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Cullen Bunn, JimmyZ Johnston, and Federico de Luca are launching a Kickstarter campaign on July 8, 2020 to fund the release of the first two issues of their upcoming comic book series Democritus Brand and The Endless Machine. Bunn and Johnston are co-writing the series. De Luca is handing art chores. Simon Bowland is lettering the series. Baldemar Rivas is providing a variant cover for the first issue.
“Democritus Brand is a new adventurer in a steampunk version of the Victorian era,” said Bunn. “Exploring the world via his state-of-the-art airship, accompanied by a host of skilled companions, Brand is an archaeologist who is seeking the truth about the steam-driven wonders that have changed the world forever. This truth, of course, is not necessarily all that pleasant.”
The series is described as a tale of cosmic horror in the steampunk era.
In 1861… an excavation in Egypt uncovers a most unusual mummy. The body is a fusion of preserved flesh and strange steam technology, like a steam-era cyborg… but the mummy is thousands of years old. This represents a vast, alien technology that came to Earth centuries ago. Could this be how the pyramids and the Sphinx were constructed? This discovery launches a neo-industrial revolution–a burgeoning age of steam and clockworks. From advanced locomotion and flying machines… to streamlined communication… to pneumatic servants and soldiers, the steam-driven technology was meant to make the lives of the Crown’s citizens easier. But it spun out of control and it is now 1891.
The Kickstarter campaign will fund the first two issues of the book. The initial series is planned for six issues, with more tales of Professor Brand’s adventures to come.
“We wanted to do something a little unusual with this launch,” said Bunn. “We have two full issues of art completed, so we thought it would be fun to offer the first two issues of the book at once.”
All art assets for issues one and two have been finalized. Only lettering and final design need to be completed before the book can go to the printer. The creators anticipate a rapid turn around between funding and release. Check out the Kickstarter page now and pledge your support.
