MINI UPDATE: DWELLINGS VOL. 6 IS OFF TO PRESS AND SHIPPING LATER IN OCTOBER. PREORDERS ARE NOW CLOSED. ORDER FROM BLACKEYE.CA OR FIND AT YOUR LOCAL SHOP LATER THIS MONTH.
OUR MAIN CAMPAIGN IS OVER, AND OUR STRETCH GOAL QUANTITIES ARE LOCKED -- BUT YOU CAN STILL PRE-ORDER DWELLINGS 1-6 FOR A LIMITED TIME! (STRETCH GOAL GOODIES WILL STILL BE INCLUDED WITH THE CHILLING COLLECTOR PLEDGE LEVEL)
Jay Stephens' dual passions for horror and mid-century kids' comics comes full circle with this final, self-contained tale of adorable-looking shock and revulsion. Dwellings Vol. 6: 'Undergrowth' explores the cold, black, core of what this series of disturbing tales has been scratching at all along: innocent horror and the horror of innocence—that familiar horror from within.
This cute-as-hell story explores the lingering effects of trauma, botanophobia, the bad influence of toxic alpha-kids, self-mutilation, and unsolved murder. Once again drawn in a vintage, retro-cute style to most perfectly invoke the half-remembered terrors of youth; pulling readers in close with an expectation and comfort that makes the frantic bursts of bloody tragedies all the more and shocking and disturbing.
The fictional town of Elwich is based on quiet places in Southern Ontario, Canada, where Jay grew up, and continues to dwell. Hilly river towns that grew too slowly for most of the old stone to have been replaced by modern architecture. Where a short walk with your dog takes you past the park gazebo, the farmers market, and the church bazaar, over the river on an historically designated bridge, and home along winding streets lined with ancient trees. Peaceful places where secrets are easier to hide, and dark histories blissfully forgotten.
In Dwellings vol. 6, 'Undergrowth', the hushed horrors that took root long ago will be unearthed.
* * *
Dwellings Vol. 6 will be printed for a September release as a 36 page, full-colour, stapled comic book with uncoated interior paper and a glossy cover, just like the comics that inspired it. For mature readers only.
WINNER of the Doug Wright “Pigskin Peters” Award for Best Small Press Comic
“Dwellings is like Lynchian horror as a Saturday Morning Cartoon... an absolute delight. Probably the most fun I've had while flinching squeamishly on the edge of my seat in quite some time (yes really).”— Boing Boing
“(A) bloody ode to Harvey Comics and the rot that lives beneath suburbia.”—Smash Pages
“Dwellings is one of my favorite current comic books, and without a doubt my favorite horror comic of the current genre ‘boom.’”—Stephen R. Bissette, Saga of the Swamp Thing, Taboo
“Dwellings is just utterly wild, and I love it!” —WWE Wrestler Tegan Nox
“Sometimes you just need a self-contained story, even if it eventually ties into a much bigger theme or plot... (Dwellings) offers a series of southern Ontario horror tales drawn in a vintage comic style that is both cute and terrifying.”—The Comics Beat
“…a masterful job… I couldn’t be more impressed with the art and storytelling.” —Seth, Clyde Fans, Palookaville
“For my money, the most engaging funnybook out there right now is ol’ Jay Stephens’ Dwellings.” —Phil Hester, Swamp Thing, Green Arrow
“Jay Stephens’ Dwellings wonderfully mixes glorious and gorgeous old school cartooning with a sinister underbelly, creating a comic unlike anything else out there. Highly recommended!” —Jeff Lemire, Sweet Tooth, Black Hammer, Little Monsters
Stretch Goal #3: Mini Movie Poster
Stretch Goal #2 Unlocked: EC Comics Variant Cover Postcard & Cover Raffle
Stretch Goal #1 Unlocked: Limited Edition
2-Colour Risograph Print
Get the Little Horror Flicks Postcards!
The seeds of Dwellings are in these Little Horror Flicks postcards that Jay has been creating over the years. For Vol. 6, we have on offer another set of six postcards, inspired by his favourite horror films. Get yours with the Creepy Correspondent pledge level and above.
The set of six new postcards from the Little
Horror Flicks Postcard Set for Dwellings Vol. 6.
Included with the Creepy Correspondent, Chilling
Collector, and Fearsome Fanatic pledge levels.
Dwellings Vol. 6 Original Art!
Want to own some of the original production artwork for Dwellings Vol. 6? Pledge at the Chilling Collector or Fearsome Fanatic level, and you can own either original pencil art (8 1/2 x 11"), or inked blue-line pages (two 11 x 8 1/2" sheets).
Above: Original pencil production art from Dwellings Vol. 6 (one 8 1/2 x 11 page, portrait)
Above: Original ink production art from Dwellings Vol. 6 (two 8 1/2 x 11 landscape pages)
A little bit about Jay…
Jay Stephens is a Canadian cartoonist and illustrator currently living in Guelph, Ontario. He is best known as the creator of Discovery Kids’s animated television series Tutenstein, Cartoon Network’s The Secret Saturdays , and the Jetcat animated shorts for Nickelodeon's anthology series, KaBlam!. Aside from his work in animation, Jay is recognized for several comic book projects, including SIN , The Land of Nod , Atomic City Tales, and Jetcat Clubhouse, and has written and drawn for licensed properties such as Alien, Star Wars, Felix the Cat, and Teen Titans. Jay is the creator of the comic strips, Oddville! , Chick & Dee (in Chickadee magazine), Xtra-curricular and Arrowhead (in OWL magazine), and (with writer Bob Weber Jr.) the daily newspaper strip Oh, Brother!. Jay’s recent collection Dejects (2019) compiles nearly thirty years worth of hitherto uncollected works, and Jetcat and Friends (2021) features all the adventures of his all ages character Jetcat. His most recent project, the ongoing anthology horror series Dwellings, launched in 2020.
…and about Black Eye Books:
From 1993–1998, Black Eye Books, published such notable cartoonists as Jay Stephens (The Land of Nod, Atomic City Tales), Nick Craine (Dance Me Outside), Jason Lutes (Jar of Fools, Berlin), Tom Hart (The Sands), Jeremy Eaton (World of Trouble), Matt Madden (Black Candy), James Kochalka (Quit Your Job), Ed Brubaker (Lowlife), Brian Biggs (Dear Julia), and New Zealand's Dylan Horrocks (Pickle, Hicksville).
Relaunched in 2019 by publisher Michel Vrana, Black Eye Books continues its pursuit of publishing eclectic and engaging stories told in the form of words and pictures.
Products
- 19 ordered
- 1 remaining
One original page of pencilled production art from the issue, the postcards, a signed copy of Dwellings Vol. 6, and the digital edition. Selection of artwork will occur at the end of the campaign. Includes stretch goal bonuses.
- 6 ordered
- 0 remaining
A single page of inked production artwork (corresponding to a half-page of the printed page), the postcards, a signed copy of Dwellings Vol. 6, and the digital edition. Selection of artwork will occur at the end of the campaign. Includes crowdfunding stretch goals.
- 20 ordered
- 0 remaining
One set of two pages of inked production art from the issue, the postcards, a signed copy of Dwellings Vol. 6, and the digital edition. Selection of artwork will occur at the end of the campaign. Includes stretch goal bonuses.
- 6 ordered
Includes digital edition · A copy of Dwellings Vol. 1: "They Know". Reprint edition. A secretive young man named John Allan finds his conscience tested by an increasingly larger murder of crows that follow him after a sudden, violent, incident
- 6 ordered
Includes digital edition · A copy of Dwellings Vol. 2 "Second Tongue". Reprint edition. The internal conflict between the rational and the supernatural becomes deadly, as a science-minded stranger to town investigates a case of Foreign Accent Syndrome.
- 7 ordered
Includes digital edition · A copy of Dwellings Vol. 3: "Quiet, Suki!" reprint edition. When her grandmother mysteriously vanishes from a long term care home, and the staff deny she ever existed, Charlie Ouilette's only clue to discovering the truth is her grandmother's toy handpuppet, Suki.
- 10 ordered
Includes digital edition · A copy of Dwellings Vol. 4: "Being of Sound Mind", reprint edition. A GenZ trio turns a local factory into an "Amusement Haunt" using infrasound to generate natural terror, while a local reporter tries to debunk ghostly gossip before believers get hurt.
- 24 ordered
Includes digital edition · A copy of Dwellings Vol. 5: "Pester's Call", reprint edition. David Lynch meets Little Dot in this disarming and disturbing journey through human trafficking, dismemberment, muderous police, and the curse of a vengeful clown.
Highlights
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FAQ
Have a question that's not answered below? Reach out via the 'contact campaign' link at the top of the page (below the social media icon bar) and let us know how we can help!
1. How do I edit or cancel my pledge?
Please click 'Contact Campaign' on the main page and your request will be taken care of. Right not it's not possible to manage your pledges yourself, but it is on the roadmap for an update to Fundrazr in the future.
2. When will I be charged?
On campaigns with an 'all or nothing' goal (like this one), your pledge will be collected once the campaign is successfully funded and complete. On campaigns that are marked as 'keep it all', funds will be collected immediately at the time of your pledge.
3. I'm in the EU. Do you collect VAT? Will there be import fees?
Fundrazr doesn't have the ability to collect VAT. If you're pledging from the European Union, please visit go.blackeye.ca/etsy and send a message with your desired rewards and a custom order will be built for you, VAT will be collected at the time of purchase and you will avoid costly import fees.
4. I'm in the EU and already made a pledge here, will I be billed twice?
Don't worry. Your pledge won't be collected here. You'll receive a message about paying via Etsy for your rewards. The good news is your pledge will count towards stretch goals and our total raised!
5. How will my copy ship?
Comics are packed with bags and boards, and shipped flat in protective stayflat mailers. Shipment will be via Canada Post within Canada, USPS in the USA, and either via APC or PostNL internationally. Canadian, US, EU and most international destinations will also be fully traceable with a tracking number provided via email when shipment occurs.
6. I selected local pickup, how does that work?
When your rewards are ready, you'll be alerted by email to come pick them up at the Black Eye Books studio. We're in the east end of Toronto near the Chester TTC station. If at the time of pickup, you cannot come get your reward, we can arrange to ship your reward to you.
7. Do you have retailer tiers available?
Rather than have set tiers for retailers, we prefer to offer retailers the opportunity to order custom quantities via our retail portal. If you've signed up for our portal already, once our project is fully funded, preorder copies will be available there. For access to our retailer portal sign up at: www.blackeye.ca/retailer-signup or click on 'contact campaign' to get in touch.
8. I've selected a tier with original artwork, do I get to select which artwork I want?
Once pledges have been collected, all backers with artwork will be given access to the gallery where they will be able to select their artwork. Information about when the gallery goes live will be provided ahead of time.
9. Don't see all your contributions?
If you weren't signed in to FundRazr when you made a contribution, it won't appear in Your contributions.
To show a missing contribution:
- In your email inbox, find the confirmation email from FundRazr for the contribution.
- In the email, locate and click the edit link for the contribution.
- Make sure that you are signed in to FundRazr.
- Update your contribution details.
- Save your changes.
The missing contribution will then appear in Your contributions.
- 19 ordered
- 1 remaining
One original page of pencilled production art from the issue, the postcards, a signed copy of Dwellings Vol. 6, and the digital edition. Selection of artwork will occur at the end of the campaign. Includes stretch goal bonuses.
- 6 ordered
- 0 remaining
A single page of inked production artwork (corresponding to a half-page of the printed page), the postcards, a signed copy of Dwellings Vol. 6, and the digital edition. Selection of artwork will occur at the end of the campaign. Includes crowdfunding stretch goals.
- 20 ordered
- 0 remaining
One set of two pages of inked production art from the issue, the postcards, a signed copy of Dwellings Vol. 6, and the digital edition. Selection of artwork will occur at the end of the campaign. Includes stretch goal bonuses.
- 6 ordered
Includes digital edition · A copy of Dwellings Vol. 1: "They Know". Reprint edition. A secretive young man named John Allan finds his conscience tested by an increasingly larger murder of crows that follow him after a sudden, violent, incident
- 6 ordered
Includes digital edition · A copy of Dwellings Vol. 2 "Second Tongue". Reprint edition. The internal conflict between the rational and the supernatural becomes deadly, as a science-minded stranger to town investigates a case of Foreign Accent Syndrome.
- 7 ordered
Includes digital edition · A copy of Dwellings Vol. 3: "Quiet, Suki!" reprint edition. When her grandmother mysteriously vanishes from a long term care home, and the staff deny she ever existed, Charlie Ouilette's only clue to discovering the truth is her grandmother's toy handpuppet, Suki.
- 10 ordered
Includes digital edition · A copy of Dwellings Vol. 4: "Being of Sound Mind", reprint edition. A GenZ trio turns a local factory into an "Amusement Haunt" using infrasound to generate natural terror, while a local reporter tries to debunk ghostly gossip before believers get hurt.
- 24 ordered
Includes digital edition · A copy of Dwellings Vol. 5: "Pester's Call", reprint edition. David Lynch meets Little Dot in this disarming and disturbing journey through human trafficking, dismemberment, muderous police, and the curse of a vengeful clown.
