Dark Fragments
Good horror fiction is like an awesome roller-coaster. It's both terrifying and exciting at the same time. Once you're strapped in, you have no choice but to surrender to the journey. Sure, the rational part of your brain will tell you that it's all 'on rails' and will eventually come to an end - but all the disappears when you hit that first surprising corner; your gut drops, and you hear the screams from those around you.
Horror and dark fiction have been close to my heart ever since I was a kid. I believe they're both reflective genres, holding a mirror to society and revealing who we really are, rather than who we think we are.
Most of my stories - whether overt or not - are horror stories; they force people to confront a terrifying realization about themselves, usually while trying to stay one step ahead of a monster. Sometimes these monsters are supernatural, and sometimes they're far scarier: other people.
I began to put this book together in the early (lockdown) stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was having trouble sleeping, my anxiety was off the charts, and I was scared of the uncertainty about what was going to happen. I needed an outlet for some of the dark thoughts percolating in my brain, and as I began sketching out some ideas, I realized they would work as short comic stories.
Each story was tonally different, and it seemed a no-brainer to work with different artists to bring each one to life. Once I realized that, I knew the book needed to be an anthology in the vein of Creepshow, or Murder Book. I put these new stories together with a couple of existing tales, and also decided that I would letter and design as much of the book as possible. I wanted to push myself creatively, and that seemed a good way to do it.
The book was finally assembled in early 2021, and I was really happy with how it turned out - but I was so focused on the creative side that I didn't know what to do with it. I did an interview with Fanbase Press, but that was as far as it went. I did offer the book as a reward incentive for my Acausal comic series, and sold any over-prints at cons, but that was it.
I finished the book, but didn't make it easily available.
Until now.
About the book
This is a 32-page comic book anthology featuring seven tales of terror written by me, and drawn by a slew of incredible creators including Juan Romera, Lawrence Denvir, Ariel Viola, Tyler Carpenter, Juha Veltti, and Francine Delgado.
Featuring: a supernatural motorbike with a thirst for blood; a tormented voodoo doll seeking revenge on their owner; a man driven mad by the buzzing of a housefly, and other twisted tales.
The story lineup is:
Thirstwith Juan Romera
Freelance with Tyler Carpenter
Recursion with Juha Veltti
Illumination with John Ward
Silent Killer with Lawrence Denvir
Contrition with Ariel Viola
Worst Case Scenario with John Ward
Dark Fragments was voted 3rd best Canadian comic of 2021/2022 by the folks at Sequential Magazine!
Check out some of the incredible artwork below: first up, here's a page from "Thirst," drawn by Juan Romera.
The artwork below is from "Freelance," by Tyler Carpenter.
Below is a GIF of the process art for a page from "Contrition," drawn and coloured by Ariel Viola.
About the 2023 edition
As I already mentioned, Dark Fragments was previously available as a reward for backing Acausal comic on Kickstarter - or directly from me at conventions. That version was compiled in 2021 and was 24 pages.
This is a new - and larger - printing of the book, with extra material and a new variant cover, but still printed on high-quality gloss paper stock.
About the campaign
The book is 100% complete and ready to print on high-quality paper stock as soon as the campaign is over.
There is one digital edition of the book, perfect for those of you who don't want to pay for shipping - especially if you're overseas.
The book is also available in two print editions: one with the standard cover by Francine Delgado, and one with the new "fragment" variant cover. Printing will begin once the campaign is finished, and fulfillment will be done once the books have been printed (through Comic Impressions).
You can also order an awesome FOIL version of the standard cover (printed by Comic Impressions), and for those looking for something truly unique, you can get all three books for a special price in the collector's tier.
What is the funding for?
Funding is needed to pay for the printing, packing, shipping and handling. This will be a limited print run based on orders placed during the campaign, so if you want to get your hands on a signed, physical copy, this may be your only chance to snag one. It’s a Keep-It-All campaign, so - whatever happens with the funding goal - you will still get your rewards!
When do I get my rewards?
The Keep-It-All campaign model means that pledges are collected straight away. The digital comic will be emailed to you immediately through a download link. If you backed the print edition, the book will be sent to print as soon as the campaign ends. Updates will be sent out to all backers, but I expect copies to ship in July/August 2023.
If you have any questions, please contact me via the campaign page.
Who will like this book?
- Fans of horror and dark fiction.
- Fans of horror comics with interesting, flawed characters such as Scratcher, Outcast, and Resonant.
- Fans of comic anthologies such as Murder Book, Death and Comics, and Creepshow.
- Fans of Canadian comics, and those who want to support Canadian storytelling.
- Collectors looking for unique comic books to add to their collection
About me
John Ward is a Vancouver-based writer, filmmaker, and podcaster. His recent comic book credits include Scratcher, Offbeats and Ultrabot Go Go Go. He’s the creator and host of the 49 Degrees North Writer's Podcast, and has made award-winning short films such as Solus, Linda, and Dollhouse. John was previously a theoretical physicist, holding a PhD in string theory from Queen Mary University of London, and was once almost run over by Stephen Hawking. He now lives on the West Coast where he enjoys kayaking, cooking curry, and spending time with his family.
Website: https://arbutusfilms.com/
Music licence:
The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Stalker by Phat Sounds
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10253-stalker
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
