Surprise! Four Secret Comics by JM DeMatteis (DeMultiverse)
Created by Spellbound Comics
4 new comics co-created by artists Tom Mandrake, Shawn McManus, Matthew Dow Smith & David Baldeón. Superhero, fantasy, Western & more!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
STEP 1 COMPLETE! 44,500 Steps Left to Go!
over 1 year ago
– Thu, Jul 11, 2024 at 11:35:00 AM
STEP 1 COMPLETE! 44,500 Steps Left to Go!
It took a day longer than we'd hoped, but we've finally crossed our funding line of $15,551. So YAY and a big THANK YOU to all of you who returned to support us a second time.
But we still have a LONG way to go to break even on this. Funding a book (or, in our case, 5!) on Kickstarter reminds me of this cartoon:
For those that don't know, as we did with the first campaign, the funding goal as intentionally set VERY low to eliminate concern over whether these books would be printed. The real target goal is $60K to cover page rates for all these industry titans, Kickstarter/Backerkit fees, and printing.
We did it once, so I know we can do it again. But we're going to need your help.
If you backed the first DeMultiverse campaign and plan to do so again, getting that pledge in now would be one way to help. Another would be to tell your friends. Reaching a comics-loving audience is the largest hurdle to a successful campaign. The first time around, Twitter was still, well, Twitter, and, frankly, was a more powerful tool than it is today for reaching comics-lovers like you and I. Today, the audience is spread out over about five social media sites, each with their own algorithms, and, unless you're paying, the reach is limited.
If you've already backed the new campaign, another way to help is to check out the Add-ons page. If you haven't looked yet, this campaign has a TON of Add-ons available. Among them: Every single book we've ever printed, Autographs by JM, Tom Mandrake and Shawn McManus, and several T-shirts. For as little as $12, you can back this campaign and gain access to the Add-ons and it'll be like shopping on Amazon!
As part of this campaign, we've also discounted all the digital copies from the first campaign AND THE DeMULTIVERSE Vol. 1 TPB. So please tell your friends if they want to jump on board The DeMultiverse space shuttle, now's the perfect time.
And finally, we've just released a new Reward: a Zoom call with JM! If you've ever wanted to chat one-on-one with an absolute legend of the comic book industry (and one of the nicest people alive), this is your chance. And these aren't just a quick "Hi, how are ya?" These are 40 minute long calls where you can ask him about any of your favorite books he's written, any of your favorite creators he's worked with, or just talk shop and life! But HURRY, there are only FIVE available!
That's it for now. As always THANK YOU for everything. And PLEASE spread the word!
PS - Speaking of spreading the word, LAYLA IN THE LANDS OF AFTER artist Shawn McManus (Swamp Thing, Sandman, Dr. Fate) has his own sketchbook campaign going right now and there are only 6 DAYS LEFT. You can view that here:
Phase 2 of the DeMultiverse is now LIVE!
over 1 year ago
– Tue, Jul 09, 2024 at 12:57:40 PM
Phase 2 of the DeMultiverse is now LIVE!
To start, I'd like to thank you ALL for your support on our first DeMULTIVERSE campaign and let you know that our second campaign featuring second chapters of all four DeMultiverse titles + our bonus fifth title THE EDWARD GLOOM MYSTERIES is now LIVE on Kickstarter at this link:
Only three hours in, and we've already hit 100 backers, which is awesome and fills us with great optimism for the success of this campaign.
I also wanted to take this moment to explain our pricing, since some of the feedback we've received is that the books are expensive.
Believe me, I sincerely wish we could offer them cheaper. The hurdle is that all the talent are experienced professionals being paid solid rates (more than many indie publishers you've heard of pay). To be fully transparent, the investment in all five books is well over $50K.
In order to continue making these types of quality comics (comics like what I grew up on and believe are lacking in today's industry), we need to gross about $60K to cover production costs and fees. And that doesn't even include shipping or me making anything. (On the first campaign I made almost exactly zero despite working roughly 2000 hours. I'm not complaining, I'm doing this out of love; but again, transparency.)
First time around, we had about 840 backers. If you divide $60K by 840, you'll see we need to average about $72 per person (or we need a lot more backers). $72 per person, if the backers buy all 5 books, is $14 per issue. So that's the basic math of it.
As a frequent Kickstarter backer myself, it helps me to think less about what a typical comic book costs and more about supporting a cause. But I also completely understand if that isn't how you think. Just know, you can always support by purchasing just one title, digitally, or even a tip.
But, sincerely, thank you for your support on the first campaign and we do hope you'll return this time around. I can assure you the books are just as good!
And since this is a campaign about comic books, let's end on Marguerite Savauge's variant cover to LAYLA IN THE LANDS OF AFTER #2, available now in the campaign as part of a variant covers reward OR as an Add-on. My god, this is beautiful!
Talk to you soon!
Sincerely, David Spellbinder
The Portal to the DeMultiverse Reopens tomorrow, July 9th!
over 1 year ago
– Mon, Jul 08, 2024 at 12:36:04 PM
Please sign up at our Kickstarter Pre Launch page to be notified when the campaign goes Live tomorrow, July 9th!
We've got second chapters of ANYMAN, LAYLA IN THE LANDS OF AFTER, GODSEND and WISDOM (featuring stories by JM DeMatteis and art by David Baldeon, Shawn McManus, Scott Koblish, and Tom Mandrake).
We've got a second DeMULTIVERSE Trade Paperback featuring a painted cover by 2024 Eisner-nominated painter Liam Sharp (pictured above).
We've got a second issue of our surprise bonus book, THE EDWARD GLOOM MYSTERIES.
AND we've got a second printing of GLOOM #1 featuring an all-new cover by series artist Vassilis Gogtzilas for those who missed out the first time on our limited print run of #1.
We've also got four all-new variant covers by Patch Zircher (Wisdom), Marguerite Sauvage (LAYLA), Matthew Dow Smith (GODSEND), and co-creator Amazon's THE BOYS, Darick Robertson (ANYMAN)!
Plus, we're going to be offering limited quantities of the first printings of all four main DeMultiverse titles and the first TPB, as well as autographs and a few surprises along the way.
Please please please head on over to Kickstarter and sign up to be notified of our launch. Here's that link again. Hope to see you there tomorrow or soon after. And a heartfelt THANK YOU in advance. We literally couldn't keep this project going without you!
PS - If you don't already, I'd also suggest seeking us out on social media for more frequent updates. We are on Twitter/X, Instagram, BlueSky, Threads, and Facebook. You can also follow JM DeMatteis on all those platforms. The Spellbound handles are above.
DeMultiverse 2 Pre-launch page is now up!
over 1 year ago
– Sat, Jul 06, 2024 at 02:52:32 PM
Sorry for the double-message today, but I neglected to include our prelaunch page. Here's the link!
Less than 3 days to go + Edward Gloom news & more!
over 1 year ago
– Sat, Jul 06, 2024 at 12:40:01 PM
The wait is finally over! The DeMultiverse is returning THIS Tuesday, July 9th on Kickstarter with second chapters of all four titles (ANYMAN, GODSEND, LAYLA IN THE LANDS OF AFTER, & WISDOM), as well as a second chapter of our bonus book, THE EDWARD GLOOM MYSTERIES.
In the past few days, we've dropped SEVERAL exciting announcements on social media, all of which I will be sharing via these Kickstarter updates over the next week. One of those announcements is our second TPB cover artist (cover image above). As you can probably tell, we've got 2024 Eisner nominated artist Liam Sharp returning for the second of four planned themed paintings!
If you don't already, I'd suggest seeking us out on social media for all the latest news. We are on Twitter/X, Instagram, BlueSky, Threads, and Facebook. You can also follow JM DeMatteis on all those platforms. The Spellbound handles are below.
To learn more about the return of THE EDWARD GLOOM MYSTERIES and why it's not an official "DeMultiverse" book, check out this blog by JM.
Thank you again for your support the first time around and hope to see you all join us again for round two!
