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In the untamed, ever-changing world of Mael'ström the corruption of the evil Necromage twists its way into every corner of the land. One warrior stands to oppose his desiccating hand; not for glory or power, but for revenge and family. (We REALLY wanted Vin Diesel for voice-over on that bit, but it just wasn't in the budget)
That warrior is the Barbarian Queen Karybdis. With the help of her acceptably treacherous, usually well-meaning, friend-adjacent companion, Slink the Lizardman, Kay quests across Mael'ström in an attempt to rescue her kidnapped daughter from the clutches of the Necromage before his evil corrupts the entire land.
The World
Mael'ström is a crazy place full of all manner of beasts, humanoids, not-so-humanoids, magic, mayhem, and monsters. The shadow of an evil wizard known as The Necromage is creeping over the land, corrupting and destroying everything in its wake, including the village home of our titular barbarian queen! With her husband slain, her daughter kidnapped, and her body broken, Karybdis must drag herself from the bloody ashes on an impossible quest to save her daughter and turn the tide against The Necromage.
In order to do that, she's going to need help. With the sticky fingered Slink by her side (or crouched behind her), Karybdis, Kay for short, will trek across the whole of Mael'ström seeking boons from the leaders of the known, and lesser known, kingdoms in order to rescue her daughter and destroy The Necromage once and for all.
It's Saturday Morning Cartoons for Grown Ups
Our entire mantra on Team BQK (Barbarian Queen Karybdis) is "Saturday Morning Cartoons for Grown Ups". What that means to us is high-action, fast-paced, easily digestible adventures in an episodic package.
We translate that mentality into comic form as six to eight-page adventures that, while containing an over-arcing narrative, can be enjoyed stand-alone as well; just like if you were to wake up on Saturday morning with a big bowl of sugary cereal and turn on the television.
Keeping with our Saturday Morning Cartoon theme, we call our stories Episodes. We've taken that idea a step further in our companion stories that we call Sidequests. Think of these two-page mini-adventures like the PSAs at the end of classic 80's cartoons. If ya know what we mean, knowing is half the battle.
The Inspiration
Shiro and I drew a hefty amount of inspiration from a host of works that influenced us growing up; Conan and Red Sonja in all their forms, cartoons of the 80s and 90s, our love for monsters any way we can get 'em, old EC and Warren comics, Heavy Metal Magazine, and my personal love for Dungeons and Dragons just to name a few. If we thought it was awesome growing up, it probably has a tip of the hat somewhere in the series.
What's in the Book?
This inaugural edition of Barbarian Queen Karybdis will include not one but TWO action packed episodes, an epilogue, plus one Side Quest! These are presented in a total of 15 monochrome pages of story. Think old school Heavy Metal and Horror Comics. The Founders edition will also pack a letters column and a few more surprises for a total of 20 pages!
The Mission
Comics are expensive. Indie comics can get even more expensive. It's just the nature of the beast. With BQK, we're trying to slay that beast... or at least cut it down to a slightly smaller, fiscally reasonable beast. In order to do this, we're giving readers low cost, bang for their buck reading that will leave them hungry for the next issue.
The Challenge
The only problem with offering rewards as cheap as we can without skimping on quality is it puts us in direct opposition of production and shipping costs. We want to offer you amazing folks cheap, exciting, top tier quality comics with tons of cool extras. In order to do that, we really need the people to turn up. We want to take a second to thank everyone for even indulging the idea of picking up our little love letter to sword and sorcery. Double the thanks if you pick up a copy, and quadruple if you share the campaign with your friends. Indie comics is a tough business in a sea of so much talent, so we really appreciate your time and consideration for our project.
The Characters
Karybdis
Karybdis, Kay to a very select few, is the dethroned and disgraced former ruler of the barbarian clan known as The Children of G'horah. In the night, everything was taken from her by The Necromage; her throne, her tribe, her husband, and her daughter. Left for dead, Karybdis rose from the ashes with one mission: Rescue her daughter and destroy The Necromage by any means necessary.
Slink
Slink is the closest thing Kay has to a friend. He's more or less reliable as long as his life isn't on the line. His nimble, although rather sticky, fingers often come in handy when traps are involved. Kay is the only person he might risk his skin for... maybe. He was gonna shed it anyway. Plus, there might be treasure.
Interior Preview!
Due to the shorter length of the comic, we can't spoil too much, but here's a look at what we've got in store for Karybdis and Slink!
Stand Alone Reward Tiers and Add-Ons!
Barbarian Queen Karybdis #1 (Standard VHS Cover)
Barbarian Queen Karybdis #1 (Mike Rooth Variant)
Barbarian Queen Karybdis #1 (Orange Zeppelin Variant)
JUST ADDED! PRIDE 2024 COVERS!
The BQK Team believe that everyone deserves to feel seen, safe, and represented in comics. To show our support during Pride 2024 we have added a series of very limited covers to our campaign. $10 from each sale will be donated to Trevor Project to help support LGBTQIA+ young people. Click the image below for more information on Trevor Project. Purchase the bundle and we'll donate $35 AND give you an adorable free Kid Karybdis sticker!
Trading Cards
As children of the 90s comic gimmick, we love a packed in extra, especially a shiny one. To honor that, EVERY issue of BQK will come with a collector trading card at no extra cost. No stretch goals. No add-ons. You buy the book, you get the card.
Our card for this special first issue is an incredible depiction of Kay by our good friend and spectacular artist CM Dyer. To kick it up a notch, this founders edition card will be all foiled out! Come on, trading card kids from days gone by. You know how good it felt to open up a fresh pack of cards and see a holofoil, chromium, scratch and sniff, embossed, hologram piece of wafer thin cardboard staring back at you. We're gonna just GIVE you one!
Kid Karybdis Sticker
Add this cute 3"x 3" sticker of Kay and Slink by Shiro to your stack of loot!
Funding Bonus and Stretch Goals!
A Merchant's Caravan Load of Free Comics and Books (UNLOCKED!)
Just for helping us hit our first goal, we're gonna give you a TON of free reading material! Some of indie comics and indie lit's best and brightest have been kind enough to pitch in digital copies of their work!
Free MP3 Download Of The Barbarian Queen Karybdis Theme by Stephen Todd (UNLOCKED!)
As heard in the BQK Kickstarter trailer! Get a free download of the screamin' metal theme for Barbarian Queen Karybdis by Stephen Todd of We Have Issues Podcast!
Relaxin' Slink Mini Print (UNLOCKED! )
Help us hit our second stretch goal and everyone backing at the physical level gets a FREE mini print of the coveted "Relaxin' Slink" watercolor by Shiro!
BQK #1 VHS Cover Trading card ($600)
Add the next card to the stack of BQK trading cards with a mini version of the BQK#1 VHS cover with one side "vintage" as seen on the cover and the other side "mint" with no wear or stickers!
SVU Video Rental Card ($800)
Make it an SVU Video Night and get your very own SVU Video Membership card! All rentals are five day rentals, except the ones that are two-day rentals. New releases excluded. Late fees applicable to all videos regardless of time of return. Stale bag of popcorn and old candy included with sign-up!
Meet Our Creative Team!
Lee Newman - Word Monkey/Lead Writer
Raised on 80s cartoons and suffering from perpetual 90s nostalgia, Lee Newman has written a wide range of works in a number of genres including horror, comedy, children's books, prose, and comics. He has nearly two decades of experience in the sequential art medium spanning work from writing and editing to graphic design and project management.
Sharon "Shiro" Gauthier - Award Winning Art Gremlin/Series Co-Writer
Hailing from the frozen untamed wastes of Canada, Shiro has consistently delivered award winning, top tier artwork in such series as Bootleg Cookie, Auric of the Great White North, and Auroraman.
Mike Rooth
Mike is best known for creating cover art for comic companies such as DC Comics (The Swamp Thing), IDW (TMNT: The Last Ronin, D&D: Spine of the World), BOOM! Studios (House of Slaughter), Archie Comics (Archie Halloween Spectacular, Super Duck), Aftershock Comics (Bunny Mask, We Live, Animosity) and MORE!
Orange Zeppelin
In their own words, "I’m Orange Zeppelin and I’ve been using that pseudonym for so long I’ve forgotten what it means. My art career has spanned years, starting when I was old enough to use crayons without trying to eat them. Nowadays I prefer to sniff oil paints but I’m just as excited to make art as I always have. I enjoy experimentation and have a huge number of artists that I admire with a diverse range of styles, and my own art goes in any number of places depending on what I’m most interested in at the moment. I like art that is striking and powerful, that is a bit offbeat, that is a bit sexy, and sometimes is all of the above. No matter what I’m creating, my goal in my art is to create something that makes the viewer say, "@#$%, that is rad'."
Risks and challenges
Our team has over 20 years of combined comics making experience. We are very confident we can deliver on if not before our deadline. However, the wild card is always print time, which we will keep our backers fully informed of. Files go out, you'll know. Books are being printed, you'll know. Books show up, your loot goes out, you're always in the loop. We believe good communication is the cornerstone to a great crowdfunding experience!
Products
Minimize your carbon footprint with a PDF copy of the founder edition of Babarian Queen Karybdis #1. Includes Episodes 1 and 2 of the series along with a special micro adventure segment called Side Quests. Digital backers ALSO qualify for the digital indie lit bundle stretch goal!
Get your bloody battleworn mitts on a print copy of Babarian Queen Karybdis #1. Includes Episodes 1 and 2 of the series along with a special micro adventure segment called Sidequests. Also includes a FREE foil card by CM Dyer and all stretch goals!
Add an incredible cover by industry titan Mike Rooth to your stack of loot! Mike has been featured on the cover of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Swamp Thing, Disney's Gargoyles, and multiple indie titles! Comes with a digital copy of BQK#1 and all stretch goals!
Pillage a cover by barbarian illustrator extraordinaire, Orange Zeppelin! A master of traditional art and lover of all things Barbarian, Orange Zepplin was a no brainer choice for BQK! Includes a digital copy of BQK #1 and all stretch goals!
Lay down your broadsword and get all three BQK#1 covers PLUS the foil trading card, a digital copy of BQK#1 and all stretch goals!
The warrior queen has never looked so cuddly! 3"x 3" sticker of Kid Karybdis and Baby Slink by Shiro Gauthier!
Purchases of the BQK Pride 2024 Variant directly benefit the Trevor Project. $10 from every copy sold will be donated at the end of June. After this campaign, the cover will be retired. Future availability determined by this initial print run. No additional shipping when adding this variant. Cover by Shiro Gauthier.
Purchases of the Cheesecake for Charity directly benefit the Trevor Project. $10 from every copy sold will be donated at the end of June. After this campaign, the cover will be retired. Future availability determined by this initial print run. No additional shipping when adding this variant. Cover by Shiro Gauthier.
Purchases of the Cheesecake for Charity directly benefit the Trevor Project. $10 from every copy sold will be donated at the end of June. After this campaign, the cover will be retired. Future availability determined by this initial print run. No additional shipping when adding this variant. Cover by Shiro Gauthier.
Purchases of the Pride 2024 Collection directly benefit the Trevor Project. $35 from every copy sold will be donated at the end of June. After this campaign, the cover will be retired. Future availability determined by this initial print run. Includes a FREE Kid Karybdis Sticker!
Retailers! Get 10 copies of Barbarian Queen Karybdis #1 AND one of each Variant Cover all in a single bundle! If you are within 175 miles of Augusta, GA choose the "pick up" option and I will HAND DELIVER your books to you! No shipping necessary!
Highlights
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Minimize your carbon footprint with a PDF copy of the founder edition of Babarian Queen Karybdis #1. Includes Episodes 1 and 2 of the series along with a special micro adventure segment called Side Quests. Digital backers ALSO qualify for the digital indie lit bundle stretch goal!
Get your bloody battleworn mitts on a print copy of Babarian Queen Karybdis #1. Includes Episodes 1 and 2 of the series along with a special micro adventure segment called Sidequests. Also includes a FREE foil card by CM Dyer and all stretch goals!
Add an incredible cover by industry titan Mike Rooth to your stack of loot! Mike has been featured on the cover of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Swamp Thing, Disney's Gargoyles, and multiple indie titles! Comes with a digital copy of BQK#1 and all stretch goals!
Pillage a cover by barbarian illustrator extraordinaire, Orange Zeppelin! A master of traditional art and lover of all things Barbarian, Orange Zepplin was a no brainer choice for BQK! Includes a digital copy of BQK #1 and all stretch goals!
Lay down your broadsword and get all three BQK#1 covers PLUS the foil trading card, a digital copy of BQK#1 and all stretch goals!
The warrior queen has never looked so cuddly! 3"x 3" sticker of Kid Karybdis and Baby Slink by Shiro Gauthier!
Purchases of the BQK Pride 2024 Variant directly benefit the Trevor Project. $10 from every copy sold will be donated at the end of June. After this campaign, the cover will be retired. Future availability determined by this initial print run. No additional shipping when adding this variant. Cover by Shiro Gauthier.
Purchases of the Cheesecake for Charity directly benefit the Trevor Project. $10 from every copy sold will be donated at the end of June. After this campaign, the cover will be retired. Future availability determined by this initial print run. No additional shipping when adding this variant. Cover by Shiro Gauthier.
Purchases of the Cheesecake for Charity directly benefit the Trevor Project. $10 from every copy sold will be donated at the end of June. After this campaign, the cover will be retired. Future availability determined by this initial print run. No additional shipping when adding this variant. Cover by Shiro Gauthier.
Purchases of the Pride 2024 Collection directly benefit the Trevor Project. $35 from every copy sold will be donated at the end of June. After this campaign, the cover will be retired. Future availability determined by this initial print run. Includes a FREE Kid Karybdis Sticker!
Retailers! Get 10 copies of Barbarian Queen Karybdis #1 AND one of each Variant Cover all in a single bundle! If you are within 175 miles of Augusta, GA choose the "pick up" option and I will HAND DELIVER your books to you! No shipping necessary!
