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:
First production Update!
9 months ago
– Mon, Jul 07, 2025 at 10:47:42 AM
Dear backer, How about a production update?
Printer has the files!
Happy to report that all the books were sent on the printer on 6/28. That includes the two new Palomino Vol 4 & 5, the reprint of Romance In The Age Of The Space God (which includes a few extra goodies from the first edition), and a reprint of Palomino Volume 1, whose first run is almost sold out.
Next steps? Now that printing is chugging along, we'll be setting up our fulfillment process. The next update will be a heads up before we send the surveys to make sure you don't miss them.
Timing wise, we were originally hoping to have the books ready to ship by end of July, but things have shifted just a little bit, so we should receive them in the second half of August.
Process stuff for the geeks!
My approach to Kickstarter has always been to come to the backers with a book once the material has already been created. That way, you won't have to wait too long to get your books, and it's also easier for us to represent the material accurately, since it is a finished project.
But, people often ask, what are the steps involved between "finished pages" and the files being with the printer? That's when we enter the shadowy world of pre-press, and here's a little peak inside that seldom talked about part of the process.
Final edits: From script, to layout, to finial inks, to color, I refine storytelling, and in particular dialog, many times along the way. It's a living, evolving process. Then, at the end, usually while the campaign is running, the pages go to my editor Jeff Marsick, who not only proofreads, but also comes up with great suggestions that always improve the read. That can range from punctuation, to removing a line of dialog, to breaking down balloons differently, to bolding the right word... all the things that are part and parcel of the comic book-reading experience.
Prepress: People draw comics on all sorts of medium or apps. I personally draw in Clip Studio and color in Photoshop. However, most books are put together in In-Design. That is pretty much an industry standard, so this is where the book is assembled (and also where I do the lettering). The final step here is the infamous pre-press, which is basically the black art of exporting a PDF out of In-Design that will be sent to the printer and that will print correctly.
Color Separations 1: Unlike pictures on a screen that are purely made of light, printed images are physical objects made of inks, so the perception of color is created through a completely different physical process. That's why, while the files on the computer are created in RGB mode, they need to be converted to a CMYK color profile (the four letters represented the 4 color inks that will be used in the printing process). That process is called color separation, and to do it, I use an automation that I got from the amazing Brian and Kristy Miller, from their book Hi Fi Coloring for comic, which is to me the essential book on the subject.
Color Separations 2: The thing is, there is a multitude of different CMYK color profiles, so it's important to work with the same color profile that the printer uses, so that the files print as intended. While you can always convert the files to a different profile, I like them to only have one degree of separation from the original RGB, at least when they leave my desk. So in this particular case, I redid all the color separations in the updated color profile.
Prepress--down in the weeds: This is the final run through of every single element in the book--every single balloon, text element, etc... needs to be checked to make sure it has the correct settings. One of the biggest rookie mistake is the mis-use or accidental use of the Overprint setting. This has to do with the fact that a light color will not print over a darker color, so elements need the right settings, or disaster will ensue. That's why pre-press is the most nerve-wracking step in the entire process for me, because it's all stuff that I learned on my own by trial and error (mostly error).
There you have it, this is what happens between the point when we say "the material has already been created", and the book finally shipping to the printer! Needless to say, it's been a busy few weeks!
Talk to you soon--
Stephan
Thank you!!!
10 months ago
– Fri, Jun 06, 2025 at 11:56:10 AM
Thank you dear backer!
Whether you're a long-time fan or first-time landing on the Dark Planet, it is my honor to share these stories with you, and I can't wait for you to have these books in your hands (and/or on your screens!)
As always, we will keep you updated throughout the process of getting these books printed and delivered!
We've been building something here!
The earliest backers have been reading our books since 2013. Twelve years and seven campaigns later, we have been on a journey together, and we have been building something. To say that it takes a sense of mission to be an independent storyteller is an understatement, but I also know that you might be feeling it to, because, let's face it, in our highly consolidated cultural reality, no one consistently commits to independent books until they find something a little bit special in them too. Something that you strongly feel needs to exist in the culture.
That is why it has meant the world to me that a certain narrative started to organically emerge from this campaign's press coverage--the idea that, to only quote Boing Boing, we've been "quietly building one of the most interesting catalog in indy comics."
Thats is awesomely validating, and the world "we" is important because, it can't be said enough, this could not be happening without you.
But there's one word I could do without in that quote: "quietly".
And the simple truth is the ability to make this whole thing less "quiet" is in your hands, and in your hands only.
So if you believe that more folks need to hear about these books, please post, tell your friends, tell random strangers at the carwash... Because we don't have a billion dollar megaphone here.
What we have is you!
Thank you again for traveling this storytelling road with us! Talk soon and best!
And because we practice what we preach, here are other works from friends and colleagues to put on your radar!
Needing no introduction: the incredible new volume from my pal Joe Benitez with a story from also my pal in the indy trenches, Madeleine Holly-Rosing. It's just fantastically fun!!! https://www.kickstarter.com/.../lady-mechanika-the...
Who is the enigmatic Man In Black? What mysterious source fuels his unstoppable power? What Dark Vendetta compels him to eradicate every super-powered being? From creator Vince Sunico and the legendary editor Terry Kavanagh, HEROES BE DAMNED is where THE BOYS meet SPAWN, told with the savage energy of FIST OF THE NORTH STAR and BERSERK, all delivered with the bone-crushing spectacle of a WWE steel cage match! The Kickstarter campaign is live! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/247comics/heroes-be-damned-by-vince-sunico-and-return-of-terry-kavanaugh?ref=8quju9
SECRET COMMISSION TIERS -- LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN!!!!
11 months ago
– Tue, May 20, 2025 at 11:42:20 AM
Oof, those Secret Tiers, (which we need to unfortunately use for commissions, because otherwise, the scammers immediately jump on them), are proving to be a little hard to wrangle.
Anyone interested in the secret commission tiers, just DM me through the campaign and I will send you the links!
Thank you!
Stephan
SECRET COMMISSION TIERS -- CORRECTION
11 months ago
– Tue, May 20, 2025 at 10:49:28 AM
OOPS!
Quick correction: you only need one link to access all secret tiers--here is the correct one!
So here's the full update again, this time, with feelings!
Dear backer!
Thank you for getting us past our original goal right before the weekend!
The press has been fantastic since the beginning of this campaign, and I wanted to share with you this great Bleeding Cool article, which has an exclusive run of pages! Check it out!
SECRET COMMISSIONS TIERS!
As you know by now, these campaigns are the only times when I get to do commissions!
-Tier 1: 11x17 - one character and limited background or another partial character
-Tier 2: 13x19 - two full characters and some background elements
-Tier 3: 19 x 26 - two or three full characters and full background
There are very few spots available, so grab them while you can!
FAQ: To add a commission to an original pledge, DO NOT change your original pledge, as the commissions are NOT add-ons. Instead, create a second pledge just for the commission tier.
Here's a tier#1 from the last campaign (surprise, surprise, it's everybody's favorite giant):
And here are old Tier 3 favorites!
A RECOMENDATION
"What else, is cool? What else is NOIR?" you ask! Check out this great project from our friends!
Kevin Shinick used to have all the answers. Before he was an acclaimed comic writer on titles like W.E.B. of Spider-Man and The Flash, before he was an Emmy Award-winning writer on Robot Chicken, before he was a bestselling novelist (Star Wars: Force Collector), before he was an Annie award-winning producer (MAD), Kevin Shinick had all the answers — as the TV gameshow host of Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego? Now Shinick is writing Host Mortem, an all-new tongue-in-cheek, time travel metafiction mystery in which he appears (as himself!), along with Greg Lee (the host of Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?). When the two former gameshow hosts are transported to the year 1947 by a time portal at Comic-Con, they find themselves enmeshed in a murder mystery involving Humphrey Bogart’s legendary noir film The Big Sleep. When one of the stars winds up dead, Kevin and Greg’s knowledge of random trivia might be the key to solving this Hollywood caper. The graphic novel is now on Kickstarter.
This one-of-a-kind thriller is illustrated by Damien Torres (Marvel Crisis Protocol) and Andrea Schiavone (Gangsters Versus Nazis), colored by Pippa Bowland (Judge Dredd, Project Cryptid), and lettered by Taylor Esposito (Red Hood and The Outlaws). The one-of-a-kind book will also feature covers from beloved Batman and Dracula: The Impaler artist Kelley Jones, Tony Foti, Timothy Anderson, and Damien Torres.
News, and SECRET COMMISSION TIERS!
11 months ago
– Tue, May 20, 2025 at 10:26:19 AM
Dear backer!
Thank you for getting us past our original goal right before the weekend!
The press has been fantastic since the beginning of this campaign, and I wanted to share with you this great Bleeding Cool article, which has an exclusive run of pages! Check it out!
SECRET COMMISSIONS TIERS!
As you know by now, these campaigns are the only times when I get to do commissions!
-Tier 1: 11x17 - one character and limited background or another partial character
-Tier 2: 13x19 - two full characters and some background elements
-Tier 3: 19 x 26 - two or three full characters and full background
There are very few spots available, so grab them while you can!
FAQ: To add a commission to an original pledge, DO NOT change your original pledge, as the commissions are NOT add-ons. Instead, create a second pledge just for the commission tier.
Here's a tier#1 from the last campaign (surprise, surprise, it's everybody's favorite giant):
And here are old Tier 3 favorites!
A RECOMENDATION
"What else, is cool? What else is NOIR?" you ask! Check out this great project from our friends!
Kevin Shinick used to have all the answers. Before he was an acclaimed comic writer on titles like W.E.B. of Spider-Man and The Flash, before he was an Emmy Award-winning writer on Robot Chicken, before he was a bestselling novelist (Star Wars: Force Collector), before he was an Annie award-winning producer (MAD), Kevin Shinick had all the answers — as the TV gameshow host of Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego? Now Shinick is writing Host Mortem, an all-new tongue-in-cheek, time travel metafiction mystery in which he appears (as himself!), along with Greg Lee (the host of Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?). When the two former gameshow hosts are transported to the year 1947 by a time portal at Comic-Con, they find themselves enmeshed in a murder mystery involving Humphrey Bogart’s legendary noir film The Big Sleep. When one of the stars winds up dead, Kevin and Greg’s knowledge of random trivia might be the key to solving this Hollywood caper. The graphic novel is now on Kickstarter.
This one-of-a-kind thriller is illustrated by Damien Torres (Marvel Crisis Protocol) and Andrea Schiavone (Gangsters Versus Nazis), colored by Pippa Bowland (Judge Dredd, Project Cryptid), and lettered by Taylor Esposito (Red Hood and The Outlaws). The one-of-a-kind book will also feature covers from beloved Batman and Dracula: The Impaler artist Kelley Jones, Tony Foti, Timothy Anderson, and Damien Torres.
