http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brandoneaston/dominions-light-the-graphic-novel
The development of Dominion's Light began back in 1998 when I looked around the pop culture landscape and realized that there was no fantasy/sci-fi series that combined the elements of all the stories I love.
I wanted to tell a story of adventure, excitement, friendship, sacrifice and daring that took place in a world never seen in the graphic novel arena. While there have been many fantasy-based comic book titles over the years like Elfquest, Dragonlance, Elric and Battle Chasers, but none of them have collectively touched on themes that mattered to me nor did they feature an ethnically-diverse cast of characters.
Heroic fantasy like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and the Dragonlance franchise have influenced and mesmerized writers for many years, but the core criticism is that they present high concept Western European adaptations of reality that omit the vast diversity that exists in our own world.
After a lengthy search for a conceptual designer a few years ago, I discovered Jeff Stokey (http://jeffstokely.deviantart.com/), a very talented artist who shared my love of unique science-fiction and visually stunning fantasy universes. Jeff immediately understood what visual aesthetic I wanted for the story because of his own immersion in gothic and heavy metal artwork, science-fiction and fantasy cinema as well as the complex conceptual art of major RPG video game franchises.
Unfortunately, Jeff's schedule quickly became crowded and we were forced to push Dominion's Light further and further away until we decided to amicably part ways as colleagues on this project.
After an exhaustive search for a new artist, I found DAWID STRAUSS (http://dawidfrederik.deviantart.com/) - who worked in gaming and comics for seven years on projects like the MARVEL SUPER HERO SQUAD trading cards, DUNGEON RUNNERS and the smash hit sequel DARKSIDERS II.
Dominion’s Light is the story of three young people who are united by tragedy. Reso is a young man betrayed by his own father in order to alleviate gambling debts, Kyshia is a woman whose mysterious powers get her labeled as a witch and nearly executed by a mob and then there is Hammerius Rex, future prince of the LizardMan kingdom who is exiled by his peers.
And finally, there is Lord Valgon, sure to be a controversial character as he will be the first African-American villain in a fantasy setting since James Earl Jones in the original Conan movie.
Our story begins as the nations of Graid'yan are healing from the last great global conflict between the Lizardman kingdom and the race of warrior-sorcerors of Cerist Lunisia in the North. The war ended in a stalemate with both sides retreating to their respective lands and leaving the rest of the world in ruin.
The combatants were in search of the mystical power source known as the CYCLEAN BIBLE - a power so great that it can bend the nature of space, time and reality. Allowing the user to reshape the universe in their own image. Unbeknownst to the majority of people in Graid'yan, the only way to access the Cyclean Bible is through the use of the KEY ULTIMA - a device that reveals the true location of the Bible and the only thing in the universe that can unlock those energies.
Lord Valgon and his ruthless forces - the Valgonath Reapers - are scouring the world searching for the Key Ultima at the same time Resoloth goes on a quest to help his wayward father. After a deadly confrontation, Resoloth is on the run from the Reapers and comes into contact with the recently exiled Hammerius Rex and Kyshia, a teen girl condemned as a witch.
Can these three overcome their differences and survive the upcoming onslaught? Or is destiny playing a role in uniting such disparate creatures?
Dominion's Light will be a journey unlike any other you've seen before. From the windswept prairies of NERISTAD to the Las Vegas-inspired party islands of NEYONEEM to the lush Lizardman kingdom of MILLSREX to the strange, frigid wasteland of TERIST MALHAVIK to the final battle on the shores of GRAYHOLD.
Our goal of $20,000 (US) is meticulously and carefully budgeted to cover the expenses of the art team of the graphic novel (pencils, inks, colors) as well as the cost of the nifty rewards you see here. Rest assured that your donation will 100% go toward the production of my dream.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brandoneaston/dominions-light-the-graphic-novel
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