Blood of Atlantis #1: A Modern Magical Pulp Adventure

Surveys 85% complete! Creator commentary ready! Print proofs ordered!
4 months ago – Fri, Jul 26, 2024 at 01:21:54 PM

Hi everyone,

We've had a productive few weeks at Blood of Atlantis HQ since the surveys and digital editions of the issue went out.

Survey progress

I'm happy to report that 85% of you have already filled out your BackerKit survey. Thank you all for filling the survey out so quickly! 

As a reminder, once you fill out your survey, you'll get access to the digital edition of Blood of Atlantis #1, and all your other digital rewards.

If you have any questions about the survey, or need help finding it, please drop a comment to this update, or send me a message, and I'll get you squared away.

Creator commentary!

The other night, Fran and I recorded the creator commentary for issue 1, which was unlocked for all backers as part of the fourth stretch goal. We had a great time talking about the issue page-by-page, and even though we've both been living this issue for months, we both learned something new! 

You should have gotten a new email from BackerKit with the creator commentary audio version download. A link to the video version of the commentary on YouTube is also provided. If you have any questions about the process or the story, feel free to leave them in the comments to the YouTube video.

Printing update

I sent the files to the printer today, and will get an electronic proof by early next week. Because it's my first comics campaign, I will also be ordering print proofs of all 4 covers. Once I approve those, then the full issue printing can start. 

I'll provide an update next month once the printing process is progressing, and also give you a sneak peek at the print proofs when they come in. 

On the writing front, I am working on the Beatrice's Atlantis Diary stretch goal as well as the script for issue 2, and Fran is working on the art for the stretch goal bookmark. Stay tuned!

Surveys are out!
4 months ago – Tue, Jul 16, 2024 at 11:06:24 AM

Hi everyone,

The survey smoke test was successful so the post-campaign survey has now been sent out via BackerKit!

You do not need to create a BackerKit account to fill out your survey. Just click the survey link in the email to respond. Answer the questions about your reward preferences, provide shipping information, and purchase any add-on items. 

After you respond to your survey, you can go back later and change your responses at any time before I close the surveys and get my final counts.

How do I get my digital items?

Once you complete your survey, you should get a separate email from BackerKit with a link to download your digital items. That includes Blood of Atlantis #1, both regular and deluxe editions, and any ebooks from my NYC Questing Guild series. 

That's right, the digital comic is waiting for you just as soon as you fill out the survey, so even more of an incentive to complete it ASAP.

[There are still a few digital items, like Beatrice's Atlantis Diary and the Creator Commentary, that are not ready yet. You'll get another email once those are ready to be downloaded]

What if I don't see the email yet?

Check your spam folder. If you use Gmail, sometimes your invite will go to your "Promotions" tab. If you still can't find it, search your inbox for "BackerKit"

What if I need to change my responses?

If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on my BackerKit project page at https://atlantis1.backerkit.com.

Apple ID Private Relay email address?

If you did not receive the email, and you Signed in with Apple ID, your email address might be a private relay email address. We can help locate your survey and update your email address, please message me or post a comment with your Backer ID or Pledge # found on your confirmation. 

Survey Lockdown

At the end of July, I will lock down the survey, meaning that you will no longer be able to add add-on items or upgrade your pledge tier. 

The survey is locked down so I can order the correct number of comics.  You'll still be able to update your shipping address until 48 hours before I start fulfillment. And don't worry, you'll get plenty of lead time to do so.

That's it! 

Feel free to reply to this update with any questions or leave a question in the comments to this update.

Survey smoke test is out! Surveys + digital rewards coming next week! Final stretch goal unlocked!
4 months ago – Fri, Jul 12, 2024 at 06:24:53 AM

Hi everyone,

Things are progressing here at Blood of Atlantis headquarters! The digital issue is nearly complete, with the in-issue cameos done, and the letters page almost finalized!

For this campaign, I am using BackerKit for the fulfillment survey, and am happy to report that everything was approved on their end. So a number of you should have received the smoke test survey yesterday, and thanks to everyone who already completed it!

The main surveys will go out either on Monday or Tuesday, and if all things go as planned, once you complete your survey, you will be able to download most of your digital rewards through BackerKit, including the regular and deluxe digital editions of Blood of Atlantis #1! We are so excited for you all to read the issue.

Once you get your survey, please fill it out as quickly as possible, so I can get accurate counts for the issues, books, and add-ons. I hope to place the order with the printer before the end of the month, so I can get your physical copies to you soon after!

And finally, the campaign used the new Late Pledges Kickstarter feature, which means that in the weeks since the campaign officially ended, we crossed the 361 backer mark and therefore unlocked another stretch goal: an exclusive 9-page preview of issue #2 of Blood of Atlantis! 

We are gearing up to start production of issue #2 by the end of the summer, so I expect to send out that preview sometime in the fall. 

Thanks again for your support and stay tuned for the survey!

If you have any questions about the surveys, please drop a comment to this update, and I'll be happy to answer them.

Thanks,

Jon

Post campaign update! Surveys coming later this month!
5 months ago – Wed, Jul 03, 2024 at 12:27:20 PM

Hi everyone,

Hope you are doing something fun this 4th of July weekend (if you celebrate)!

Just a quick update on where things stand one week after the end of the campaign:

• Toben is finalizing the design/layout of the letters column. After that, he will put together the digital deluxe edition of the issue.
• Fran finished the two in-issue cameos, meaning the art is completely done.
• I am working on the post-campaign Backerkit survey, which should hopefully be ready in a week or two. 
• We are on track to distribute the issue digitally when the surveys go out, and to send the issue to print shortly thereafter.

Two more things to note:

• If you backed at the Thank You tier or above, you should have received a Kickstarter message from me earlier this week, asking for what name you would like to appear in the back of the issue. If you haven't responded yet, please do so as soon as possible, so I can get your name into the issue and it can go final.
• There are still a few backers with errored pledges. You should have also gotten a message from me if your pledge errored. Please correct your payment information so that your pledge doesn't drop. Thanks in advance!

Finally, earlier this week, Fran and I started discussing issue 2! I have a number of rough scenes drafted, and am working on expanding the synopsis into proper pages and panels. I hope to finish the script this month, so Fran can start drawing! Stay tuned.

Best,

Jon

PS: Do your holiday weekend plans include any comic reading? Drop a comment and let me know! On my end I plan to finish reading Hunt. Kill. Repeat. and catch up on Ultimate Black Panther and Avengers: Twilight.

Thank you for an awesome campaign!
5 months ago – Thu, Jun 27, 2024 at 05:03:26 PM

Hi everyone,

We've reached the end of the Blood of Atlantis #1 campaign! 

Thanks to your support, we unlocked 4 stretch goals, crossed the $10K mark, and finished with over 350 backers!

So what happens now?

Kickstarter is processing payments now, and it will take a couple of weeks for Kickstarter to transfer over the funds to me.  

If you get an email saying that your payment couldn't be processed, please follow the instructions, as you only have a limited amount of time to fix your payment information so that your pledge can go through.

If your tier included a thank you in the back of the comic, I will be messaging you via Kickstarter so that we can get your name in the book ASAP, so that there won't be any delays in sending the book to print.

I will also be setting up the post-campaign rewards survey over on Backerkit. 

Through the survey, you'll provide your email address for digital item delivery and your shipping information (if you are a physical tier backer).

In addition, you'll be able to buy any of the add-ons that were available in the campaign, like extra covers, prints, and swag.

I’ll give you a heads-up before we send the survey so that you can watch for it. 

Surveys will remain open for about a month, at which time they will be locked down - except you will be able to update your address right up to a week or so before rewards are shipped.

Again, I'm so grateful for your support and for your enthusiasm and can't wait to get you the comic!

All the best,

Jon