The following is an interview with Nick Ward regarding the launch of a Kickstarter campaign for the comic book series, Peculiar. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Ward about his creative process in working with artist Marcelo Santana to bring the world and characters to life on the page, the incredible backer rewards available through the campaign, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the launch of your Kickstarter campaign for Peculiar #1! What can you share with us about the story’s premise?
Nick Ward: Thank you! I’m excited to have the opportunity to share the story with everyone! Peculiar centers around the bloodthirsty assassin for the secret interdimensional governing force known as The Filter. Issue one sees The Assassin on a routine mission before being arrested for a murder she knows she’s been framed for…and she will not go lightly.
BD: What can you tell us about your shared creative process in working with artist Marcelo Santana to bring this world and characters to life on the page?
NW: Peculiar is my first comic project and Marcelo made it incredibly easy to jump in. I had simple character designs and world elements previously created and Marcelo really took those and ran with them, truly elevating their designs. He would show me pencils and progress on pages, waiting for my okay and implementing any feedback I would give. The process allowed me to bring my full vision of the book to life while Marcelo still added his own flavor to every page and character. I am grateful for all that Marcelo put into the project and the amazing work that came out of it. It is really something special.
BD: Why do you feel that crowdfunding has been such a valuable resource to ensuring the success of today’s comic book creators and publishers?
NW: Crowdfunding has given the opportunity to many, including myself, to get their book out there to as many as possible. It allows creators and publishers to connect directly with the person that will ultimately be reading the book, growing their audience and relationship with their fanbase. It is something unique that most other avenues struggle to provide.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums – no matter the genre. How do you feel that this story may connect with and impact readers?
NW: Peculiar is about a variety of things, but one of them is consequences. The Assassin is clearly not a good person and commits some pretty terrible acts. But her actions will have consequences, either now or later. And although she doesn’t have regrets now, the question is whether she will have any down the line before justice is delivered to her.
BD: In light of the crowdfunding campaign, are there any particular backer rewards or tiers that you would like to highlight for our readers?
NW: The “Physical Comic – Cover A” tier is our featured tier and is just $6. It includes the physical comic: a twenty-two page story with the main cover by Marcelo Santana and, as a bonus, a digital version of the comic and desktop backgrounds.
Another tier is the “Physical Deluxe Bundle” which includes a little bit of everything. You get a physical comic with your choice of variant cover: the main cover by Marcelo or one of the two amazing variant covers by Jake Lasher or Kai Lun Qu. Also included are a choice of poster, stickers of the main characters, desktop backgrounds, a digital version of the comic and an awesome Perler Bead design of The Assassin.
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to share with readers?
NW: Marcelo is always working on projects. He just finished up Kid Switch #2 with Keith Gleason, the letterer for Peculiar, writing it. A couple more coming up are The Protector #1, written by Shae Martin, and the color version of Lost Days #1 from Joshua-Wayne Hickman, both launching on Kickstarter over the next couple months.
Additionally, future issues of Peculiar are on the horizon, so stay tuned!
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell readers who want to learn more about the Peculiar campaign and your other work?
NW: First of all, the Peculiar #1 Kickstarter campaign can be found here. If you have any questions about the project, please reach out to me! You can find me on social media (@explodypan) or head to https://linktr.ee/explodypan for my links and other ways to contact me.
