When you go into Kickstarter you never know what you’re going to find. There will be some gems and there will be some that just don’t shine as brightly for you. This will always be true. However, there are times when you find or hear of some projects and you just know that it’s going to be something that you’re going to like for one reason or another. One of the ones I recently encountered is entitled Forager.
To be clear: I like this project for several reasons and I am willing to put my money where my mouth is as I have supported this project. It seems like it’s going to be a fun read. Now let me tell you why I think this is a book that you should give some attention to and consider funding.
First, it’s a science fiction epic. If you watch the Kickstarter video you’ll see that it sounds very Lost In Space-esque as it contains a young girl and her family struggling to stay together as a family. Ellie, the young girl, beings to hear “voices” from “angels” that are coming towards Earth. As the spacecraft that Ellie and her family is on moves closer the messages continue to get louder. But are the aliens hostile? In the words of the team behind Forager:
[quote]The inspiration for FORAGER was born out of frustration with mainstream science fiction movies where nearly all alien life in the universe wants to conquer or eat us. There is very little optimism, hope or joy. So FORAGER draws its inspiration films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, ET and Starman.[/quote]
Having something a little more “friendly” in terms of alien encounters is something that, as they say, we don’t see a lot of these days. This sounds very much like the movies I grew up with in the 80s, which have the above in that audience as well as a couple of other personal favorites, Flight of the Navigator and batteries not included.
The second reason why you should look at this story is that this is one of the few books out there today that is being created for an all ages audience. When you look at the books that are coming out from the big publishers, we see heroes that every kid knows. My 6 year old nephew loves Batman… but I would never let him read an in-continuity Batman book from DC. As a 6 year old, does he need to see the Joker’s face detached and sitting there held on by leather straps? No, he does not. There are far too many books where related material targets a younger audience and then actually is unsuitable for them. Instead, this book – right from the get go – is for the all ages market. Watching the intro video and viewing the sample art on the page… this is a book I would be willing to read with my nephew and one he would probably get very excited about.
A third reason to support this one (only one more reason after this – honest): the art. I mean, just look at it. The pencils are solid, the colors are gorgeous and really make it stand out. Steven Cummings has done the interior art with colors from Challenging Studios, and Bill Tortolini on lettering and design. It’s bright, it’s vibrant, and even just looking at it… it’s fun. I have said before that’s one thing I miss from most comics today – having fun in reading them. Even though I’ll be hitting 40 years old in a few years, this still looks like a fun read for anyone. And if you support the book via Kickstarter, you’ll get the Amanda Conner exclusive cover!
Wait a minute…. Amanda Conner? That name sounds familiar… Which leads me to reason #4…
The book is written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. The two of them have collaborated with Amanda Connor on a number of projects, so much so that Palmiotti and Conner were married earlier this year (congratulations to you both). Those names may shock you when you consider that this is an all-ages book, especially due to some of the other content under their umbrella (such as Sex and Violence which was another Kickstarter from that team that I reviewed here on Comic Booked). What I have found from the writing duo, though, is that they can go from genre to genre and still tell a solid tale. In DC alone, they jump from Batwing to All-Star Western (where they have told some amazing tales of the western bounty hunter Jonah Hex) to Ame-Comi Girls which is an entire re-imagining of the DC Universe in what can be described as an anime-esque style but having strong female characters. If they can do that month after month in a major publisher like DC, I have strong faith that they can deliver a strong story here.
There you have it. 4 reasons to support this project. As I write this, they are just more than $1,000 away from their goal. In 12 days, they managed to raise over $21,000 for this project, and the writers themselves have stated that they aren’t taking anything from the Kickstarter project. This book will be made available to others in the future, but many of the benefits they are offering in the program are what the money will cover!
If you are looking for what appears to be a solid story from a solid writing team, what looks to be some gorgeous artwork, and a book that you can share with anyone due to its all-ages content. This is a must-have for me and I am glad that there’s still over half of the time period left until the program is done and it’s on the cusp of being funded. I really want this book. I cannot wait to have it in my hands and read it with my nephew. And this may be one of those books that can turn a young reader onto the comics medium for a long time to come.
