By: Nicole D’Andria
Short
Fuse Media Group, the publisher responsible for super titles such as Like
Father, Like Daughter and Nightwasp,
is bringing three titles to Kickstarter backers that might look familiar. The Globalists, American Dreams and C.H.E.S.S.
were three comic book series that a previous publisher funded on Kickstarter
but never delivered. Now, Short Fuse Media Group are helping the creators
finally bring their creations to life.
The Globalists revolves around a
utopia on Earth ruled by inter-dimensional conquerors who have outlawed
religion, ended world hunger and war, and enforced one world language. Will
they be able to bring peace to the multiverse? The series is created by Nigel (The
Tidal) Flood (The Celtic Clan, The Squad) with Kevin Keane on pencils/inks and Maury Tanka on colors.
Readers
can go back to the year 1900 in New York City with American Dreams. Jake Gold becomes the very first superhero after
Thomas Edison’s experiment goes awry. Now Jake must protect the American Dream
for all! The series is created by Daniel Kalban (The Eagle) with with art by penciler Dody, inker Tebe Andry and colorist Warnia K Sahadewa.
Finally,
readers can follow the missions of the Command Headquarters of Espionage and
Strategic Strikes, better known as the titular C.H.E.S.S. They’re a group of mercenaries that go over the
government’s head. The series is created and plotted by Alfred Paige as well as
plotted and written by Alex De-Gruchy. Pencils and inks are handled by Jc Fabul
with colors by Jorge Cortes, assist by Bryan Arfel Magnaye and letters by Troy
Peteri.
Short
Fuse Media Groups wants to fulfil their #WeAlwaysDeliver motto. So they’re supporting
fans who previously backed these projects, as well as newcomers, with this
Kickstarter. They reached their $1,500 goal in two days and the two week long
campaign will end on July 1, 2018 at 6:00 PM EDT. Rewards include sending books
to previous backers of the original Kickstarters ($1) or digital ($5) and
physical ($15) copies of all the first issue of each series for new backers. Check
out some of the other options, which include t-shirts and Short Fuse Media Group’s
other titles, on the official Kickstarter page here.
Enjoy
some in-depth interviews with Short Fuse Media Group’s Operations Director/Publisher
Sean Mack as well as the writers for The
Globalists, American Dreams and C.H.E.S.S.
 |
| Sean Mack |
Me: Why did you pick these three series in
particular to deliver to backers?
SM: I didn’t necessarily
pick these series. It just sort of panned out that way as they all exited the
previous publisher around the same time. As with any creator that brings a
title to Short Fuse Media Group, our first priority is always to help them with
wrapping up any preexisting affairs that could be potentially harmful for their
future creative endeavors. Having books associated with Kickstarter campaigns
that didn’t deliver is something that we felt needed to be resolved. Thus, the
decision for this campaign was made.
Me: Are there any plans in the future to help fund
other Kickstarters that other publishers failed to deliver on?
SM: Not at the moment.
Again, this was merely a situation where we are helping creators that have
joined our roster to ensure that their fans and supporters are taken care of.
We wouldn’t want to just release these books publicly and have previous
supporters feeling slighted by the creators of the books. So we thought this
was a good way to shed some light on what actually took place with the funds
that were pledged to the previous publisher as well as show that along with the
creators, we also had compassion for those supporters, and wanted to do the
right thing for them.
Me: Rather than the usual month-long Kickstarter
campaign, you chose to make this Kickstarter last for two weeks only. Why did
you decide to go with a shorter timeline?
SM: With the books
already being complete, we felt that the release of these books was already
overdue and wanted to get the books out as quickly as possible. We were
presenting this campaign as more than just a funding campaign, but also as a
cause to help these creators and fans that were essentially taken advantage of.
In doing this we anticipated that there would be people that would see our
efforts and genuinely WANT to help. So we didn’t feel a month long campaign was
necessary. And it seems that was validated by the fact that the campaign goal
was reached in 48 hours of the campaign going LIVE.
Me: How did you come up with the tagline
"BRINGING ALIGNMENT TO THE INDIEVERSE"? What does this mean to you?
SM: We created an imprint
at Short Fuse Media Group called ALIGNMENT towards the end of 2017. Although The
Globalists came to Short Fuse as a part of a partnership with Nigel Flood’s
Punt Press, American Dreams and C.H.E.S.S. were added to the
ALIGNMENT roster of titles. The goal of the imprint was to be a division where
we could feature more characters from throughout the entire indie community in
team-up styled stories potentially with characters on our roster, without
having to exclusively sign every indie creator to Short Fuse Media Group as no
matter how much I would like to, it just wouldn’t be realistic at this juncture
as we don’t have the resources available to accommodate everyone. The thought
process of ALIGNMENT itself is to correct coursing. So bringing this titles
into the fold at Short Fuse and helping to get these books delivered meant that
each of the situations for these creators would potentially be course
corrected, and therefore brought into “alignment”. So we went with that for the
title.
Me: You've included some Short Fuse Media titles
into the Kickstarter bundle, including The Edge and Earthling.
What can you tell us about these two books and why should fans of these
"Alignment" titles be interested in them?
SM: The Edge was
the first title that was signed to the ALIGNMENT imprint as the creator of The
Edge, Marvin Wynn, is also the Editor-In-Chief of the entire ALIGNMENT
imprint. Earthling is not a title
that is on our ALIGNMENT roster as it’s actually a part of our partnership with
creator, Dave Brink’s Genuine Comics. We included both titles as a show of
unity among indie creators within our roster. There may be others that we’ll
also reveal depending on how many stretch goals we can unlock.
As far as
why these two titles were selected, we really wanted to give more variety to
those who were new to any of the titles featured in this campaign. As with all
of our titles, we try to aim for a different feel and these two titles both
provide a different perspective on superhero comics. The Edge will put
you in the vein of an Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D. type of comic while Earthling is a hero who fights for the
rights of all living beings. During the month of June, we are re-releasing both
of those series for the first time as part of the Short Fuse catalog along with
debuting the newest issues of both of those series.
Me: What is the number one reason people should
pledge money to your Kickstarter?
SM: The main reason I
think would be to support an AWESOME cause and to help these creators and fans
that were wronged get taken care of. A close second reason would be because
these books are AMAZING and being on our roster people can be rest assured
knowing that as always #WeAlwaysDeliver.
 |
| Nigel Flood |
Me: How would you describe The United Nationalist
and his ideology?
NF: The United Nationalist was created by the League of Nations
to stop his world from being torn apart from the superhuman arms race that was
happening. He saw the only way to put an end to division and to unite the
world. He found other like-minded superhumans and founded the Globalists. He
forced his world to his will, ending war and world hunger, outlawing religion
and forcing everyone to speak one language, Esperanto. The United Nationalist
is driven to put an end to conflict and everything that causes it, e.g. religious
ideology, hunger, etc.
Me: Would you say The Globalists is
reflective of any real-world events and if so, what are these reflections?
Were these intentional?
NF: No I do not think it’s
reflective of any real world event as The
Globalists live in a utopia and we do not. There are some real historic
events in The Globalists but that's
about it.
Me: If we had super powered beings in the real
world, what do you think would happen? Would we have a "Globalists"
type of situation or do you envision something else?
NF: Interesting question
and a tough one to answer. I doubt that we would have a “Globalists” type situation, we’d probably have a world like we have
now but a hundred times more chaotic with a hell of a lot more wars. It would
all depend on which country had the most super powered beings and what these
super powered beings ideology was and how powerful they were.
Me: If you ruled Earth, what would be the one thing
you would make into a law?
NF:
Hmmm, easy: I would outlaw GUNS.
Me: Why did you decide to go to Short Fuse Media in
particular to get your book into the hands of Kickstarter backers?
NF:
Short Fuse Media had helped out previous Kickstarter campaigns with delivery issues
in the past and they have a reputation of always delivering.
Me: What is the number one reason people should
pledge money to your Kickstarter?
NF:
There are so many cool rewards and Short Fuse always delivers.
Me: What inspirational words do you have for
aspiring comic book writers?
NF:
Write every day, you never know what crazy idea may come in handy to you for
the current story that you are writing
 |
| Daniel Kalban |
Me: Why did you decide to set American Dreams in
the year 1900 in New York City?
DK: Mainly because there
are numerous similarities between 1900 and today. There was a major debate
about immigration, there was a major gulf between rich and poor, and it was a
time of great change. I chose New York because...well...I’m a New Yorker. I
know this city and its history. Plus it gives us a lot of locations to play
with. Some, like the notorious Five Points, are long gone. Others, like
Delmonico’s Restaurant, are still going. So it helps create this wonderful
tapestry to be the backdrop for the story.
Plus it’s
rare to do superhero stories in this era. 1930s, 1940s? That’s a given. But
1900, just as major technologies are just beginning to take flight? That’s an
extra challenge.
Me: It sounds like Thomas Edison plays an important
role in this story. Are there any other historical figures in this comic that
play important roles (or otherwise serve as fun characters for the reader to
enjoy seeing)?
DK: There are several, some
that you meet in the first issue. Harry Houdini is probably going to be the
most important historical figure, because he’ll eventually be Jake’s mentor. We
also have J.P. Morgan serving as our Lex Luthor, and Edison’s financial backer.
Plus we have the infamous Emma Goldman running around, and she has her own
agenda. Each has their own vision of how America should be...and Morgan and
Goldman’s views are of course completely opposite.
Plus I
want to bring in Nikolai Tesla, who is mentioned in issue 1, and Theodore
Roosevelt.
Me: Jake Gold is protecting the "American
Dream" for everyone. But how would you define the American Dream?
DK: The possibility that
anyone, even someone born in another country and raised in extreme poverty, can
reach their full potential in a nation that protects their rights.
A little
old fashioned, admittedly; but in this day and age, and in 1900, it’s a radical
one.
Me: If you could go back to New York City in the
year 1900, what historical figure would you most like to meet and why?
DK: Theodore Roosevelt.
Imagine the stories the man could tell...and he’s not even Vice President yet,
he’s just been elected to the governorship of New York a couple years prior to
1900.
Me: Why did you decide to go to Short Fuse Media in
particular to get your book into the hands of Kickstarter backers?
DK: Because Short Fuse
always delivers, and I feel readers will be really interested in the story.
Me: What is the number one reason people should
pledge money to your Kickstarter?
DK: If you like alternate
history and superheroes, this is right up your alley.
Me: What inspirational words do you have for
aspiring comic book writers?
DK: Work hard, collaborate,
listen to your artists, and don’t be afraid to take risks.
 |
| Alfred Paige |
Me: A big part of the C.H.E.S.S. comic seems
to deal with the fact that the government doesn't always make the right
choices. Has there been any particular government actions that influenced this
series in particular? Or was this series inspired by our real-world government
in general at all?
AP: Yes of course we try
to keep as many real-world elements as we can in the storylines. We follow up
on the latest news and keep an eye on what's going on in the world. As well as
combine that with the comic book type adventure and that people love to read.
Me: How did you come up with the C.H.E.S.S.
acronym?
AP: I wanted a title that
played on the idea of a team that operates on strategic movement and C.H.E.S.S.
was the perfect title for that. Broken down into Command Headquarters of
Espionage and Strategic Strikes.
Me: What can you tell us about the group of private
contractors Avery hires and who did you most enjoy writing?
AP: Much like the game of
chess we wanted characters that bring different movements to the Gameboard in
skills and personalities. That's how Avery set the team up. As well as giving
the reader at least one character that they can relate to and understand. The
most fun to write and so far my favorite is James Washington A.K.A. Pinpoint
because of his arrogance, cocky attitude and his resistance to direction. It
works out well with the other team members.
Me: If you became a part of C.H.E.S.S., what
would be the one skill you'd need to have in order to survive your missions?
AP: Lol. A lot of craziness,
some kind of weapons expertise, and a truck load of courage.
Me: Why did you decide to go to Short Fuse Media in
particular to get your book into the hands of Kickstarter backers?
AP: Professional trust.
After talking to Sean Mack of Short Fuse on bringing the title someplace where
the characters have a world to expand in, it was the perfect fit. As well as
getting to work with creators that I have been a fan of over the years.
Me: What is the number one reason people should
pledge money to your Kickstarter?
AP: What made me a fan of
comics was not only the adventure of teams like X-Men and Wildcats, but the
relationships in the team. They gave the characters real-life issues.
And that’s
what you will find in the pages of C.H.E.S.S.:
Characters you can relate to. As well as the action of a summer blockbuster
movie in the pages of every issue.
Me: What inspirational words do you have for
aspiring comic book writers?
AP: Write something you love so the reader can also love with you. If the reader can feel how much you enjoy your comic book, then they will love reading it as much as you love writing it.
Me: Thanks everyone for taking the time to share
your stories with us once again! If you’re reading this and want to check out
these titles, see Short Fuse Media Group’s Kickstarter here.
Do you
have a Kickstarter? Want to be interviewed about it and have the project
featured on "Kickstart the Week?" Let me know in the comments below
or message
me on my website.
Other “Kickstart the Week” features:
No comments:
Post a Comment