HOMESTEAD: A Native American/Western Werewolf Graphic Novel

Books are arriving at the warehouse this month!
3 months ago – Mon, Sep 02, 2024 at 07:08:24 AM

Hello friends!

I have spoken to Source Point Press, and I'm excited to announce that they believe the books will be arriving at the warehouse right around the end of this month! Yay!

I'm hoping that with the wind on our back and perhaps a little luck that, should this be the case, we can get the books in all of your hands by the time I'll be at New York Comic Con in early October, but I'll keep you all posted as we go, of course.

(I'll be doing a few more convention and signing appearances between now and the end of the year, and you can see my full schedule at my website HERE.)

In the meantime, how about a few recent photos of the final "back-end" work we've been doing while the books are in route?

So... that's where we're at on that, friends -- we're officially in the final countdown!

I'll keep you all posted upon the books arriving, and then shipping... which will be soon... which is good... because the Kickstarter we're launching in late October after fulfillment is scheduled to be complete on HOMESTEAD is a big one. Here's a hint...

Thanks all! I'll be in touch again soon!

Your friend in comics,
Dirk Manning

A whole pack of art sneak peeks (and a reminder) while we wait...
3 months ago – Mon, Aug 12, 2024 at 02:05:12 PM

How About a Sneak Peek at the Book Plate Art?

Hello Wolf Pack!

Production on HOMESTEAD is still humming along... which is to say that the book is at the printer and this is the part of any campaign where we all collectively have to sit back patiently at wait for them to arrive so we can start shipping everything out.

That being said, while we wait, how about a peek at the art that will be adorning the triple-signed HOMESTEAD hardcover editions, eh?

This book will sit on the  final bookplate (designed by letterer and design guru Dave Lentz) which will adorn signatures by series illustrator/co-creator Les Lindon Garner, Lakota Creative Consultant Rau Blackhawk, and myself.

I'm so excited to get this book in all of your hands and hear your thoughts on it, and I'll continue to keep you posted on the process.

And speaking of new books to get in your hands...

Have you secured your red leatherbound hardcover edition of LOVE STORIES ABOUT DEATH yet?

Y'all only have four days left to secure yoruselves a red leatherbound, Kickstarter Exclusive, hardcover edition of LOVE STORIES ABOUT DEATH, as the Kickstarter campaign ends this Friday at 5:30 PM EST!

If you haven't pledged for your copy yet, I encourage you to do so right away at www.LoveStoriesAboutDeath.com, as Friday will be here before we know it, and once the campaign ends the KS Exclusive Edition of the book will not be made available again!

FUN FACT: HOMESTEAD was originally conceived to be one of the stories in LOVE STORIES ABOUT DEATH, but I came to realize out werewolf western story needed to be a stand-alone graphic novel.

That being said, the face that HOMESTEAD was originally part of LOVE STORIES ABOUT DEATH was originally intended to be part of THIS graphic novel should give you a pretty solid idea of the quality and type of story to expect in this one... but here's a few preview images to give you a bit more of a taste:

As you can see, this is a collection of genre-hopping horror stories ranging from mermaids vs. pirates to science fiction to professional wrestling to zombies to vampires vs. vikings and more... and like HOMESTEAD, these stories are all both action-packed and emotionally investing.

Plus, again, how about that fancy red leather cover and all those other free upgrades, yeah?

I recognize I'm asking many of you to pledge for a copy of this book when HOMESTEAD hasn't shipping yet, but if you're new here, allow me to assure you that I've managed well over a dozen Kickstarter campaigns and my fulfillment rate is 100%.
 

If you'd like to jump in on LOVE STORIES ABOUT DEATH (and perhaps even help us unlock one final Stretch Goal upgrade), we'd very much appreciate it, and you can do so HERE.

Thanks again, everyone! I hope you're doing well and enjoyed all these art previews! I'll be in touch again soon!

Your friend in comics,
Dirk Manning

While production moves along... get ready for LOVE STORIES!
4 months ago – Sat, Jul 20, 2024 at 01:36:25 PM

Production is moving along...

Hello friends!

I just wanted to drop you all a line to let you know that things are humming along with production on HOMESTEAD. The books are at the printer, we're finalizing the process of deciding what art to use on the bookplate so we can get those signed by everyone, and the werewolf mini-busts are entering their final stage of production before being sent to the fulfillment center.

In fact, here's a peek at the mini-busts -- and a word from Les Garner about them himself:

And, again, not to put too fine a point on it, yes, Les Garner not only illustrated HOMESTEAD (with colorist Colin Johnson), but he's also the designer and manufacturer of both the werewolf mini-busts and the full-sized werewolf statues for this campaign. He's multi-talented like that... and you'll be seeing more cool stuff from him past HOMESTEAD very soon.

Speaking of very soon... how about some LOVE STORIES?

With HOMESTEAD now in full production, we've decided to join Kickstarter's "Heartstrings & Hardbacks"  with a new graphic novel launching this Tuesday, July 23rd, at Noon EST.

With the tagline "Seven stories that will tug at your heartstrings... and then tear them out!" you probably get a good idea of what we're doing with this one... but what you might not know is that HOMESTEAD was originally going to be the eight-story in LOVE STORIES ABOUT DEATH  before I realized that -- unlike the other seven stories (which are each a 22-page one-shot), our werewolf western would best be told over a four-chapter story.

That being said, this should give you an idea of the caliber of the stories we're offering with collection of genre-hopping horror stories featuring a pirate and a ravenous mermaid, four astronauts vying for the last two seats on a space station overrun by aliens, vikings versus vampires, an aging professional wrestling literally fighting for his life in the ring in front of a live audience, a merciless zombie story, and more.

Oh... and we're unlocking a deluxe red leatherbound-style hardcover edition of the book with the first "Super Stretch Goal" too:

As a backer of HOMESTEAD, I'm happy to include you among those who get a full preview of the campaign HERE. We're still making a few final edits... but it will give you a pretty good idea of what we're offering.

Take a peek, click the 'Notify Me On Launch" button, and know I sincerely hope you'll join us for this shorter "Quickstarter" campaign this Tuesday so we can unlock the Kickstater Exclusive "I Saw Red" edition of the book!

Thanks all!

I'll be in touch again with another HOMESTEAD update soon, too!

Your friend in comics,
Dirk Manning

A quick BackerKit reminder...
5 months ago – Mon, Jun 24, 2024 at 07:35:01 PM

Hello HOMESTEAD friends!

I was at the Source Point Press warehouse last week and things are moving right along!

As always, the waiting for the book to get printed and shipped is the longest part of the process, but I'll continue to keep you all posted along the way.

In the meantime, illustrator/co-creator Les Garner is producing the werewolf mini-busts, and we'll be printing the bookplates soon and start them on their journey of getting signed by me, Les, and creative consultant Rau Blackhawk. (Rest and keep recovering, brother! You remain in our thoughts!)

As a quick reminder, if you haven't completed your BackerKit please, please, pretty-please with sugar on top, take a moment to do so now right HERE:

Remember, BackerKit is how we collect your address to ship you your stuff, so if you don't complete your BackerKit we can't get you your stuff when it arrives... and then we'll both be sad... so fill it out!

(Also, via the BackerKit you can treat yourself to some exclusive deals on some of my other graphic novels -- also all with FREE U.S. SHIPPING! Huzzah!)

Thanks, all! As always, we all sincerely appreciate your support so very much! I'll be in touch again soon with updates on this project... and the next one, which I suspect will also be of VERY high interest to all of you fellow horror fans!

Your friend in comics,
Dirk Manning 

Have you completed your HOMESTEAD BackerKit yet?
6 months ago – Thu, Jun 06, 2024 at 07:40:31 AM

BackerKits are locking soon...

Hello friends!

I'm happy to report that HOMESTEAD is scheduled to go to the printer next week! The waiting for the books to get from the printer to the warehouse to your door is always the hardest part (to paraphrase the Tom Petty song), but I've looked over the PDF repeatedly and the final product is going to be STUNNING. I can't wait for you all to see it!

To make sure you get your books (and all your other Stretch Goals and Add-Ons), though, you need to fill-out your BackerKit. Did you fill-out your BackerKit?
 

As it stands right now, about 50 of you haven't yet... so please make sure you do, because the orders will be locking soon, friends!

Another fun project of note...

My dear friend and longtime artistic collaborator Austin McKinley has launched his first Kickstarter for his longtime passion project RIOT FORCE, and it's an absolute blast! Funded in under eight hours, this 300+ page graphic novel is a cyber-tech action/adventure filled with humor and compelling team-driven storytelling. I've had the pleasure of reading the whole thing, and backing it on Kickstarter is the only way to get the Kickstarter Exclusive cover as well as any other Stretch Goal goodies unlocked during the campaign.

If you love comics and are looking for a fun one to read, check out the campaign and pledge for a copy at www.RiorForceComic.com. 

Here's a sneak-peek at the KS Exclusive cover, too:

Thanks, all! I appreciate your support so very much, and I'll be in touch again soon! In the meantime, fill-out your BackerKit if you haven't yet and check out RIOT FORCE!

Your friend in comics,
Dirk Manning