The "Signed Scavenger" Tier is now open!
over 1 year ago – Fri, May 26, 2023 at 09:11:16 AM

Hello everyone!

Just a quick update to announce that the "Signed Scavenger" Tier described in yesterday's update is NOW OPEN (and going rather quickly...)

Act now if you're interested in getting those page reproductions hand-signed by MICHAEL AVON OEMING, ERYK DONOVAN, and CHRISTIAN DIBARI! (More artists may be added (at no extra cost) pending current discussions and logistics, but those three are GUARANTEED!)  

Halfway report: New "Signature" Tier, new stretch goals, and MORE!
over 1 year ago – Thu, May 25, 2023 at 11:23:56 AM

Hey, everyone!

We are at the halfway point of this exciting new project, and we've already accomplished so much with your help! With EIGHT Stretch Goals unlocked and over 1000 Backers, we're pulling back the curtain on some cool new  extras going into the FINAL WEEK! First on that list:

 We are adding a new "Signed Scavenger" tier! 

We've got some amazing talent on this project, and they have all been a blast to work with. Not only are they equally excited to bring this project to life, but after some creative discussion, we're proud to announce a new, limited-to-50 tier that will include raw art reproduction work prints that are hand signed by Michael Avon Oeming, Eryk Donovan, and Christian DiBari! 

Each print will be at the actual drawn size (the artists worked at 8.5 x 11" for this project, rather than on oversized comic boards) and printed on felt weave cardstock to capture the variation of lines in their pre-colorized work. They will then be signed in gold sharpie JUST FOR YOU. 

This new "Signed Scavenger" tier will contain everything from the Complete Scavenger, plus the signed art prints.  Here's the exciting twist, tho --

We're still discussing this with several of the other artists on the project, and should it work out that more can sign stuff, those signatures will be added to this limited tier automatically AT NO EXTRA COST! So if we can round up David Mack, Shane Molina, Taki Soma, etc, this limited tier could be FILLED with autographs! (Hey, San Diego Comic-Con is coming up... that's always a good gathering opportunity... Just sayin'...)

This new Tier will be limited to only 50 copies (making the slipcase bookplate numbering an even 750). Now, to give you, our loyal backers already on board, the first shot at grabbing or upgrading to one of these limited sets, we are telling you now, ahead of time, that we will be adding this new tier at 9am PST, tomorrow Friday May 26th! It is quite possible that these will go VERY quickly, so plan to be ready first thing tomorrow morning! Considering the rarity of these signed prints, the raw value of the collected items in the tier, and the chance that even MORE signatures from these top creators may be added (FREE) pending current discussions, $200 seems like an amazing bargain... 😉

In order to keep the excitement going even further -- 

 We've decided to reveal the next few Stretch Goals!

Revealing Stretch Goals one at a time has its psychological/strategic value, but these next three are just too cool to keep under wraps...

We're currently working our way toward the production sketchbook (an in-depth collection of designs and page layouts from many of the artists on the project), but we wanted to confirm a few speculated queries... 

YES, there is a coin in the plan! For those of you who have backed previous campaigns, you know that our collectible coins are SWEET, hefty, and a solid artifact to supplement your immersion. These will be unique in that they will be hex-shaped and cast in a darker gunmetal material. They will just be damn cool on their own. And if we reach $90k, every physical pledge will get one FREE.

Then, if we manage to hit $100k, Magnetic's award-winning team of game designers (led by multiple Ennie and UKGE winner Andrew E.C. Gaska) will create a set of Starter Rules for a BLACK BOX CHRONICLES RPG based on our popular D6MV system (which is itself based on the classic D6 System by West End Games)! I know that may only appeal to a subset of comic readers, but it will surely appeal to an even wider audience of gamers... the Black Box Universe is for EVERYONE! If (no, WHEN) this goal is unlocked, a PDF of the Starter Guide will be FREE to all backers.

Things may appear to be running slow these past few days, but that is part of the typical and expected "mid-campaign slog." We're lining up some outside coverage, and believe these new reveals will help mitigate that relative speed reduction. We have every confidence those goals (and more) can be well-within reach with your help in spreading the word! 😉

BLACK BOX co-creator Mark Schey wanted to share his gratitude as well with this note:

Thank you! In addition to all of the stretch goals, you’ve also unlocked a digital download of an original song by Lilly Prime, one of the in-world characters you’ll meet in a story I wrote in Black Box Chronicles... called Residuals, illustrated by the fantastic David Messina (Han Solo and Chewbacca). Co-creator Chris Northrop created the original character of Lilly. You can stream or download the song by clicking this link. It's also available on your favorite streaming services, like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music. This is part of our commitment to creating a rich multimedia world to explore. Please let us know what you think! (Does anyone have any guesses about what her story is about?)

I received a full-color digital printout of the interior pages, which looks fantastic. It’s not the final production version, but it's the first time I’ve been able to experience the dramatic page flips, and I love it.

I recorded a short thank you video on our Instagram, @horrible.future, and a glimpse at the proof of some of the book. Thank you for being among the first 1,000 people to enter this universe with us! 

Thanks, everyone! More exciting stuff to come!

We've launched and cleared the tower! An amazing start to our journey into the world of Black Box Chronicles!
over 1 year ago – Wed, May 17, 2023 at 10:36:28 AM

Dear Backers,

You rock! 

We achieved 600% of our funding goal in just one day! Not only that, but we reached our initial goal in under 20 minutes! And it's all thanks to YOU.

But that's not all... your continued support has begun to unlock STRETCH GOALS! 

All physical tiers will receive postcards by Sarah Baslaim and Christian DiBari! These are two exclusive "postcards" from our new sci-fi universe's travelers, each with custom artwork and in-world prose. (When we hit $50,000 it will unlock another postcard by Eisner-Winner Michael Avon Oeming!)

... and since there are over 500 of you? All backers will get a digital wallpaper pack of gorgeous artwork by some of the best artists in the industry too!

What can you do now? We enthusiastically (and humbly) ask you SPREAD THE WORD to anyone who might enjoy this anthology. Getting a brand new universe off the ground is a lot of work; you're part of this now!

From both the teams at Magnetic Press and Horrible Future, we extend our deepest gratitude. Your interest in Black Box Chronicles has been inspiring! We're dedicated to building out this universe of interconnected mysteries, locations, and characters.

Stay tuned, as this is just the beginning of The Great Outward Expansion!

With sincere gratitude,

- Mark Schey, Black Box Chronicles Co-Creator @Horrible Future

BONUS! 

Our insanely talented concept artist, Shane Molina, wanted to take a moment to thank all of you from his phone in Hawaii, where he's currently soaking up all the good vibes. He's absolutely stoked by the news of your amazing support!!!