The following is an interview with writer Chris Mancini regarding the launch of his Kickstarter campaign for the first issue of the comic book series, Alpha Cat, with White Cat Entertainment. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Mancini about his shared creative process in working with artist Fernando Pinto to bring the story and characters to life on the page, the exciting backer rewards available to supporters of the campaign, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the launch of your Kickstarter campaign for Alpha Cat! What can you share with us about the series’ overall premise?
Chris Mancini: First thing I want people to know is that it has more of a Pixar/Looney Tunes style and tone, where it’s kid-friendly, but can be enjoyed by adults, as well. Fernando and I are both big nerds, and we wanted to make a book that would appeal to us as adults, as well as something we would have loved as kids, too.
After being a soldier in the devastating Insect Wars, Alpha and his crew are exploring the galaxy. They come across a distress call and an ancient robot temple which hides a powerful secret. Scoundrels are captured and artifacts are recovered, but events have now been set in motion that raise troubling questions. Is the Insect Imperium gathering strength again? Why did most of the robots retreat to Robot Moon after the war? What is the true purpose of the hidden robot temples? And why are they suddenly being attacked by space pirates who may not be space pirates at all? Alpha must solve these challenging mysteries, and fast, to save the galaxy.
BD: How would you describe your shared creative process in working with artist Fernando Pinto to bring this over-the-top world and characters to life on the page?
CM: This process has been a little different, as this is our first 50/50 collab where we’ve created something together from the ground up. So, it’s been a little different, but really fun. We’ve been working together for so long that once we had the world building, tone, and characters figured out, we just both jumped in with both feet. I then found I would tweak my writing based on his designs and characters which was great because it sparked a lot of new creative ideas that I hadn’t thought of before.
BD: You are no stranger to crowdfunding, having successfully run several campaigns for various projects. Why do you feel that crowdfunding has been such a valuable resource to ensuring the success of today’s comic book creators?
CM: Yes, it has been an integral and undeniable resource. It provides both funding and creative validation, and it’s particularly rewarding when someone returns to back more of your projects, because you know they like your work enough to return. But it’s still a challenge and it’s not a “cure all.” It has its own pitfalls, the main one being having to find and grow your audience, which ALWAYS falls to the creator, just like in any other medium. But the comics Kickstarter community is super supportive, so there’s a camaraderie there that helps everyone.
BD: At Fanbase Press, we always like to learn more about creators and what drives and inspires them. Are there any sci-fi adventures stories that greatly influenced your creative process or that gave way to the genesis of this particular story?
CM: Yes! But this one had an interesting initial spark. I would be at cons and events and both adults and kids would look at the White Cat Entertainment logo and ask, “Where’s his book?” I was like… what? “Where’s his book? A cat with a jetpack. I would read that.” So now, we have an answer! Fernando and I started brainstorming ideas and we realized we had a lot of the same childhood influences, from Star Wars to Spielberg films to video games like Ratchet and Clank and Sonic the Hedgehog. So basically, we put our childhoods in a blender and out poured the comics smoothie known as Alpha Cat. We wanted to make a good, old-fashioned space adventure with plenty of action, adventure, mystery, and positive, hopeful vibes (which we could all use more of right now).
BD: In light of the crowdfunding campaign, are there any particular backer rewards or tiers that you would like to highlight for our readers?
CM: We have a really cool “Get Your Pet Into the Fight” tier, where Fernando will do a custom commission of your pet with Alpha as part of the crew. So far we’ve had rabbits and cats. All animals welcome! But this is a limited tier. Also, since this is Issue #1 there are no “catchup” tiers but you can add other White Cat Entertainment books as add-ons you may have missed.
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
CM: Our two graphic novels, Long Ago and Far Away and Rise of the Kung Fu Dragon Master, are available now as add-ons through the campaign, but also available at your local comic book shops, as well due to our publishing deal with Massive Publishing. Both books feature a healthy dose of fantasy, humor, heart, magic, monsters, dragons, and poor judgement. Just a note that these other books skew a bit older (12 and up).
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell readers who want to learn more about the Alpha Cat campaign and your other work?
CM: Well, I’ve been a comedian, filmmaker, podcaster, writer, and producer for over (mumbles unintelligibly) years. I’ve written on everything from horror movies to comics to parenting books, and they are all more closely related than you think. I founded White Cat Entertainment as a boutique narrative content company, because I love telling stories regardless of the medium. I would say please check out whitecatentertainment.com for more info on our books, films, and podcasts (after you’ve backed Alpha Cat, of course). Thank you!
