Special offer for backers!
almost 3 years ago – Tue, Jun 15, 2021 at 05:44:16 AM

Warriors Of The Vi Empire!

It's crunch time, friends! 

The Vi Empire campaign is down to its final three days and we are 95% funded.  You guys have already backed the campaign, you already believe in the project and that gave us the idea to try something new. As you know, we're already raffling off the cover to the single issue of The Vi Empire #4 as a reward for backing and sharing the campaign but today, we're going to launch A NEW RAFFLE and we'll be choosing the winner tomorrow at noon (EST).

Here's the prize! You may recognize it as the splash page reward (art by Val and Bob Wiacek) on the campaign page where it was listed for a price of $300. We're offering you the chance to claim it for only $10, the entry fee for this contest.

Here's how it works. We're asking backers to pledge an additional $10 of support to The Vi Empire. When you do, you automatically gain ONE ENTRY into the raffle for this splash page.  if you pledge an extra $20, you get two entries... and on and on but all we're hoping for is that additional $10 of support.

If only one backer raises their pledge then guess what? That backer wins the splash page. If twenty backers follow through, then you've got a 1-20 chance of winning and The Vi Empire takes a big leap towards its funding goal. If 70 of you pledge that additional support, the odds of winning the artwork get a little longer (but still way better than winning at Bingo... or the lottery) but the good news is that the project hits its funding goal and The Vi Empire becomes a reality. 

As mentioned above, we'll be picking the winner at NOON (EST) tomorrow and will announce it in the next update.  If we all work together (and as you know, teamwork makes the dreamwork) we can make this project happen and (hopefully) have some fun while doing it over the next three days.

Good luck! We hope YOU win!

One more thing!

From backing this project, you guys clearly like vampires. Do you also dig ZOMBIES? Because if you do, we thought you'd be interested in our friend Kat Calamia's new project, HAUNTING: Like Father, Like Daughter #1, a 44-page NEW READER-FRIENDLY crossover project from Kat and Phil Falco.

Don't take our word for it; here's what the book is about, straight from Kat's mouth:

Bram is a bratty teenager who just wants to be left alone. Too bad wherever he goes, THE DEAD RISE!

Casey is a high school student whose father abandoned her to become a full-time superhero. She's finally forced to grapple with her complicated feelings towards him when she INHERITS HIS SUPERPOWERS! 

When a Halloween Dance at Casey's (LFLD) high school is suddenly overrun with GHOSTS and ZOMBIES, she'll be forced to team-up with the mysterious Bram (HAUNTING) to take on the supernatural threats and save her classmates!

With some amazing art by Rafi de Sousa and tons of cool variant covers and other great swag,  HAUNTING/Like Father, Like Daughter #1 is a super fun project that we backed the moment we saw it.  Check out the complete campaign HERE (they're in stretch goal territory so...free stuff!) and tell them Vi Empire sent you.

That's all for today, Warriors. Let's have some fun with this raffle and we look forward to announcing the winner tomorrow.

Your pals at Ominous Press/Creation.Ink (and Ron Marz, who approves this message.)

And then there were FIVE
almost 3 years ago – Sun, Jun 13, 2021 at 03:44:57 AM

Warriors Of The Vi Empire!

Five days left and The Vi Empire has started making its final push towards our funding goal.  As these words are being typed, all we need are 33.5 NEW BACKERS to pledge for the $40 hardcover to put this campaign over the top. We're definitely closing in but finding that elusive half a backer may be tricky...

That's where you guys come in.  As you've noticed from reading these updates, we've been consistently asking for your help promoting the campaign.  You may have even heard us mention we're holding a raffle to win a page of original Vi Empire art, right?

Well, we're upgrading the reward.  

If you guys can help us promote the last days of the campaign and help drive us over the line, instead of the page of original art we've been showing, we're now going to raffle off the original COVER ART to The Vi Empire #4!

So, just so we all understand correctly. If the project funds, the raffle reward is upgraded to the cover art above. If the project DOESN'T fund, we'll still be raffling off a prize to thank you for your help along the way but that prize will remain as the page of original art we've been promoting all along:

As always, use the hashtag #theviempire in your posts to make it possible for us to keep track.

Five days left, warriors. Let's make them count!

Your pals at Ominous Press/Creation.Ink

85% giveaway!
almost 3 years ago – Wed, Jun 09, 2021 at 10:19:49 AM

Warriors Of The Vi Empire!

How do you like being 80% funded so far? Because that's where The Vi Empire stands right now.  We were actually 81% funded at one point but sometimes, in Kickstarter-land, people cancel their pledges. We would hold it against them but Ron Marz has taught us to be bigger, better people than that. 

Instead, we're going to make a push for 85% funded by Friday at noon, EST and if you guys can help us get there, we'd like to give you something for your efforts. 

To get to 85%, all we really need are 12 NEW BACKERS to come in and pledge for a copy of the hardcover Vi Empire graphic novel.  If you guys can help us round out those twelve fresh, new faces by Friday at noon, in return, every backer will receive, for free, a digital download of the 196-page DREAD GODS: OLYMPIAN EDITION by Bart Sears, Ron Marz and Tom Raney!

And don't forget, when you back and share the campaign on social media, please use the hashtag #theviempire so we can enter you in our raffle to win this page of original Vi Empire artwork!

Twelve backers by Friday at noon seems pretty easy, right?

Before we let you go for the day, we wanted to showcase another project that's caught our eye (and wallet) recently, DAMSELS FROM D.I.S.T.R.E.S.S, by Andrew Clemson, Mauricio Mora,  and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

To paraphrase the Kickstarter page, what would happen if you threw Dungeons and Dragons, James Bond, Charlie's Angels and Zelda into a blender?  The answer is DAMSELS FROM D.I.S.T.R.E.S.S. , the greatest comic book you never knew you needed.

Right now, Andrew is kickstarting the combined second and third issues of the series but don't worry, there are options to get #1 too, if you missed it. This one looks like a whole lot of fun to us,  interesting story and great art in a genre we love. We backed it this morning and if you want to take a look for yourself, you can check out DAMSEL FROM D.I.S.T.R.E.S.S. HERE! 

Twelve backers, guys. Let's do this thing!

Dictated by Ron Marz to the monkeys at Creation.Ink/Ominous Press

Week four: the beginning!
almost 3 years ago – Wed, Jun 09, 2021 at 08:34:05 AM

Warriors Of The Vi Empire!

Week Four begins! We're currently about 85% funded with NINE DAYS remaining in the campaign.  Every crowdfunding campaign seems to have its own rhythm but one thing most have in common is business usually picks up (thanks, good ol' JR!) as the clock winds down.  We're very confident that in nine more days, we'll all have some good Vi Empire news to celebrate together. 

In the meantime, let's take a look at some of the pretty crazy art rewards we still have available on the page, including Paul Pelletier's lush cover pencils, shall we?

And an example of the Tom Nguyen sketch cards still available...

Not to mention process art from the legendary Val Semeiks himself!

In addition to these nifty art rewards, there are also still collectible single issues, t-shirts, prints and more available. We put a lot of effort into making sure there's something for everyone. So don't be shy about telling your friends about the campaign: remember, one of you is going to win this page of art by Val and Kim Demulder at the end of this thing! Just share the campaign and include the hashtag, #theviempire and you're automatically entered to win! 

Now, switching gears...

Filth And Grammar, anyone?

Before we release you from our update today, we wanted to share another VERY COOL project with you.

Shelly Bond is a rock star in the world of comic book editing.  You probably know her from her work on the Eisner award-winning series Bitter Root, Fables, and The Sandman: Overture. She's also the Editor-in-Chief of OFF REGISTER and BLACK CROWN with her husband, artist Philip Bond. We know Shelly from her time as a DC/Vertigo Executive Editor for over two decades.  

Shelly's the real deal and if you want to learn more about an often misunderstood or overlooked side of comic book production, or use her editing tips and knowledge to take your own series to the next level, welcome to FILTH AND GRAMMAR.

There are books on how to write and how to draw comics, but Filth and Grammar is the first guide that takes on the process of the craft from the editor's POV: procuring and managing a creative team, adhering to the elements of grammar and style, coordinating the logistics of schedules, art directing, preening, and proofreading the entirety of the story until it's time to hit the PRINT button -- or die!

Along with the Shelly Bond experience, Filth and Grammar is packed with pro tips from industry legends, including NEIL GAIMAN, MARK BUCKINGHAM, PETER MILLIGAN, SIMON BISLEY, CHRIS BACHALO, MICHAEL & LAURA ALLRED, PETER GROSS, MIKE CAREY,  DAVID F. WALKER, SANFORD GREENE, JIM RUGG, CECIL CASTELLUCCI and more! We're getting a copy for Ron Marz and we highly recommend you check it out for yourself!

That's all for today, gang! Let's continue fighting the good fight for the next nine days!

Your pals at Ominous Press/Creation.Ink (translated from the gibberish of Ron Marz)

Need an editor?
almost 3 years ago – Sat, Jun 05, 2021 at 03:11:58 AM

Warriors Of The Vi Nation!

Not only is Stuart Moore a black belt in the discipline of writing comic books, he's also an Eisner award winning,  highly regarded editor in the the comic book industry, for companies like DC and their VERTIGO and HELIX imprints, Marvel's MARVEL KNIGHTS imprint and the VIRGIN COMICS/SCI-FI CHANNEL line of comic books.

Which is the long way of saying he's BONAFIDE.  Writers like Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis and Grant Morrison would agree. In fact, Stuart could probably edit this very update and make it much better than it already is!

And now, Stuart Moore wants to edit YOUR comic.  

If you're ready to take your comic book script to the next level, the Stuart Moore Editing Reward we added this morning is the answer to your prayers. Stuart will give your script his keen analysis, providing one round of comprehensive feedback about the story structure, format, dialogue, character development, word count, panel flow, and whether you have too much or too little information on the page.

Whether your new to comics or an established creator in the field, this reward is a great opportunity to have your script shaped by one of the great editors in the history of the comic book medium (and just as importantly, a heck of a nice guy to boot). There are four slots available and no more will be added. Good luck and enjoy working with Stuart if you decide to add his reward to your pledge. 

More coming Monday, as we get closer to the final week of this campaign.

Your pals at Ominous Press/Creation.Ink... ESPECIALLY RON MARZ!