Media Release -- Want to be drawn into a graphic novel? Here's your chance. Brothers of the Silence, graphic novelists Ian LeWinter and Implovious, want to draw you into Blank — the first graphic novel to release in real-time on Facebook and Twitter.
Just go to the Brothers' website anytime from September 7th through 31st, 2012 at http://www.blank-thegraphicnovel.com/ for details and you could be among the first people to die from the extinction-level virus their villain unleashes on the world. It's free to enter and ten winners will be chosen, who will ultimately be drawn into the first of seven graphic novels that make up the Blank franchise.
According to the Brothers, the plot is epic. "Our plot is bigger than most graphic novels," says LeWinter. "So we needed technology to get traction with our audience. Blank has a lot of moving parts, with an event density greater than most graphic novel or comic book plots: confront monster, kill monster."
"Competing cults worshipping the dodekatheon [Greek mythological gods] vie to control events that bring about the apocalypse," adds Implovious. "One cult attempts to destroy the world as predicted by an ancient Greek codex; the other attempts to protect it, expectantly waiting for the Blank — the prophetic champion who will save humankind from destruction. Unfortunately for everyone, the Blank is already dead."
LeWinter says, "The story's villain develops and spreads an extinction-level pandemic. The world's top minds mobilize to fight it, but to no avail. The virus is far too resourceful. Everyone dies."
Everyone?
"Everyone," he affirms. "Including ten readers that we'll draw into the Spread of the Dead, lying on the ground in a crowd of corpses. If we can't have fun with this stuff, then we need to ask ourselves why we got into this game in the first place."
On August 1, 2012, the Brothers launched their project on Kickstarter, asking for $95,000, the largest target of any graphic novel on Kickstarter to date. The funds are necessary, they believe, not only to publish the first book in print form for their entire fanbase, but also to produce sequentially-numbered collector editions, and evolve the series toward movies and games.
"Right now, we have readers in 118 countries," Implovious says, "with a fanbase of over 106,000 people — bigger than the city of Savannah. Our fans have been really great to us, supporting us on this entire journey. We really wanted to give something back. We're also hoping this contest will help get the word out that there's a new kid in town."
"We got tired of the same old story," says LeWinter, "and wanted to give our audience something deeper than guys in tights with lots of money for toys. So we used a fully-annotated, 300-line Greek lyric codex, that springboards into a Mediterranean cult, complete with terrorist-level evangelists and ritualistic sacraments. It's not your run-of-the-mill graphic novel. Sure, we give it monsters, a superhero protagonist and lots of action. But those aren't seen at the expense of the larger story."
When asked about his dead protagonist, LeWinter smiles and says, "Don't worry. He may have some tricks up his sleeve."
To get yourself drawn into the graphic novel's Spread of the Dead, visit:
http://www.blank-thegraphicnovel.com/ anytime between September 7-31, 2012!
