About this project

HELP LIGHTENING STRIKE TWICE! Please consider pledging on this project....and TELL FRIENDS ABOUT US!! I'm STOKED to be here at Kickstarter! I love the thought of rewarding someone for funding the underdog! Rewards need to reflect the gratitude when your commitment makes our dreams possible! Exclusive and special will be the name of the game for those who believe in Wanted Hero! Can I Pull This Off? Yes!!! My passion, determination and love for this story far outweigh my skill sets, but I have the knowledge, connections and skill sets to pull this off successfully. The book is already written. My last job revolved around doing promotions for corporate clients. It's time I use these skills for my own project. Prelude to a Hero is in its last revision and the debate continues over whether we should do an EXCLUSIVE KICKSTARTER VERSION for those who back this project (see rewards). How Would I Describe This Book? What would you do if you were kidnapped by a little green man and taken billions of light years away from the only home you have ever known? What would you say if you, an ordinary mortal, were told you were actually the last in a royal line of valiant Heroes, foreordained to save all creation? How would you feel if you were then granted the greatest power ever bestowed upon a mortal; a power that could not be taken from you? ...now imagine that they made a mistake. They grabbed the wrong guy. THE GAME PLAN! If I am fully funded, I want to self-publish 'Prelude to a Hero', the first book of the Wanted Hero Chronicles, under a family label and get this story in front of as many people as possible. This includes web promotion and getting into national book stores. Heck--I'm looking forward to this being made into a movie! We also have a training company willing to include this novel as a gift with their curriculum, both here in the USA and Australia. So we have a good head start with local exposure, and connections to expand rather quickly when funded. My hope is that this book will open doors of opportunity, not only to grow in popularity, but allow me to speak to youth and families about the amazing potential of the human soul. To open the eyes and lift the hearts of children, so they can see the brightness of the future, not the bleak shadows so many are conditioned to believe. Yes, this is about a book, but you need to know in my heart it's always been about the youth. That's the power of this story. The key here is: MONEY. Plain and simple. I need certain tools to complete the project, but I've used all the resources I have available. Trust me when I say a family of 13 isn't easy to support. I don't have another penny to put towards this and I'm SO close. How The Money Will Be Spent Production & Awareness. This is about creating a quality end product and getting it in front of people. The majority is for the actual production of Prelude to a Hero (both the main release and our 'special reward'). It also includes equipment/programs for design, websites, backup, storage and online promotion. We've already started rebuilding the Wanted Hero main site and are going through the design stage for the Novel site. One of our fans even created a Wanted Hero card game and he tells me he'll be creating a Kickstarter project soon as well! Every time a resource becomes available, we JUMP on it! Funding will allow us to RUUUUUN!! A BRIEF (but interesting) HISTORY of WANTED:HERO... Being a cartoonist and telling stories has always been my dream. As the father of 11 incredible children, it's given me a great deal of practice, sharing bedtime stories of magic, mayhem, senile old wizards, grumpy half-breed side kicks and heroes against impossible odds! I was always the odd kid growing up, never quite fitting in. This story came out of a passion and understanding for estranged youth who don't yet understand how amazing they really are. I wanted to take them on a journey with someone they could relate to. Someone who would do the impossible, and PROVE that it was possible! I told the stories wherever I went...and it grew. I wanted to share it with more than my own family so I looked to the internet.

I was told my idea was impossible. It just wouldn't work. It was "TOO BIG", they said. I didn't have the credentials, the knowledge, the connections or the funding. However, many said I had the talent, including Dave Sim of Cerebus (who I dedicated the first graphic novel to). So, it sounded like a project WORTH doing. The web had so much potential and at the time, no one was doing eComics, so I started making them.

In 2004 with a handful of library books on basic HTML, I made my first website and started talking about my ideas. In 2005 I launched my first eComic on the website for $0.99. Didn't know what I was doing, but I was STOKED! By the end of the year, we had over 750,000 visitors and readers in 60+ countries. I was interviewed on radio and internet shows, which boosted our readership, and I got to know some amazing people. Here's just one of our many positive reviews: "WANTED:HERO is a terrific comic by a talented writer illustrator, Jaime Buckley. Wendell, the all-too human hero in question, has his roots in some of the best characters of classic Eerie and Creepy comics, and yet stands on his own fresh and original feet. Anyone who loves comics will welcome Buckley's creation and want to follow him frame by gripping frame through all his adventures." - International Writer, Barry Eisler www.barryeisler.com

We created 13 comics and 2 graphic novels by the end of 2006, when old injuries made drawing all but impossible and I was devastated. I was forced to walk away from my dream and find a new career. Will Lightening Strike Again? OH yeah!! Family, friends and caring fans have encouraged me to go back to the story--but this time as a novelist, not a cartoonist. To tell the WHOLE story--including things I could never cover in the comic book. A story with 20 years of creation, research, development and heart. You can help make this happen!

My Plea to You: I think those here at Kickstarter can truly understand when I say: This project has been the life of me for as long as I can remember. It's not just what I do, it's what I do well. The fact is, we have never met a child, teen or adult who didn't like this story. Doesn't that say something? It says something to us. My family and I have overcome impossible odds to make it this far. Every step has had a good measure of success, but the barrier has always been funding--nothing more. It's been a family goal since 1990 to grow this story to its full potential. Please help us cross the finishing line and let us share the passion of this story with YOU and those you know. Thank you for you support! The Buckley Family