AHOY Comics has launched a Kickstarter campaign for Dragonproof, a new graphic novel written by Eric Palicki, illustrated by Giulia Lalli with colors by Gab Contreras. The 80-page, standalone story blends urban fantasy, action and humor as a woman finds herself caught up in a fight to save an endangered population of dragons.
“Like so much of my other work, Dragonproof is, at its heart, about outsiders finding their people and their purpose,” Palicki said. “I tend to wear my influences on my sleeve, and this book is also a love letter to some of the stories that made me the writer I am today. Having partners in Giulia and Gab who were on the same wavelength was pure magic.”
And today, Smash Pages can exclusively reveal a kick-ass, campaign-only cover by artist Daniel Govar for the project.
The story begins when Ashleigh Cole goes camping in the Pacific Northwest and stumbles upon a dying dragon in the woods. The creature’s hide is riddled with bullet wounds and marked with U.S. military tattoos. Ash returns to her everyday life, convinced the encounter was a hallucination, until she starts developing strange, dragonlike characteristics of her own.
As voices in her mind push her toward a new mission, Ash sets out to rescue other captive dragons. But a shadowy government organization wants to turn the mythical creatures into weapons of mass destruction, as they tend to do, putting Ash and the dragons in its sights.
Lalli, an Italian comics artist whose previous work includes Puck and Eight Limbs, said she was drawn to the project by its approach to fantasy.
“When Eric proposed this project to me I was very excited and comfortable, since fantasy has been my ‘war horse’ for many years and I always loved drawing dragons,” Lalli said. “But this time I was more intrigued by the story because it’s actually very different and unique than many other fantasy-based stories.”
She also cited the classic movie Dragonheart, one of her childhood favorites, as a point of connection with the book’s emphasis on the social and political elements of its fantasy setting.
Palicki previously wrote AHOY’s Black’s Myth and Black’s Myth: The Key to His Heart, along with comics for Marvel and other publishers. AHOY Comics, which launched in 2018, is known for creator-owned projects and genre-bending titles including The Wrong Earth, Second Coming and Project: Cryptid. This is their second Kickstarter.
The Dragonproof Kickstarter campaign is live now. Visit the campaign page for details and pledge options.