Dark Planet Comics' 2025 Graphic Novels by Stephan Franck
Created by Dark Planet Comics
The ROMANCE IN THE AGE OF THE SPACE GOD stand alone graphic novella and the return of the Ringo Award-Nominee crime mystery PALOMINO
Latest Updates from Our Project:
PALOMINO VOL 6: behind the scenes – and convention update!
3 months ago
– Tue, Mar 03, 2026 at 11:31:27 AM
Hi Palomino riders,
Here’s a quick update as we ramp up towards the launch of the Palomino Volume 6 (of 6) campaign!
As always, not to bury the lede, CLICK HERE TO PREREGISTER if you haven’t yet! (We really need to maximize pre-regs in order to feel secure about the launch).
PALOMINO VOLUME 6 TRAILER PREVIEW
The campaign will start soon, and we thought it would be fun to let you in on the process of getting it ready. A key part is putting together the campaign trailer--a key aspect of which is picking the music.
So we have two contenders!
The firstversion features a Rumble-inspired piece that conveys the rough-and-tumbleness of Palomino and a sense of danger, as well as tipping its hat to the story’s western roots.
The second version has a dream-like, haunting quality–almost Lynchian vibe–AND predominantly features the pedal steel guitar as a lead instrument–the instrument that Eddie plays in the story, and a tip of the hat to the western country-rock sound of the era.
Let us know which one you think works best!
FIRST SCENE EXCLUSIVE
Leading up to the start of the campaign, we will also release the first scene of the final volume–page by page, with panel-by-panel commentary. MORE INFO ON THAT SOON!
EMERALD CITY COMIC CON!
First con of the year, and always one of the funnest shows on the circuit, ECCCC is happening this week! If you make it to Seattle, come visit the Dark Planet Comics booth (Booth 2204)! And by popular demand and on top of everything else, we are bringing awesome Dark Planet T-shirts not seen since the Before Times!
PALOMINO VOLUME 6 (of 6!) IS HERE!
4 months ago
– Wed, Jan 28, 2026 at 09:33:15 AM
Dear backer,
I hope this update finds you well and that you’re keeping your spirits up.
Rather than bury the lede, I’ll start here: the 6th and final volume of Palomino is here, bringing the story to its EPIC conclusion. You can register on the pre-launch page to be notified when the campaign goes live–and yes, all volumes will be available, so everyone can omnibus the heck out of Palomino.
Palomino has been an incredible journey, and I can’t thank you enough for being on it with me.
Over six years, six books, and 661 pages (!), these characters, their choices (some courageous and selfless, some truly rotten), and the ways they’ve changed, have been part of my daily creative life. Getting them over the finish line right was my number-one priority, and this finale is BIG, noir AF, reveals every secret and settles all scores.
I hope you will find this final chapter as thrilling and cathartic as I have, and that it will comfort you in the feeling that we live to fight another day.
See you on the page—
Stephan
A thank-you note--And a question!
6 months ago
– Mon, Nov 24, 2025 at 09:26:23 AM
Dear backers,
As we're heading into the holidays, let me send out a major THANK YOU to you all!
Since 2014, I've had the privilege of your readership and support, which made it possible for Silver, Rosalynd, Romance in the Age of The Space God, and Palomino to exist. By the time Palomino is done (100 pages into the inks of vol. 6 rn, so it will be soon), we'll be closing in on 1,400 pages of sequential storytelling! That's some serious body of work that we've accomplished together, and I am forever grateful.
And now a question!
I've come to realize that every story I write is a version of "noir". But what is noir, exactly? To me, it's way more than just Fedoras and Bunker Hill (as much as I love those things). I'm exploring that very question in this cool interview with best-selling author Jamie Harrison on the Superfan Signal Substackl. Here's the link.
I am pretty sure that you also have thoughts on NOIR--what it is... what it means... and what it means to you--so post your answers in the comments!
The very best to ya'll--
S
LA SIGNINGS, Palomino Vol. 6 update, and more...
7 months ago
– Mon, Nov 10, 2025 at 01:57:14 PM
Dear backer,
I am very excited to share that work on the 6th and final Palomino Volume is well underway--80 pages into the inks, and Christina's flats nipping at my heels! This story ends BIG, my friends. HUGE!!! MASSIVE!!! Can't wait to share it with you!
meanwhile...
We're having not one, but TWO signings in Los Angeles this Wednesday!
If you're in the area, come hangout--and let's face it, the holidays are just around the corner, so it might be time for GIFT COPIES! Seriously, what better gift that a signed copy of a graphic novel you love!
Signing #1: Wednesday Nov. 12 -- 11am-1pm --Collector's Paradise Pasadena, 319 S. Arroyo Parkway Unit 4 | Pasadena, CA 91105
Signing #2: Wednesday Nov. 12 -- 5-7pm --Collector's Paradise North Hollywood, 5118 Lankershim Blvd | North Hollywood, CA 91601
3000 miles and 5 time-zones away? Remember that our friends at Collector's Paradise offer pre-signed versions of these books year round and ship them around the world!
We're getting close to the end of the Palomino Vol 4 + 5 / Romance In The Age Of The Space God fulfillment! If you are one of the last few holdouts who haven't answered your survey yet, please consider doing so asap, and if your tier involved a commission, you should have received an email this morning!
Hang in there, my friends, and stay tuned!
October fulfillment update (and Palomino Volume 6 tease!)
8 months ago
– Fri, Oct 24, 2025 at 03:09:37 PM
Dear backer,
I hope this finds you well! I have a couple of updates for you!
Fulfillment:
Books: Happy to report that, except for the very few stragglers who haven't filled their surveys yet, all books have been shipped and should have been delivered by now. We have tracking numbers for all of them, so if your package is missing, let us know (after you've checked with other members of your household, who may have received it and inadvertently stashed it somewhere). If your survey is missing, look for an email from Backerkit, and if you can't find it, let us know.
Prints: We were slightly delayed, but they are all shipping on Monday.
Commissions: I will contact you very soon!
Palomino Volume 6 update!
Very happy to report that Palomino Vol 6 (the big finale) is well underway--I am 50 pages into the inks! It's hard to post anything that isn't a mega spoiler at this point, so I will just tease this inconspicuous panel.
