Kickstarter from creators of the The Comic Book History of Comics Launches 2/25
BROOKLYN, NY — Today the bestselling, multi-awarding team of writer Fred Van Lente and artist Ryan Dunlavey announced the long-anticipated follow-up to their non-fiction graphic novel The Comic Book History of Comics (“done with wit, energy a healthy dose of insolence and a dedication to getting it right” — NPR), the story of toons from the earliest days of the medium called, daringly, The Comic Book History of Animation.
In their inimitable, not-yet-patented-but-maybe-they-should-have style of combining humor and facts, seen in previous comics like Action Philosophers! (YASLA-winning, Xeric-nominated) and Action Presidents (Excellence in Graphic Literature 2019 Best Middle Grade nominee), Van Lente and Dunlavey team up once again to tell the story of animation from Aardman to Zoetrope, Disney to Miyazaki, Hanna-Barbera to Pixar, and everything in between.
The perfect companion piece to CBHoC, The Comic Book History of Animation focuses on the film makers and beloved characters of the past century and a half that’s essential for fans of the medium and toon newbies alike. Each of the five plus-sized (24-26 pages each) issues will cover such diverse topics as how new discoveries in science and technology advanced the medium, how labor relations (and lack thereof!) shaped the output of the studios, and the crucial contributions of women and people of color to the medium.
“We’re excited to be trying out a Kickstarter campaign for our series, and gauge interest that way,” said writer Fred Van Lente out loud while typing this press release to make this sentence accurate. “We’ll be offering backers PDF subscriptions to the series that will begin as soon as the campaign ends, with #1 delivered immediately to your InBox. Each subsequent issue will be delivered to backers as soon as the creative team completes it.
“Hey, selling chapter subscriptions worked for Dickens, why not us?”
“We’re pretty optimistic we’ll do well with the Kickstarter,” said series artist and beard enthusiast Ryan Dunlavey, “and assuming we’re right in that, we’ll follow up with comics retailers about options for getting the book in your local shop.”
Kickstarter backers will be offered an exclusive hardcover of the completed series, the complete scripts with Van Lente’s photo reference and notations, prints, and other related swag.
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