Living in Atlanta, I always enjoy the chance to meet and greet local geeks — there’s an amazing assortment of talent and interests in this city, and sometimes I get lucky enough to share something new and interesting I’ve found with GeekDad readers. It’s even better when I happen to know the individual or organization personally, and for this post, I love that I can introduce a good friend of mine here in Atlanta, Joseph Karg, and his new Kickstarter project.
Joseph is a professor at the Art Institute of Atlanta, and every time I see him in the coffee shop, I get to see some of the cool new artwork he’s done, sometimes before anyone else. (We also usually end up getting into some geeky conversation that lasts 30-45 minutes before we both realize we’ve got lots of work to do.)
Over the last few months, I’ve been fortunate enough to get a behind-the-scenes look at a new project Joseph is involved in — he and fellow AIofA professor Elio Guevara have just pushed the Go button on a new Kickstarter project — a graphic novel titled El Grande Volume 1 (of 6) that combines amazing artwork by Guevara and a unique story by Joseph. El Grande is most definitely an adult-themed graphic novel, so geek parents just be aware… here’s a slightly edited story summary from the Kickstarter page:
An ominous figure has cast a shadow on Earth’s lone remaining city, Bramacas: El Grande is a god prophesied to return and wipe the planet clean of all life. Although there are many religious zealots who terrorize the city’s occupants in the name of El Grande, not everyone lives in fear, but will the only man standing in the face of terror be around long enough to save us?
We follow the life of a man calling himself El Gusano—The Worm. He lives on the verge of suicide, though not by his choice—he’s trying his best to kill himself. Aided by a motley crew of futuristic eco-engineers, our hero finds himself at the center of a potentially world-ending event.
Volume 1 will consist of a 72-page full-color book, with 62 pages dedicated to the storyline and 10 bonus pages containing behind-the-scenes sketches and pinups. All you have to do is check out the Kickstarter project and scan the art to see that this is definitely something new — eye-catching colors with a mix of media. The video shows Guevara using crayons, pencils, paint, and other tools to create this book’s unique, fully-painted style.
The project’s only been up for a day, and they’re already over 20% funded — a PDF version of Volume 1 is only $15 and $30 gets you a print version of the 9″ x 12″ oversized book. Additional backer levels offer additional illustration pin-ups and even commissioned artwork from Guevara ($50 for colored pencil line work sketch of backer’s choice of character or $75 for full-color sketch of backer’s choice that will match the art style of El Grande).
Joseph and Elio are very excited about their project, and I’m excited for them… Joseph is giving me glimpses into the creative aspects of the story and art, and it’s really cool to see where this is going. If you’re looking to get in early on a graphic novel series from the start, this is your chance. (I’m not saying Joseph and Elio are going gain fame and fortune from El Grande, but yeah… I think they’ve got an original story and artwork that is really going to grab attention and make some noise.)
Good luck Joseph and Elio — I can’t wait to read the final book.
