About
Alter-Life: Journey to the End (Hardcover Graphic Novel)
$11,220
215
READ THE FIRST TWO ISSUES FOR FREE BY CLICKING HERE!
(Reminder: credit cards are not charged until after the campaign and ONLY if the project is fully funded, so please pledge early to help us build momentum! You can always adjust your pledge before the end. Oh, and domestic shipping is always FREE for my books!)
WHAT IS ALTER-LIFE?
What if death is not the end but merely the beginning of infinite possibilities? In Alter-Life, all things are possible, and death is but a moment in existence.
Alter-Life is a tragic tale of a man named Jake. An average guy who has dreams of becoming a writer, but is down on his luck, and recently went through a traumatic event that took the lives of both his wife and daughter.
Reeling from the loss and ready to give up on his dreams and his existence, Jake decides to take his own life. Through this action, he discovers that he cannot die, again and again he returns and every time he does, the world around him is slightly different.
This is a tale of love and redemption. An everyman learning to live with his regrets and confront the demons of his past. Jake is lost in his infinite lives, searching for the meaning behind all of his existences.
JOURNEY TO THE END:
This is it. Two years ago we started a journey to create Alter-Life, a 5 issue limited comic series steeped in science-fiction themes and metaphysical mystery. We would not be here without the love and support backers have shown us through 4 consecutive campaigns.
A lot can happen in two years. I have tabled at conventions, set up at comic shops, published issues on Comixology, and even started my own Patreon page. I have been fortunate to have great fans, friends, and family supporting me on this journey and making this all possible even through all of the major life changes I have faced along the way. These years have been a wild ride, and I thank you all for your love and generosity.
NOW, a new chapter of our journey begins. With this final issue and trade edition funded and this book in hand, I will be forging a path to a career as a comic book creator. This is a chance to bring a Beautiful and Complete Story to current fans and new readers. This is my first Trade to take to conventions and show publishers and distributors that I have stories worthy of being told.
The Kickstarter journey for Alter-Life ends here, but it's only the beginning of the Village Comics journey we started together.
Come with me now, and let's make amazing things together...
TRADE EDITION
This book is going to be gorgeous! The Trade Edition is a 200 Page, Hardcover Special Edition of the complete 5 issue series. It will include conceptual artwork, variant art from all of our other Kickstarter campaigns, a 5-page sci-fi short, and some sweet script to panel process pages. All for just $35.00! (free shipping in the U.S.)
ISSUE 5
Long-time, single issue fans need not worry, there is also an option to purchase a lone Issue 5 AND and Issue 5 Variant Cover, just like all of our previous campaigns.
(Due to dwindling stock of physical issues, it makes more sense for us to produce a Full Trade instead of printing and shipping issues 1-4 for new readers.)
VARIANT COVER
The Variant Cover for Issue #5 is by Marcelo Biott. He is an amazing artist from Chicago who also works with me on my series NOOK, a Patreon-Exclusive Series about a Girl living in WWII France with a pet Ghost Cat. You can read more about NOOK at https://www.patreon.com/villagecomics/
BOOKPLATES
Katrina lives in California and I live in Ohio. These bookplates make it possible for us to give you something unique to different tiers of backer, and for us to both sign and personalize your copies!
- TRADE EDITION OFFICIAL BOOKPLATE - Available to backers at the "Complete Thanks" and higher tiers. Each of these comes signed by both Katrina Kunstmann and Caleb Thusat.
- PRODUCER BOOKPLATE - Only available to Producer Tier Backers. Each of theses bookplates come signed and personalized!
- ALTER-LIFE BETA TESTER BOOKPLATE - A special treat, FREE for all RETURNING BACKERS and fans that have been with us through our previous campaigns, we will be including this unique bookplate for any Alter-Life Backers from previous campaigns who decide to order a Trade Edition!
Enter the Alter-Life - Your Likeness in the Book! - NEW on 3/29
Get your likeness drawn into the final chapter of Alter-Life! You will be drawn as a security guard in the final issue of this amazing series. There are only TWO spots available!
You also get everything you want from the $100, New User Completionist Tier.
Poster Packs - NEW on 3/8 - SOLD OUT
I have added TWO SETS of these EXTREMELY LIMITED EDITION POSTERS to the Kickstarter. They feature art from Enzo Put, George Patsouras, Blake Brady, Josh Siegel, Ramon Gil, Walter Ostlie, Ben Ferrari, Jim Terry, and Katrina Kunstmann! Some of these are the last that I have, and the one on the bottom left is Signed by Katrina Kunstmann!
EXCLUSIVE ALTER-LIFE ART
NEW ON 3/12 AND 3/23!
(SPOILERS MAY BE WITHIN THE ARTWORK)
These are one-of-a-kind pieces of art by Katrina Kunstmann, inspired by Alter-Life.
Stretch Goal #1 - Chapter Art
If/when we hit $11,000, we will be adding 5 new pieces of chapter art by Walter Ostlie to the book that will make this Special Hardcover Edition even more amazing!!
Walter is an wonderful artist, and the writer/creator of Cubicles and Shiver Bureau. He also provided artwork for the Variant Cover of Issue #3 of Alter-Life in 2017. His artwork would be a beautiful addition to break up each chapter of the book. All we need to do is hit that $11,000 stretch goal.
Additional stretch goals may include: Increased quality of Trade Edition, free add-ons, and an additional section about the Journey of Alter-Life on Kickstarter.
Funding Breakdown - $10,000
- $3,000 - Artwork for Issue 5
- $6,000 - Trade and Issues Printing
- $500 - Shipping (Not Covered by Kickstarter Initial Goal)
- $1,000 - Kickstarter Fees (10%)
THE TEAM
CALEB THUSAT
Creator/Writer
Creator and writer of Alter-Life, ZED, and the Patreon-Exclusive series, The Nook. A former filmmaker turned comic book creator. Looking to bring unique and exciting stories to the vast world of the independent comic industry.
Owner of Village Comics: www.villagecomicbooks.com
Village Comics Patreon: www.patreon.com/villagecomics
KATRINA KUNSTMANN
Art/Coloring/Lettering
A native Californian with an everlasting love for lines and words, she currently works as a gun for hire, wrangling lines for concept art, story-boarding, comics, and book covers.
Warhead, her self published comic, can be found at at http://warheadcomic.tumblr.com/; and her other illustrations at krop.com/katrinakunstmann/
Risks and challenges
Risks are low. I know what I am doing here. We are only seeking funding to cover production and printing for issues 5 and printing of the Trade Edition.
Our only real risk lies in the fact that we are asking for more money than we usually do. Our issues typically need $5,000 from Kickstarter, but with the Trade Edition included, we will need more. In order to produce the Hardcover, we will need $5,000 more than usual.
With the increase in fans and readers Village Comics has made in the past two years, I am confident we will hit our goals, finish our story, and be able to bring you all an amazing book.
Trade Edition will take longer to produce that the single issues have in the past. Single Issues may be shipped out sooner, but Trades will take approximately 1-2 months longer to ship. I want to be clear about the schedule up front.
We will do everything in our power to complete the book as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality.
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Funding period
- (31 days)