Comics News
Dan Brereton Talks New Kickstarter Campaign Phantom Fatale
A Celebration Of Pulp And Pulchritude
US comics creator Dan Brereton has a new Kickstarter campaign for art book Phantom Fatale which started a few days ago on the platform and Tripwire’s editor-in-chief Joel Meadows caught up with him to find out more…
TRIPWIRE: What was the genesis of Phantom Fatale?
DAN BRERETON: I haven’t done an art book since By the Blade in 2022. I took a break from Kickstarter projects last year in order to participate in live art shows with Bill Cox ( Comic Art Fans). it was a fantastic opportunity to do just spec pieces- no direction no commission parameters just whatever I wanted based on characters that I wanted to draw and paint . A fan of comics I’m just as into the more popular characters as the next reader. The shows did well enough that I didn’t have to have a major Kickstarter project last year so it was good to take a break.
23. I knew I’d be putting out another project and began working on a theme. This is basically how I produce a book of illustrations – look at what I have a theme comes to mind and I go from there. I went through dozens of titles before I settled on Phantom Fatale
TW: Can you describe Phantom Fatale in one pithy sentence?
DB: I have been saying it’s a celebration of pulp and pulchritude. Basically, it’s the things I enjoy drawing and painting , and collectors readers and enthusiasts like myself are moved by – as an avid devotee of genre fiction and characters which are steeped in the Pulp Tradition , that covers a lot of ground. But the main subjects are the female form and monsters , with an awful lot in between.
TW: How did your selection process work for this book?
DB:I tried to choose work that fit the grouping based on the adopted theme. When I sat down to look at the folder with all this new artwork for a book, it became clear there was much more material than I could fit in one book. It’s closer to three! So I divided them up into a trio of books, with Phantom being the first. Of course, by the time I get around to doing the next one, there’s sure to be even more stuff in that folder. so I might have to start increasing the page counts of these things. Problem is, when you do that it costs even more to ship them, especially overseas.
TW: How hard was it to limit it to the amount of specific pieces that made the final cut?
DB: It’s never easy ! You start with closer to 400 images , and even after I parsed them into three groups, I still had too many . So only the best work is included – or at least work I’m most happy with. There are illustrators who’ll tell you they don’t like looking at their work, and I can honestly say that’s true for me at times, but when I accomplish something I set out to do and maybe even surprise myself a little bit when it’s done, I like that feeling. Doesn’t happen a lot….
TW: What are the pros and cons of using crowdfunding?
DB: The pros are simply freedom and connection. I can produce whatever I set my mind to, with autonomy. In doing so, you’re connecting directly with the people who are enthusiastic and supportive of that vision. You’re not subject to the approval of anyone but those attracted to the concept.
A storyteller doesn’t get to turn off the idea faucet. A crowdfunding opportunity means you have an audience but not a committee who need to approve a budget . Lots of creative projects get squashed by accountants. Kickstarter makes it very simple- reach your goal and you’ve gotten approval and funding all in one. It’s incredible gift to creative people, but also to the audience who are enthusiastic about whats on offer.
As for the Cons, fulfilment is always a challenge and trying to get better at it with each project. It’s impossible to make everyone happy. I do my damnedest to try.
TW: As an experienced crowdfunder, what is your strategy for each campaign?
DB: I take it in phases – concept, cover art , budget, lining up printers and fulfilment people, page building, launch , promotion in the form of social media posting , announcements to prior backers. You try to keep the momentum going, which you have to get creative about. Don’t over-extend yourself on the stretch goals, because in the end that’s all going to bog you down, which is not good for you or your backers. Be generous and realistic about the time it’s gonna take to deliver rewards. Streamline as much as you can.
TW: Running a crowdfunding campaign is mentally quite exhausting. How do you pace yourself?
DB: So far, I’ve never really been mentally exhausted. It’s actually very inspiring when you have an enthusiastic audience waiting. You don’t wanna let them down. You want it to be a success, and the way you accomplish this is by following each step thoroughly. You have plenty of time, there’s no reason to panic or get stressed out. Take it one step at a time, it’s not that much different one making deadlines for a graphic novel, which was actually a lot more stressful than running a crowdfunding campaign then producing the project.
It definitely becomes a full-time job for a couple of months and then for a couple more months after that , and after that – it’s the reason why I don’t run more than one Kickstarter a year. It takes me about a year in total from concept to fulfilment.
TW: What perks and unique items can people grab in this campaign?
DB: Her main stretch goal is to produce four nocturnal prints for a kind of mini portfolio. if and when we unlock all four, there will be a illustrated envelope that goes with it and everyone who ordered a physical book will get this portfolio. As of this interview, we are halfway there. Rewards include a sketch, a watercolor combination of the two with the art portfolio, which is the companion to the book. Both the portfolio and the book come signed. There is no extra charge for that.
TW: You always seem drawn to the darker, more gothic side of things with your work. What is it about this sort of material which appeals to you as a creator?
DB: I just always liked drawing monster. I was pretty afraid of the dark as a kid. I didn’t like scary movies , either, so I had to make friends with the monsters. Escapist entertainment I think is very important to the human psyche in some way shape or form. For some people it’s video games or streaming TV shows or immersing in books. For some of us, it’s all of that . My greatest form of escape is creating characters and telling stories , based on what bubbles to the surface of a continually percolating cauldron.
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