Today, Clover Press launched the Kickstarter for Till Death, a new original graphic novel from Armored writer and co-creator Michael Schwartz, screenwriter Rachael Schaefer, and illustrator Gaia Cardinali. Already successfully backed on Kickstarter, we have all the details on the upcoming OGN and a look at the glow-in-the-dark prints offered as part of the campaign.
From the Press Release: Till Death is a ghostly romantic horror-comedy that’s part The Frighteners and part Harold and Maude. Vivian has spent decades as a restless spirit, waiting for her husband to join her in the afterlife. But when she learns her husband is buried in another cemetery across the country, her forever-after falls apart. Enter Mack, a troubled man who has a near-death experience, giving him the ability to see ghosts. Now Vivian has convinced him to carry her bones across the country to reunite with her husband—but breaking the laws of the afterlife isn’t without its consequences as relentless reapers are hot on their trail.
The Kickstarter campaign features both a standard hardcover edition and a Kickstarter-exclusive hardcover edition housed in a clear acetate slipcase featuring a stunning cover by Eisner Award-winning artist Tula Lotay. The 192-page book will also include a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the comic, chapter-break artwork by Armored cover artist Matthew Therrien, and a bonus art gallery featuring work by Francesco Tomaselli, Jeff Dickson, Suspiria Vilchez, Emilia Strilchuk, Fell Hound, and more.
“Rachael and I first came up with Till Death years ago on a road trip across the United States,” explains Michael. “We spent a lot of that trip going on ghost tours, which led us to a personal question. What would happen if one of us died much earlier than the other, and the living partner moved on and remarried? What would that be like for the one who did not get to move on? That question became the heart of this story.”
“While I was adapting a graphic novel for television with Netflix, I started seeing Till Death in a new light,” Rachael said. “It felt like the perfect story for a graphic novel, allowing us to tell it exactly as we envisioned through a rich visual medium. Once the script was finished, we knew we needed the right artist, and Gaia Cardinali delivered. Her striking depictions of the American landscape create a strong sense of place while beautifully balancing the story’s darker themes with humor.”
“We’re big fans of Michael Schwartz at Clover Press, and when he pitched us on this new graphic novel, we took a half second to say YES.” said Clover Press Publisher Hank Kanalz. “He and Rachael Schaefer make a great writing team, and Gaia Cardinali brings the story to hauntingly beautiful life.”
SYNOPSIS:
Vivian died in a horrific car crash in the 1960s and has spent decades as a restless spirit, waiting at her gravesite for her husband so they can ascend together. When another woman is buried in his plot, she spirals into despair. Everything changes when Mack, a troubled man who survives a skydiving accident, gains the ability to see ghosts. Bound to her remains, Vivian persuades him to exhume her bones, and they embark on a cross-country search for her husband. But in doing so, they break a sacred afterlife rule, unleashing reapers determined to right afterlife wrongs.
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Take a look at the prints and their glow-in-the-dark versions below. To learn more and support the campaign, visit: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cloverpress/till-death-graphic-novel?ref=4eb6dr
- Jeff Dickson (x2) – Print 1 & 2
- Fell Hound – Print 3
- Emilia Strilchuk – Print 4
- Suspiria Vilchez – Print 5
- Matthew Therrien – Print 6
- Gaia Cardinali – Print 7
- Francesco Tomaseli – Print 8
