Blake Worrell

Author Archives: Blake Worrell

Interview: Comic artist Jon Malin talks “Graveyard Shift”, heroism, and who he most wants to punch in the face!

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Blake Worrell 8 comments

Last week, the crowdfunding campaign for Graveyard Shift launched via Indiegogo where it became an instant success. At the time of this writing, the Graveyard Shift project has raised more than $30 thousand with a few weeks still to go. Graveyard Shift is a 46-page graphic novel created by comic industry veterans Mark Poulton (writer) and Jon Malin (artist). Graveyard

“Jawbreakers: Lost Souls” passes 10 thousand backer milestone

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Blake Worrell 3 comments

Over the weekend, the crowdfunding campaign for Jawbreakers: Lost Souls* reached 10 thousand backers on Indiegogo. That is a huge milestone for what has already been a very successful campaign, further reinforcing Jawbreakers’ status as the most-backed single-issue graphic novel in crowdfunding history. Jawbreakers: Lost Souls is a superhero action/adventure story intended as a blend of The Expendables and The

Award-winning comic artist Russ Heath passes away at 91

Posted on August 25, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

On Thursday, comic book artist Russ Heath passed away at the age of 91 after a battle with cancer. An award-winning artist and a member of the Will Eisner Hall of Fame, Heath is best known for his work on patriotic war stories. Heath joined the U.S. military in 1945, but even during his service he remained an artist, drawing

Flying Sparks Indiegogo campaign ends successfully; raises 452% of its goal

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

Ending on the same night as the massively successful Red Rooster: Golden Age, the Indiegogo campaign for Flying Sparks: A Hero and Villain in Love ended successfully, raising 452% of its original goal for a total of more than $27 thousand. Flying Sparks is planned as an ongoing superhero comic series described as having an intense personal drama similar to the

“Red Rooster” Indiegogo campaign finishes huge; raises $164 thousand

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Blake Worrell 3 comments

On Thursday, the crowdfunding campaign for Red Rooster: Golden Age came to an end after raising 1090% of its original funding goal for a total of over $164 thousand. Yes, that’s over a thousand percent – not a typo. Red Rooster: Golden Age is a 60-page graphic novel written and illustrated by Mitch Breitweiser with colors by Elizabeth Breitweiser. Golden

“Senran Kagura Reflexions” coming to Switch on 13 September; pre-orders now open

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Blake Worrell 2 comments

On Thursday, publisher XSeed announced that pre-orders for Senran Kagura Reflexions are now open on the Nintendo Switch eShop and that the game would be available to download on 13 September. Senran Kagura Reflexions is a visual novel game set in the typically action-heavy Senran Kagura universe. A Nintendo Switch exclusive, Reflexions makes use of the Switch’s HD rumble feature

Second story mode revealed for “Soulcalibur VI”; Tira coming as DLC

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

This week at Gamescom, Bandai Namco unveiled several new details for their upcoming weapons-based fighter, Soulcalibur VI, including a new story mode and DLC character. Titled Libra of Souls, this second story mode differs from the already-revealed Chronicle of Souls mode in that players will use their own custom fighters to overcome challenges in searching for pieces of the Soul

Mark Poulton’s & Jon Malin’s “Graveyard Shift” fully funded on Indiegogo; stretch goals announced

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Blake Worrell 2 comments

On Monday, the crowdfunding campaign for Graveyard Shift launched via Indiegogo. The project has already hit the ground running, achieving full funding in just over an hour, raising more than $18 thousand at the time of this writing. Graveyard Shift is a 46-page graphic novel described as “the Universal Monsters meets the X-Men,” and helmed by two comic industry veterans,

Crowdfunding campaign for “The Berserkonaut” ends successfully

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

Over the weekend, the crowdfunding campaign for the first issue of The Berserkonaut ended successfully, raising 144% of its original goal for a total of over $5 thousand. The Berserkonaut is a 24-page comic by industry veteran Jeff Lafferty (Doom 2099), who serves as both writer and illustrator for the book. The Berserkonaut is a passion project for Lafferty, as

Lost SEGA Genesis game “Hardcore” coming to PS4 and Vita in 2019

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

A lost action adventure game from the 1990s known tentatively as Hardcore is getting a second chance at life on the PS4 and Vita in early 2019. Originally developed by Digital Illusions C.E. (D.I.C.E.) and set to be published by Psygnosis in 1994, Hardcore was cancelled late in development. Versions of Hardcore were developed for the SEGA Genesis, SEGA CD,

Crowdfunding campaign for “The North Valley Grimoire” extended; author Blake Northcott shifts from Kickstarter to Indiegogo

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Blake Worrell 5 comments

The Kickstarter campaign for Blake Northcott’s upcoming novel The North Valley Grimoire ended successfully this week, raising more than 73 thousand dollars (Canadian) from over a thousand backers. With those impressive totals, The North Valley Grimoire became the most-funded and most-backed fiction book of 2018. Despite raking in such high numbers, Northcott received requests from fans for a last-minute opportunity

The Indiegogo campaign for Nasser Rabadi’s “Stardust” ends successfully; next up: “Brutus the Badass”

Posted on August 15, 2018 by Blake Worrell 5 comments

On Tuesday, the crowdfunding campaign for Stardust ended successfully, raising 756% of its original goal for a total of over $15 thousand.* Stardust is a sci-fi horror comic written by Nasser Rabadi and illustrated by Shawn Langley, who appears to be heavily inspired by the mythology of H.P. Lovecraft. The Stardust Indiegogo campaign was an immediate success, surpassing its original

Earthworm Jim creator launches crowdfunding campaign for new comic “Bigfoot Bill”

Posted on August 14, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

On Monday, veteran artist/animator Doug TenNapel launched a crowdfunding campaign for a new independent comic book project, Bigfoot Bill, which smashed its original funding goal on the first day, raising more than $20 thousand at the time of this writing. Bigfoot Bill is a 48-page graphic novel (with the possibility of more pages being added) written and illustrated by Doug

Mike S. Miller’s “Lonestar” comic crushes funding goal

Posted on August 14, 2018 by Blake Worrell 14 comments

This weekend, the crowdfunding campaign for Mike S. Miller’s Lonestar: Heart of the Hero ended after raising nearly $72 thousand. That’s roughly 477% of its original funding goal. Mike S. Miller is a 26-year veteran of the comics industry, having worked most recently as the artist in the Injustice video game tie-in books for DC Comics. Miller intends to use Lonestar

Ikari Press launches sci-fi comic project “Brand” on Indiegogo

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

This weekend, Ikari Press launched a crowdfunding campaign for a new comic project titled Brand on Indiegogo. Brand is a 48-page science fiction graphic novel written by Antonio Brice and featuring illustrations by Caanan White (Über). Project creator Brice notes that Brand is definitely for mature readers only. Here’s a summary of the plot taken from the Brand Indiegogo page:

Jon Malin teases upcoming comic book project “Graveyard Shift”

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

On a recent livestream on the Comic Artist Pro Secrets YouTube channel, veteran comic book artist Jon Malin revealed that his next project would be titled Graveyard Shift, and that it would be funded via Indiegogo. You can listen to Malin describe the project in the video below (at approximately 1:46:35): Graveyard Shift is coming hot on the heels of

New Indiegogo campaign for “The Cry” addresses child abuse in a haunting supernatural comic

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

This week, a crowdfunding campaign for a new independent comic The Cry launched on Indiegogo. The Cry is a 24-page comic book written by J.S. Earls (Meg) and features artwork by Pablo Ayala (Robocop). The book is a very personal passion project for the creator (Earls), who drew inspiration from real-life child abuse tragedies to craft a supernatural tale of

“Lady Death: Nightmare Symphony” is killing it on Kickstarter; over $160k on day one

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

On Wednesday, Coffin Comics’ Lady Death: Nightmare Symphony launched on Kickstarter and has quickly raised over $160 thousand, demolishing its original funding goal of just $15 thousand. This type of success has become a regular occurrence for Coffin Comics and Lady Death creator Brian Pulido. Since moving to a crowdfunding model, Coffin Comics has nurtured a dedicated audience and is

New indie comic project “General Washington: Victory or Death” hits Indiegogo (updated)

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

On Tuesday, a crowdfunding campaign for a new independent comic titled General Washington: Victory or Death launched on Indiegogo. Victory or Death is intended as the first of four graphic novels featuring the valor and heroism of the American patriots who fought and died in the fight for American independence. Project creator Eric Saenz noted that the book will strive

“The World Ends with You: Final Remix” coming to Nintendo Switch in October

Posted on August 7, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

On Tuesday, Nintendo announced that The World Ends with You: Final Remix is scheduled for release on October 12 for the Nintendo Switch. The World Ends with You was first released for the Nintendo DS in 2007 where it didn’t achieve great sales success, but it was critically well-received and managed to develop a dedicated fan base. This updated Final

New characters announced for “Warriors Oroichi 4”

Posted on August 7, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

According to the latest issue of Famitsu, both Ares and Odin will be included in the playable roster of Koei Tecmo’s Warriors Oroichi 4. In a separate announcement last week, Koei Tecmo announced that the Greek hero Perseus would be playable in Warriors Orochi 4. Koei Tecmo has also announced five of the eight characters who will have a “Deification

Terry Bogard and 2 long lost Street Fighter characters coming to “Fighting EX Layer”

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

Since it’s apparently “Terry Bogard Week” and nobody told me ahead of time, I’m a bit late in reporting that the main protagonist of SNK’s Fatal Fury series is joining the roster of Arika’s Fighting EX Layer for PS4. “Terry Bogard Week” or not, Fatal Fury’s “hungry wolf” is certainly making the rounds in this year’s announcements at EVO 2018.

Earthworm Jim creator announces new comic project “Bigfoot Bill”

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Blake Worrell 2 comments

On Monday, Doug TenNapel debuted his plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign for Bigfoot Bill, a new comic book project. TenNapel made the announcement during a livestream chat on Ethan Van Sciver’s Comic Artist Pro Secrets YouTube channel (See video below, discussion begins at approximately 24:30). TenNapel intends to launch the Bigfoot Bill project on Indiegogo sometime next Monday, August

Seong Mi-Na and Astaroth confirmed for “Soulcalibur VI”

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

This weekend, Bandai Namco revealed that Soulcalibur series mainstays Seong Mi-Na and Astaroth would be included in the fighting roster of Soulcalibur VI. Both characters are well-known to fans of the series, as Seong Mi-Na first appeared in Soul Edge while Astaroth first appeared in the original Soulcalibur. The announcement came during EVO 2018, where Soulcalibur series producer Motohiro Okubo

Sexy Thriller “Blue Mamba” Kickstarter cancelled, relaunched on Indiegogo; fully funded in hours

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

This weekend, the Kickstarter campaign independent comic Blue Mamba was cancelled by the project’s creator, Jim Healis. However, the project was resurrected almost immediately on Indiegogo, with updated backer tiers and funding goals. The project quickly found its audience and was successfully funded in less than 10 hours. Healis announced his plans to move the project to Indiegogo on Sunday

The Walking Dead’s Negan announced as Tekken 7 DLC

Posted on August 5, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

If you’ve ever wanted to take a spiked baseball bat to Heihachi’s teeth, Tekken 7 is giving you that chance. This weekend, Bandai Namco announced new fighters who would be joining the Tekken 7 roster via DLC, including The Walking Dead‘s iconic villain, Negan. The announcement came at EVO 2018 following a Tekken 7 tournament, series producers Katushiro Harada and

Indie Comic project “Public Domain” launches on Indiegogo

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

On Thursday, a crowdfunding campaign for a new graphic novel titled Public Domain launched on Indiegogo. Public Domain is the second book intended as part of the “Superverse”, a shared comic book universe created by Ben Dunn and heavily influenced by comic books of the 1940s and 1950s. The first Superverse project, Jungle Comics, was successfully funded on Indiegogo in

Crowdfunding campaign for “Iron Sights” surges on final day; raises nearly $120 thousand

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

The crowdfunding campaign for Iron Sights ended successfully early on Thursday, achieving 1195% of its original goal for a total of $119,495. Iron Sights is a 120-page graphic novel written by Richard C. Meyer and Carlos Ivan Silva with art by Ibai Canales, Iron Sights is the story of an Iraq War veteran nicknamed “Ramadi” who inadvertently starts a border

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Stylish brawler “Uppers” may finally be heading West; rated for PS4 in Australia

Posted on August 1, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

Marvelous Games may finally be giving Western PS4 owners the chance to play their stylish brawler Uppers, as a recent Australian rating suggests. Released on PlayStation Vita in 2016 exclusively in Japan, Western gamers following Uppers were possibly losing hope of ever seeing a release overseas due to the dwindling support of the PS Vita platform. Uppers is an over-the-top

Ethan Van Sciver’s Cyberfrog raises half a million dollars; becomes most successful crowdfunded comic book in history

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Blake Worrell 11 comments

On Monday, the crowdfunding campaign for Cyberfrog: Blood Honey ended as a massive success, raising 6659% of its original goal for a total of $535,012 – that’s over half a million dollars, folks. For those keeping track, it’s also a new record for a crowdfunded comic book. Cyberfrog is the creation of veteran comic book artist and YouTube Star Wars