Daybreak! #1-4

The final week begins!
7 months ago – Tue, Feb 20, 2024 at 07:39:56 AM

Daymakers! How's everyone feeling this week? All good here, thanks for asking.

If you're keeping score at home, you'll have realized that the FINAL week of our campaign for Daybreak! #4 has officially begun. To mark this hallowed occasion, I thought I'd finally answer THE #1 MOST ASKED QUESTION I get about our comic (aside from, "what does Tom Nguyen smell like?" Answer: baby oil and awesomeness). 

WHY IS THERE AN EXCLAMATION POINT IN THE TITLE AFTER DAYBREAK?!

A couple of reasons, actually. One practical and one personal. The practical reason is that as we were producing the first issue of Daybreak!, Stefan Tosheff pointed out to me that there was another comic several years ago already using that title, which had been adapted into a zombie flick on Netflix. Never heard of it but not the biggest deal in the world; this probably won't even be the last project called Daybreak! but I was already creatively invested in the name Daybreak and there was no way I was changing it. So, if only for the purposes of trademarking, I added the exclamation point to differentiate. Easy peasy, right?

The personal reason is that I just like it that way. I think the exclamation point adds a sense of excitement to the title: it's not Daybreak, It's DAYBREAK! In fact, I like the "F*CK YEAH" factor it subtly implies so much that I think I'm going to call my next project BATMAN! 

So...mystery solved!

TWO NEW REWARDS

Also for our final week, the final two new rewards have been added to the campaign page. 

We've added a NAMESAKE reward, where you can have a new mystery character in the Daybreak! mythos named after you (or a friend or loved one). It's hard to explain too much about this new character because doing so would at least heavily flirt with spoiler territory but suffice to say, there's a new character introduced at some point in the 4th issue that will need a name. Maybe you can help provide one? 

The second new reward is this splash page from Daybreak! #2 by Stefan and myself. I don't exactly mind having it in my personal collection but for the good of the campaign, it's listed- and also includes all five cover variants of Daybreak! #4 (so does the namesake reward, btw). 

If anyone wants to upgrade their package or share out these exciting new rewards, we appreciate the help. We're making solid progress towards unlocking the motion comic adaption of Daybreak! #1. Check out the preview video on the campaign page if you haven't yet done so, Bewildered Biscuit Productions is cooking up a very cool experience for Daybreak! fans. We've also finalized one more stretch goal to be announced if we're lucky enough to unlock the motion comic that I think everyone will enjoy, but I'm biased. 

HOW ABOUT SOME OTHER COMICS ON KS?

Aside from Michael Katz and Darryl Banks' HORROR SHOW, a couple of more projects that are worth your time and attention.

First up, HAUNTED TOWER from Thane Frederick Benson.

I dig the "choose your own adventure" aspect of this graphic novel, something that I'm sure is a logistical nightmare to pull off. In this massive book, you're the main character, QUICK THE CLOCKWORK NIGHT, and whether you make it through the adventure is completely up to the choices you make along the way. It's also very reasonably priced, $30 for a 148-page book on Kickstarter is a deal and a half. So check it out by clicking that link above or the one embedded in the cover art. Fun stuff!

And finally today, the new IMPOSSIBLE JONES collection by the great Karl Kesel and David Hahn. 

One of my favorite comics on Kickstarter is IMPOSSIBLE JONES. Karl and David just produce homerun after homerun with this series about a thief pretending to be a hero and this hardcover collected edition brings all those stories together and in the darkness, binds them. Plus it's got new material, behind-the-scenes sketches and even a fold out spread by ARTHUR ADAMS. 

I can't pretend I'm not biased. Karl and I are friendly and I've admired his creative output for years. His inks over David's crystal clear storytelling are CHEF'S KISS, as they say. But even if I hated these guys, it doesn't change the fact that they produce some really great, fun comics. Check 'em out!

And let's make this last week matter, team! 

Your pal,

Keith Champagne

10K stretch goal revealed! Plus 2 new add-ons!
7 months ago – Tue, Feb 13, 2024 at 08:22:31 AM

Daymakers!

In the middle of a massive snowstorm here on the East Coast, someone send a plow over, please!

While I wait for a crack squad of snowblowers (and yes, there's a Tom Nguyen joke RIGHT HERE but I'm going to be mature for once), I'm really excited to unveil our 10K stretch goal. 

Thanks to the creative geniuses at Bewildered Biscuit Productions, if we reach that next threshold all backers, physical and digital, will receive the Daybreak! #1 motion comic adaptation. Cutting edge graphic effects, professional voice actors, top of the line production quality...this preview only scratches the surface, take a couple of minutes and watch this now!

I've been lucky enough to see a bit more than this preview and trust me, guys- this thing is wild! We've got a couple of new add-ons to help push us closer to unlocking this bad boy but in the meantime, check out and follow Bewildered Biscuit on youtube and the socials. These guys are amazing!

NEW ADD-ONS

Three full graphic novels: The Switch: Electricia, The Mighty (written w/ Peter Tomasi) and Frank N. Stein: Private Eye, all written by me, available as a bundle at the shockingly low price of $40 for all three. Plus, I'll sign 'em!

Too good to be true? Not really, because there are only SIX bundles available. So if you want over 500 pages of pretty effin' good comics, hit that add-on section so you don't miss out. 

For 48 hours ONLY, the astonishing Neil Edwards (with Rich Stahnke colors) variant cover is available as an add-on. Come Thurday the 15th at 11:00 AM, there will never be another chance to get one because we are NEVER, EVER reprinting it, not even in a trade paperback cover collection. Much like the beautiful Darryl Banks variant to Daybreak! #3, it'll never be offered again.  

We're only printing enough to cover orders so if 8 of you grab a copy, we're printing 8. Also, because we're a-holes, these covers are limited to 1 per backer. Several people, including our beloved Stefan Tosheff, feel Neil's cover is the best of all the variants we've produced for this entire series. I find it hard to disagree! So don't miss out!

That's all for today, friends. I mean, that's more than enough, right? Week 3 kicks off today so let's make the most of it. Sharing is caring, don't forget!

Your pal,

Keith Champagne 

2nd Stretch Goal unlocked!
7 months ago – Mon, Feb 12, 2024 at 06:58:34 AM

Daymakers! 

Happy Monday to all of you! Hope everyone enjoyed that giant sporting event last night. If your team didn't win, at the very least the Superbowl is always a good chance to have some snacks and spend time with family/friends, which is the most important thing. 

The snacks, I mean.

We had the tremendous good fortune to unlock our 2nd stretch goal right about the same time as the Chiefs clinched their OT victory last night and we're thrilled to be able to confirm that two more Handbook-style entries for The Custodian and The Machine will be added to the book. I'll get to work writing those up, they're incredibly fun to do, and if you're keeping score at home, that brings our page count up to 60! 

I have a meeting tonight with a production company to finalize our next stretch goal and we'll be announcing that in an update and adding it to the page tomorrow, along with a couple of other items of interest. So stay tuned!

Thanks for the incredible support, gang! And don't sleep on Michael Katz's HORROR SHOW. What if Rambo and Bigfoot fought to the death? I mean, not literally Bigfoot but close enough for our purposes here. And check out this great art from Darryl Banks!

Back tomorrow with another quick update. 

Your bestie,

Keith Champagne

8-Page Back Up story UNLOCKED!
7 months ago – Tue, Feb 06, 2024 at 08:11:34 AM

Daymakers!

We did it, fellas! We hit our first stretch goal to add the 8-page back up story by me and Rich Stahnke, featuring everyone's favorite primate, The Custodian. Thanks to those of you that added some new items to your bundles and to our new backers for pushing us past the mark. Somewhere in North Carolina, Rich is doing the happy dance.

Not only that but we're almost halfway to unlocking our next stretch goal and adding two new handbook-style entries for The Machine and The Custodian to the book. We had a great time creating the entries for Daybreak and Doc Matter for issue #3. If you haven't seen them yet...

We gotta make those happen for these two. They're pretty jealous not to be handbooked yet.

Backers of our previous campaigns have indicated  that adding additional content is (are?) the stretch goals they most enjoy. We'd love to complete the set of handbook entries for you guys, which would bring the total page count to #4 to 60 pages. Practically a graphic novel in and of itself; I've seen smaller books call themselves that. 

So if you haven't yet, please check out the ever-growing add on page. I believe we're adding a 30-minute mud wrestling match with Tom Nguyen next. Tom likes to walk around in a wrestling singlet so we figured we'll just roll with it.

And of course, sharing the campaign is always a huge help as we power forward. Please use the link bit.ly/daybreak4 because somehow, people smarter than me can track the clicks on that bad boy.

Thanks, guys. Lots of fun yet to be had and not just in a mud wrestling pit!

Keith Champagne

And don't forget to check out HORROR SHOW!

Week 2 approaches- New Rewards added
7 months ago – Mon, Feb 05, 2024 at 08:49:41 AM

Happy Monday, Daymakers!

Week 2 of the campaign officially kicks off tomorrow morning. We're very close to reaching our first stretch goal, which will enable the team to increase the page count and add an 8-page back up story by Keith Champagne and Rich Stahnke to Daybreak! #4. I read the story this morning (it's all done) and I promise, it's a fun one! 

We wanted to let you know about some new items that have been added to the campaign to kick off week 2 and also push us past the initial stretch goal. 

The CBCS slabbed/graded/signed 9.8 copy of Daybreak! #1 was snapped up pretty quickly so we've added our other slabbed/graded/signed book, a 9.6 copy of #1, to the page this morning. This is the last slabbed copy in our inventory so if you have a friend that enjoys this flavored cup of tea, by all means let them know! We appreciate any word-of-mouth you guys can give us. 

We've also listed two add-ons to the campaign. The first is a printed (bootleg) copy of The Coward Joe Cleveland, a "lost" Superman story by Keith and Rick Leonardi. This add-on was first offered in New Pain's previous Two-In-One campaign and we thought those of you that missed it then might be interested in reading it now. The book is printed in "raw" pencils/lettered form with a full color cover. Quantities are VERY low and we have to limit them to one copy per backer.  

We've also listed the complete, printed script for JOKER: YEAR ONE by Champagne, with illustrations and cover by Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy. This is another project that was lost in the shuffle at its publishing company and at 120 pages, is well worth a read. JOKER: YEAR ONE was a popular add-on for the Daybreak! #1-3 campaign; if you're a new backer or missed it last time, we have a limited batch of 10 copies available again. 

And let's not forget the exclusive metallic cover copies of Daybreak! #1, signed and numbered by Keith, in the add-ons section. There are only 10 of these in existence and they sure are shiny. 

If you're interested in any of these very cool add-ons, the extra support gets us closer to adding more content to Daybreak! #4. Sharing out the campaign also gets us closer to the goal post and as always, the extra help is immensely appreciated.

Before I let you go today, New Pain wanted to direct your attention to our friend Michael Katz's new project, HORROR SHOW , which is currently funding on Kickstarter. 

HORROW SHOW is a 48-page graphic novel with stunning art by Green Lantern legend DARRYL BANKS. The book is fully produced and the campaign is raising money for printing costs. The project is almost 50% funded right now.

Michael puts out great books and always fulfills on time. This one may just be his best book yet! We hope you'll check it out!

More news coming soon!

Kelsey (The New Pain Intern)