Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Bentti Bisson, dracula, Henry Flint, kickstarter, nick moore

As Dracula Rises Once Again, Heracles Flint Fights To Save Us On Kickstarter

Published Wed, 18 Sep 2013 21:00:06 -0500

Nick Moore writes for Bleeding Cool:

I've grudgingly had to accept that my 20 Batman films, 10 Superman movies, and numerous TV shows, comics, and other tales based on favourite licensed characters, are never going to get made. I can however, thanks to Kickstarter set myself the goal of bringing to life a brand new universe of adventure from which maybe, just maybe, I can spin out my own comics and movies.

I promised myself that after a lifetime of writing many a story for fun, I'd publish something before I hit the big 40 next March and here it is. Sci-fi, horror, vampires, werewolves, time travel, aliens, robots, nano-tech, cyber-tech, and a dash of most of the 'punk' genres of sci-fi, are all in the novel, The Astonishing Adventures of Heracles Flint – Forever in Shadow. It's the foundation stone from which comics will hopefully spring in late 2014, and if I can get this going the sky is the limit. As a daily reader of Bleeding Cool I've a, well, bleeding cool offer just for BC backers as well, read on J

While I'm starting with a novel I couldn't let my love of comics, I've a 10,000+ collection causing my house to list as it slowly subsides, be too delayed, so I'm lacing the book with superb images from amazing artist Bentti Bisson. You'll see his art of the hero Heracles Flint in action below.

Bentti is a fantastic artist and I really want the KS to work to provide a showcase of just how good he is. His grandfather worked as an artist at Disney in the classic era of the institution, and the talent for art is obviously in his blood.

Forever in Shadow tells of the adventures of monster hunter Heracles Flint and his global network of Victorian knights, The Society of Esoteric Technica, who have battled various threats to humanity in the late 19th century.

The Society led by Flint with his close companions, Diana Von Storm, the bride of Frankenstein's monster, clockwork android Charles Brass, and Alexandria, Queen of the Wolves; fall foul of a plot to destroy them by their arch nemesis, the vampire God, Dracula.

Dracula has seized the time machine of Harold Wells, a descendant of HG Wells, who had been travelling to Victorian London to visit his famous relative. Using Wells' device the Prince of Darkness has constructed a portal to the present day, where he seeks to rule all, free of the constant pursuit by the Society who have thwarted his efforts for years.

In a pitched battle both he and Flint fall through time and Flint's friends are lost presumed dead.

In the present day Heracles finds a much changed, much harsher, world than the future he'd hoped would evolve from his time, and gathering what resources he can, makes plans to stop Dracula once and for all.

If he fails, the world of tomorrow, will live forever in shadow…

We're hoping to kick start a world of swashbuckling heroes and the darkest of enemies. As well as producing the novel due for completion in April 2014, plans for the sequel Hades Unleashed, and a third book The Last Day are already in place, and prequel comics are on the production slate for late 2014.

The team here at Flint HQ are also currently creating an expanded universe of new characters, and some making an appearance in the book, for other authors and artists to build stories and visuals around.

Forever in Shadow spans over a century in time, and there are the couple of decades of tales to be told before the 1891 setting of the book. There are solo adventures to be told for mechanical man of mystery, Charles Brass, from his years fighting the forces of darkness during WWI and II, and as he moves through the ages of dieselpunk, and atompunk.

There'll also be many more stories of members of the Society of Esoteric Technica, Dracula's Cult of the Vampyre, the Werewolf nation, and others. We're seeking to create a huge diverse universe of clockwork, steam, and volts, a playground for artists, authors, fans, and makers, somewhere to enjoy the finest flights of imagination that the many sci-fi sub-genres have to offer.

To help us get funded, we're currently at 31% after the first week, we have some cool book and art rewards, and a special offer exclusively for Bleeding Cool backers.

If you back us by Midnight PST on Wednesday 25^th September, which is National Comic Book Day in the USA, at the 'Get the Book & More' reward or above, you'll be entered into a draw to be featured as a character in the novel. Your full name will be used and you'll get some dialogue as well, whether you live or die is for fate to decide J

Back us at www.kickstarter.heraclesflint.com and add a message that you're a Bleeding Cool reader and you're in the draw. Help us reach 100% to see if you fight valiantly and win, or perhaps you should have ducked just a little faster.