Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Billie, Comics, entertainment, Iggy Michniacki, Michaela Patton, Zack Rezendes

Billie Rides Onto Kickstarter In New Western Graphic Novel

Published Sat, 15 Oct 2016 10:00:09 -0500

by Iggy Michniacki

Bleeding Cool continues to inspire us by sharing amazing and creative comic Kickstarter projects from publishers and creators alike. That's why Project-Nerd Publishing is honored to have our new western comic, Billie, featured right here.

Billie, launched on Kickstarter October 12, 2016, and hasn't looked back. The graphic novel follows Billie, a young woman who saw her parents murdered right in front of her eyes outside Dodge City as a child. Her neighbor, Victor, took her in and taught her how to stand on her own. Now she's joined by her new friends Jayne and Gordon taking on the Drask Gang down in fictional New Mexico border towns.

It's always been a dream of mine to write comics, and here I am doing it. After founding Project-Nerd more than four years ago, I finally built up the courage to launch Project-Nerd Publishing. We have met so many amazing publishers, creators, artists, writers, and industry insiders that pushed us and taught us. Project-Nerd Publishing became a reality and one year later, my first solo writing project is here, and receiving great feedback.

Billie is a character who has been growing on paper for more than five years. She's a character that sets the record straight and exhibits how not all cowboys were white men. Billie, Jayne, and Gordon all break the stereotype of what you see in comics and popular western media, while Drask and his team will define a new era of western gangs.

The 60-page story is a complete arc featuring Billie's arrival in Aspen, New Mexico and kicking off the new war that will wage between her and Drask. It's a story that's been reviewed and praised by anyone who can get their hands on it. And it still has plenty to offer in follow up graphic novels.

As much as Billie means to me and was born from my mind, the team isn't just me. I am joined by a pair of artists who are unmatched. Zack Rezendes is handling the pencils and inks. He has an amazing ability to take the script and transform it into the exact images I had in my head. The look he gave the main characters are exactly what I was expecting, and his artistic style lends incredibly well to the story we are telling.

Once Zack finishes the inks, Michaela Patton comes in and handles color. Her abilities are only matched by her desire to get it right, spending time researching the era, adjusting colors to fit the scene, and keeping a consistent color palette throughout.

The team is truly fantastic and deserves the recognition for helping this dream come true.

To say thank you to Bleeding Cool for sharing our campaign and its readers for checking it out, we're offering a limited perk. The Bleeding Cool Bundle is just $45 and features the Kickstarter Exclusive Variant Edition of the 68-page graphic novel, the digital copy, two Billie themed art prints, two Billie themed cosplay prints as modeled by Erin Lei (character model and cosplayer), a replica plastic Billie pistol handmade by Erin Lei, and your name on the thank you page.

Please note that this bundle is limited to 50 people due to each prop gun being handmade.

Please support us on Kickstarter and follow us at Project-Nerd Publishing.

Billie is written and lettered by Iggy Michniacki, with pencils and inks by Zack Rezendes, and color by Michaela Patton.