JM DeMatteis Presents The DeMultiverse Phase 2 +Edward Gloom

DeMu 2, thanks to YOU!
over 1 year ago – Thu, Sep 05, 2024 at 01:23:33 PM

HELLO AGAIN!

Hey all, just popping in for a quick update. But first, a big THANK YOU to all of you for joining us on this second trip through the magical DeMultiverse. We cannot thank you enough for supporting us on this crazy adventure. As we often say around here, we literally couldn't do this without you. 

WHERE WE'RE AT...

Currently, the four core DeMultiverse titles are complete and headed to assembly (where the covers, credit, interior pages, etc. are all merged into one file with a touch of design work). GLOOM is about a week away from joining them. 

The TPB assembly will start soon after. We're expecting our Danny Fingeroth-penned intro in early October. So we'll slide that in and tie up any loose ends and we should be off to the printers before year's end. And, of course, once the books arrive, it'll be full steam ahead on fulfillment.

If anyone has any specific questions, as always, feel free to send a direct email to [email protected].

Until next time...

David
Spellbinder

ONE WEEK TO GO! Please spread the word!
over 1 year ago – Tue, Jul 30, 2024 at 11:29:17 AM

ONE WEEK TO GO! Please spread the word!

Before we get to business, did you know editor Len Wein once offered JM the chance to take over monthly writing duties on Swamp Thing, but JM turned him down for a contract with Marvel, so Len went to his second choice, Alan Moore? It’s true! 

You can read 20 more anecdotes like this from JM’s 40+ year legendary writing career at this link: https://x.com/spellboundcomic/status/1817674100195917929

BUSINESS

Well, loyal Spellbound audience, as the title of this email spoils, we’re officially in the home stretch of our The DeMultiverse 2 campaign. That means if you plan to support us this time around, you’ve got slightly less than 7 days to do it. 

And we sure could use your support!

For our first campaign, we had ~850 backers. This time around, we just passed 300. Needless to say, that isn’t where we hoped we be at this point. But that’s okay. We’ve still got plenty of time to climb that mountain. But to do that, we’re going to need your help!

Still available are a handful of Zoom calls with JM. Also available from the Add-ons page you’ll see after pledging are autographs by Tom Mandrake, Shawn McManus, and JM. 

Did you know JM hasn’t done an in-person convention in about FIVE years? That’s a long time. So getting his signature on a DeMultiverse book is actually very rare!

If you’re planning to hop on board, today’s a great time to do that. 

If you’re on the fence about joining this time around, let me know in the comments why or email me directly at [email protected]. As w’ve said many ways before, The DeMultiverse literally wouldn’t exist without each and every one of you. 

Talk to you soon!

Sincerely,
David
Spellbinder-in-Chief

The DeMultiverse enters Week 3! (Press, Rewards, & more!)
over 1 year ago – Wed, Jul 24, 2024 at 12:06:21 PM

WE'RE HALFWAY THERE!

Yesterday, we passed the halfway mark of our four week campaign. To start, JM, the artists and I want to personally thank each and every one of you who have come along for our journey the second time around. We've had quite a few new names in our backer pool, which was a very nice surprise. We also wanted to extend an extra special Thank You to those of you who supported us the first time around. We sincerely appreciate it.

 

Those of you who love JM's writing, probably know him from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, SPIDER-MAN: KRAVEN'S LAST HUNT, JUSTICE LEAGUE, JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL, JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK, SUPERMAN, BATMAN, BATMAN: ROBIN LIVES (out now!), BEN REILLY, MOONSHADOW, BLOOD: A TALE, BROOKLYN DREAMS, CAPTAIN AMERICA, DEFENDERS, MAN-THING, DR. FATE, HEROES SQUARED, ABADAZAD, and SO many more. But did you also know he created CREATURE COMMANDOS which is currently being adapted into a feature film by James Gunn?! 

I mention this because, by any measure, JM is a first-ballot Hall of Famer in the comics industry and if, like me, you want to see him continue to create original, creator-owned material, it's important that we get the word out about our campaign. With only two weeks left, we could really use help spreading the word. It doesn't matter if your social media following is 5, 500, or 5,000, every share, retweet, and post helps. 

It doesn't matter what your friends' taste in comics are, or if they've never read a comic before--JM's got an all-new original title ready for them!

 

Do they like to read fantasy? Tell them to try LAYLA IN THE LANDS OF AFTER. (Which is also great for young readers!)

 

Is Sci-fi or mystery more their jam? Tell 'em GODSEND's the way to go. 

 

Perhaps they prefer Westerns, horror or both? Well, they're in luck--we've got WISDOM.

And if they only read traditional superhero stuff, well, I'm here to tell you ANYMAN is likely the best superhero book you'll read this year or in the past several. Both issues are full of haymaker plot points and surprising twists. There's a reason ANYMAN won our reader poll for favorite DeMultiverse title after the first campaign!

Fun fact: The original idea for ANYMAN was a Superman idea that JM never got to do.
Lucky for us, as it works even better as an original tale!

AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO BREAK THE BANK

For as little as $9, they too can support the careers of JM and all the artists, including Shawn McManus, Tom Mandrake, David Baldeon, Scott Koblish, Vassilis Gogtzilas, and cover artists Liam Sharp, Marguerite Savauge, Patch Zircher, and Darick Robertson. Not to mention all the colorists, letterers, and designers it takes to create and publish FIVE all-new comic books AND a collected trade paperback.

 

Let them know that any size pledge will also gain them access to our Add-ons page where they can purchase ANY book we've ever published, including our bonus book, THE EDWARD GLOOM MYSTERIES and all our issue #1s, including the variant covers by JH Williams III, Kevin Maguire, Kent Williams, and Dustin Nguyen. It'll be like shopping at a comic book-themed Amazon!

 

While I have your attention, I also want to remind you we have five Zoom call rewards available. Each one includes a copy of the new TPB and a 40 minute one-on-one chat with the man himself. These Zoom calls are like being at a convention talking to a creator except they're about ten times as long and no one interrupts you! And since JM hasn't done a convention for nearly five years, this is a pretty rare opportunity to pick his brain about anything you'd like. My suggestion: Ask him about his original plans for his Captain America run that got nixed and led to him quitting (and later inspired his IDW title THE LIFE & TIMES OF SAVIOR 28).

 

Also, in case you missed it from our social media accounts, we've been covered nicely on CBR.com and ScreenRant.com. Click the links to read, if you're so inclined. 

 

If there's anything you'd like to ask or any feedback you'd like to give, please leave a comment on the campaign or email me directly at [email protected]. I respond to all comments and emails as promptly as possible. As I've said many times before, it takes a village to make a DeMultiverse, and without all of you, it wouldn't exist.
 

That's it for today, our beloved Spellbound audience. Until next time...
 

Sincerely,

David

Spellbinder-in-Chief

STEP 1 COMPLETE! 44,500 Steps Left to Go! +A NEW REWARD!
over 1 year ago – Thu, Jul 11, 2024 at 06:25:19 PM

STEP 1 COMPLETE! 44,500 Steps Left to Go!

+ A NEW REWARD (more on that below)

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 have support us this time around!

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 which will just cover page rates for all these industry titans, Kickstarter/Backerkit fees, and printing. So we're about 1/4 the way there.

We did it once, so I know we can do it again. But we're going to need your help.

The most helpful thing you could do for us is to tell your comics-loving 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. 

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, 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.

A NEW REWARD! (Told you it was down here.)

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: 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1126592161/the-screwy-tuesday-art-of-shawn-mcmanus

Until next time, fellow Spellbinders...

Sincerely,
David