Live Chat, Comic Gossip, & Milestone Bonuses… oh my!

A LOT GOING DOWN on KICKSTARTER!!

Milestone Bonuses!
The launch is currently tracking at 72% which is outstanding!  I am grateful to be here at the 1 week mark.  I’ve added some milestone bonuses to sweeten the deal for backers!

When we reach 75% backing:  a free digital copy of DUSK #1 by Spero Comics will be sent to all backers!

Dusk is a city built on the edge of light and dark on a planet that hangs motionless in space. Kaitlyn has just arrived to live with her sister, Christina and immediately discovers the criminal element lurking in the city’s shadows. Meanwhile, two detectives investigate a string of child disappearances that plague the city. 

When we reach 90% backing: a free digital copy of OXYMORON: The Loveliest Nightmare #1 will be sent to all backers!

An afflicted detective hunts a serial killer obsessed with contradiction, who is painting a bloody canvass of carnage with the entrails of politicians and power brokers in the corrupt city she calls home.  OXYMORON is a visceral thriller in the vein of Se7en and Hannibal that answers the question “What if The Joker came to a Gotham WITHOUT Batman?”

And Now… Time for Some GOSSIP!
In my last update, I featured DC Comics decision to ditch Diamond as their means of distribution to comic shops.  That, in turn, featured quite a reaction.  It pushed one comic shop owner to feature a DC SUCKS 50% off sale:

Which, in turn, earned Chuck Rozanski a lot of criticism from DC fans:

The Internet, ladies and gentlemen.  What else do we have it for?

Speaking of which…

I’m Going to Be LIVE on the Internets for the FIRST TIME!
Tomorrow, 6/10/2020 at 2:30 PM Central Time.  You can see me have a chat with Christie Shinn, creator of Demon Bitch Shitty Tarot.  You can find the link to the live chat on her website HoraTora Studios HERE!  By the way, check out her Kickstarter.  Maybe you’re not into Tarot, but even if you drop a few bucks… it’s totally worth it for her foul-mouthed updates!

You can see it on YouTube HERE!

Comic Book News and Kickstarter milestone bonuses

As difficult as things are right now, it’s a little hard to celebrate a Kickstarter launch.  But sometimes fate and/or the timing works that way and all we can do is set your chin and move forward.  I’m moving forward on Kickstarter and it’s been going wonderfully.  I’m truly grateful for all those people that have backed my story.  In return, I have an amazing new cover and a look into Issue #3, which is coming up soon.  It’s Day 4 and I’m tracking at 57%.  That’s outstanding!  Many thanks to all those that have pledged and supported me.

And now… Comic Book News

Looks like DC Comics is ditching Diamond Distributors!  That’s kind of a big deal in the comic book world.  Right now, Diamond basically has a monopoly on comics distribution and they wield it with a heavy hand.  Been that way for around… 25 years!  The distribution model currently makes it pretty tough on local comic books shops.  They can’t return unsold stock and, from what I understand, don’t get any recourse with damaged stock either. We will have to wait and see if this is good news or bad news for your local comics store.

Keep an Eye Out for NEW TIER REWARDS and MILESTONE Bonuses
I plan on adding a Milestone Bonus for all backers at the 75% funding mark.  I’m currently looking at a full digital comic that will be absolutely FREE for everyone that’s in!  Also, expect to see a new reward tier available that will feature some original art.  These are single pieces that are “first come, first served.”  I have them set up in Pinterest and you can see them before they’re announced HERE.  They’re all amazing pieces featuring Aneksi, when she lived during her heyday in ancient Egypt.  

You can check out my Kickstarter here:

See you all next time!  Stay safe, stay healthy, stay SANE!

Take care,

Kurt

The time in nigh… but not quite so nigh as previously planned!  Thanks for bearing with me.  This is my first Kickstarter and, needless to say, our pal Covid-19 has been a pain in the ass.

But enough about that, let’s get to it!  JUNE 2nd IS THE DAY!!!

Here’s the link for the my Preview Page!  Click the image!!

You can click the Notify Me link on the page to get and update when the project launches.

I’m very excited and the Project Page is going to look GREAT!!!

I really appreciate your support and your patience.  I’m excited to see this finally take off.  This has been a tremendous learning process and Kickstarter is no small nut to crack.  The ComixLaunch course has been extremely helpful and an amazing resource.  

I’ll have another update to send out soon with more musings and other etcetera, but I wanted to get this note out as soon as I could with the launch date change.

But, since we’re talking about launches… here are a few other friends that are firing off their own launches!  Kickstarter is abuzz and teeming with projects.  Have a look! 

(Click the image for a link to the page)

Interested in a Fuck-You Tarot Deck?  Check out the Demon Bitch Shitty Tarot:

Bigfoot is lost in space doing Bigfoot things: carjacking, arm wrestling, creating cosmic havoc.  Savage Sasquanaut launches May 26th!

And now for something completely different… something for the kids! Mythic Creature Trainer:

Hello again!

How are you holding up?  I hope you’re staying healthy, happy, and sane!  I’m doing my best to keep busy and stay motivated.  I find that sleep is a bit of a big deal.  Whatever goes on with self-quarantine it’s conducive to long naps after work… which keeps me up at night… which means I’m groggy and useless in the morning.  A vicious cycle!  I just broke out of it this week and I feel way better.

But enough of that… time for some good news!  The comics community on Kickstarter is ALIVE AND WELL!  I’ve hooked up with some great creators that are all putting their work out there to support:  1-The Comics Medium, 2-Kickstarter and, 3-Themselves.  Hey, we all gotta do it.  We have the need!

Here are some links to a few current Kickstarters that are going down right now that you might want to have a look at:

Silverline Double Feature: 

Young girl discovers power scifi/superhero AND supernatural horror (I KNOW you’re into that)

Click the pics!

The Alchemist of Aurillia:  Action/fantasy about a wizard and a sprite in the Ottoman Empire

XCT: Fractured Worlds:  History’s greatest figures of myth and legend brought back to fight it out

Check them out when you get a chance and back one/two/three that you like!  If it’s not your thing and you’re got a friend who you know might like it, pass it along!

Thanks again for sticking with me and my story.  May 26th is coming up and I’m very excited/nervous/… terrified?  Nah, not terrified, but you know what I mean.  

Have a great weekend!

Next update will feature:
TIME TRAVEL – Thoughts and musings
ISSUE #3 UPDATE – Yes… oh yes.  
CONVENTION UPDATE – Yeah… not so hot.
KICKSTARTER UPDATE – SO HOT!

Hope you’re doing well.  I just watched the Nicolas Cage flick, Color Out of Space.  I don’t watch a lot ofpay-per-watch stuff but obviously that’s changing now!  Heh.  Have you discovered anything kind of out-of-the-way and cool?  What’s been sitting on your shelf that you finally got to or finished up?    

Take it easy and stay healthy,

Kurt

How are you holding up?  Staying safe?  Staying healthy?  Staying SANE?  Yeah, I’m working on all those as well.

I’ve been watching Kickstarter very closely over the past few weeks.  It’s true, Kickstarter has laid off some workers as the amount of campaigns being launched has diminished significantly.  But, if you look at COMICS, it’s still going.  Chugging right along, actually.  Lady Death, Shi, White Widow, Todd McFarlane, and multiple other creators have had amazing success with their launches.  Being a cautious fellow, I watched and waited.  Has Covid-19 impacted the comic book world in general?  Definitely.  Has Covid-19 impacted comic book creators on Kickstarter?  No.  Not at all.

Here’s some of the stuff I’ve been backing:  https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/kurtzauer

So here we go.

MAY 26th IS THE DAY! LET’s DO THIS!!!

I’m really excited to get this on track!  I’ve been working with some wonderful, generous artists (Topper Helmers, Chris Ehnot) that are helping me make this a fantastic launch.  Topper is doing a series of 10 original, unique sketches and Chris will have his original pencils/inks available as well as sketching remarked covers.  Conventions are off so this is the closest I can get right now.  My video for the launch is in its final stages of editing and I’m working w/ a guy to put together some cool graphics for my project page.  It’s taking time… but I want to do it RIGHT.

And speaking of…

CONVENTIONS

• Indiana Comic Con has rescheduled to June 26-28.  I guess we’ll see how that goes 
• Wizard World Chicago is still on for August 20-23
• MetaCon is September 4-6.  Still have to register for that one
• Bizarre Bazaar still on for September 26th
• GalaxyCon, MN is still on for November 6-8
• AniMinneapolis has been pushed to May 7-9 2021.  Their website says if you bought a ticket for AniMinneapolis 2020, you can use it to get into MetaCon 2020 for free (if it happens)

In Other News… 

Never thought I’d say this, but I’m missing the drive into work!  It was a great time to listen to audiobooks and now, obviously, I’m taking that commute time to sleep in (this is going to segue into the new Dune movie, one moment).  One of my favorite listens was Cleopatra – A Life by Stacy Schiff.  I’ve always dug Egyptian history and mythology so I checked out that book.  It’s a huge source of inspiration for my character Spectress.  Way back when, Cleopatra and her partner Mark Antony were engaged in a war of words with the Roman emperor of the time, Octavian.  Strong, indomitable personalities throwing verbal stones at each other from Rome to Alexandria.  It was only a matter of time before it escalated into real conflict and both sides new it.  Egypt was rich, but no where close to Rome when it came to military strength.  Antony and Cleopatra almost certainly considered sending an assassin to kill Octavian.  Maybe they did.  Imagine a mission like that. Imagine as assassin on a mission to save her entire country.  Imagine the cost of failure!  They say that ghosts are sometimes the spirits of those with a monumental task left undone.  That’s really the basis of my story.

And now… Dune is coming out! 

So excited!  Great casting and the director (Denis Villeneuve) is TOP NOTCH.  Sicario and Arrival are two of my favorites.  I miss going to the movies and I hope we’re good by December to check this out. 

After a bit of research on the Director’s page, what do I find?

Wait… what?

One more click….

Well…. OF COURSE THEY’RE GOING TO MAKE IT A MOVIE!  IT’S AN AMAZING STORY!!  Needless to say… I’M STOKED!!!

Thanks for bearing with me through that. 

I hope you’re well and staying healthy.  Maybe the walls are closing in a little bit but these are unprecedented times.  Stay positive, stay safe, stay sane.  I think comic books will be back in distribution here sometime soon.  That’s great news for fans!  In the meantime, Kickstarter is my go to for new stuff. 

I hope you’ll check me out on launch day, MAY 26th.  

Hello again!

Needless to say, things have changed.  A lot of people are working from home right now maybe even not working at all.  This is a strange time. 

But!  Let’s try to stay focused and positive!  I’m not going to send along any handwashing tips because I think I’ve gotten about a hundred of those already.  I had my first show of the year in Rock Island, IL last weekend.  Saturday was well attended and the people that did come were enthused and had a great time.  My next show, Indiana Comic Con, has been suspended for now and I’m waiting to hear on when it will be rescheduled.  After that I have 2 shows in Minnesota in May.  Who knows where we will be at that time.  A better place, I hope!  Minneapolis has become a bit of a home away from home for me.  Great town!

This has thrown my Kickstarter into a bit of a tailspin but I also have a little more time to get it done and done right.  The original launch date was March 23rd, but I’m going to push it back to April.  The tentative date is April 9th but stay tuned.

The new cover looks amazing!

There will be some awesome digital rewards available, including S & S script pages, previews into Issue #3 as well as a sample from my supernatural gangster story, Chicago Overcoat.  I’m also going to offer TONS of ORIGINAL ART for you collectors out there.  Chris Ehnot’s original pencils and original inks will each be available as well as some other surprises that are currently in the works.  Very excited to get this going! 

In other news, I just finished Gideon the Ninth. 

If you’re into science fantasy, necromancy, sword dueling, mystery and no small share of comedy, then you’ll love this book!  The story is about a ghoulish necromancer and her sword arm or, in the book, cavalier.  The Ninth House is home of dreary shadow cultists and animated skeletons but the cavalier considers it all a bunch of nonsense and just wants to break stuff.  It’s a great time and… we all might have a little extra reading time on our hands.

That said, I have a ton of comics to get caught on.  I’m even behind on my beloved Immortal Hulk.  What have you been reading lately?  I’m always up to check out something new and interesting.  

Hope you’re doing well, keeping healthy and keeping sane.  I’ll have another update soon.  Thanks again for reading Spectress & Sabanion!

Yours Truly,

Kurt

P.S.  What does everyone think of the new CageyComics.com?  Any suggestions?  Anything else you think would be cool to see up there?  I’m open to suggestions.

Things have been moving right along!  Eyes are blurry, time is short, but progress is being made!

I must confess though, I did take a little “me time” last weekend up in WI.  Had a great time.  Hung out with my buddies, did a bit of drinking, and gamed all weekend.  I’ve been a gamer since… around the 5th grade.   Started with Dungeons and Dragons.  At that time, all the devil-worship hype was running rampant and my teacher warned me of the potential evils that awaited me inside that insidious fantasy realm.  Ah well, it didn’t stick.  I have to say, I probably wouldn’t be writing right now if I didn’t game as a kid.  Creating and telling a story is a huge part of any role playing game and there is a ton of reading required to play. 

Thinking back, geez! we played just about everything: D & D, Star Frontiers, Boot Hill, Bushido, Car Wars, TMNT, Battletech, Top Secret, Marvel Super Heroes, Shadowrun, and probably a few others I can’t remember right now.  Over the years, we changed over to Pathfinder but I hear that 5th edition D&D is pretty good. 

Here’s a tidbit.  Remember Deities and Demigods?

It’s where I first discovered my love for ancient Egyptian mythology.  There were those awesome ink drawings throughout the whole book but it was Ra, Horus, Osiris, Bast, Isis and Set that drew me in. 

  Good times.  I guess it didn’t hurt that the goddesses were bare chested as well.  

Currently, we’re playing an Underdark campaign in Pathfinder and a “Sons of Mediocrity” storyline in Mutants & Masterminds.  Basically, we’re playing the offspring of some of the loser villains from Marvel comics: 

• Toro – son of Man-Bull
• Scrapyard – son of Constrictor
• Kitsune – daughter of Silver Samurai
• Ricochet – son of Boomerang
• Scrawl – son of Typeface  

Yeah, Typeface.  He had to dig a bit to find that one.  Session started with a family group counseling session and turned into complete chaos.  It was a blast.  

If you want to play a great hero game that really fits with the way comic stories work, try Mutants & Masterminds.  It’s so much fun!  A nice departure from the usual d20 gaming too.  Spectress & Sabanion are versions of my favorite characters from that game.  Maybe I’ll post their stats sometime.  There’s also a great site where someone statted out just almost EVERY MARVEL and DC  HERO for the game.  Any other gamers out there?  Of course there are.  Tell me what you’ve been up to and what you’re playing.

Oh, and we played this too…

… and it was also a blast!  I’m usually not a board game guy but it was fun.  

Spectress and Sabanion Update

Oh yes, I should probably mention… MY KICKSTARTER IS ALMOST READY!  March 23rd is the date!  I’m going to be releasing Issue #1 with a new cover by Chris Ehnot.  It’s all done and it’s amazing!  4 different versions:

What do you think?  Which version do you like best?  I love the detail in the pic so I think I prefer it without the flames.  There’s also the choice between sheer top and no sheer top.  I haven’t settled on the final version and would be interested to hear what you think.  

CageyComics.com has finally been upgraded!

I’m pretty proud of how it turned out.  I can now add web developer to my resume (not really, thanks YouTube).  Check it out when you can.  I’ve been tweaking and updating it for a few weeks now and it’s running smoothly.  

Thanks again for taking the time to check out my comic and listening to me gush about geek stuff.  If you know anyone that might be into the magic, the murk, and the mayhem of Spectress and Sabanion, send them a link to CageyComics.com.

I might see you at C2E2 this weekend.  I don’t have a table but I’ll be there!

Thanks again!
Kurt

Hello Everyone!

I sit here at my computer, gazing through tired and bloodshot eyes. Heh, that’s right! It’s done. The new and improved CageyComics.com is live and ready for your perusal. I put this website together myself, my first one. YouTube is your friend for just about anything. It isn’t quite perfect just yet, and there are more things I want to get on here, but I’m definitely feeling a HUGE chunk of SATISFACTION that I was able to knock this out myself.

KICKSTARTER!!!

Take a look at this:

Here’s the new cover for Issue #1 for the Kickstarter launch. Amazing, right? I met Chris Ehnot at Wizard World Chicago and he was open for collaboration. I lucked out! Can’t wait to see how this looks with the title.

March 23rd is the day. I’m very excited and extremely nervous! I know there are a lot of people asking me for Issue #3 and it is on its way. Kickstarter is going to make or break me. It better make me because I spent an obscene amount of time building this website!

Hope everyone is doing well. I’m gearing up for the next few conventions and Kickstarters. It’s going to be a great year for comics!

Thank you for Great 2019

What a great year it’s been!  I just wanted to drop you a quick note thanking you for signing up and supporting my ideas and my comics.  We’re on our way into 2020 and… well… who knows what might happen next?!  

But enough of that!  Let’s get on to the fun stuff!

Creating this comic book has been a great outlet.  Even when I was a kid, I loved stories.  Now, I find myself with this amazing opportunity to find great artists, meet great people and perhaps… put something new and different out there that intrigues people.  Thank you again for taking the time to read my story and join me on this dark path into the supernatural! 

If you ask me, dark paths are the more interesting ones… and it’s going to get darker!
  
And now… on to the latest Spectress & Sabanion news:
Issue #3 continues apace!  My plan is to have it ready for the convention schedule in 2020.  I am also priming things for the Spectress & Sabanion premiere on Kickstarter.  I’m working with some artists to create new covers for the existing issues (#1 and #2) to spice them up for the wonderful folks that have already picked up a copy.  Currently working with Chris Ehnot for a new issue #1 cover.  He’s done quite a number of covers for a variety of independent comic publishers.  

https://www.chrisehnot.com/

https://www.deviantart.com/cehnot

Here is a rough sketch of the idea we came up with:



The idea is Aneksi (Spectress) leaping forward out of her old, ancient world into the new, modern one.  She’s wielding her magic and has her khopesh sword at the ready.  The evil eyes of Sabanion look on…

Another cover artist is pending… more on that as things develop.

How about you?

What have you been reading or watching lately?  I’ve been finished a few shows lately: The Witcher, Watchmen, The Expanse.  I enjoyed each one of them.  The Witcher definitely had an interesting approach to the story structure.  Honestly, with so many great shows and amazing content I think it’s OK to challenge the audience with some timeline fudging but it might not be for everyone.  They are certainly angling for the Game of Thrones crowd with the swordplay and the… um… well, you get it.  

As far as comics go, I’ve got a pile I’m still sifting through.  Immortal Hulk is not the most patient being out there, but he’s just going to have to wait.  

Any recommendations for me?  What you you been reading and/or watching?  I’m always on the lookout for something unique and intriguing.  The new Dracula just popped on Netflix, have you seen it yet?  Let me know if you like it!

Upcoming Conventions in 2020:

So far, I’m confirmed for Indiana ComicCon, April 10 – 12th.  My first show in Indiana!  

Halloween 2019

The year is winding down and what a year it has been!  This has really been my first full year on the convention trail and it has been a great (and exhausting) time.  Had some great discussions with some great fans about comics, movies, music, etc.  Two more shows to go!  As the conventions wind down, I’m trying to get back to focusing on writing.  I’ve been learning that content is king and I need to stay on top of bringing my story (the first story arc, at least) to a conclusion.  I’m looking forward to releasing that 5 – 6 book story in a gorgeous hardcover omnibus but… I have to start with writing the scripts first.  

And now… on to the latest Spectress & Sabanion news:
My artist has been banging on my door for the next script and I’ve handed off the next 10 pages.  Topper has already passed me rough layouts of the first 2 pages:  
PAGE 1 – Features Cheska at an abandoned gas station waiting, somewhat nervously, to pick up her potential friend, Rasha (aka Aneksi aka Spectress).


PAGE 2 – Features Aneksi and Sabanion leaving CONFAC-4, much to the chagrin of the security team that guards the facility.

I have to say, with so many weekends at conventions it’s been hard to stay focused on writing.  I also plan on using an editor to help me streamline my story and make it a smoother read.  I am really excited to get back at it though!  Issue #3 is going to start the friendship of Cheska and Aneksi (… if things work out), show the next steps of Alarbus (who is burned and pissed off!) and introduce a new and insidious villain, the Blood Shade.  He will be the dark mirror to Aneksi, the Joker to her Batman, the Red Skull to her Captain America.  The introduction will definitely take that step off the dark end.
Kickstarter!!!
Keep an eye out in the next month or two as I will be getting into the Kickstarter game!  I’ve had a lot of fun and discovered some pretty cool stuff just clicking around on the site.  You can find my Kickstarter profile HERE.  I’m working on Issue #3 but I will be launching on Kickstarter starting with Issue #1.  I know that doesn’t sound all that interesting but, after a bit of research, I’ve learned you don’t Kickstart in the middle.  I’ll start with Issue #1 and release some new covers!  I’ve already pinned down 2 (maybe 3) artists for alternate covers and they are going to be so cool!  I can’t wait to see the artwork!  After that, I’ll launch Issues #1 thru #2 (also with new covers), and then Issues #1 thru #3, then Issues #1 thru #4 and so on…   I’m really excited to try out this new way to get new comics into the hands of fans!  
 

In other news…

Not sure what the point is with these guys.  I understand they are great filmmakers.  I will always love Goodfellas, The Departed, The Godfather, Apocalypse Now and many of their other movies.  Not sure why they’re on this kick and throwing shade on the Marvel movies.  They could very simply say, “Those movies are really not for me, but I congratulate them on their success” and be done with it.  Ah well, I guess the media culture we’re in pushes people to unnecessarily blather their nasty opinions.  I guess I don’t even understand why the questions were asked.  It’s like asking Beethoven if he likes Guns N’ Roses and then everyone getting all worked up when he says no.  Eh, more manufactured indignation.  Who needs it?
 

Thanks, Comicvine!

Also, I found out I’m on Comicvine.com.  That’s kind of cool.  Thank you, pikahyper, whoever you are.



 

Wizard World – Madison:

I was at Wizard World-Madison last weekend and had the pleasure to share a table with another writer, William Miles.  This was his first show and convention debut of his comic, The Hawk.  

This kid is ONLY 17 and he’s put out his first comic!  Plus, he knows how to use social media waaaaayyy better than me!  Ha!  He’s going to conquer the world.  I gave him some pointers on attending conventions and he showed me a few of the bells and whistles on Instagram.  He sold out of his comic at the convention.  The guy has endless enthusiasm, a great attitude and, honestly, a pretty damn well written comic book!  You can find him HERE.

Remaining Conventions in 2019:

November 8 – 10, GalaxyCon, Minneapolis, MN.  I had such a great time in Minneapolis for MetaCon so I’m looking forward to this show.  I really enjoyed wandering around downtown.  Found a great bar where I sipped a great beer and munched a great burger.  Union Bar?  I think that’s what it was called.  Anyway, can’t wait to visit Minneapolis again!

November 22 – 24, Days of the Dead.  Rosemont, IL.  This will be my first horror convention.  Unsure how it will go.  Are horror convention people into comics?  Will they get fake blood all over my table?  Only time will tell.  Michael Biehn will be there and I REALLY WANT TO MEET HIM AND/OR GET A PICTURE WITH HIM.  I grew up watching him be the ultimate gritty tough guy in Terminator and Aliens.  My character, Sorn, has a bit of Michael Biehn in him.