Tiger on the Storm

[Angelique]

I seem to have a knack for getting roped into writing military comics. First there was Untold Stories from Iraq and Afghanistan, for which I volunteered because of my friends off fighting the war. I also pushed to do a project on the Korean War because my work in elder care put me in regular contact with veterans from that conflict whose stories risked being forgotten and lost. And now this.

Around this time last year I was asked by the family of the late Maj. Gen. David Sawyer to transform his journals from Operation: Desert Shield/Desert Storm into a graphic novel. Now the script is finished, and I've reunited with some of the team from the Korean War project - Dan Monroe, Eric White, and Tom Orzechowski (who many of us know also happened to work on my favorite Claremont/Cockrum X-books!)- to bring the script to life.

Not bad for an army reject.

Of course, once the pages are drawn, colored, and lettered, we've got to get the book printed and distributed somehow...

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tige ... 287#/story

[Angelique]

I've blogged more about Tiger on the Storm here. Dan Monroe is also already coming through with some pretty awesome pencils!

https://valeriefinnigan.wordpress.com/2 ... the-storm/

[Angelique]

Of course we can't have an Indiegogo campaign for Tiger on the Storm without offering a lot of related perks- and more! I've written more about it here. https://valeriefinnigan.wordpress.com/2 ... ng-perk-y/

[Ult_Sm86]

Ange, this is all really awesome and I'm super jeallin' that you are having such a wonderful time with what looks like a quick paced project. Mine has been dragging this rock an idea from place to place, trying to sculpt it into something - difficult with ZERO artistic skills outside of writing. UGH!

But I'm really impressed with this project you're describing here. I hope you hit up local Cons and put your work up there. Keep up the good work.

[Angelique]

It only seems quicker paced because I've done similar things before. The more experience you get, the easier it is to figure out who works with you best and how to motivate them to work on your project. Of course the trick is to get experience as a published comic book writer first, and I have to admit I caught a couple of very lucky breaks- although this won't be so lucky if we don't make our fundraising goal, because then I'll be paying the rest of the creative team and covering print and distribution costs out of my own pocket, and I want to pay them what they're worth. (In Tom's case, it might be the first time even he'll be paid what he's worth.)


As for hitting up the conventions, unfortunately for me, that back surgery I had back in May put a dent in convention plans, but I'm easing back into it. I did a small convention in Boise a couple weeks ago, and I'm gearing up for Salt Lake Comic Con Sept. 24-26 where I'll be promoting this hard along with all my other work.

A couple of time zones to the east of me, penciller Dan Monroe will be a guest at Grand Rapids Comic Con October 16-18.

I'll see what time, table costs, and health permit as far as additional conventions.

[Angelique]

We're just going to have to imagine a small string orchestra backing this statement, since I can't afford a real one. We've got seventeen days left in the Indiegogo campaign for Tiger on the Storm. While fans at Salt Lake Comic Con have been generous with cash donations, I worry about being stuck covering much of the project's expenses out of my workers' comp checks. I'll do it if I have to, because that's how much I believe in the project. The book deserves a nice print run, and the rest of the creative team has to get paid what they're worth, especially Dan Monroe, who's just experienced a medical emergency.

I've received lots of positive wishes and hopes for good luck. But these good wishes would be better expressed with action. We offer perks for donations as small as a dollar, because we appreciate all the help we can get. And if you can't spare a dollar, at least spread the word!

Thank you.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tige ... journal--2#/

[Angelique]

Due to funds trickling in a bit too slowly, I've had to restructure how Tiger on the Storm will be released. It will come out as a three issue mini, then later be released as a hardbound trade. The good news is that I've brought our own PirateKurt on board to do interior pencils and inks!

Dan Monroe is feeling much better, but I received word that he's got a grandbaby on the way. Colorist Eric White's wife is due to have a baby in April, and I'm expecting a new niece/nephew to be born in May. With all these babies on the way, we all could use a bit of help.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tige ... 7#/gallery

[Angelique]

We've got a little trailer out for Tiger on the Storm showing some preliminary pencils and some inks. https://vimeo.com/144039822

[Angelique]

Because people ask why I do what I do, here's the answer. https://vimeo.com/144557702

[Angelique]

We've got some interior pencils and inks by our very own PirateKurt posted in the Indiegogo gallery. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tige ... 7#/gallery

[Angelique]

As the drive to raise funds continues for Tiger on the Storm, I received news that another book for which I'd done a bit of writing and PirateKurt did a bit of art a while back will finally go to print- when publisher Heroes Fallen Studios gets the funding together. That's right. The second volume of Untold Stories from Iraq and Afghanistan will soon be available if all goes well. Naturally, some of the funds I raise if the Tiger on the Storm goes well enough will support that effort.

https://valeriefinnigan.wordpress.com/2 ... .publishes

[Angelique]

Well the drawback to trying to crowdfund a project like what I've been trying to do on Indiegogo, is that if it doesn't catch on, I end up largely self-funding the project. And the drawback to largely self-funding Tiger on the Storm when I make my living with freelance work and workers' comp checks is that I can't afford to pay people such as the colorist and letterer what they're worth. So here we have it. Tiger on the Storm is still slated for a January release with pencils and inks by Richard O'Hara and lettering by yours truly.

[Angelique]

This page shows a bit of life at King Fahd International Air Base on January 14, 1991, the day before Saddam Hussein's deadline to pull his troops out of Kuwait. We're a week from the end of our Indiegogo campaign, so if you want to help this book go to print, now's a good time to do so. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tige ... /x/6957287#/

[Angelique]

Here's another blog post about the book. https://valeriefinnigan.wordpress.com/2 ... unch-time/

[Angelique]

Well, just look at what PirateKurt and I did! Issue one of Tiger on the Storm is out!
https://valeriefinnigan.wordpress.com/2 ... on-kindle/

[Angelique]

Issue 2 of Tiger on the Storm is out, and you can get it on Kindle, too.
http://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Storm-2-Val ... e+Storm+#2