Beyond Lovecraft: Less Than One Day Left!

The picture says it all, folks:

This is it: the last push. It's not too late to invest in the Beyond Lovecraft Indiegogo campaign and become part of something extraordinary, something original, something made just for you that will have your name on it.

I've talked before about my experience with author Jasper Bark and artist Rob Moran: see for yourself why I'm such a fan of both of these skilled men. Beyond Lovecraft, a love letter to the Cthulhu Mythos, promises to be a true work of art, a book you'll look through again and again.

Art, true art, doesn't come cheap.  Remember when the special effects company behind the film Life of Pi went bankrupt despite winning an Academy Award? Our convenience-based culture is moving away from appreciating the skill and work and agony behind every piece of treasured artwork, whether it's a book, a painting, a vase, or even a graphic novel, and when we lose that, we lose artists. Artistic success is becoming a crapshoot, a function of blind luck leading to viral popularity. We can and should push back against that, and one way is by supporting independent content creators and their projects. Here is a great place to start.

Give yourself or a friend an early Christmas (or Hanukkah) present and invest in Beyond Lovecraft.

Beyond Lovecraft Update

I've described why I'm supporting Jasper Bark and Rob Moran's Beyond Lovecraft Indiegogo campaign here, so if this is the first you've heard of it, please click the link to learn why you should get excited about the project, too.

Or, better yet, see what Jasper himself has to say.



This is where we are with funding so far:

As you can see, we're still building momentum.  To bring it home, though, we need more: more exposure, more backers, more funding.  That's where you come in.

For just $25.00 you would not only get an electronic copy of the graphic novel, but also a 100 page behind the scenes Beyond Lovecraft e-book and have your name on the honor roll of contributors to an extraordinary project.  That's a damn good deal.

For 25 bucks you can be this guy, figuratively speaking

The perks get better from there.  Check them out.

Even if you can't provide funding now, please share the campaign link: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/beyond-lovecraft/x/12314422#/

Thank you, and I hope to see you browsing the shelves of the Library of Yith soon!

Beyond Lovecraft

Regular readers of my blog know that I'm a big fan of Jasper Bark, a writer of uncommon skill and character.  His short story anthology Stuck on You and Other Prime Cuts and graphic novel Bloodfellas have received rare and enthusiastic five-star reviews from me and other finicky readers.

I'm thrilled to announce that Jasper's developing a brand new graphic novel titled Beyond Lovecraft.  Billed as a "grim and cosmic love letter" to the Cthulhu Mythos, it combines his writing with the extraordinary work of artist Rob Moran, who did the arresting, disturbing covers for the Bloodfellas comics.

While they've secured Markosia Comics as a publisher, Bark and Moran want to take this project to the next level.  To that end, they've started an Indiegogo campaign to raise extra funds.  This is what Jasper himself has to say about Beyond Lovecraft:

This is a great chance to contribute to a project that you'll be proud to have your name on.  The perks are very neat, ranging from Mi-Go level all the way up to Azathoth...and beyond.

One of the great freedoms of independent publishing is that it allows creators to push the boundaries of storytelling and narrative in ways traditional publishers are typically loath to attempt.  Jasper has proven that his work not just flirts with those boundaries, but expands them, taking the reader places he or she has never even dreamed of.  Think of it as the difference between an equilateral triangle and a non-Euclidean figure birthed from an obscenity living in the gulfs between the coldest, furthest stars.  Sort of.

Every little bit helps, and even if you're not in a position to donate now, please share the link to the campaign so Beyond Lovecraft can get the attention it deserves.  The campaign's goals are clear, and you'll know exactly where your hard-earned money is going.

The stars are right.  Great Cthulhu has finally risen from His house in R'lyeh.  What to know what happens next?  Click the link and get on board!

GNoH Review: Bloodfellas

At Jim Mcleod's Ginger Nuts of Horror, I reviewed the graphic novel Bloodfellas.  Jasper Bark wrote the script, Mick Trimble did the drawing, and Aljoša Tomić colored it.

If you read no other graphic novel this year (or at any other time), this is the one you have to get.  I can't recommend it highly enough.  Click on the link, check out the review, and run, don't walk, to Amazon to pick it up.