The following is an interview with writer Todd Black on the currently running Kickstarter campaign for his graphic novel, 10,000 Miles. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Black about the inspiration behind the adventures series, the cool backer rewards available through the campaign, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: You are currently running a crowdfunding campaign for your all-ages graphic novel, 10,000 Miles. For those unfamiliar with the story, how would you describe its premise?
Todd Black: It’s a fun adventure story about two brothers, Bryce and Chris, who decide to dig their way to China. And they’re really going to do it. But what happens as they do it…that’s another story.
BD: What (or who) initially inspired you to create this story, and what do you hope that readers will take away from it?
TB: It was a mixture of things actually. Scooby-Doo of all things gave me the spark, because in one of the episodes Shaggy points to the ground and says, “China, 10,000 Miles that-a-way.” Then, later on, I was inspired by a Disney/Pixar commercial and I wondered, “What would my Disney/Pixar story be?” And 10,000 Miles came back to mind, so I ran with it!
BD: How would you describe your creative process in working with artist Alex Garcia?
TB: Alex is amazing. We worked together on another comic project called Guardians (which is actually included in the Kickstarter rewards), and when my first artist for 10,000 Miles kind of fell through, Alex stepped up and he delivered big.
Admittedly, this is a very different style to what he’s used to, but he’s done great, and everyone who’s seen this art style likens it to a Disney/Pixar style of art, which is what I wanted! 10,000 Miles wouldn’t be what it is without Alex Garcia.
BD: Given that you are crowdfunding for the production costs, what are some of the cool backer rewards that you are offering for the project?
TB: Ah! I got some great ones. For digital comic readers, you can get 26 comics (all of which I have written) for only $15! That’s quite a popular one actually. You can get a physical copy of our 72-page graphic novel for only $25, and if you go $30 or up, we’ll throw in the digital comics as well!
The big ones for sure are you can get drawn into the comic for only $50. And that includes the physical book and all the digital comics. If you’re an artist, you can pledge to have your artwork published in the back of the book. Or, if you’re a young writer, you can pledge to talk with me about helping you on your own comics/writing journey!
We have great rewards for all levels, so don’t be afraid to check them all out!
BD: Are there any additional projects that you are working on that you are able to share with readers?
TB: That I can share? …no…not comics wise that is; however, I am continuing my novel series, Sherlock Holmes – The Greatest Detective. The first book is on Amazon, and the second should be coming out soon! Very excited for that.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell fans who want to learn more about 10,000 Miles?
TB: The easiest way is to go to the 10,000 Miles Kickstarter! We have the first 11 pages on the Kickstarter ready for you to read. And if you become a backer, you’ll get to see even MORE pages. We have the first 20 done, now we’re just waiting to be funded so we can make the last 52. We’re over 2/3 of the way to our goal right now. I’m really hoping we get the final third.
