Mystery Stretch goal revealed!
almost 3 years ago – Tue, May 23, 2023 at 11:39:02 AM

Daymakers! 

Sorry for the late update today. My better half broke her foot last night so my work day has been flipped upside down.

We're really happy to announce that, thanks to all of you, our 7k mystery stretch goal is officially unlocked. Not only that but we are well on our way to including the second mystery stretch goal, which unlocks at 8K.

DRUMROLL, PLEASE...

As a child of the 80's, I'm a big fan of The Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe. I used to love reading the characters' histories and seeing how their powers stacked up against one another; so I'm extra-excited to include a handbook entry for Daybreak herself into our third issue! If we are fortunate enough to hit our 8k goal, Doc Matter will also receive the handbook treatment. Both entries will be from Stefan Tosheff and myself, by the way, and we hope you dig them as much as we're looking forward to creating them. 

I guarantee when I write the copy, I'll be sneaking some hints, clues and secrets in there that haven't been revealed yet.

WHAT ABOUT THE MATH?!

When one prints a comic or book or magazine, the golden rule is that the page count must be a multiple of 4.  Folding any sheet of paper in half will create four separate panels and saddle-stitched booklets are constructed entirely of folded sheets. Make sense?

The problem is, that makes Daybreak! #3 into a 33 or 34 page comic (depending if we reach 8k) and, while I'm not that great at the math stuff, I'm pretty sure 33 or 34 isn't a multiple of 4. 

That's our problem though, and we're going to solve it by adding a pin up or two to the book. So look, it's like an extra stretch goal for all of you, a cherry on top of this stretch goal sundae. That's called winning!

Thanks to all of you for helping getting us this far, with a special acknowledgement to Robert Berman, who is quietly assembling the largest collection of Daybreak! original art known to mankind. We appreciate all of you guys helping our little Daybreak daydream come to life. 

Back soon.

Your pal,

Keith Champagne

Sketch Cover unlocked! PLUS...
almost 3 years ago – Mon, May 22, 2023 at 07:40:03 AM

Daymakers!

Thanks for a great weekend and welcome to our new backers!

We're happy to report that, thanks to the Joker: Year One add-on and some additional support from WONDERLAND COMICS (home of the mysterious and talented variant cover artist and Bravestarr cartoon fan, FAHNA), we have been able to unlock the Daybreak! #3 SKETCH COVER variant!

That red dotted line (known as The Safety Area) will NOT be on the printed cover. It's just a production thing. If you'd like to add a pristine version of the sketch cover to your pledge, the same procedure applies: manage pledge, re-choose your reward and grab it from the add-on section. Just imagine getting your very own, personalized nude Daybreak! cover by Tom Nguyen at a convention. Maybe Robb Miller can even color it, who knows? Dare to dream though!

SPEAKING OF NUDITY...

We are in the final few days of the campaign, which ends on Thursday of this week at noon EST.  We're on track to unlock the mystery 7k stretch goal (which would make this the most successful issue of Daybreak! to date), but we'd also like to go hog wild and try to have the highest number of backers too. To do that, we need 75 MORE people to jump aboard over the final three days.

That's a lot for a smaller campaign like this but if you guys want to give it a shot, we're going to unleash the official New Pain "REFER A FRIEND" program. It's pretty simple. Get a friend to pledge at any level, $5 or higher and leave your name in a comment. 

In return, you shall receive:

An 11x17 print of Tom and Robb's nude variant cover art for this issue!

Simple, right? I don't actually have any friends so I'm out of luck but you guys are all way more popular than I am. Let's turn your elite social statuses to our advantage!

And don't forget to enter our raffle by posting the link to the campaign (bit.ly/Daybreak3) and hashtagging #daybreak3. We'll be choosing a winner at random by the end of the week.

Just a few days left, gang. Thanks for helping us get this far, let's make these last hours matter.

Your friendless best friend,

Keith Champagne

PS- Thanks to Karl Kesel's recommendation, I backed OLD MAN THUNDERPUNCH  this morning. All the most creative stuff comes from the indie scene these days and this book looks like a blast. Check it out!

A note about Add-Ons
almost 3 years ago – Fri, May 19, 2023 at 02:43:34 PM

Daymakers!

We've noticed several of you have added Joker: Year One to your rewards but, in the process, have dropped your original choice of Daybreak reward and are now ONLY receiving the Joker book.

Which is fine if that's what you intended. But if not, a quick clarification...

To add the Joker: Year One script without losing your original Daybreak reward, please try the following steps.

1) manage your pledge

2) Edit Reward

3) Choose your exact same Daybreak reward as previously so you don't lose it.

4) Now, on the Add On screen, choose Joker: Year One (or any other add-on that you wish).

Sorry for any confusion.

Landers

Final Add On added on!
almost 3 years ago – Fri, May 19, 2023 at 11:52:48 AM

Daymakers! 

We are unleashing our FINAL add on to the campaign and if you ask me, it's a doozy (but I'm biased). 

JOKER: YEAR ONE is a project I wrote for DC Comics a handful of years ago. The great Doug Mahnke and amazing Christian Alamy drew most of the book before the Powers That Were at the time pulled Doug off to work on something deemed more urgent.

A few months ago, Doug and I came THISCLOSE to resuscitating and finishing this project to coincide with the next Joker movie. Unfortunately, despite some heroic efforts from several editors, the decision wasn't in our favor. 

The good news is that DC's loss is your gain.

I had already decided to print and bind the script as a convention-exclusive offering so when it was suggested I offer the printed edition as part of the Kickstarter, it made a lot of sense. 

Joker: Year One is the story of Joker's first incarceration at Arkham Asylum. In DC continuity, it takes place directly following Ed Brubaker's The Man Who Laughs. The bound edition is 124 pages long, with front and back cover art (as well as several interior pages) illustrated by Doug and Christian. 

There are five printed copies listed in the add-on section of the rewards. A digital version is also available as an add-on. If you'd like a copy of the printed or digital version, just manage your pledge, navigate to the add-ons and drop it in your basket.  Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. 

We're less than a week away from the end of the Daybreak! #3 campaign. With some elbow grease and gumption, I think we can make this the most successful Daybreak campaign to date. At the very least, I hope to unlock the next stretch goal. Let's form into a giant robot, Voltron-style, and do this thing!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Your bestie,

Keith Champagne

First Stretch Goal unlocked!
almost 3 years ago – Mon, May 15, 2023 at 07:39:02 AM

Happy Monday, Daymakers! 

Thanks to all of you that added on the limited time, limited edition Darryl Banks variant cover edition of Daybreak! #3 over the weekend. Your extra support, plus several new backers that joined the party, pushed us past our first stretch goal which is now officially unlocked!

So we're pretty happy to announce that the Artist Edition of #3, with new cover art by Darryl Banks, is now live as a reward and an add-on!

So if you like your comics in black and white (and gray) and want to include a copy with your bundle, you are now easily able to manage your pledge, navigate to ADD-ONS and do so.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

I had called an audible the other week and added a "lost" Superman story by Rick Leonardi and myself as an extra stretch goal.  So all backers will now be receiving a digital copy of "The Coward Joe Cleveland." 

Originally, this story was slated to be an issue of Action Comics. It was inked by Dan Green with a special painted cover by Alex Ross but a few months before it was to be published, was pulled off the schedule due to issues with the (at the time) ongoing lawsuit between DC and the estate of Joe Shuster.  Unfortunately, the inks by Dan Green have been lost and the Alex Ross cover was repurposed for a different book so this story is now presented in Rick's original penciled form (although I inked a couple of pages as a hobby). I'm glad to get it out there a bit and hope you guys enjoy it when you read it. It's a very special story to me.

Just about a week and a half of the campaign left and we have a good chance of making this campaign the most successful of Daybreak's life so far.  Let's make some noise and ensure we can afford to pull together the double-sized finale while we're at it. 

Thanks, guys!

Keith Champagne