Kickstarter is quickly becoming one of the best ways for independent comic creators to fund their projects. Creators with really amazing, quirky stories that a big publisher might not take a chance on can find an audience and raise the funds they need to make their dreams come true. I recently had the chance to sit down with one of these comic creators, Andres Salazar, to learn more about his upcoming comic, Pariah, MO. Here’s what he had to say about the project. Learn more about Pariah, MO, by visiting the Kickstarter page.
Jason Enright: What can readers expect to find when they pick up Pariah, MO?
Andres Salazar: I pitch it as Deadwood meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but maybe it’s closer to the A-team in the Civil War era, fighting demons and mad preachers. It’s a team book, so it’s not your Jonah Hex-type of story. It’s all about the town of Pariah. The setting is a major character. There are many characters and everyone is somehow inter-twined with each other. Secrets abound, especially in regards to a Crime Syndicate that has formed. It’s a drama at its heart, with characters being the focus.
JE: Can you tell us a bit about the art of the book?
AS: We have received nothing but praise about the art. I really am excited about how it’s turning out. Jose [Pescador] is a great draftsman and cartoonist. He sends me the pencils digitally, and I print those out on paper and do my inks and water-colors. I think the water-colors give it a nice, antique look and helps with the atmosphere. I wanted it to be sepia-toned and then move to the contrasting color of orange, which is blue for the nights. I think it works and it’s different than many of the books out there.
JE: What are some of your Kickstarter pledge levels and rewards?
AS: This is where I have fun! Besides the book itself, I am making wooden poker chip magnets, etched shot glasses, shirts, posters, and prints. I am also offering a full script of the 4 issues, and what I really think is cool is that a backer can be drawn in as the big, bad guy! This will be a major re-occurring character, so that would be fun to have someone drawn as that character.
I’m also adding a contest open to the public, where they can design a shirt for Pariah, MO. So anyone can send me a design, and, once approved, it will be part of the selection that backers can choose from.
As a stand-up comic, I’m also doing something fun where at one of the levels you get a 90-minute stand-up comedy show at your place! I have some comedian partners, and we will come with equipment and jokes and bring the house down. I’m only offering this in in the SoCal area, but this would be so fun, and for the quality of entertainment and area, it’s a good price. Perfect for comic shops, businesses, or private parties.
JE: What are some of your stretch goals?
AS: I’ve put a LOT of time thinking about these. I start off doing some of the usual bookmarks, buttons, and prints type of thing, but then I wanted to really push things creatively. I dreamed up the idea to do a dramatized radio play of the comic; every backer would get an mp3 of the radio show. I know some professional voice actors and thought that this would be so stinking fun to do I just have to make this. It’s at one of the top levels because of the additional time and costs, but, man, I pray we get up there. Pariah, MO the radio drama . . . I love it!
JE: Do you see Pariah, MO, as a standalone story or as something you’d like to continue making?
AS: This will in no means be the only Pariah, MO, story. I am already working on the outline for Issues #5-8. This second story will be more focused on religions of the times and some of the conflicts that are going to brought in. The reason why it’s set in 1857 is that it’s a couple of years prior to the Civil War, and I am setting things up in preparation for that cataclysmic event and how that changes a town like Pariah, especially race-relations, which I am a big student of.
Pariah will be an ongoing, so hold on to yer hats!. You are in for a ride!
