Posted in: Comics | Tagged:


Adventure Time Meets Aaahh! Real Monsters In Clonsters

Pat Shand writes…

Elevator pitches are probably the hardest thing for me to write, but I think this one sums up Clonsters, my new all-ages graphic novel on Kickstarter, pretty well: "Adventure Time meets Aaahh! Real Monsters."

clonsters-cover

I miss the cartoons of the 90s. Rugrats, Doug, Hey Arnold, all of them. It may be nostalgia speaking, but the cartoons from that time captured the hopeful and surreal ethos of that era more than any other media, telling stories that walked the line between real and supernatural, realism and surrealism, hope and despair. I also love cartoons these days: Adventure Time and Steven Universe follow relatable characters on fun, emotional adventures with boundless enthusiasm and heart. When my fiancée Amy and I decided that our next book would be an all-ages graphic novel, I thought it would be a fun idea to blend the feel of these two great eras together into a comic book.

I'm Pat Shand, a comic book writer and novelist. I've worked on comics such as Family Pets, Disney Princess, Vampire Emmy, Robyn Hood, Van Helsing, and more, and my first novels from Marvel (Guardians Of The Galaxy: Space Riot, Iron Man: Mutually Assured Destruction, and Avengers: The Serpent Society) are all dropping this summer from Joe Books. Last year, I launched a successful Kickstarter campaign for Destiny, NY, raising over $21,000.00 to create the book. Now, I'm back with another campaign to fund Clonsters, an all-ages graphic novel about a world populated by friendly monsters made from clay.

clonsterspress01-low

There are various species of Clonsters that populate this whimsical fantasy land, from the kindly Earth Nuggets (they're shaped like chicken nuggets, just roll with it), the cat-like Splats, the wise and unbearably slow-speaking Pocket Rocks, and the mysterious Sea Nuggets who live in secrecy in the depths of the ocean. Our lead character is an Earth Nugget named Polly who rescues and breeds Splats. One day, when all of the Splats in Polly's town disappear, she goes on a quest through the unknown areas of her world to find out where they went. On her way, she discovers an amazing truth about the mystical nature of the Splats… a secret that has the potential to change her world.

clonsterspress02-low

Clonsters is my first time co-writing a comic with Amy, who is the original creator of the concept. We teamed up with artist Vanessa Cardinali, who has brought a level of whimsy and beauty to Polly's world that has amazed us, creating exactly the kind of action-adventure vibe that I loved as a kid – and still now. That's the whole thing we're doing here: following through on the concept of an all-ages story. For kids, Clonsters is a fun story that packs a powerful message about animal rights and working together… and for adults, it's a heartfelt adventure tale that will harken back to stories they loved growing up.

In our campaign, we're offering the graphic novel, original clay creations handcrafted by Amy, prints by artist Manuel Preitano (Destiny NY, Just Princesses), open commission slots from artists such as Larry Watts (Robyn Hood, Evil Dead) and Renzo Rodriguez (Hellchild, Tales Of Terror), a writer portfolio review, and much more. Our overall goal is $8500 and we have until May 25th to make it happen. If you pledge to the campaign after reading this article, message me the code NUGGETSRULE and I will add this print by Manuel to your rewards for free.

clonsters-bleedingcool-print

Making a career in comics and novels has meant the world to me, and Clonsters is one of the most personal stories Amy and I have ever told. It means a lot to both of us, and we're beyond grateful that people have read my work – and now, we hope that you'll give this story a chance. We think you'll fall in love with Polly and her weird, weird world.

Pledge to Clonsters here.


Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!

Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
twitterfacebookinstagramwebsite
Comments will load 20 seconds after page. Click here to load them now.