↓ Transcript
PAGE 4

PANEL 1:
We cut back into the story. Swiz is inside a machine apparatus designed by the nautilae. It has clamps around his mouth and ankles, completely restraining him. His wrists are being bound together by the manacles revealed in issue 3. Nautilae engineers, manning robotic arms, have lowered the manacles into place. This machine has the trappings of nautilae technology (steam punk, shapes based on marine life, overly complex) but it also has some of the design tropes of Jack Kirby’s fantastic machines. There is a platform just in front of Swiz’s bound form. On it, to either side of Swiz, stand kapeng shamans. They both cast hexes as the manacles are sealed, causing the graphemes etched upon them to flare with energy.

CAPTION: NAUTILAE ENGINEERS DESIGNED MANACLES FROM FOUND ARTIFACTS, WHILE KAPENG SHAMANS CAST HEXES TO SUPPRESS WHAT WE GAVE HIM.

CAPTION: THIS WAS OUR FIRST STEP TOWARD UNITY… WORKING TOGETHER ON BIG IDEAS AND NEW TOOLS, TO SPREAD THE WEALTH OF PROSPERITY.

PANEL 2:
Cut to the island beach we saw on page 2, panel 3. A small sailboat is a few hundred feet off the shore. It is just far away enough from our perspective that we an only tell that there are two small figures aboard, Bruin and the now manacle-bound Swiz. Standing on the beach is a crowd of various species: kapeng, frabel, noiatoo, nautilae, annelids and baleen. This crowd solemnly watches the sailboat depart. The sun sets against the water’s horizon, casting a red hue across the scene.

CAPTION: SWIZ IS EXILED AT SEA NOW. HE'LL NEVER LAY A HAND ON LIVING FLESH AGAIN. HIS VERY TOUCH IS NOW MURDER.

CAPTION: SOME SAY A WARDEN WENT WITH HIM. SOME KIND OF MAGNANIMOUS SENTINEL… CHOSEN TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE NEVER THREATENED AGAIN.

PANEL 3:
Cut back to the present. Copijoos finishes the story, now in her final pose. http://www.layogamagazine.com/issue27/images/MeeraModernIndianDance.jpg

Copijoos’s back is to the orchard, dark with foliage. In the shadows behind her, an annelid rises silently, ready to strike.

In front of Copijoos, sits the group of other kapeng worker girls, including Soocree. They can see the annelid about to strike and raise their hands in shock, trying to warn their friend.

COPIJOOS: MY OPINION? I HOPE HE’S ALONE OUT THERE.

COPIJOOS: SUFFERING.

COPIJOOS: EVEN IF HE DID TEACH US WHAT WE REALLY NEED IS…

PANEL 4:
The annelid strikes Copijoos, biting her in her back and raising her bloodied body up into the air. Copijoos is dying or already dead. Other annelids emerge from the orchard, wielding the ornamental spears we saw in issue 1.

The kapeng girls scatter. Soocree flees.

COPIJOOS: AAAHHHEEEEE!

PANEL 5:
Our view is from over head. Now the annelids surround the young kapeng women (including Soocree), forcing them into a pack, baring their leech mouths or wielding spears threateningly. The annelids are careful to stay away from the fruit baskets (remember, this fruit’s juice is lethal to them). In the background, the first annelid devours Copijoos even further, making quick work of her guts.

ANNELID 1: ROUND THEM UP AND NO MORE SNACKING!

ANNELID 1: THE APHOTICANS WANT THEM LOOKING PRETTY!

PANEL 6:
Soocree runs through the dense orchard, clutching her pregnant belly. She looks behind as she runs in fear. She’s made good distance and the annelids aren’t pursuing her.

SOOCREE: NO UNITY… NO SECRET PROTECTOR…

SOOCREE: IT WAS ONLY A MYTH….

PANEL 7
Close in on Soocree's face in a tight frame. She's looking right off the page at us now.

SOOCREE: JUST A…

TITLE: MYTH

CREDIT: CHRISTIAN SAGER – STORY
ERROL RICH JR. – ART







END COMMENTING OUT MAIN COMIC-->

A Call To Arms!

It’s 1pm EST, Friday 5/27. Time for a call to arms to muster our allies and set the agenda for THINK OF THE CHILDREN’s Kickstarter campaign.

We’re at 42% of our goal with a little over a week left. We need your help to be at 100% going into HeroesCon next weekend.Help us create more awareness of the project. Inform people who might not know about it or strengthen their commitment.

Research shows that 4:00pm on Friday’s is the BEST time to get an RT or share via social media. So today is the day!

A “like” or “share” from you is great, but it’s even better if the pitch comes from you. Here are some reasons to suggest people donate to TOTC:

1) Support independent comics creators! Especially those who produce free content online.

2) This project is unique: it’s a handcrafted, sculpted, one-of-a-kind artifact made w/ lasers & saws. It’s tactile and we did it all.

‎3) Celebrate the history of comics and the end of the comics code with this satirical horror comic. It’s a great gift for comics fans!

4) We’ve received positive reviews from Rue Morgue magazine, Cory Doctorow on Boing Boing and Comics Alliance. All trustworthy publications!

5) Our rewards are even better than 1st announced. 10×8 prints! 4″ sculpts! Downloadable book plates! Laser signets! No one’s doing this.

6) Finally, we worked HARD. We put the foot work in at Fluke, Free Comic Book Day and Heroes. We’ve also been making books for weeks!

Here’s the links.
Our Kickstarter page: http://j.mp/jnll1F.
And our street team marketing page: http://j.mp/kLfRpB


Reward Upgrade! ACEO Card Now 8″ x 10″ Print!

Just in time for the two-week mark to arrive for the THINK OF THE CHILDREN Kickstarter Campaign, EC Steiner presents the limited edition art print that will be given to all supporters who contribute $10 or more to the production of the printed version of our comic project.

Originally, this illustration was going to be offered as an ACEO print that could be framed, traded, or given away to a friend, but we have decided that for the final artwork created for our comic, that’s simply not enough. So, we’re now offering our donors a larger, black-and-white print at an 8×10 size that’s suitable for framing and display.This is a huge shift in our original reward offer, and those that have already donated a minimum of $10 are going to get more than they bargained for!

For this image, EC Steiner revisited the figure of EC Comic’s William Gaines and rendered him in the sinister light that EC feels the members of the Senate Subcommittee wanted the American public to view him in. Gaines is presented holding his vile meteorite fragment and beckoning one of his ghastly minions to come to his aid.

To see this and the other rewards we’re offering to those who contribute to our project, visit our Kickstarter Project Page!


Kefauver’s Relic: “Netsuke” Reward

sculpted netsuke for Think of the Chldren's kickstarter campaign

Early in our discussions for Kickstarter rewards, we talked about EC Steiner creating a small netsuke-style sculpture that would complement the resin seal crafted for the cover of the THINK OF THE CHILDREN book. Once the project began, it quickly became clear that this piece wanted to grow into something larger than the initial concept. So, throwing the self-imposed guidelines away, he fashioned a 4” tall beast that makes the perfect desktop companion (or talisman for warding off those tentacular Elder things).

The images above are of the raw sculpture before molding and casting and simply don’t capture how large and aggressive this design turned out. The final piece will be pressure cast in gray resin that’s suitable for display or ready for painting and customization. This production is a strictly limited run and available only to Kickstarter contributors.

Learn more about this exclusive sculpture HERE.


Free Downloadable Book Plate for THINK OF THE CHILDREN!

For my day job I work in a library. This is good, because I love books. I design books. I read a lot of them. I like the way paper smells. I like the feeling of ink on paper. I’ve especially grown fond of book plates. I like the idea of marking books in a collection, indicating ownership or origin.

So as a free reward to our supporters, we’re sharing a free, downloadable Ex Libris bookplate for you to use in your own collection. Each hardcover copy of THINK OF THE CHILDREN will include this Ex Libris within its inside front cover. Here’s how you can use it in your other books as well:

  • Download the high-resolution JPG designed by EC Steiner by visiting the link, right-clicking the image, and choosing SAVE AS from the list of options.
  • Purchase shipping labels from your local office supply store. The book plate is designed to fit a label 5 1/16″ x 7 5/8″, like this one. If you like, you can also alter the image to fit a smaller label.
  • Insert the JPG into a template, such as those provided by Microsoft Word for Avery labels.
  • Print the labels with the Ex Libris on them.
  • Peel and then paste the book plate into the inside front cover of a book of your choice.
  • Finally, write your name inside the lower banner.

We hope you like this free reward! Our campaign is still running and and we have to raise $3500 by June 6. Please support this project!


New THINK OF THE CHILDREN Kickstarter Rewards!

We’re pleased to announce that we’ve added two new rewards to our Kickstarter campaign!

First, we’ve separated out the vinyl sticker into its own $5.00 reward, for those out there on a tight budget.

Second, we’re adding in a $15.00 reward that includes the sticker, the ACEO card and a brand new “Yin Yang Signet.” This signet is made of the same material as the hardcovers: 1/4″ thick davey board. We’ll cut them into perfect 4″ diameter circles with our yin yang monster kid logo laser engraved into the board. Here’s an example:

Show your love for THINK OF THE CHILDREN by bearing this badge with pride. You could sew it onto your jacket or bag. Or glue it onto the hood of your car. Maybe you want to make a belt buckle out of it? Go crazy. You could even use it as a coaster.

The good news is that every backer who donates over $15 will get this signet as part of their rewards. That includes all of you who have already donated! We’re sweetening the pot because we want to make sure our backers get even more value for their donations.

Thanks for your support so far. We’re almost to 20% of our goal!