From the writer of the critically acclaimed Plainer Jane comes THE GHOST SYSTEM. A dark dystopian cyberpunk vision set in Manchester, 2045.

 Manchester, 2045. A small loss leads to a city under siege.

Welcome to THE GHOST SYSTEM. A gripping cyberpunk thriller from the writer of Plainer Jane.

The book follows the story of Soro, an isolated young man hiding from his broken past, and the dangerous international hacker collective The Ghost System as both sides are brought together in a battle for survival and dominance.

Pushed to the edges of his own sanity and forced to fight on two fronts, Soro wages war on a gang of robbers who attack him in his home; And against a bigger, more sinister, and much more personal enemy.

The Ghost System is a dystopian vision of the future. It's a world where artificial intelligence is commonplace, and where the rich and powerful control everything. But it's also a world where ordinary people are fighting back.

FORMAT: A four issue mini series. Standard US comic size, 28 pages (approx) per issue, full colour. Written and created by David Wilburn, art by Rafael Romeo Magat, lettering by Tim West, covers by Clark Bint, colours by Linda Scott Campbell, variant covers by John Charles. Printed and distributed by Comix Well Spring in the US and Canada, and Mixam Print in the UK, Europe and ROW.

This campaign is running simultaneously here and on Kickstarter, where there are several stretch goals. All stretch goals from there will be provided to people who back the campaign here!

Reviews for my previous book, Plainer Jane:

The Pullbox (Full Review)

• "This is a beautifully written & wonderfully illustrated comic book series.”
• "Well crafted & put together with love and care."
• "Another winning ingredient comes from the heavily shadowed art by Samir Simao. Done mainly in black & white, with splashes of red as appropriate, Simao carries on where David Wilburn’s narrative leaves off. The characters are dark & brooding where needed, bright & sunny as called for."
• "This is easily one of the more professionally produced books I’ve run across."

Comical Opinions ( Full Review )

• “David Wilburn’s hard-hitting finale delivers dramatic tension, violence, and a status quo change that begs for more”
• “The plot development is impressively believable”

Set The Tape (Full Reviews HERE and HERE )

• "Plainer Jane is definitely worth checking out."
• "4/5 Stars"
• "The Plainer Jane series has been a really interesting book, one that has been weaving a story that has been getting more complex and layered as it's been progressing, and it really feels like its building towards something big now."
• "...might just become one of your most anticipated books"
• "With just one issue left of the series the book is really ramping up the tension and building to what promises to be an explosive, and likely bloody, end. However it ends, whatever fate Jane finds for herself, I’m very much looking forward to seeing the conclusion."

Comic Book News ( Full Review )

• “…it’s Plainer Jane we should all be reading”
• “David shows with this issue that not only can he create an engrossing lead character with a wealth of narrative background, but he can also set up a most intriguing affair and hard-driven story that I’ve fully bought into.”
• “Expertly executed art”
• “A captivating character in an engrossing world.”
• “5/5”

Howie's World of Comics ( Full Review )

• "5 Stars (Highly recommended)"
• "A professionally written story with stylised art that will leave you wanting more."
• "I dived into the world of crime as promised with a character that I was far too easy to relate to for my liking."
• "One of the best independent comics on the market."
• "5 Stars (Highly Recommended)."

Indie Comics Dispatch ( Full Review )

• "… quirky, dark, fun, and well-written."
• "… one of those series that you know BOOM Studios, IDW, or even Image would do well to sign to their label."
• "Plainer Jane is a breath of fresh air in the indie comic scene."
• "… weaves Jane’s daily life, murderous nights, and sociopathic nature together perfectly!"

3 Million Years Later (Full Reviews HERE and HERE)

• "This is an excellent read, and we are waiting for the final issue!"
• "Broken Face Comics have an excellent story on their hands and it takes you deeper into the world in this issue."
• "This is a series worth jumping on, taking some brilliant ideas and a well thought out story."
• “The art is excellent”
• "Plainer Jane continues to be a wild ride."
• "The art continues to work really well – there are some interesting moments, both during a murder and during the more ‘mundane’ scenes where things really draw you into the world. "

Comics Anonymous ( Full Review )

• "The art is just as impressive as it was in that opening issue"
• "Dark, sinister, and yet surprisingly well balanced"
• "This has all the traits of a series that combines two worlds that feel natural when they really shouldn’t."
• "A series that feels like it’s got a strong sense of direction from it’s entire creative team."
• "…it’s easy to see the details in the stark black & white art….which makes things all the more intense."

David Wilburn (Writer, creator): After spending 20 years working as a Guinness World Record breaking escapologist, sword swallower, and stuntman (David Straitjacket, look me up!), I decided to return to my first loves, music and comics. I began publishing my last book during the pandemic (the critically acclaimed Plainer Jane, being published by Red 5) and am now thoroughly addicted to the creation of fantastic comics.

Tim West (Logos, lettering, print layout): Tim has been working in indie comics for over a decade. Designing amazing logos, writing, lettering, editing, blogging, and more. He has published his own book, 'Get Woke', as well as the indie anthology Killer Bytes. He also teaches comic book lettering and design via his youtube channel.

Rafael Romeo Magat (Sequential art): Winner of the Mad Cave Studios Talent Search, Rafael is a Filipino artist with a detailed, emotive style, armed with a strong sense of pace and storytelling. He has drawn short stories for 3 anthologies (Jill Trent, 5 from Beyond, and The Prison of Arnold Neil) and has been regularly published in the UK FutureQuake anthology. Rafael was also one of the winners of Talenthouse's creative brief for the film Birds of Prey. In his spare time, Rafael enjoys drowning his sorrows with Korean dramas and the NBA.

Clark Bint (Covers, character design): Clark is a Bournemouth based comic artist, most known for Killtopia, Frank At Home On The Farm and Heavy Metal's Cyberarchy. His high-energy but naturalistic style is telling of his inspirations from Frank Quitely and Richard Corben, to classic 2000AD and even Goya. When he's not working, he can be found exploring cities, coasts, or being the cool uncle to many local pets.

Linda Scott Campbell (Colours): Linda loves using colour to help bring to life the worlds built by the writer and the artist. She lives the west coast life on beautiful Vancouver Island, Canada along with her family and crazy golden retriever. Her published works include Project I.M.P.A.C.T., No Service, The New Amsterdam Game, and Everything is Different Now.

John Charles (variant cover): He’s been a graphic designer for Trident Comics, drawn/digitally painted covers and illustrated some Future Shocks for 2000AD, provided cover art for Antarctic Press, IDW, and 2000AD as well as colouring Spectacular Spider-Man for Panini UK’s Marvel Heroes comic. Most recently, he’s been a regular colourist on Sinister Dexter and Judge Dredd for 2000AD. John likes custard and Bakewell tarts and beetroot and jacket potatoes, amongst other things. Oh, he is also the co-creator of the fantastic Technofreak from Sunday Lunch Comics!

I am UK based, so rewards will be printed by Mixam and shipped from the UK except in the case of US and Canadian backers who will have their rewards printed and shipped from within the US by Comix Well Spring.

All rewards will be well packed and shipped quickly! The printing specifications are 24 - 28 pages per issue in standard US comic book size (more if stretch goals are hit).

Everything will be sent using quality packaging. I have spent the last 5 years running a mail order record company so I am very experienced in order packing and fulfilment.