ABBADON by Palmiotti & Gray caught my attention pretty easily as I skimmed through recent graphic novel campaigns on Kickstarter. It is visually, quite stunning.
This is the first project by Jimmy Palmiotti that I have come across. I almost feel ashamed that I missed his earlier works. Well, it just means that I will have to go back and read his earlier material. Like some other project managers whose work I have reviewed, such as Fairy Quest by Paul Jenkins and Era: Ibuki by Irene Y. Lee, Jimmy has done work for Marvel Comics.
If you are interested in reading some of his earlier works, many of his projects are listed on the Geekers Keep shop. Yes; that’s how interesting I found the work. I already found it and added it to the shop. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to run through the selection and review them. But for now, back to his latest project: ABBADON. More information can also be found at the Paper Films site.
Basic Information
Format: Print & Digital
Estimated Delivery: February 2015
Location: Tampa, FL
Book Overview
The graphic novel is going to be 72 pages and targeted towards mature audiences. This isn’t surprising considering that the setting is a town in which “illicit sex, gambling and even murder are legal under the right conditions.” To get an idea of the graphic nature of the material, one of the samples shows a rather torn up body; blood, guts, and all. Of course, these days, most teens are familiar with such graphic imagery, but “reader discretion is advised.”
The story is based off of an original screen play by Spencer Marstiller and features artwork by Fabrizio Fiorentino and Alessia Norcera as well asdesign and lettering by John J. Hill. Justin Gray is the co-writer of the adaptation. The pair have written together for DC, Marvel, Amazon, Dark Horse and several other clients for comics, video games, animation and other avenues. This book is the first collaboration with Adaptive Studios on an adaptation of the Abbadon script by Spencer Marstiller.
From the Campaign
Set in the late 1880’s American West, Abbadon is a city steeped in sin, where anything is possible if you have the money, influence and power to obtain it. Poised to become the next boomtown, Abbadon is plagued by a series of murders heralding the arrival of U.S. Marshall Wes Garrett.
A legendary lawman, Garrett’s claim to fame is that he killed a notorious murderer, who cut a bloody swath across the country and left scores of mutilated men, women and children in his wake.
Garrett’s arrival exposes the secret that Abbadon’s sheriff Colt Dixon has desperately been trying to conceal – the victims have all been mutilated the same way they were by the killer Garret stopped – a man some called a monster, but the papers called him Bloody Bill. Garrett and Dixon join forces to uncover the killer’s identity in a town so full of corruption that everyone is a suspect.
Campaign Specifics
Goal: $42,500
Pledge Tiers: 12 tiers ranging from $5 to $150
End Date: Wed, Dec 17 2014 11:11 AM EST
Funding Type: Fixed
Chances of success
Jimmy Palmiotti has had seven successful campaigns. This campaign is his eighth and he has a great team working with him. What makes or breaks so many campaigns is the team. Having a solid team behind your project allows for a quick response time, backer engagement, and increased word of mouth.
So, while anything is possible, I do not see the campaign failing, especially since it has already passed 50%of the base goal, as of the publishing date of this article, and the material itself is professional quality. In addition, the digital version of the book will go out to everyone who backs the campaign at $5 or more.
The only notable concern is that the campaign is pushing the envelope when it comes to base goals. At $42,500 the campaign’s base goal is just a touch over the final amount pledged for Jimmy’s previous campaign. I am not sure how this will pan out. I haven’t had a chance to review too many campaigns which use this strategy because so few people launch successful campaign after successful campaign.