And then there were six... days left!
almost 5 years ago – Fri, Apr 16, 2021 at 06:10:54 AM

Citizens Of Blackstone!

The clock continues to tick and with six days left before the curtain falls, The Dusk campaign currently sits at 86% funded! Thanks (and welcome) to all of our new backers and thanks also to those of you that upgraded or added on to your pledges to get us to this point.  None of this happens without you guys and we appreciate your support.

It can be difficult to predict how the final days of a campaign will unfold. Every campaign is different; some start strong and die on the vine. Others start strong and stay consistent until the end. Others start and finish strong with a lull in the middle. The Dusk has started strong and then been remarkably consistent throughout its run.  But the thing is, no one really knows what's going to happen these final days, right? We think we're in good shape as we head towards home but to find out for sure, we consulted the M.A.R.Z. 258-A, Ominous Studios' proprietary artificial intelligence system invented by Bart Sears back in 1988. 

Before we tell you what the M.A.R.Z.  told us, though, a quick peek at a new art reward today!

We've added the fourth and final page of PHYSICAL ORIGINAL ART to the campaign this morning. As drawn by Dashing David Hahn, The Daring Dusk delivers a damaging drumming to some dastardly dummies. As mentioned before, the bulk of The Dusk is being drawn digitally so these physical pages are very rare (and much cheaper than NFTs).  

Anyway,  back to the M.A.R.Z....

Due to concerns about leaking radioactive waste (don't ask) only Sean HusVar, the publisher of Ominous, is brave enough to commune with the M.A.R.Z. system.  Shortly before being hospitalized for radiation poisoning, Sean inputted several algorithms, hashtags, social media passwords, total number of backers, time remaining in the campaign and then multiplied by PI. 

And you'll never guess what the M.A.R.Z. told us!

But before we can tell you, we need to unveil some brand new, NEVER BEFORE SEEN Dusk art by Dennis Calero. Dennis' pin up will be a part of the hardcover edition and we're very grateful to him, and all of our guest artists for lending us their time and talent.

So... back to the amazing true story of the M.A.R.Z. 

Sean was bleeding profusely from most of his bodily orifices after he consulted the M.A.R.Z. (don't worry, it wasn't radiation-induced. Sean's just bleeds a lot) but we're pretty sure, right before he collapsed, he gurgled that WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT.  Currently, The Dusk is projected to only reach 98.4356% of its funding goal.

Unless...

We all keep working together to make this thing happen.  We don't care what the M.A.R.Z. says (don't tell it we said that, the M.A.R.Z. is very sensitive and has laser beam eyes), we're getting this project funded. TOGETHER.  Keep sharing, keep using #thedusk so we can keep track of your efforts, and we'll keep doing our part to bring this great project to life.

Tomorrow, an exclusive reward available ONLY to you guys that read these updates. It'll never be listed on the campaign page or sold through our website. Be here!

Your pals at Ominous Press/Creation.Ink

7 DAYS LEFT! Original art UNLEASHED!
almost 5 years ago – Thu, Apr 15, 2021 at 05:25:04 AM

Citizens of Blackstone!

One full week left in The Dusk!  It feels like just yesterday that we nervously pushed the button to kick off this whole campaign and now we're down to seven days. Man, time flies when you're having fun, right? 

To quickly answer a couple of questions/comments from backers, the Robert Hack, Greg Smallwood and Wilfredo Torres variant covers have been listed as add-ons as of this morning. Apologies for the delay; the single-issue variant covers are very limited in general and before we could list them as add-ons, we wanted to be sure there would be enough in stock to fulfill each cover's individual reward tier.  Problem solved, let loose the dogs of war!

Wait. Hold the dogs back just another second, please. 

Because while we were going through the variant cover supplies, we also realized we'd be able to list the Jamal Igle, Francesco Francavilla and Howard Chaykin covers as add-ons for the very first time.  So we did! Feel more than free to add any of these amazing works to your pledge. 

We've also listed some new original art rewards, in addition to the David Hahn interior Dusk pages and Drew Edward Johnson's pin up, both of which are still available. This first pin up, drawn by uber-talented Adam Gorham, has never been seen before. Check it out!

We're also honored to be able to offer Robert Hack's original, mixed media, full color painted cover art for The Dusk to backers. Mr. Hack doesn't sell his original art EVER, we're very grateful he's granted us special permission to list his stunning contribution to our project.

As mentioned yesterday, we've also added the super-mega-deluxe set of 12 lobby cards as a new reward and add-on, thanks to all of you that grabbed it already! There's definitely a feeling of teamwork between all of us throughout this campaign. We'll keep doing our part, you keep doing yours (share, share, share!) and seven days from now, we'll all have accomplished something really special together.

More coming tomorrow!

Your pals at Ominous Press/Creation.Ink

Is the glass half full or half empty?
almost 5 years ago – Wed, Apr 14, 2021 at 05:23:56 AM

Citizens of Blackstone!

We're happy to report that, with 8 days left in the campaign, we are currently 81% funded! However, the flipside of that statement is, with 8 days left in the campaign, we are only 81% funded.  Is the glass half full or is it half empty? It's tempting to feel optimistic, to allow ourselves to relax; after all, 8 days is plenty of time to pull in that last 19%. 

But we can't. 

We have to continue to view the campaign as if it's not going to make it across the finish line in time. Which can be tough; we're a bunch of optimistic goofballs at heart but we have to be realistic and keep pushing as if it were day one of the campaign. The Dusk is such a great, wonderfully diverse story. Failure simply is not an option.

To help ensure that success is our only option, we've officially unleashed upon the world two new reward tiers today: the Robert Hack variant cover and the super-mega-deluxe set of TWELVE lobby cards.

Both these reward tiers are available for new backers and as add-ons for current backers so if you know anyone that would groove on some of this sweetness, please point their eyeballs towards the campaign page. We're all part of team Dusk together and when the final bell rings, we'll all toast from our half full glasses together!

Your pals at Ominous Press/Creation.Ink

Alex Segura checks in!
almost 5 years ago – Tue, Apr 13, 2021 at 06:27:24 PM

Good morning, Citizens of Blackstone! Alex Segura, mayor of Blackstone, checking in!

What a wild ride it’s been. First off, thank you SO MUCH for your support and CONGRATULATIONS on unlocking the free Wilfredo Torres print! With a little over a week to go, we’re feeling good about our chances to get funded. But we’re not there yet! Keep spreading the word, keep your eyes peeled for some new tiers, and we’ll get there.

But first off, let me share with you an image that basically melted my inbox with awesome over the weekend. The amazing Robert Hack (Archie/Predator II, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) has very generously contributed a variant cover to our crime-fighting crusade, and it’s jaw-dropping.

How can you get that image? Well, we’re adding three new variant covers to our slate. Yes, THREE! We’ll have a THE DUSK #1 variant featuring the Hack image, and a #2 variant featuring this iconic Greg Smallwood shot, and #3 by Wilfredo Torres.

But that’s not all, folks. One thing I’ve been particularly blown away by has been fan response to THE DUSK, especially the amazing look artist/co-creator David Hahn came up with. We’ve even seen Jaime crossover with some of our own favorite indie heroes and Kickstarters!

By now, you’ve seen this fantastic IMPOSSIBLE JONES/DUSK print by David, who’s also the artist/co-creator on that book with legendary writer/inker Karl Kesel. That wonderful project was funded last week. Fingers crossed we can follow in their footsteps! If you missed your shot at IMP2, check out impossiblekickstarter.com for more details on how you might be able to snag some goodies.

We also did a crossover print with Kathryn Calamia’s great  THE DANCER  Kickstarter, which is still running strong. If you back both Kickstarters, you get a digital or print version by THE DANCER  artists EV Cantada and Danny Faubricio Sànchez Chaves. One lucky winner gets a print signed by me and Kat!

And here’s a new one - we hope many of you have checked out Benjamin Morse’s  WE ARE SCARLET TWILIGHT campaign, which features a fun, edgy superhero take. In the spirit of mutual admiration, Benjamin cooked up this awesome shot of our two heroes side by side!To receive a digital download of this piece, all you've got to do is back both our campaigns and let us know in the comments. We'll take care of the rest!

Check out Benjamin’s amazing work!

But, like I said - we’ve been getting actual FAN ART, which is so awesome! Check out this shot from industry vet, editor, writer, and head honcho of FairSquare Comics, Fabrice Sapolsky, who is running his own Kickstarter for the must-read comics mag,  MUTINY!

Ernia Chiara is a great writer, agent, and pal - and he cooked up this Dusk fan art early in our campaign. We’re so excited to finally share it! Thanks for the love, Ernie.

Artist John Broglia is a good friend and he also wowed me this weekend with his own fan take on The Dusk! We’ll probably get this colored up and offer it as a print. Check out John’s graphic novel with the great Neil Kleid,  SAVOR, coming from Dark Horse. 

We’ve got a bunch of cool tricks left up our sleeve - and we’ll be debuting a new set of lobby cards tomorrow. So hang tight, keep spreading the word, and THANK YOU for your support! We’re almost there!

Best,
Alex

Perilously close!
almost 5 years ago – Fri, Apr 09, 2021 at 09:00:15 AM

You citizens of Blackstone aren't messing around!

As these words are being typed, we are a little over $175 shy of hitting the mark and giving away free Wilfredo Dusk prints! I know we don't technically need to show you guys the art again but it's just SO PRETTY we can't help ourselves!

Anyway, not to get too far ahead of anything but the magic eight ball says it's pretty darn likely you guys will be getting these prints added to your bundles of Dusk goodness when the smoke all clears. Thanks for spreading the word on your social media. We see you out there helping and we appreciate every post!

                                   New Reward Alert!

We wanted to add something special to the campaign before the weekend hits (man, this week flew by, didn't it?) and decided to list PAGE THREE of the original art for The Dusk as a new reward. Page three is special. It features the VERY FIRST in-story appearance of The Dusk in the final panel, a moment that could become a really major piece of comic book history. David Hahn probably should have kept this page to himself but, like Jack Kirby famously said, comics will break your heart. Dave's loss, our gain and we hope one lucky fan gives this page a good home and someday, just maybe, is able to retire off of selling it. Stranger things have happened!

In our continuing effort to show you guys other projects that are worth your time and attention, we want to point you toward our friend Rylend Grant's current campaign for issue #2 of The Jump (don't worry, you can get issue #1 as part of the campaign if you missed it). 

The Jump reads like a movie, not surprising since Rylend has worked in tinsel town for a number years with many well-known film makers. Here, he's put together a high octane sci-fi cross between Inception and Jason Bourne. With stunning art by Fabio Alves and Edson Ferreira, you can really feel the heat being turned up in the second issue. Check out The Jump  RIGHT HERE and tell them The Dusk sent you! 

Before we let you go, we wanted to send you guys into the weekend with some good Dusk vibes leading the way. Previously unseen until now, here's Lee Ferguson's eye-popping contribution to the campaign. This random thug figured it was safe to run around Blackstone waving a gun but he didn't really think his actions through...

You'll be seeing this art again next week, as part of something...

Thanks for everything you guys have been doing. Sharing is caring!

Your pals at Ominous Press/Creation.Ink