CURSE OF THE VESSEL #1, a supernatural revenge thriller, is being offered via Kickstarter with an exclusive cover by Joëlle Jones ((Madame Xanadu, HelHeim, Spellcheckers). The story: A brutal criminal, cursed to be a vessel for the dead, relentlessly hunts the man who cursed him. This Kickstarter campaign is in support of the first issue of a four part series. The campaign ends Friday, January 10, 2014. Check it out here.
Curse of the Vessel is one half crime story and one half ghost story featuring dangerous gangsters, powerful witches, grizzled lawmen and vengeful ghosts all in one book
Written by Michael Leal, with art by Mike Wilson and Michael McElveen, this first issue of the four issue story arc follows low-level mob thug, Vincent Faustino as he is branded with a magical curse turning him into an unwilling vessel for the dead. As he’s being pursued by his former associates for events he has no memory of, he begins his hunt for the man who cursed him. While on the warlock’s trail, he is hijacked by spirits who take him off his path of revenge and use him for their own purposes, both good and evil.
Michael Leal: “Vincent is sent on a journey in this issue. One where he will discover what it’s like to walk in another man’s shoes. Of course he doesn’t know it yet. He’s a bad man; he doesn’t care what the ghosts want. All he wants to do is find the warlock that cursed him, kill him and be freed. The spirits have other ideas.” Michael Leal adds, “The story structure is really inspired by episodic genre television. It’s like the X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or Supernatural, where you have a number of self contained episodes with an over arching storyline propelling the action and thrills forward. Every issue will have dual storylines. The “A” story (what Vincent wants) and the “B” story (what the ghost wants). The stories cross and collide, which causes all kinds of interesting and dangerous situations. One ghost may want to say goodbye to a loved one, one may want to kill a person for wronging them, another may want to solve their own murder. There are really a million directions and stories to explore.”
Curse of the Vessel originated as a pitch for Small Press Idol 2010 (American Idol for Small Press comics). The project won that competition with the most votes in SPI history and produced a well received #0 issue. Now the comic is back from the dead with a NEW artistic direction and a compelling expanded storyline.
“You’re going to see guns, ghosts, magic and mayhem. Hang on, it’s going to be a wild ride!”
On the subject of the Kickstarter, “The book is done. We just need that little bit of help to get this project to the printer. If we are successful, that means people are interested and we will continue with the book for as long as readers will have us. The mini-series is written, and I have several follow ups already plotted and ready to go. We have a lot of great pledge rewards, including exclusive prints, original art, and retailer incentives. So, show your support!”
Curse of the Vessel #1 is active on Kickstarter right now, Dec 10-Jan 10! Issue #1 contains 22 full color pages. It is part 1 of 4 issues. Retails for $3.99 and is intended for teen and mature readers.
Be sure to visit the CURSE OF THE VESSEL Kickstarter campaign here.
