Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, entertainment, kickstarter

A Truly, Honestly, Actually Never-Before-Seen Comics Collection Comes To Kickstarter

Published Sun, 04 Jan 2015 11:00:11 -0600

Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection.

Produced by AH Comics Inc. (Titan: An Alternate History, Delta, Hobson's Gate, Jewish Comix Anthology) and edited by Hope Nicholson (Brok Windsor, Lost Heroes, Nelvana of the Northern Lights), MOONSHOT brings together dozens of creators from across North America to contribute comic book stories showcasing the rich heritage and identity of First Nations, Inuit, Cree, Metis, Native, Aboriginal and indigenous storytelling.

Andy Stanleigh writes,

From traditional stories to exciting new visions of the future, this collection presents some of the finest comic book and graphic novel work in North America. Moonshot will be an incredible 200 page original collection that will amaze, intrigue and entertain.

The amazing talents involved in MOONSHOT's creation include some whose work has adorned the pages of Marvel and DC Comics, including:

Claude St-Aubin (R.E.B.E.L.S., Green Lantern, Captain Canuck), Jeffery Veregge (G.I. Joe, Judge Dredd), Stephen Gladue (cover artist), Haiwei Hou (Two Brothers), Nicholas Burns (Arctic Comics, Curse of Chucky, Super Shamou), Scott B. Henderson (Man to Man, Tales from Big Spirit), Jon Proudstar (Tribal Force), George Freeman (Captain Canuck, Aquaman, Batman), Mark Shainblum (Northguard, Corum: The Bull and The Spear), Elizabeth LaPensee (Survivance, The Nature of Snakes, Fala), Buffy Sainte-Marie (Fire & Fleet & Candlelight, Coincidence & Likely Stories), Richard Van Camp (Path of the Warrior, Kiss Me Deadly), Ryan Huna Smith (Tribal Force), David Robertson (The Evolution of Alice, Stone), Steve Sanderson (Darkness Calls, Journey of the Healer), Michael Yahgulanaas (RED), Michael Sheyahshe (Native Americans in Comic Books, Dark Owl), David Cutler (The Northern Guard), Menton3 (Monocyte, Silent Hill, X-Files) and more.

Editor Hope Nicholson is a professional researcher specializing in comic book history, and reprinted the first major female comic book superhero "Nelvana of the Northern Lights". She was recently the associate producer of the documentary "Lost Heroes" for Superchannel, and is a member of the fan-news organization GEEKPR0N. She has presented at conventions and conferences on Canadian comic book history throughout the US and Canada. Her last project – a highly successful Kickstarter campaign – was a reprint of the 1940's comic book character Brok Windsor.

The Publisher AH Comics Inc.'s debut publication, Titan: An Alternate History, was named "The Best in New Graphic Novels" by The National Post in 2011, and entered into the required reading curriculum for a contemporary Canadian literature course at Western University. Their second project, Hobson's Gate, is a 3 part graphic novel series that also been named for an Association of Arts & Social Change Publishing Award, as well as an AASC People's Choice Award. A portion of every sale of Hobson's Gate is donated to mental health charities in Canada. Their third book, the concept graphic novel/musical album with The River Pilots was in the selection process for a Juno nomination in 2013. Their latest publication, the Jewish Comix Anthology: Volume 1, which raised over $52,000 on Kickstarter, is a 256 page collection of ancient tales, myths and legends with contributions from some of the biggest names in comic book history including Art Spiegelman, Will Eisner, Harvey Pekar, Robert Crumb, Michael Netzer, Clifford Meth, Joe Kubert and Stan Lee.

So what makes Moonshot a truly, honestly, actually never-before-seen collection?

Firstly, over 90% of the writers and artists involved in the project identify as indigenous, with the other creators being hand-picked for their contribution to their respective field and experience in indigenous cultural studies. Secondly, Editor Hope Nicholson is pulling out all the stops to insure that nowhere in Moonshot will you see the standard stereotypes often found in "Native" comic book characters and the media. (Even with the best of intentions, creators can easily cross the line from what they feel is traditional, into stereotype. ) This includes any instance of cultural appropriation from non-indigenous authors and artists.

With that, the stories that you will see in Moonshot all have their base in a traditional tale or teaching from the creator's respective community. In some cases, the author needed to gain permission from their community elders to retell their stories exclusively for our publication, making this a truly never-before-seen collection.

Hope Nicholson, Editor recently wrote.

"…comics are important historical artifacts, and reveal a greater breadth of pop culture and art history in Canada that was previously left buried. But they also lack nuanced, realistic depictions of First Nations and Inuit characters, despite their cultures being prominent…In my studies of aboriginal representation in pop culture that I undertook in university, I saw that representation did not get better over the decades. Rather, our television, comics, and films continue to show an embarrassing lack of understanding of indigenous identity (even when attempted with the best of intentions)."

"The most interesting part I personally like about the collection is discovering the various methods of storytelling that the creators are using. There will be some straight-up comic book/graphic novel style stories presented, but also prose passages with illustrations, visual stories without dialogue, and more. My hope is that this collection shows that books in general–and the stories they contain–don't have to be either text or comic book–one or the other, you know? There are so many layers and traditions in visual storytelling that are rarely seen in the mainstream. That is what I'm excited for people to see, and hope that that inspires aspiring writers and artists to take their storytelling to a whole other level.", says Andy Stanleigh, President of AH Comics Inc. who are producing/publishing MOONSHOT.

Right now, and until January 13^th, 2015, Moonshot is collecting funds on Kickstarter to help produce this incredible project, and we could not be happier with the results. At the time of this writing the campaign has raised over $43,000 in funding from 853 backers. There are amazing rewards at all levels for supporting the project, including retailer incentives on multiple books, as well as book donations made to educational centers and institutions.

For more information about Moonshot and how you can quickly back the project on Kickstarter then visit www.moonshotcollection.com

Thanking you,

Andy Stanleigh

President, Chief Visual Engineer, Alternate History Comics Inc.

416.854.4364 | andy@ahcomics.com | www.ahcomics.com

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