planning phase (which can last weeks, months or even years) from the launch phase.
The crazy thing is… everyone who clicks that button saying “I’m ready to launch” is lying.
As a creator, you NEVER feel 100% ready to put something new out to the market.
There’s always excitement and fear around what the results might be… will people love it? Hate it? Not care at all?
And there’s always a feeling that you could have done more to prepare…
Should I get another variant cover? Maybe I should book a few more podcasts? Let’s just get a little more done…
But eventually, every creator who actually wants to succeed by any measure needs to hit that launch button.
And, even if you’ve been through this process before… or in the case of John Lees, a bunch of times with a ton of success and accolades, it still is nerve wracking to put a new series out there.
John writes:
Ahead of every campaign, I get nervous. I worry about what happens if this is the time the backers don't show up, if the momentum isn't on our side. In the current environment, as it grows into ever more of an uphill struggle for creators to get the word out about projects and for readers to be able to support them, having that momentum has never been more important. And while ComixTribe have a flawless Kickstarter track record, this isn't Sink, it's a new property, in a different genre for me, so there is still that added degree of uncertainty. And so, I want to do all I can to help get this campaign off on as strong a foot as possible.
I have been working on this comic for years, writing and redrafting the numerous scripts I've banked - enough for this 4-issue miniseries and a whole other one to follow if the response is good enough! - refining each to the point where it's some of the strongest, most fully fleshed-out work I've done. This whole world feels real to me now, and no part of it is more alive in my head than the central characters of Vaun Grawlgore and Arlog Shanks. I have their voices and personalities so realised now that they feel like pals I know. In the case of Arlog, I've spent the last year-plus playing him in D&D with my friends, and even dressed up as him last Halloween!
Well, the good news is that John really has nothing to worry about! In just the first few hours, we’re already 60+ backers strong and more than 50% funded!
A solid start… but also a reminder that launching something new is never easy.
There’s a reason most of the biggest comic book launches these days are for reprints, long-running comic series, or existing IP licensed from big publishers… it’s already completely obvious that the world wants what they have to sell.
But when you create something brand new, something the world has never seen before and isn’t necessarily asking for… that takes a lot of guts and bravery.
And it takes some bravery on the part of backers, too.
Just because we’ve delivered some great comics in the past doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll love the next thing we dish up.
We try to do a few things to reward our existing customer base when they return for more… things like a DAY ONE BACKER BONUS and a EARLY BACKER DISCOUNT.
But, the reality is… every book won’t be for every backer. This one is a cozy-fantasy mystery series about a dwarf tailor and his orc steward who travel the realm solving murders, mysteries, and oddball problems—on the condition their clients agree to wear Grawlgore’s truly terrible fashion. From the minds of award-winning creators John Lees (Sink, Hotell) and Joe Mulvey (Happy Hill, Wailing Blade), this unlikely detective duo is here to fix what the High Kings and epic fantasy adventurers overlook.
Set against the backdrop of a magical realm still healing from a long-ago war, this series delivers standalone stories with the heart of Columbo and the wit of Only Murders in the Building. It’s not about saving the world from he who must not be named, rather it’s about righting small wrongs, mending broken bonds, and making sure everyone leaves looking just a little more fabulous than they arrived.
The beautiful thing about launching something new is that it may also bring new people into the fold. We’re rocking this launch for just 18 days, and can’t wait to get this book into as many hands as possible…
…Because nothing beats discovering a new favorite comic!