Posted in: Comics, Oni Press | Tagged: Joël Dos Reis Viegas, kickstarter, Urbance

Urbance By Joël Dos Reis Viegas Hits Kickstarter With Oni Press

The Complete Urbance by Joël Dos Reis Viegas hits Kickstarter from Magnetic and Oni Press

Joël Dos Reis Viegas is the co-founder of Steambot Studios, whose credits include Batman: Arkham Origins, Brink, Thief, Black Dynamite, Siren, and the 2014 Godzilla. Some of those you'll like, some of those you won't, go check his IMDB page. Magnetic and Oni Press are preparing to launch the Kickstarter for Joël Dos Reis Viegas' Complete Urbance, the manga-inspired cyberpunk graphic novel series that spins out of Viegas' animated short film of the same name. Fans can sign up on Kickstarter to receive an email when the Kickstarter campaign goes live…

"Urbance is a bio-punk Romeo & Juliet in the neon-lit style of Aeon Flux in a Jet Set Radio future city," says Magnetic Press' Director of Publishing, Mike Kennedy. "A kinetic fusion of urban cyberpunk, gender‑charged tension, and high‑style action, it's a story about rebellion, identity, and the dangerous power of connection in a world designed to keep the population divided. "URBANCE welcomes readers to Neopolis, a futuristic neon‑drenched city where physical desire has become deadly. A mysterious virus has infected every human at birth, making intimate contact between the sexes instantly fatal. To survive, society enforces absolute abstinence and segregation: boys and girls are raised apart, conditioned to fear, even hate, one another. A colossal wall cuts the city in two, and entire youth cultures have evolved in isolation, fueled by tribal identity, coded fashion, and explosive street‑clan rivalries. But a new underground drug, N‑Dorphin, which is rumored to bypass the virus's lethal effects, begins circulating through the streets and destabilizes the fragile balance of power in Neopolis, igniting turf wars and paranoia as factions scramble for control. Kenzell and Lesya, two teens from opposite sides who defy the rules and risk everything to cross the divide, are caught in the crossfire. Together, they uncover a conspiracy far bigger than any clan feud, and their forbidden alliance becomes a spark in a city ready to explode. URBANCE began as a high‑style, hyper‑urban adult animated project created by Joël Dos Reis Viegas and developed at Steambot Studios. Following a smash-hit Kickstarter campaign backed by thousands of fans worldwide, Steambot partnered with Yapiko Animation in Tokyo in 2015 to complete the 8-minute animated short film. The animated pilot's strong visual identity, worldbuilding, and fan response helped propel URBANCE into its next phase: a four‑volume comic series fueled by Joël himself. While the animation established the universe and characters, the comics expand and solidify the narrative, deepening the political tensions, youth‑clan dynamics, and the mystery surrounding the virus and the underground drug. This transition from animation to comics allowed Joël to fully explore the world of Neopolis and develop the long‑form story that the pilot only hinted at."

• "While the animated pilot only scratches the surface of what rules Neopolis, the graphic novel series dives much deeper into the dark side of the society and human tensions," explains URBANCE creator Joël Dos Reis Viegas. "Keeping the core elements — the virus, N-Dorphin, the protagonists, and Coevo — and reimagining a story about two youngsters, shaped by division, who are forced to come together against adversity. So I chose a more aggressive and dark visual treatment to better match the story's more mature tone. URBANCE is a reflection of my passions, my art style, and my fears."
• "I have been a big fan of this project since I first saw it. Love the characters, the color design, and the animation… Damn, how did you guys do that? So damn slick." — Robert Valley (Designer / Animator / Director on Love Death & Robots, TRON: Uprising, Motorcity, Aeon Flux, Beatles: Rock Band)
• "With Urbance, Joël not only opens another door into the high-end space of the TV animation lexicon, he shatters it. Like Fat Albert, The Boondocks and Black Dynamite before it, Urbance introduces a world that reflects the diverse, fast-paced one we live in and not a manufactured one. " — Lesean Thomas (Creative Producer / Supervising Director on The Boondocks, Black Dynamite: The Animated series, Yasuke, Cannon Busters)
• "The character designs and the colors of Urbance are incredible. There is a charm that I don't have in my designs and I would love to develop." — Hiroshi Shimizu (Animation Director / Character Designer on Princess Mononoke, Porco Rosso, Michiko & Hatchin, Space Dandy, etc)
• "With Urbance, I had the chance to discover an uninhibited Western project offering a large freedom of expression in both story and designs. It's pure dynamite in the animation industry, and we definitely need to support it!" — Eddie Mehong (CFO / Art Director at Yapiko Animation / Animator on Space Dandy, Macross Frontier, Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, MFKZ)

The Urbance Saga is 828 pages over four 6×9" softcover books, also available as a pair of deluxe limited edition hardcover collections. In addition to the deluxe editions of Urbance, the Kickstarter campaign features limited boxed sets of either the hardcover editions of softcover library, an exclusive 48-page sketchbook, a 10th Anniversary edition of the sold-out 168-page Genesis Of Urbance Production Art Book, the sought-after 2014 Urbance Animation Dōjinshi, a limited-edition resin statue, and more.

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