Posted in: Comics, Current News | Tagged: dean haspiel, kickstarter, Red Hook

Dean Haspiel's What If? With The Red Hook X Dean Haspiel

Dean Haspiel wants to "alert Bleeding Cool readers about... The Red Hook x Dean Haspiel and it blurs the boundaries between fact and fiction"

Comic book creator, Dean Haspiel writes, "I wanted to alert Bleeding Cool readers about my comix Kickstarter ending on March 28th, noon sharp. It's called The Red Hook X Dean Haspiel and it blurs the boundaries between fact and fiction."

"I've been wanting to take a bombastic superhero concept that slowly becomes a slice-of-life series with occasional surrealist aspects for years. What partially inspired me is that scene in American Splendor the movie where actor Paul Giamatti's portrayal of Harvey Pekar crosses over with the real Harvey Pekar. Suddenly, there's this bizarre moment, a hybrid between reality and semi-autobiographical fiction.

"But, in talking to Gil Roth of The Virtual Memories show, he reminded me of What If #11. What If The Original Members of the Marvel Bullpen had become The Fantastic Four? Where Stan Lee, Sol Brodsky, Flo Steinberg, and Jack Kirby become teammates in one of Marvel's most iconic series. It was also written and drawn by Jack Kirby, my favorite cartoonist. All very tongue-in-cheek but way ahead of its time."

"Back in 1977, What If #11 was a joke. Perhaps an inside joke knowing some of the creator credits and creative rights struggles between Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Marvel Comics. But they must've come to some kind of embargo for Jack to be able to pull this kind of stunt off. After all, Jack was also producing a bunch of Marvel Comics the likes of Captain America, Machine Man, Devil Dinosaur, The Eternals, etc. But I never took that What If story seriously. Chalking it up to a lost issue of Not Brand Ecch (Marvel's 1960s superhero satire book). But the more I think about What If#11 the more powerful it becomes in my mind. Our dreams and fantasies galvanize our decisions and choices in reality. Or, in the case of What If, showcases an alternative path. Perhaps a burying of the proverbial hatchet?"

"Anyway, The Red Hook x Dean Haspiel is where I merge the two genres I'm best known for, superhero and memoir, and have been producing separately for the last 30+ years…until now."

New Brooklyn bartender Sam Brosia, aka The Red Hook, faces an existential crisis when he wonders whether he's wearing the superhero mask or is the superhero mask wearing him? Who is Unmarked Bill, and how does Dean Haspiel fit into his own award-winning comix series?

The various rewards features a digital and signed print copy of The Red Hook x Dean Haspiel comic book, accompanied by "Emotional Ebola," a 24-page, full color digital comic. Other reward tiers include a signed cardboard head sketch of The Red Hook. A signed color print of The Red Hook vs The Invisible Light! A one-on-one virtual comix consultation. A group Zoom party. And an original art commission: a single figure character drawing of your choosing; black ink on Bristol board. Interested in a Dean Haspiel Deep Cut Triptych? Look no further than The Bridge reward featuring limited print editions of The Red Hook, Covid Cop and Billy Dogma.

"Please check out the campaign and spread the word."

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