Digital Rewards are uploaded! Plus: some pix and a (virtual) con!
10 months ago – Sun, Jul 16, 2023 at 05:36:16 PM

Hi everyone!

Hope this finds everyone well! June and July tend to be our "crunch month" around here, not only with San Diego Comic-Con to prepare for, but also wrapping up all of the year-end books that need to get to the printer by mid-August... we've got some GREAT end of year titles in the oven (which you'll hear about over the next 3 weeks)!

We know not everyone can make it to SDCC, and to us, there's no point in having a booth if the folks most interested can't visit it, so we've also set up our second annual "virtual convention booth" open for 6-days with some cool exclusive stuff available! We tried this experiment last year to happy success, so we're doing it again! This time with more original content in the book, brand new VIP Boxes, and even DEEPER DISCOUNTS (up to 60% off!). We really encourage you to check it out... (the book will even have a feature spread on the next book by MEZKAL/CONVOY artist Jef!) 

We finally received the guitar picks and stickers and they look awesome!

Those PHYSICAL items should hopefully get you excited, but to top that -- 

DIGITAL REWARDS HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED! 🤩

You may have already received an email notification from Backerkit earlier this afternoon, but if not, check your inboxes, or check your Backerkit page directly.

You will find all of the links and instructions in your personal Backerkit page (which you can access at https://mezkal-and-convoy-an-explosive-graphic-novel-double-fea.backerkit.com/). Once logged in, you should see a  big blue button in the middle of the page that says "Get Your Digital Downloads" -- click on that to see your individual links for each item due.

The Add-on books are all hosted by Gumroad -- you will have to follow the (simple) instructions to use your unique codes to download your files from Gumroad for free. 😊

If you have any trouble or questions about the process, feel free to ask here or in a direct message, we're happy to help!

Since we'll be gone for most of the week, we hope to get your AMBASSADOR REWARD POINTS distributed as soon as we get back the following week.

Have a great week, everyone! (And please - check out our Magnetic-Con'23 sale this week!)

Shiny stuff has arrived!
10 months ago – Sun, Jun 18, 2023 at 03:21:51 PM

Hi everyone!

It has been a few weeks since our last update, and there hasn't been much to report as we have been waiting for items to arrive from the printers and various vendors... and they are starting to trickle in!

We've received the coins and keychains, and they look as nice as expected...!

We also got the "Golden Tickets" that are part of the Midnight Marathon tier, and are in the process of hand-numbering and official-crimping them now...

Everything else -- the guitar picks, sketchbooks, bumper stickers, and (oh, right) the books themselves -- is still inbound and expected to arrive in the next 3-4 weeks or so. Shipping should be able to start pretty quickly once everything is in-hand, looking like a reasonable mid-July window, so we're only running a little bit late. Who knew guitar picks would take so long to make?? 😜

As the rest of the stuff rolls in, we'll post more pix and previews. And of course, as we get closer to the ship date, we'll let you know the deadline to lock your addresses.

It's gonna be a hot summer! Get ready! 😎

Advance copy pix and video! Plus: BLACK BOX CHRONICLES!
12 months ago – Sat, May 13, 2023 at 03:01:19 PM

Hey, everyone!

Hope your Saturday is going swell -- we are having a GREAT weekend! Not only did we end our recent DRACULA/FRANKENSTEIN campaign on a high note over on Backerkit (you can still check it out here: https://bit.ly/40gFhKs -- late pre-orders coming soon!), but we got advance copies of MEZKAL, CONVOY, and the slipcase yesterday! We are OVER THE MOON with how great they turned out! See for yourself --

We also couldn't help ourselves from making a spontaneous "unboxing" video --

You may have noticed that our advance copy bookplate is not numbered -- that's because the numbered plates are all shrink-wrapped into the final copies now on their way across the Pacific. :)

While they make the 6-8 week journey to our warehouse, we're gathering the other items to have by the time they arrive: the guitar picks, keychains, bumper stickers, etc. Our aim is to have everything ready to start packing and shipping by late-June/early July. We really want to have everything (including international orders) shipped before the end of July. That is our goal, at least. ;) Don't worry, though -- we will keep you well-informed as things come together.

In the meantime, get ready for our next kick-ass campaign:

This is a bit of a new type of project for us: a brand new, original science fiction anthology produced by some absolutely amazing comic creators under the creative direction of design studio Horrible Future!

"Centuries of exponentially advancing technological discoveries have ultimately ushered Mankind to the stars and beyond. Each new star, each new planet, each new lightyear traveled reveals wonders never imagined. But for all the distances explored, there lies one unreachable domain, a mysterious destination we all go to eventually… THE GREAT DARK...

Each starfaring spacecraft is equipped with a comprehensive data recorder: a BLACK BOX that records every layer of collectible data within its fixed perimeter. Salvaging the remnants of a crashed spacecraft can be a highly lucrative business, and recovering the details behind a tragic disaster can reveal hidden truths and untold personal stories… as well as hints towards greater secrets…"

Written by Horrible Future cofounders MARK SCHEY and CHRIS NORTHROP, this stellar volume includes artwork by celebrated award winners and nominees such as David Mack (Daredevil, Kabuki), Michael Avon Oeming (Powers, Bulletproof Monk), Zach Howard (Hellboy, Wild Blue Yonder), Eryk Donovan (Memetic, Quantum Teens are Go), Marco Fodera (Nathan Never), Gavin Smith (Star Trek: Mirrorverse), Toru Terada (Small World), David Messina (Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca, 3Keys), Giovanni Rigano (Global, Artemis Fowl), Drew Moss (The Crow, Red Sonja), Christian Dibari (Revolvers, Providence of Madness), Taki Soma (Sleeping While Standing, Bitch Planet), Mario Alberti (Spider-man and the Fantastic Four, The Wall)., SARAH BASLAIM, FLAVIO DISPENZA, K. MICHAEL RUSSEL and M. SEAN MCMANUS.

In addition to the anthology, we're producing a world-building Art Book entitled BLACK BOX: DESIGN SPACE featuring an encyclopedic look at the various devices, locations, and technologies that make up this new future setting. Illustrated by concept artist Shane Molina, this supplemental book is full of amazing, rich cutaway schematics and lore that add further dimension and layers to the mysteries explored in the anthology.

This really is a sci-fi lover's FEAST, and we hope you'll check it out when it launches on TUESDAY! We'll have the usual assortment of premium exclusives and exciting Stretch Goals to make it another thrilling campaign you will not want to miss! :)

Go to www.blackboxchronicles.com to pre-register for a FREE double-sided star map poster, then click over to the Kickstarter page now to be notified when we launch.

You won't want to miss this one!

Orders Locked!
almost 1 year ago – Fri, Apr 28, 2023 at 03:20:43 PM

Hey everyone!

Just a quick update to state, as mentioned yesterday, that we have initiated the "order lock" countdown... you should receive an email from Backerkit asking for you to confirm your order information is correct since they will be locking everything in 48 hours. Please watch for that email, or you can pro-actively check your order by going to https://mezkal-and-convoy-an-explosive-graphic-novel-double-fea.backerkit.com/.

We will follow up on Monday when we press the "Charge Cards" button. 😊

Have a great weekend everyone!

Locking Backerkit orders TOMORROW!
about 1 year ago – Thu, Apr 27, 2023 at 02:28:12 PM

Hi everyone!

Just a quick note to let you know that we will be LOCKING BACKERKIT ORDERS TOMORROW AFTERNOON! To be specific, at 5pm CST, we will press the "Lock Orders" button on Backerkit, which will initiate a notification to everyone to make sure your surveys are complete and your information is correct - particularlyyour payment info.

That will then start a 48 hour countdown to them actually locking your order from further modification. We will then press the "Charge Cards" button first thing Monday morning to collect any outstanding fees (shipping, new addons, etc).  If Backerkit runs into trouble with your provided payment method, or if any of the information on your survey is missing, your order won't be complete!

You will have plenty of time to fix it before we start shipping, but it would be most helpful to us if as many orders could go through without issue as possible. We need to finalize order counts so that we can accurately produce the remaining items for the fulfillment, and any orders that are still up in the air could lead to confusion down the road.

We'll post another brief update tomorrow to let you know when that Lock button has been pressed. In the meantime, if you're unsure if your survey is complete, please go to https://mezkal-and-convoy-an-explosive-graphic-novel-double-fea.backerkit.com/ and log in using your Kickstarter-associated email address.

Thanks, everyone!