Marty’s Kickstarter Pick … Frenemies: The Lost Planet

Monty Nero (X-Men, Hulk) and Yishan Li (Hellboy, Buffy, Blue Beetle) have a new sci-fi fantasy comic project launching on Kickstarter on May 28th, 2019. Looking to classic genre films like Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark and 2001, Monty has added strong LGBTQ and straight characters from around the world.  The comic promises to include tonnes of original plotting, incredible characters, amazing art, and vivid dialogue.

A quick peek at the preview Kickstarter campaign and I can see that the comic is ready to print. Totally finished which isn’t always the case with Kickstarter projects. This will help in a speedy turn-around time to get your rewards delivered fast.  “Gaze in wonder as our heroes traverse the galaxy unearthing mysterious artifacts from alien tombs, pursued by the most dangerous creatures in the galaxy!”

The comic is the first of a proposed series of four issues. The heroes of the tale uncover a mysterious alien artifact within the ancient halls of Camford University. An artifact that leads the heroes on a chase to discover a lost, legendary planet from our own solar system. But one person can unlock the secrets of the alien planet’s knowledge and riches. This sets up a rivalry between the cast of characters as they all vie to be The One. And to make matters even more interesting, the alien artifact telepathically links everyone. A real contest of champions plot.

I had the opportunity to preview the first dozen or so pages of the comic and Yishan Li’s art is Manga-influenced, nice and clean. Easy to follow, colored in a very simple style with really nice character designs. Monty Nero’s dialog flows easily as well. Overall it looks to be a cool story with professional-quality production values. I’m in. I’ll be pledging as soon as the project goes live.

What about the rewards? We have the usual digital-only tier giving supporters access to a 36 page PDF of the first issue. Printed copies will be available as well with the usual add-ons like bookplates, Founding Fan membership cards, art prints, variant covers, scripts, and art commissions. Lots of fun loot available at a tonne of price levels. My usual pledge level, the physical copy, will set me back £5 (about $6.50US) before shipping which is a really reasonable rate these days for a Kickstarter comic.

I’ll post a link here as soon as the project launches or you can check out a preview HERE and sign up for an alert yourself.

About Author

Martin Boruta

Martin Boruta has been reading comic books and graphic novels for 50+ years (he reads books without pictures too, just sayin’). A lifelong fan of Captain Canuck, Martin is the curator of The Unofficial Yet Definitive Captain Canuck Comicography website. Since 2016, Martin has been reviewing comic books and highlighting great new Kickstarter projects at First Comics News. Martin’s writting has also been featured in Sequential Magazine. For over two-hundred episodes, Martin enjoyed teaming up with his pals and sharing hosting duties on The Hey Kids Comics Radio Show broadcast on Trent Radio 92.7 CFFF FM in lovely Peterborough, ON Canada, and still available at The Hey Kids Comics Radio Show website. Martin is a founding member of the Canadian Comic Book Alliance. In his various adventures, Martin has demonstrated an innate ability to spell “Erik Larsen” incorrectly.

Martin’s “day job” is owner of Shaw Computer Systems Inc., an Information Technology consultancy firm in Peterborough, ON, specializing in Managed Services for small to mid-sized businesses since 1980.

In the past, Martin served in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve as a member of the Cadet Instructors List (Cadre), reaching the Queen’s Commissioned rank of Captain, was awarded a Baronship of Sealand, and was ordained as a Reverend in the Universal Life Church while watching an episode of Monster Garage.

See author's posts