Ten31 Publishing's Kickstarter for my all-ages, Lovecraftian horror comic THE GRUMPLEDOWNS GANG AND THE CASE OF THE MAIL-ORDER SHOGGOTHS is halfway through and about 70% finished. It's getting there, but there's a long way to go, so I wanted to post some thoughts about what this comic means to me.
First and foremost, it's a comic that I’m extremely proud of.
I read a lot of all-ages comics, like SIMPSONS COMICS, MOUSEGUARD and SPONGEBOB COMICS and I’ve wanted to do something that appeals to the widest possible audience, something truly all-ages for a long time.
Something anyone can pick up and enjoy, whether they’re long-time comics fans or just getting into them.
Why is that important to me? Because there are a lot of comics out there that claim to be just that, but a lot of them. Too often, “all-ages” translates to “kids’ comics” in the minds of publishers and fans. And a lot of those comics are perfectly fine for beginning readers, but neither kids confident in their reading nor adults will find much to enjoy in them.
A real all-ages comic is one that works on multiple levels directed at multiple audience so well that it almost seems effortless. And like any story worth telling, they should also be stories that meant something, not just fluff meant to fill pages and be forgotten once you’ve finished reading. And that's what I try to create, no matter what the intended audience.
When Ten31's publisher, James W. Powell, gave me the chance to create the kind of all-ages comic I'd been thinking about for so long, I was really excited and I immediately had an idea - but I wasn't sure if I was up to the task of creating something on the level of what I was hoping for. Despite those misgivings, I took that idea, fleshed it out and wrote a comic from it. The result was pretty decent, but James then helped me tweak and refine that script until it truly became one of the best I’ve ever written, something I'm very proud of.
James then did an amazing job of finding the best artistic talent to bring it to life.
I read a lot of all-ages comics, like SIMPSONS COMICS, MOUSEGUARD and SPONGEBOB COMICS and I’ve wanted to do something that appeals to the widest possible audience, something truly all-ages for a long time.
Something anyone can pick up and enjoy, whether they’re long-time comics fans or just getting into them.
Why is that important to me? Because there are a lot of comics out there that claim to be just that, but a lot of them. Too often, “all-ages” translates to “kids’ comics” in the minds of publishers and fans. And a lot of those comics are perfectly fine for beginning readers, but neither kids confident in their reading nor adults will find much to enjoy in them.
A real all-ages comic is one that works on multiple levels directed at multiple audience so well that it almost seems effortless. And like any story worth telling, they should also be stories that meant something, not just fluff meant to fill pages and be forgotten once you’ve finished reading. And that's what I try to create, no matter what the intended audience.
When Ten31's publisher, James W. Powell, gave me the chance to create the kind of all-ages comic I'd been thinking about for so long, I was really excited and I immediately had an idea - but I wasn't sure if I was up to the task of creating something on the level of what I was hoping for. Despite those misgivings, I took that idea, fleshed it out and wrote a comic from it. The result was pretty decent, but James then helped me tweak and refine that script until it truly became one of the best I’ve ever written, something I'm very proud of.
James then did an amazing job of finding the best artistic talent to bring it to life.
THE GRUMPLEDOWNS GANG are kids, but their story is a fun one that kids or adults or anyone in between can enjoy and get their fill of scary fun and action – and maybe even take note of a little life lesson tucked in there somewhere.
And the art is just amazing. It’s beautiful, but more than that, it’s incredible to me that it’s virtually exactly what I saw in my head. Artists Rafael Loureiro and Josh Jensen make a powerful team on the interior art, James Hislope’s front- and back-cover pieces are creepily gorgeous and Matt Krotzer’s letters are some of my favorite in the business.
If you like comics, horror fiction or have a kid who likes either, if you’ve ever read any of my comics work or if you haven’t, but want to give it a shot, please click here to check out the Kickstarter campaign Ten31 is currently running, pledge your support and share the word. It's close to meeting its goal, but we're not there yet and we need your help.
This is a very important book to me, with characters I care deeply about, and if it’s successful, I’ll do my best to bring even more of their stories into the world.
And with your help, we can do it!
And the art is just amazing. It’s beautiful, but more than that, it’s incredible to me that it’s virtually exactly what I saw in my head. Artists Rafael Loureiro and Josh Jensen make a powerful team on the interior art, James Hislope’s front- and back-cover pieces are creepily gorgeous and Matt Krotzer’s letters are some of my favorite in the business.
If you like comics, horror fiction or have a kid who likes either, if you’ve ever read any of my comics work or if you haven’t, but want to give it a shot, please click here to check out the Kickstarter campaign Ten31 is currently running, pledge your support and share the word. It's close to meeting its goal, but we're not there yet and we need your help.
This is a very important book to me, with characters I care deeply about, and if it’s successful, I’ll do my best to bring even more of their stories into the world.
And with your help, we can do it!
House of Fear: The Grumpledowns Gang and the Case of the Mail-Order Shoggoths
Written by Brandon Barrows
Art by Rafael Loureiro and James Hislope
Colors by Josh Jensen
Letters by Matt Krotzer
Edited by James W. Powell
Kickstarter opened 5/16/17, closes 6/17/17. Expected to ship to backers July, 2017.
Fourth-grader Ben Grumpledowns has sent away for a package of grow-your-own monsters… just add water! But when his science teacher accidentally flushes them down the toilet, the school is overrun with huge, tentacled creatures! Ben and his friends must find a way to defeat the beasts before they destroy the school or worse – ruin the Halloween carnival! It’s kids vs. shoggoths in this all-new, all-ages, Lovecraftian horror comic!
Written by Brandon Barrows
Art by Rafael Loureiro and James Hislope
Colors by Josh Jensen
Letters by Matt Krotzer
Edited by James W. Powell
Kickstarter opened 5/16/17, closes 6/17/17. Expected to ship to backers July, 2017.
Fourth-grader Ben Grumpledowns has sent away for a package of grow-your-own monsters… just add water! But when his science teacher accidentally flushes them down the toilet, the school is overrun with huge, tentacled creatures! Ben and his friends must find a way to defeat the beasts before they destroy the school or worse – ruin the Halloween carnival! It’s kids vs. shoggoths in this all-new, all-ages, Lovecraftian horror comic!
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