Books are printing! Cover treatment proofs, and CLASSIC HORROR
about 1 year ago – Sun, Apr 23, 2023 at 12:12:10 PM

Hi everyone!

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend. We received some good news from the printer re: MEZKAL and CONVOY last week -- everything is approved for printing! If you don't recall from the previous update, there was some concern about some of the "mature" content and whether they would be allowed to print it at their main plant or whether we would have to transfer it entirely to a different printer elsewhere. Fortunately, the content passed approval, and everything has gone into full print production. 😊

In fact, we received "wet proofs" (fully-treated covers, with foil and spotUV) of both book covers and the slipcase itself. They look sweet! Check 'em out!

The slipcase turned out FANTASTIC -- we knew mixing the ghosted black spotUV on a black background with silver chrome on top would be cool, but it's even better than we expected!

Now that everything is approved and printing, we should hopefully get finished advance copies in a few weeks. We will of course post pix as soon as they arrive! 

The delay awaiting printing approval did push the ship date a little bit -- we're waiting for new delivery estimates from the printer now, but it looks like fulfillment will likely happen in July. We're doing a few things in the meantime to hopefully streamline the shipping process considerably, so if/when those efficiencies get set up, we'll let you know. Regardless, it'll be a cool summer... 😎

While you wait, we're trying something different...

We've been using Backerkit for pledge management for many years now, and they have become an indispensable part of our pipeline. In recent months, they have rolled out their own campaign platform, and we're going to be launching a FANTASTIC project there this Tuesday at 10a CST!

The definitive graphic novel adaptations of Bram Stoker’s DRACULA and Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN by artist Georges Bess!

Known internationally for his extensive body of work with notorious writer and director Alejandro Jodorowsky, GEORGES BESS established himself as a premiere visionary and stylistic chameleon at the height of the European comics renaissance during the ‘70s and ‘80s. Now, Georges brings his immense talent to classic horror, adapting Bram Stoker’s DRACULA and Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN into two bold and powerful graphic novels that retell these seminal tales through lush and unparalleled illustration.

If you have backed our recent premium slipcase edition campaigns, you know that these will be top-of-the-line deluxe art books worthy of any bookshelf. George's work is simply breathtaking, and our 9x12" gallery-quality artist's editions will be a must for any horror, graphic novel, or illustration fan!

Please check it out and pre-register by going to the pre-launch landing page (https://bit.ly/36FOZfi)!

Why Backerkit? Why not Kickstarter?

Good question, and we have a few good answers:

1) We can only run so many projects on Kickstarter at a time -- it takes several weeks to prepare a campaign, several more to run them, and several more afterward to fulfill.  While we have admittedly been quite active on Kickstarter these past 2+ years, we can only squeeze in so many projects per year. Testing out a backup platform like Backerkit might provide an opportunity to slide in additional excellent projects in between. 😊

2) Frankly, we were planning to launch this project on Kickstarter, but we were caught by surprise by another DRACULA/FRANKENSTEIN graphic novel adaptation on Kickstarter that beat us to the stage. We won't bother linking to it, but even though we believe our adaptations stand clearly on their own in terms of presentation and quality, we felt it was unfortunately too risky to promote such a similar-sounding project on the same marketplace so soon afterward. The chance of campaign-confusion was just too great to ignore. We are quite confident that our adaptations measure strongly on their own (and will ship months before the other project is expected to), but we needed to be prudent about our position on the platform. Backerkit may be a smaller forum, but they know what they are doing with years of crowdfunding experience (and data), and we think our project can be a standout there. We shall see! 🤞

3) We have another super-exciting Kickstarter campaign in the works that will hopefully debut in the next few weeks... 😉 Stay tuned!

Yes, it is elsewhere. And it is different. But the pledging process works the same way, and chances are (especially as a Backer of MEZKAL or any of our other campaigns) you are already familiar with how Backerkit works. In fact, as a backer of this campaign, you are already registered there!

Are we trading in Kickstarter for Backerkit? NO WAY! Kickstarter has become our primary pre-sale platform and a cornerstone in all of our new project strategies. But having access to alternate successful platforms can be beneficial for everyone: more excellent projects can be offered, tailored to each one's strength and appeal. We'll likely keep our "Premiere Headliners" here on KS, but having a second stage will give other projects a chance to capture an audience and grow... 

We'd really appreciate it if you would check out the pre-launch landing pageand join us when it launches there on Tuesday!

Thanks, everyone!

Get ready for something completely different...
about 1 year ago – Mon, Mar 27, 2023 at 11:56:39 AM

Hi everyone!

We hope you’re having a wonderful Monday! It has been a few weeks since our last update, and we appreciate your attention to filling out your Backerkit surveys. Hopefully, we have been able to answer any questions you might have had about the process. After a bit of back-and-forth between the authors, printers, and original publisher in France (Delcourt), we’re happy to say that the books are well underway. The factory is creating some prints and dummies of the slipcase which we expect to see soon. Due to some “racy” content, however, the factory is having to seek special permits to print the book at their primary plant in China. There are certain content restrictions (specifically full-frontal nudity and graphic depictions of sex) that need to be navigated, and while the factory believes this book is within that tolerance (“R-rated” and not “X-rated”), they need to be sure to avoid getting into trouble with the government. Once that permit has been secured, then the books will start printing.

We’re not concerned about the timeline (yet), just wanted to give you all a heads-up.

We’re also in the process of analyzing our fulfillment pipeline for the rest of this year and beyond. We’ve successfully fulfilled 22 campaigns so far, but we’re identifying a lot of opportunities and potential efficiencies as our reach continues to grow, some of which we hope will not only lead to faster delivery time, but perhaps also lower shipping rates (particularly for our backers abroad).  Ideally, we will be able to put some of those new efficiencies into practice by the time MEZKAL/CONVOY ships (still on track for July), but there is a lot involved with getting new logistical routes ironed out.

The bottom line is this: we’ve been busy! 😊 Not only getting MEZKAL/CONVOY produced, but making improvements to the operation as a whole. We have a lot planned for 2023-24, and want to be sure they are delivered in the best way possible!

Case in point…

Our next campaign launches TOMORROW! And as a backer of MEZKAL/CONVOY, you could bundle your pledges to get the new campaign shipped for FREE!

This new title is admittedly a drastic departure in tone from MEZKAL/CONVOY, but it’s not that much of a departure for us... if you’re at all familiar with the rest of Magnetic Press’s library, then you'll understand our excitement over this one…

We love animals. We are big proponents of animal rights and wildlife exploration, with no less than 20 books in our catalog focused on animal tales. From kid's books to all-ages-wildlife adventures, we’ve got graphic novels for animal lovers of all types. April is Animal Cruelty Prevention month, and we are planning a number of things to support that noble cause, starting with our next Kickstarter for MY FRIEND TOBY!

MY FRIEND TOBY is a 144-page, wordless canine adventure about a simple terrier living a simple life with his human friend Marcel, a heartbroken artist who is having trouble making ends meet. But Toby doesn’t know anything about money or bills or electricity; he’s happy as long as there is food in his bowl and new territory to claim in the neighborhood. To him, everything is fine... at least until a stray cat appears, bringing all kinds of questions (and maybe a few unexpected answers)…

This book is adorable, and I’m not kidding when I say I laughed out loud a few times “reading” it. Yes, it is wordless, but it captures the language-less mindset of a dog in a way that seems both perfectly understandable and scientifically plausible. Triple-Eisner Award-nominee Gregory Panaccione (A SEA OF LOVE) is an animation industry storyboard artist turned graphic novelist, and his expert pacing and cinematic eye give this heartwarming story a truly cinematic feature quality.

To help tie MY FRIEND TOBY to our Cruelty Prevention efforts, we will be making an independent donation to the Anti-Cruelty Society based on the campaign’s performance. Kickstarter doesn’t allow pledge funds to be used for charity, or to make it sound like any portion of raised funds will be used as such, but we’ve worked with Kickstarter Trust & Safety Committee to approve our initiative to make a completely independent private donation based on how well the campaign does.

So please consider backing MY FRIEND TOBY when it launches at 10am CST tomorrow to not only get a wonderful graphic novel (or graphic novels, plural – we have several bundles with exclusive bonus items!), but to also help some needy animals find good homes in the process. 😊

As mentioned above, since TOBY will be shipping at approximately the same time as MEZKAL/CONVOY, we will be able to bundle both pledges into a single package. So your MY FRIEND TOBY pledge can ship for FREE with your MEZKAL/CONVOY pledge if you choose to support both campaigns. We think this will be of particular interest to International backers, but should hopefully save everyone some money. 😊

Thanks, everyone! We hope to see you there!

Surveys sent! Watch your inboxes!
about 1 year ago – Tue, Feb 21, 2023 at 07:40:12 AM

Hi everyone!

Just a quick update to let everyone know that the rest of the surveys were sent out this morning! Please watch your inboxes for an email from @backerkit.com (or possibly @s.backerkit.com) with your unique invitation link. If you have trouble logging in or don't receive that email soon, you can also go to https://mezkal-and-convoy-an-explosive-graphic-novel-double-fea.backerkit.com.

The Backerkit will stay open until mid-April, so you will have plenty of time to mull over the Add-ons or whether or not to upgrade to that sweet, shiny slipcase set. 😉

If you have any questions, let us know!

Thanks, everyone!

Backerkit is open! Smoke Test surveys sent!
about 1 year ago – Fri, Feb 17, 2023 at 07:12:46 AM

Happy Friday, everyone!

We hope you've had a nice February so far (thanks, spellcheck, for adding that extra "r" for us). We've been super-busy, but we're happy to say that the Backerkit pledge manager has been set up and approved for launch.  "Smoke Test" surveys went out this morning and the rest should go out this weekend.

For those new to the process, the smoke test is a "soft launch" of the surveys that are sent to a random ~5% of the total backer list to make sure that there are no confusing questions or bugs to be addressed. Assuming that the test run goes smoothly, we'll send the rest of the surveys within the next 24-48 hours. Backerkit recommends waiting until ~75% of the smoke test surveys have been completed before sending out the rest, so if you are one of those 128 randomly chosen few, please try to complete yours promptly! 👍

If you are not one of the smoke test backers, fear not -- your survey will likely go out before Monday (assuming no critical technical issues pop up).

Backerkit will stay open until we lock orders in mid-April (estimated April 14th), so you will be able to make any adjustments to your order until then, including address and payment information.  Credit Cards will not be charged until the orders are locked. Domestic shipping is on track to begin in late-June/mid-July (with international stock being forwarded to the regional hub warehouses at that same time, likely to ship to backers roughly 6-weeks later), so think about where you will be at that time when entering your delivery address. (And if you don't know for sure, don't worry -- there will be ample opportunities to update that info up to a week before Quartermaster actually starts shipping.)

Digital rewards will be distributed once orders are locked, sometime in May.

If you have any questions, or if you are a lucky smoke-test backer who runs into a technical issue, please message us here directly on Kickstarter and we'll try to respond as quickly as possible. (Fair notice: we're traveling to visit family this weekend, so we'll do our best to be responsive.)

That's all for now. Thanks again for your wonderful support!

Finish line! Woot!
about 1 year ago – Fri, Feb 03, 2023 at 03:10:41 PM

WE DID IT! THANK YOU, EVERYONE, for a GREAT campaign!

We came in just shy of adding the gilding to the slipcase books (but we're talking it over with the printer and will see how the final pledge collection shakes out... maaayyybe we can cover the gap and add that beautiful feature anyway... no promises, but we would love to do it)! 😉

We're finishing up the final edits on the books now and will start getting everything to the printers and manufacturers right away. In the meantime, Kickstarter will start attempting to collect everyone's pledges, a process that takes about two weeks. If they run into any problems with your method of payment on file, they will reach out to you to please make corrections. If they can't collect your pledge within two weeks, they will mark your pledge as "failed", BUT it will still carry over into Backerkit, so you will have an opportunity to complete the order later there. 😊

We will start building the Backerkit next week and hope to have it ready to launch by the 17th of this month (February). We will, of course, keep you posted with updates here as things proceed.

Thanks again, everyone! These are two awesome and gonzo graphic novels that we absolutely LOVE, and we think you are going to be equally thrilled with them when they are in your hands this summer! 😎🤩

Until then -- have a lovely day!