Stephen R Bissette’s Legendary Lost Dinosaur Epic, Tyrant, Now Live On Kickstarter

Already Smashing Its Target

Will Eisner Hall of Fame creator Stephen R. Bissette’s TYRANT, the never-before-collected dinosaur masterpiece, is now live on Kickstarter from new publisher Lighthouse. The campaign, which opened earlier this week at kickstarter.com/projects/comicslighthouse/bissette-tyrant-deluxe-editions, offers multiple deluxe editions designed by acclaimed cartoonist Jim Rugg as well as rare & limited premium items…

The first 500 backers who pledge for any edition of the book will receive a randomly selected signed art print from Stephen R. Bissette’s personal archives!

“Been a terribly long time adrift in an ocean of tears,” said Bissette. “But Lighthouse shines the light! Yes, it’s for real, Lighthouse has brought my personal primordial ‘lost Odysseus’ back into harbor. My orphaned ‘S.R. Bissette’s TYRANT’ is at long last out of the egg he’s been stuck half-way-in-&-out-of for decades now. We’re excited to go!”

Lighthouse founder and publisher Chris Stevens previously published the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning LITTLE NEMO: DREAM ANOTHER DREAM (also designed by Rugg) and has savored the relationship with Bissette, which developed since the legendary John Constantine co-creator and SWAMP THING artist’s participation in that project.

“Steve is one of the greatest comic book creators of all time and TYRANT is his most personal work, one he put all his blood, sweat, and tears into, not to mention staking his entire livelihood on,” said Stevens. “It is an honor and a thrill to see the work finally brought to market for new generations and for its avid original readers, in multiple editions that will allow readers to experience this unbridled cartooning genius in its most primal and comprehensively exhaustive forms, lovingly designed by one of comics’ greatest craftsmen, Jim Rugg. We can’t wait for folks to see the program we’ve put together.”

“Tyrant is one of the most beautiful comic books I’ve ever seen,” said Rugg (STREET ANGEL, HULK: GRAND DESIGN). “Dinosaurs never looked better! I fell in love with this book when it first appeared in the ’90s and I am thrilled to help share this monumental masterpiece with a new generation of comics fans today. There is no other comic book like it. It is truly a book for everyone from age 3 to 103!”

CAMPAIGN REWARDS

BLACKLIGHT POSTERS
Three fluorescent blacklight posters designed by Jim Rugg, featuring rare and iconic TYRANT imagery. Poster #1 measures 24×12 inches. Posters #2 and #3 measure 18×24 inches. Each poster is screen‑printed with vivid UV‑reactive inks and ships rolled in a protective tube. Available individually or as a complete set.

METAL BOOKMARK

The TYRANT Collector’s Metal Apex Bookmark is produced in antique silver‑plated metal at an oversized 6.25‑inch format, with deep‑etched linework and a cut-out treetop silhouette topper. This collector’s piece showcases a Tyrannosaurus Rex peering through dense prehistoric foliage, rendered in Stephen R. Bissette’s unmistakable style. The Collector’s Metal Apex Bookmark carries a weight and presence worthy of the supreme ancient predator it honors.

PUZZLE

A 1,000‑piece premium puzzle featuring artwork from the rarest TYRANT #1 variant cover. Printed on premium puzzle stock with crisp, rich color and packaged in a sturdy collectible box, this puzzle is designed for fans, families, and anyone who loves a challenge.

THE ORIGINAL ART EDITION

Designed by Jim Rugg, a 12×19 collection of ALL the TYRANT original art along with rare and never-before-seen pieces from throughout Bissette’s nearly 50-year career, featuring unparalleled line art reproduction thanks to Sean Michael Robinson’s brilliant expertise. Over 100 pages, printed on bamboo stock.

THE ORIGINAL ART EDITION DESIGNED BOX

Every copy of the THE ORIGINAL ART EDITION will come housed in a fully designed display case featuring a custom dinosaur pattern and the impeccable design of Jim Rugg along with one of the fiercest images Stephen R. Bissette created for TYRANT.

THE COMPLETE EDITION

A comprehensively exhaustive volume designed by Jim Rugg. Over 200 pages of the complete TYRANT material including never before seen material from issues #5 and #6 as well as dozens of rare and unseen pieces, essays from comic book creators and paleontologists, and a fold-out reversible triptych. This book will be 9×12 inches.

THE COMPLETE EDITION SLIPCASE

Designed by Jim Rugg, this die cut Kickstarter Exclusive slipcase features a separate custom dinosaur pattern that is striking on its own and powerful when paired next to the ORIGINAL ART EDITION DESIGNED BOX.

Support the campaign here

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/comicslighthouse/bissette-tyrant-deluxe-editions

ABOUT THE CREATORS

Stephen R. Bissette

One of the most acclaimed storytellers in modern sequential art, Stephen R. Bissette is a comic book writer and illustrator responsible for his contributions to multiple medium-defining projects. A sample of accolades includes co-creating the iconic Swamp Thing run alongside Alan Moore that began with its 21st issue; creating and editing the Eisner-winning Taboo anthology series, which debuted Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s From Hell and Moore and Melinda Gebbie’s Lost Girls; and co-creating the DC Comics character John Constantine alongside Moore. His four-issue self-published series Tyrant, which he both wrote and illustrated, was nominated for Best New Series at the 1995 Eisner Award Ceremony. Bissette’s latest works include Cryptid Cinema and the sketchbook series S.R. Bissette’s Brooding Beasts and  S.R. Bissette’s Thoughtful Creatures. A pioneer graduate of the Joe Kubert School, Bissette currently teaches at the Center for Cartoon Studies.

Jim Rugg 

Jim Rugg is an Eisner and Ignatz Award winning cartoonist, designer, zinemaker, and illustrator. His books include Alien Disclosure, Hulk Grand Design, Street Angel, the PLAIN Janes, Conspiracy Comics, True Crime Comics, 1986 zine, BW, Afrodisiac, Adults Only, Supermag, Octobriana 1976, and Rambo 3.5. He is the co-creator of YouTube’s Cartoonist Kayfabe channel. He is also part of Power Pulp Comics, a new distributor of self-published comics and VeeFriends, Gary Vaynerchuk’s universe of characters and comics. Rugg’s comics are part of the Smithsonian permanent collection, the National Archives, and the Heinz History Center. He taught visual narrative at the School of Visual Arts and the Animation Workshop in Denmark. He loves comic books, zines, lettering, podcasts, running, pro-wrestling, pizza, and cats. Rugg lives and draws in Pittsburgh.

ABOUT LIGHTHOUSE

Lighthouse is a book publisher and comic book maker founded by multiple-Eisner-award-winner Chris Stevens. Stephen R. Bissette’s timeless masterpiece TYRANT is their debut offering, with future books by comics’ finest creators coming in 2026 and beyond.