Kickstarter

The Story: Issue One

City of Emeralds is a unique adult adaptation of L Frank Baum's 1900 classic novel, The Wizard of Oz.

The year is 1968. Nineteen year old Lieutenant Dorothy Gale is an Army nurse serving in a base hospital in Vietnam who miraculously survives a plane crash that was transporting her to Saigon for weekend leave.

The Project: Issue One of the graphic novel & animated series

City of Emeralds will be an eight issue graphic novel and eight episode animated motion comic. I am seeking $5,000 in KickStarter funds to finance the artwork for the first issue of graphic novel as well as animated series. This budget originally slated for hiring artists, will now go primarily into funding photography, models, props, costumes and studio space for the photoshoot . The remaining money (minus Kickstarter and Amazon fees) will be used toward soliciting publishers and distributers and to cover any unforseen budget problems in the creation of the first installment. These costs are rough estimates and may change during production. 

Should this fundraising campaign become wildly successful by raising far in excess of the funds I am seeking for the first issue, then we will continue production of the graphic novel and animation until completion or until funds are depleted.

Why Eight Issues/Episodes? Why Not One Entire Novel?

Think of Issue One as the pilot to raise interest and awareness.  To find a willing publisher I have divided the novel into eight issues at the standard 22 page length. This allows the publisher to insert ads to generate revenue to cover their costs plus it creates chapter breaks and allows me to create suspenseful cliffhangers.

The animated motion comic will also mirror the same eight issue/episode format. It will either be available through a dedicated website or perhaps iTunes if not both. 

The Style of the Novel

Most of the artwork depicted here are photo montage paintings created by myself. The style of the novel and motion comic will be a stylistic mix of painted photo imagery and traditional pencil. It will be similar to the Havoc & Wolverine Meltdown graphic novel of twenty years ago. 

For most of the characters we will be using  digitally painted photography of live actors, a technique we have successfully used before in creation of TV storyboards. This will allow us to rotoscope much of the action for the motion comic. It will be rich in detail and mood.

It is our goal to create something groundbreaking and cinematic.

The Creative Team

I am collaborating with a small online studio in Los Angeles called VisualStoryline that specializes in TV commerial storyboards. My relationship with all the partners at VisualStoryline goes back many years as we were all previously employed at the same Los Angeles studio as storyboard artists and animators just. This is our first graphic novel & motion comic collaboration. 

http://www.visualstoryline.com

Publishing and Distribution

There are currently no publishers or distributors lined up at this time but we hope to entice one with the artwork and unique storyline. In the event that we can find no willing publisher or distributor, this project will  proceed as an independent both as a graphic novel and as a motion comic that will be available through a dedicated website.

A Revised Note on Rewards

Although it is not stated in the rewards, it is my hope to give all $10 plus contributors a free copy of the first print issue or a digital download of the first episode of the motion comic! If all goes well, both.

I don't like to make promises I can't keep as this project is still in it's planning stage, but my collaborators and I are dedicated in making this project successful and do wish to reward our backers handsomely!