Forager: Kickstart An All-Ages Sci-Fi Graphic Novel From Jimmy Palmiotti And Justin Gray
This article is more than 2 years old
Are you guys familiar with the prolific comic careers of Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray? You probably are, even if you don’t think so. The two often collaborate on the same projects, which include such titles as the western bad-ass Jonah Hex, the feminine bad-ass Power Girl and the two excellent graphic novels Random Acts of Violence and The Last Resort, among many others. They even wrote the screenplay for the Dead Space animated flick. I could talk for hours about Palmiotti’s work, but then you wouldn’t be focused on going over to Kickstarter and donating money to fund the duo’s new graphic novel Forager, an all ages sci-fi tale featuring the amazingly vibrant art of Steven Cummings. Seriously, just stop reading this and go look. [Editor’s note: Do not go and look yet.]
To be published in November of this year, Forager will follow six-year-old ELlie Travers, whose parents Glenn and Joan take her on a vacation aboard a luxury spaceship orbiting Earth and Mars. Once they reach orbit, Ellie starts to hear voices that say they’re coming for our world. She soon becomes increasingly catatonic, saying the voices are getting closer. Are they angels, as she believes, or is it aliens? Maybe just a weird frequency thing with the ship’s audio? We’ll have to wait and see.
On the campaign page, Palmiotti explains that the project “was born out of frustration with mainstream science fiction movies where nearly all alien life in the universe wants to conquer or eat us,” and says this project is in the same vein as Close Encounters of the Third Kind or E.T.. We can only hope young adult novelists take note: not everything needs to be so damned dystopic.
Having already succeeded on four other Kickstarter campaigns, including ones for Queen Crab, Retrovirus, Sex & Violence Vol. 1, and Weapon of God, Palmiotti and Gray are definitely going to reach their $22,000 goal, which currently has less than $400 to go. But it’s not just about making sure the money is there. They’re using a Print-on-Demand structure, which means those who pledge will get a limited edition that will only be created for this project. Sure, a retail version will come out in stores later on, but it’ll feature a different cover from the one created by Amanda Conner, and it won’t be signed.
Check out the promo video below. Note the Minority Report quote at the end, which is a solid touch:
Have you got your credit cards out already? Pretend like you’re hearing a strange voice telling you to do so, only don’t fall into a fugue state afterward. This campaign is also pretty awesome in that it contains a pretty inexpensive donation tree, with the current top available pledge going for just $101, which will get you signed editions of Forager by Palmiotti and Conner, exclusive prints from both artists, your name in the book, and extra signed books of their choosing. Fantastic, right? You’ve still got 18 days to go, but don’t waste time, as many of the prize packages are of a limited nature.
Even though the video contained tons of imagery from the comic, below you’ll find some full-page artwork. See you in space, guys.
