The Hidden Emperor Pre-Order Store!

Can't Stop The Signal, Mal!
3 months ago – Thu, Oct 10, 2024 at 12:58:40 PM

I have to admit I was really nervous after Kickstarter banned me. When The Hidden Emperor made over $51,000, being forced to change horses comes with a lot of question marks as to whether the backers and readers will also come over to a new platform like Fund My Comic. Well, you guys did, and our new book, The Emerald Array, is on track to do very well!

If you didn’t see the Kickstarter ban, I talked about it on my Substack here. It was a shocking situation because I’ve been a model creator on the platform, delivering more than 12 graphic novels in a timely fashion which the readers love. It’s why our Ayla Rin books have picked up so much traction with The Hidden Emperor. 

The stats so far after 3 days of the Emerald Array is we’ve retained 90% of the backing we have from Kickstarter—which is a great sign because it shows people love this sci-fi universe and are loyal to the cause. 

We’ve outdone ourselves on this book. Early readers tell me it’s everything they’ve ever been asking for from my comics: a full bad-ass male team, tons of action, a Jack Kirby 1970s-style aesthetic, and space marines! If you’ve not backed yet, join us today!

I know some are waiting for The Hidden Emperor to ship, which is understandable. As an update on that, files are with the printer, I went over the digital setup and approved it so we should be getting it going in the next couple of days. 

Thank you so much for the support. I’ve adopted the mantra from Serenity, “Can’t stop the signal” for our movement because it’s poignant in the face of the relentless attempts to deplatform us that people have kept up—all because they don’t want me and my team to make a living making comics.

Another big win is 40,000 YouTube Subscribers. We'll be streaming tonight talking about the ban as well as celebrating a win: 

Shame on Kickstarter for being bullies, cowards, and terrible people. But they can’t stop the signal, Mal.  We’re winning anyway.

Thanks again! Back The Emerald Array on Fund My Comic and support a platform dedicated to free artistic expression!

JDA

Kickstarter Banned Me As I Submitted My Space Marine Comic
3 months ago – Sun, Oct 06, 2024 at 04:43:23 PM

Kickstarter went completely insane this week and banned me. I can no longer create projects, the head of Kickstarter comics blocked me, and I also no longer have the ability to comment or answer DMs from backers with questions. Please look for BackerKit emails for your surveys, as I don't know how long I'll be allowed to publish updates for.

You can read the full story of what happened on my Substack here, but it's very disappointing the company would act like this and attack a minority-owned business without cause.

We're going to fight, fight, fight, though. If Kickstarter doesn't want our business, Fund My Comic does. They're a great upstart committed to free speech and free artistic expression. I'm going to give everything I have to supporting that website from here forward, and I'm launching my Space Marine comic, The Emerald Array, there right now to show Kickstarter we can do this without them.

We need your help to make this the strongest launch possible. This is the comic everyone's asked for. It's got a 1970s Jack Kirby aesthetic on the art. It's got a vibe of Starship Troopers and Warhammer 40K. A full male space marine team with a bad-ass lead who is all business and action.  

Please back the book on Fund My Comic here, tell your friends, and let them know that Kickstarter is unfriendly to creatives who actually put in the work and succeed.

Thank you for your continued support. I'll be sending out an email to everyone who backed via my email list so you have my direct contact if you have questions on the campaign or anything else! I love all of you and really appreciate you allowing me and my team to have a full career in comics.

JDA  

We've Got Something Special In Store
3 months ago – Fri, Oct 04, 2024 at 06:21:33 PM

Thanks, everyone, for getting the BackerKit surveys in and reading the digital edition of The Hidden Emperor! We appreciate you so much and Miz Krimzon and I are grateful to receive such an outpouring of support for how great this comic is. We're proud of our work, and it means a lot to us to hear how much it resonates. 

There's still about 100 people who haven't filled out surveys so make sure to get those in! Backerkit both delivers digital files and helps my fulfillment team break down the rewards into package groups for fulfillment. 

Our files are off to the printer for the physical books and I should have a digital proof in the next couple of days followed by a physical one next week. At that point we are hitting print and go.

But we have the momentum and we can't wait to bring you our next book, The Emerald Array, our space marine military sci-fi comic. It's REALLY getting buzz some of which is too hot to handle -- which I'll talk about in next week's update. 

We'll be launching Monday on FundMyComic.com -- a great site dedicated to free speech and owned by a solid Christian man, something we want to support wholeheartedly. I'll let you know when it's live, but one of my early readers already says "this is everything we've ever been asking for in a comic."  You're going to be thrilled. 

Thank you again for the tremendous support! We're going to build the greatest independent comic venture in the universe over the next couple of years, and I'm glad you're all on for the ride early. 

BackerKit Surveys For The Hidden Emperor
3 months ago – Mon, Sep 23, 2024 at 06:35:58 AM

Surveys went out this weekend and we got about 2/3 already filled out - thank you everyone! This site manages fulfillment for me meaning it delivers digital books as well as helps sort packages by what was purchased for my shipping company since we have a lot of different options. Digital will be going out this week so make sure to get that survey in -- look for an email from BackerKit if you missed it! 

I'm going over all of our files for formatting now and having my team make sure everything is good to go for print over the next week. After that, I'll get a proof copy of The Hidden Emperor, and then we will start the whole print run and get that ready to go. We should be able to start physical shipping by mid-October except for Leatherbound books as those are getting hand made and will take more time! 

Thank you very much for all the support again. Really appreciate you.  

Here's a sneak peek at Mike S. Miller's variant cover for The Emerald Array, our space marine comic in the Terran Imperium Chronicles we'll be launching in October: 

Thanks For Making The Hidden Emperor Campaign Amazing!
4 months ago – Wed, Sep 18, 2024 at 01:56:29 PM

Hey everyone! 

Sorry for a little bit of a delay, I was flat on my back sick the last couple of days of the campaign here watching the totals skyrocket over $50,000! I can't believe it even now! It's honestly because of supporters like you giving the book the final push that we got there. Thank you so much for the support! 

I'm currently doing formatting passes and ensuring the books are ready to go while Kickstarter deals with collecting some pledges that might not have processed for whatever reason. When that's all done, we'll be sending out surveys on BackerKit so make sure to watch your emails. This program sorts everyone into package groups to make it easier for fulfillment if you're new to BackerKit.

Once all my files are ready, I'm going to get my proof copies, print, and ship, so this should be done fairly quickly during October / Early November. Leatherbound books will take a little while longer because those have to be done individually by hand.  

In October I'll be launching the next campaign in the Terran Imperium Chronicles, The Emerald Array, the Imperium's elite space marine squad. Once the campaign's approved I'll send out a link for signups. 

And I've got to get to work on Book 3 of this beautiful series. Thank you again. A word from Miz Krimzon: