Cthulhu vs. Uncle Sam: The Battle for America begins!
Created by Scott Harris-King
When cultists attempt to summon Cthulhu at the height of World War II to sway the balance of power, it's up to Uncle Sam and his friends to save America!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
You Asked For It: An "Incredible" new add-on! Plus: CRIT!
over 3 years ago
– Fri, Nov 04, 2022 at 03:03:50 PM
Hello, fellow cultists!
Today I'm bringing you a new add-on, which is also an old add-on.
Yes, by popular demand, I am making available as an add-on 2 - and ONLY 2 - copies of the hit Incredible Cthulhu variant cover for issue #1.
Let's take another look at it!
To quote the Kool-Aid Man, "oooohhhhh yeaaaaaaaah!"
This variant cover was limited to only 25 copies printed. For a full accounting: one copy belongs to artist Jay Piscopo and I kept 4 copies for my personal collection. Of the remaining 20 copies, 18 have been sold, leaving just 2 left. Those 2 copies are currently available only in the Ultimate Mega Bundle reward tier (which includes all six covers for both issues #1 and #2 as well as a set of The Crimebusters #1-4 and more goodies).
However, I have had a number of people ask about the availability of this variant cover. So with that in mind, I have decided to take 2 copies out of my personal collection and make them available as add-ons. They are $35 each, and available only in the U.S.
As with all the comics I publish, I'm very firm on the announced print runs for the variant covers, so there will never be another printing of this cover - it will always be limited to just those 25 copies only.
So if you happen to dig this one, please consider picking it up now, because once they are gone, they will stay gone!
Sneak Teaser
I am also working on some more new add-ons, which may or may not include fridge magnets, stickers, and sketch cards. I'm hoping to announce the new add-ons in the next update on Sunday, so if there's something you'd like to see, let me know!
Also, I'm working on figuring out a retail bundle and perhaps a couple other higher level reward tiers, which will also be announced next time!
Kickstarter Spotlight
This time around I have three more cool Kickstarter projects to share with you that I think you might find interesting. And there's more than a little bit of fantasy this time around, thanks to CRIT, Lost Between Worlds, and We Suck at Comics!
At this risk of revealing just how unbelievably old I am, I first discovered Dungeons & Dragons in the halcyon summer of 1980. So it's fair to say that comics based on role playing games are right up my alley -- comics like CRIT!
CRIT has a really fun backstory: it's based on an actual campaign that a group of gamers have been running for over a decade. In the game, and in the comic, instead of playing your classic fantasy characters, they are instead roleplaying superheroes.
Superheroes and Dungeons & Dragons together?! Sign you up!
Want your fantasy with a little more... fantasy? Then you might want to check out the newest issue of Lost Between Worlds!
Creator Edwin Decastro brings us this story about a Grim Reaper who has 24 hours to stop the apocalypse, while also trying to deal with an unexpected challenge: she can't reap the soul of her next target because the person has Disassociative Identity Disorder, and shares a body with several other distinct souls.
Here's an interesting anthology with a unique premise: it's all about rejection.
You know what they say: it's not about rejection, it's about how you handle rejection. And the team at Wayward Raven Media decided to handle their own rejections in the comic world by putting together an anthology of stories about rejection, all by creators who have had stuff rejected in the past.
There's a lot of great talent waiting to be discovered in this one, so check it out here. 🙂
Spotlight on artist Jay Piscopo! Plus: No Spell Lasts Forever, and more!
over 3 years ago
– Wed, Nov 02, 2022 at 09:04:35 PM
Hello, fellow cultists!
Today I wanted to spend a moment spotlight the artist for Cthulhu vs. Uncle Sam, Jay Piscopo!
Jay has done the art for both issues of Cthulhu vs. Uncle Sam, and he has a unique style that combines golden age slam-bang action with a freeflowing animation storyboard look that really injects every panel with a ton of motion and life.
Jay also has a unique color sensibility which people seem to dig! Which is great, because I happen to be color blind 😆 so when it comes to the color palette for Cthulhu vs. Uncle Sam -- or the art in general -- I've made almost no tweaks or changes at all. I think in the second issue I only made adjustments to a single panel! The result is that you will be getting 100% of Jay's vision for what the book should look like.
We're not afraid of color!
As a comic writer, I'm a big believer in letting the artist tell the story in the best way they can, so I'm excited for you to see how Jay has decided to interpret this story!
I also wanted to share with you an interview that I did with Jay back when we put out the first issue which really gets into Jay's process. If you haven't seen it before, you might get a kick out of it! Here's another look at our discussion of Cthulhu vs. Uncle Sam #1:
As always, thanks so much for the support, I very much appreciate it -- and I'm sure Jay does too!
Kickstarter Spotlight
This time around I'm excited to bring you three more cool Kickstarter projects that are live right now, including a weird western, a strange sci-fi tale, and an urban fantasy noir that you won't want to miss: No Spell Lasts Forever, Jake Sunrise, and Riot Earp!
First, let me say right up front that when creator Sarah Cooke says that No Spell Lasts Forever, she really means it: this Kickstarter ends tomorrow!! So if you think it sounds interesting, there's no time to lose!
And I think some of you will find this one intriguing. Here's the logline: "It is a noir urban fantasy about a magic user named Rosette Diamante who, after meeting an untimely death, makes a deal with the devil for a second chance at life. Her task? To corrupt one truly good soul."
If that creative team sounds familiar to you, it's probably because they worked on Green Lantern together back in the 90s and co-created Kyle Rayner! But now they're following their passion and joining the ranks of Kickstarter creators in this special which also features a backup story from Riot Earp creator and regular writer Michael S Katz.
So what's it about? Well, it s a sci-fi story with one of the most unique descriptions I've seen in a long time: "Action, humor, sex, and politics merge in a futuristic take on law enforcement. It's Han Solo meets CNN!"
Finally, I wanted to share a project that really lights up my Christmas tree: The Return of Jake Sunrise.
This is about a legendary bounty hunting vaquero operating in a weird west of myth and magic. And, oh yeah: he may also be a werewolf!
One of my favorite comics of all time is Jonah Hex, especially the original tales back in the 1970s series Weird Western. So this is a project that really tickles my fancy on a personal level.
We're halfway there! Plus: Our Faceless Fears, and More!
over 3 years ago
– Mon, Oct 31, 2022 at 07:04:12 PM
Hello, fellow cultists!
I just wanted to firstly wish everyone a Happy Halloween! Because around here, it's all treats and no tricks considering we're now halfway to hitting our funding goal!
So thank you all very much for your support! It really means a lot to me, and I can't wait to get this comic our to all of you.
Of course, we do still have a long way to go. So I wanted to highlight another add-on this time around, one that's very special: the Granny Gumshoe variant cover from Chuck Smash!
Let's take another look at it, shall we?
Chuck does, in fact, Smash.
I wanted to talk about this variant cover for a couple reasons.
First of all, I'm trying something new this campaign by offering this primarily as an add-on. You may have noticed that there's no reward tier for just this cover. At the moment, this cover is available by adding it on to another U.S. physical reward for $15, or by selecting either the $99 set of six covers tier, or the $199 ultimate mega bundle tier.
I did this partially because, with so many rewards this time around, I didn't want to overclutter the reward structure and make it any more confusing by adding even more reward levels.
But the other reason is because this was an unexpected addition to the cover selection!
You see, this art was sent in to me by Chuck Smash as fan art! He sent this image to me after reading Cthulhu vs. Uncle Sam #1. needless to say, I was very touched that someone enjoyed my comic enough to spend the time to draw their own image of my characters.
But I also just genuinely thought it looked awesome! And I really wanted to share it with all of YOU, Chuck's fellow readers! So I decided to make this available as an add-on, because I know a lot of you are fans of Granny. And hopefully now fans of Chuck Smash's art! And since I really wanted to highlight the artwork, I decided not to add any logo or other trade dress to it either.
So if you dig this as much as I do, U.S. backers can add it on to an existing physical reward for $15. I hope you like it!
Speaking of the Top Reward Levels...
I also just wanted to mention real quick that I have added some bonus rewards to the top reward tiers to make them a bit juicier, like a big ripe watermelon. 🍉 I've bolded the new additions.
The $99 reward tier now also includes the set of 5 7x10 prints for issue #2 as well as the set of 15 trading cards, in addition to the set of all 6 covers for issue #2
The $199 ultimate mega bundle now includes the set of 5 7x10 prints for both issues #1 and #2, the set of 15 trading cards, and The Crimebusters #1-4 catchup bundle (both physical and digital), in addition to all 6 covers for issue #1 and all 6 covers for issue #2
The sets were both already at a discount from picking up all of the covers individually, but hopefully these new additions will make them more attractive for the collector on a budget 🙂
Even Richard Nixon would be blown away by these reward tiers!
(sorry 🤣 I promised one of you I would find a way to fit this clipin)
As always, if there are any rewards or add-ons that you would like to see me add to the campaign, let me know! I can't guarantee I will be able to make it happen, but I'll give it a look!
Thanks!
Kickstarter Spotlight
It's my favorite time of the year! No, not the holiday season - the time where I get to share some of the coolest Kickstarter projects currently running with all of you. And today I have three more interesting campaigns that are ending soon: Our Faceless Fears, Immortal Era, and RAGNARÖK, the Roar of Steel!
This one has a lot of stuff going for it that I really like. It has some really cool and very creepy manga-style art from Rover Studios, and it also springs from Anderson's mental health challenges, something that is meaningful to me, as making comics (particularly The Crimebusters) has been a major outlet for me as I express my own mental health journey.
Back in a previous life, before we all ascended to Valhalla, I mentioned the first book of this three-book saga in an earlier campaign.
Well, I'm excited that we happen to be (a)live at the same time as the second volume of Ragnarok so I can hype it again!
This is a really sharply made adaptation of the Norse mythology, featuring the twilight of the gods in comic book form. As a big fan of Walt Simonson's Thor, this is right in my wheelhouse, so I definitely recommend you check it out!
Creator Edward Davis has really come up with a super interesting premise for Immortal Era: What if people couldn't die?
It sounds great at first, butImmortal Era shows just how dire the consequences would be for humanity is suddenly everybody stopped dying. Davis really digs in to the ramifications, showing how vitally important death really is for humanity's survival.
It's a fascinating comic! And In this campaign you can get the trade collecting the first six issues as well as the newest issue #7, so if you want to have your mind blown - without it being fatal! - check it out now!
PRINTS now available as add-ons! Plus: Infinite Souls and more!
over 3 years ago
– Sat, Oct 29, 2022 at 05:43:04 PM
Hello, fellow cultists!
I'm excited to announce that due to popular demand, I have added PRINTS as an add-on option!
In fact, I have added several different add-on rewards involving prints, so I just wanted to highlight each of them here.
First up is a set of 5 7x10 inch prints showcasing the covers for issue #2! These will all be virgin editions, meaning no logo or trade dress, with the exception of the Fantastic Fears cover. This set of 5 prints is $5, with no additional shipping, and is available as an add-on to anywhere in the world if you have chosen a physical reward.
And since we're offering up this set of 5 covers, I thought I should also bring back the set of 5 7x10 prints showcasing the covers for issue #1! For those of you who may have missed them the first time around, this set of 5 prints will also be $5, with no additional shipping, and is available as an add-on to anywhere in the world if you have chosen a physical reward.
But wait! There's more! 😁
I'm also bringing back another popular add-on from last time, the 11x17 prints! These are printed on thicker stock, and at 11x17 are a perfect wall decoration.
The 11x17 prints are $10 each. One important note here is that there is also an additional shipping charge for this add-on, as I have to mail them separately. So if you pick this add-on, you will receive two packages, one with the comic, and the other with the 11x17 print. Unfortunately, this does mean that these 11x17 prints are U.S. only.
I will be sending these rolled in a carboard tube for maximum protection. Last time the tubes were just about indestructible, but they were also a little smaller than I anticipated, so it was a tight squeeze getting them in and out. I destroyed more than one print trying to get it ready to ship! 😛 So this time I will be using a larger tube.
Since the tube will be bigger, though, if you decide to get more than one print I can ship them together in the same tube. So I have provided two more options to add these one: at $18 plus shipping you can get your choice of 2 prints, with that choice being made post-campaign during the survey. Or if you want to get a set of all 5 11x17 prints, it's just $30!
You can tell from this timely reference how old I am 😂
So which prints are available? Well, this time I'm bringing back the three most popular 11x17 prints form the first campaign: "Cthulhu Wants You!," "Wrestling Poster," and "The Incredible Cthulhu!" In addition, you can also choose the "Keep Calm and Cthulhu Fhtagn" poster from issue #2, and as a special bonus for Granny Gumshoe fans, I'm also offering prints of the Granny steampunk cover from The Crimebusters #3.
Here's a look at all 5 11x17 prints you can get as add-ons!
Anyway, I hope you dig the new prints!
And if anyone has any other rewards that aren't currently being offered that you'd like to see as add-ons, let me know! I can't guarantee I'll be able to pull it off, but I'll see what I can do!
Thanks for all the support, everyone!
Kickstarter Spotlight
I'm happy to also be bringing you three more cool campaigns currently running on Kickstarter! There are more groovy comic book projects than ever these days, so I can't spotlight all of them, but here are some I think you might find interesting: Infinite Souls: A Halloween Story, Gage and the Dragon's Tear, and Aer Head!
Just in time for Halloween, it's Infinite Souls: A Halloween Story, which asks the question: "Can a band of haunted heroes save multiple universes from an agent of Death and his eerie allies when the veil between worlds is weak?"
Mixing superheroes and Halloween is a fun idea, and I particularly dig the designs of the haunted heroes, which includes Night Terror, a super cool spin on the classic public domain Golden Age character Black Terror. And I know some of you love those Golden Age heroes! 😁
You know who loves epic fantasy? This guy right here. In fact, I'm burying this special announcement a little, but I have started working on my own epic fantasy comic, coming soon to a Kickstarter near you. So I'm always on the lookout for interesting fantasy comics - like Gage and the Dragon's Tear!
I thought I'd let creator Patrick Kellner's description speak for itself:
"Gage, AKA the Wraith, is a renowned thief and assassin. There isn’t much in the realm that is out of his grasp should he wish to obtain it. The White Dragon’s Tear, a gem with rumored mystical powers, is one of the few things that has eluded him. After having been missing for several years, the Dragon’s Tear has finally resurfaced and Gage might finally have a chance to get it."
And now for something completely different, it's Mindy Indy's sci-fi surfer comedy Aer Head!
This book stars Aereo Zephyr, a teen lifeguard with precognitive powers who is trying to understand his gifts while also preventing the calamities he sees in his visions!
This is the kind of fun and personal project that you can only get through Kickstarter, a real passion project. As a fan of Archie Comics, I really appreciate the style and vibe of books like this!
Begin the Summoning Ritual! Plus: Cthulhu Man, and more!
over 3 years ago
– Thu, Oct 27, 2022 at 06:19:09 PM
Hello, fellow cultists!
I'm very excited to say that the summoning ritual has been a real success so far. It's just one day since the call went out, and already your efforts have us up over $1100, meaning we are already 38% of the way towards successfully summoning Cthulhu into the pages of a comic book!
I really appreciate all of your support very much. It's been over a year's worth of work to bring this comic to you, and so it's extremely humbling and gratifying to receive this response from you. Thank you so much!
I also wanted to give you a quick roadmap for how the campaign is going to proceed. Over the next month, I'll be doing regular updates where I dive into various aspects of the campaign and the comic itself to spotlight the different covers, artists, story elements, add-ons, rewards, and more. I know this one has a lot going on, so I want to dig into it so it all makes sense. Or at least as much sense as the madness of Cthulhu can ever make! 🙂
Along the way I'll also be announcing some new add-ons, and potentially stretch goals or milestone goals depending on how things go. I've already had one request to add some prints as add-ons for the various covers, and I'm currently working on figuring out a good way to bring those to you, so expect another update on that soon. And if there are any rewards you'd like to see me add, don't hesitate to let me know! I can't guarantee I'll be able to pull it off, but I'll at least give it a shot!
I will also be spending some time highlighting some of the other comic campaigns currently live on Kickstarter. I love the community here, and the incredible variety of projects, so I always enjoy being able to highlight a project that catches my eye and that you may not have seen yet.
So that's what you can expect from these updates. And as the summoning ritual continues, and Cthulhu's dread presence approaches our doomed realm, I'll have a lot more to share. For now, though: Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn! Ph'nglui mglw'nfah Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!
Join the Party!
In case you missed it, I did a livestream kicking off the first hour of the campaign where I went over all the covers, and rewards, and add-ons. There are a lot of add-ons! So I wanted to try and make sense of it. If you're interested in a close-up look at the comic and campaign, you can check out the replay here:
Kickstarter Spotlight
As promised, I'm stoked to be able to bring you three cool projects currently live on Kickstarter that I think you may dig: Cthulhu Man, Fangs & Foul Play, and Carlo Scarlotti: Attorney and Law!
I'm guessing you might like Cthulhu, and if that's the case, this comic might be for you. It's from the deranged mind of Ben Lacy, who you may know as the creator of Shark of War, which is a cross between Jaws and Robocop. Well, in this standalone spinoff, the evil scientist behind the flying death shark is experimenting on people and accidentally creates the horrific Cthulhu Man!
This one gives me very strong Swamp Thing vibes, only with more Lovecraft. I'll be honest: this looks too intense for me! I don't think I can handle this level of horrific comic action! But if you want your nightmares to be haunted, check out Cthulhu Man #1 now!
If you like your bloodthirsty horror stories to be a whole heck of a lot cuter, though, then you might want to take a look at Fangs & Foul Play #0-2, which is also now live on Kickstarter!
Fangs & Foul Play is a tale of Victorian horror about a vampiric cat terrorizing a town and the human thrall trying to stop them! Creator L.K. Ingino says "This PG-13 light horror comic is perfect for anyone who loves cats, Sabrina, and The Addams Family. If this sounds like you, then Fangs & Foul Play is right up your alley, you alley cat, you."
Finally, here's a fun and offbeat comic for you to take a look at. Carlo Scolari: Attorney at Law is a humor title about a personal injury attorney in a superhero world. Creator Kevin Doyle describes the comic as "a comedy, in the same spirit as The Tick or She-Hulk comics. Think 'Saul Goodman sues Superman.'"
Given how overly serious so many superhero comics have been over the past three decades in particular, I think it's always great when someone comes along to take a little air out of the balloon and have some fun doing it!
