Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, entertainment, kickstarter

Fantasy Graphic Novel : Legends of Marithia

Published Sat, 28 Jun 2014 14:00:46 -0500

Peter Koevari writes,

"In the blood of scales and days of kings, Will come a boy to save us all. Let us pray to the gods above, our voices large and small. For all we fear in the shadows, will be destroyed with light. Talonsphere will rise from the ground, and bring fire to the night."

My name is Peter Koevari, I'm the author of Legends of Marithia: a hard hitting, adult fantasy series of fantasy novels that's going to shake up your world.

Teaming up with world-class illustration house, Killustration Studios, colourist and letterers, Davi Correia and Deyvison Manes, we're going to bring you the comic adaptation, starting with Issue 1.

This will be an adult, no-holds-barred, comic series that I can't wait to get in the hands of fans and new readers alike. Also, it's going to be delivered in glorious full-colour.

The project ends on Friday, August 1^st, 2014 and can be found here: http://kck.st/1lwCibA

The Story

Many people ask me: what's Legends of Marithia about? It's a fantasy tale that's different, but has elements that readers love. It's not about a simple good vs evil, although on the surface of Prophecies Awakening, it may appear to be. It's about characters who are a victim of circumstances and are forced to make choices. Choices can be the making of a hero, or the creation of a force of evil.

This is a world that's unforgiving, cruel at times, and where good doesn't necessarily win. It blurs the lines, and presents a world that brings together elements of sci-fi, fantasy, modern vampires, dragons like you've never seen them before, and a story that will surprise you.

The synopsis of the first book will best explain the opening storyline:

"When her sorceress mother and vampire king father are brutally murdered, Kassina makes a pact with Shindar, the Demon of Darkness.

In exchange for her soul, Kassina obtains power to become the most feared sorceress in all the lands, and vows to exact her revenge on the people for the deaths of her parents.

Granted eternal life, Kassina and her evil are never far away. For many years, the humans and elves of the mystical world of Marithia have lived in an age of peace. But that peace is shattered when King Arman is slain by his own son, a pawn of the vampire sorceress Kassina.

Arman's murder sparks the most brutal and bloody war ever seen between the Forces of Darkness and the peaceful Marithians. In the midst of the conflict, Vartan, a young knight wrongfully outcast from King Arman's court, reluctantly discovers he is the subject of a prophecy involving the fabled weapon, Talonsphere.

In alliance with the legendary dragons, he finds himself with the opportunity to rid the world of Kassina and her dark armies forever, and finally return Marithia to an era of peace."

A writer's journey

I'd be lying if I said that it hasn't been a hard road for me as a writer, and Legends of Marithia as a series. In a sea of indie writers, it's increasingly tougher to get noticed. I originally published through New York publishers, iUniverse, for the first edition of Prophecies Awakening, which was published in 2009.

I remember those days well. I'd just finished the manuscript that I'd been thinking about for ten years prior, and thought that it would be easy. You have a great idea for a story, write it, and get published, right? Wrong!

If you're a new writer finishing their first book and imagines fame and fortune soon ahead of them, then you'd better prepare to an epic shock to your system. There are those that fall, hard, and those who meet the challenges and work their tail off to be the best that they can be, putting their readers first.

I put myself firmly in the latter.

I spent the next five years on a journey that would not only shape me as a writer, but would see me divorcing myself from iUniverse, publishing a 2014 edition of Prophecies Awakening, that virtually sets fire to the original manuscript, polishing the soon-to-be-released 2014 edition of Darkness Rising (Book II), and setting sights on an amazing comic book adaptation, and in the future, TV/Film adaptation.

The books have been somewhat of a fantasy niche, but have even been read on the set of the TV show, Spartacus, by the talented actor, Barry Duffield (Lugo).

It also has strong reviews on Amazon and has been well received by fantasy readers.
The comic book adaptation

Like so many out there, I got hooked on the TV shows Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. Both for different reasons. I've seen interviews with George R R Martin, and smiled at his answers, as I consider us of similar minds. My books are realistic, and people who can handle gritty, violent, and adult content won't be disappointed.

I started reading the Walking Dead comic series and couldn't stop. I realized with its popularity that there is a taste for mature comics.

There are elements in Legends of Marithia that have never been done before, at least not to my knowledge, and I'll let readers discover those. A bit of one hint: Love dragons? Prepare to meet them like never before.

This hasn't been an easy journey, and certainly not without major challenges. I initially attempted to use Patreon for crowdfunding it, and it just didn't fit well into the project. I had some loyal supporters and put my own funds on top of what I'd raised to get the first two pages done, so that people could know what to expect from the comic.

These are also on the project page, but give you a taste of things to come. The second page of the comic is awaiting colouring work in the coming weeks, and will be updated on Kickstarter:

A special offering for Bleeding Cool

There are so many great reward packages on the campaign to choose from, with all kinds of rewards on offer, and I have a special offering to Bleeding Cool readers. If I can reach 80% funding by Monday, which currently can be achieved by:

219 x $10 backers

146 x $15 backers

88 x $25 backers

43 x $50 backers

I'll select a random Bleeding Cool backer, and write them into the upcoming Legends of Marithia III. That's right! You'll be immortalized in the novel! Author's discretion on the adaptation, but you or a character designed by you, will be part of the Marithian universe.

This has only been offered on an extremely limited backing amount of $200.

I always love to hear from fans! They can contact me on Kickstarter, Facebook (Peter Koevari), Twitter (www.twitter.com/peterkoevari), and my website (www.peterkoevari.com)

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