New Anthology From Rising Retro-Inspired Studio SHAPE COMICS Hits Kickstarter

Shape Comics, the new indie crew on the block, has taken the internet by storm with hit sci-fi/western titles like Shape-Man and Sonic Saturn. Now, they’ve hit the launch button on a new project: the Forge/Surge/Omega Triple Feature — three awesome stories in one big book. And by the looks of it, this will be their biggest hit yet.

Collectively, the stories play around in a mix of genres. We get some medieval fantasy with Forge, the story of a blacksmith-turned-magic-fire-knight who tries to defend her kingdom from an army of skeletons.

Surge shifts the genre from fantasy to sci-fi with the story of a young tech genius who develops a visor that can shoot beams of lightning.

Omega rounds it out with a mix of sci-fi and fantasy, where an elvish space man fights a giant monster in an arena in an attempt to free his planet from invading lizard barbarians.

It’s safe to say that this comic is jam-packed with awesomeness.

The project has a large team of talented creators behind it. Shape’s co-founder Breyden Boyd is at the helm as the writer for all three comics, with illustrators Sean Peacock

(Forge), Nick Malara (Surge), and Marcus Cripps (Omega) laying down the pencils inks. Shape’s resident colorist Violet Villanueva will be coming through with the group’s signature halftones and paper textures, giving it all a nice retro cohesiveness.

This whole thing got started when Boyd dusted off some old superhero doodles from his childhood and breathed new life into them. The Shape-Man series was the first, and with over 3000 copies sold, the fans demanded more. Boyd turned back to the doodles and decided it was time for Forge, Surge, and Omega to make their debut. “I hope that I can inspire young artists with this comic,” says Boyd. “It’s proof that big things can happen if you stick with your craft and keep working at it.”

Triple the stories means triple the buzz. The Kickstarter has 178 followers going into it, which is the most that Shape has ever had on a campaign. It’s already halfway funded within the first half day. There are a ton of rewards available, including variant covers, trading cards, and a special opportunity to have your own easter egg planted in the comic.

Shape Comics is building its brand on nostalgia. To give their comics a classic Silver Age feel, they use digital halftones, ink brushes, and paper textures. With a style as old school as this, comic fans are surprised to learn that the entire crew is in their 20s. In fact, the mean age between them is only 23 years old. As co-founder Anthony Carranza puts it, “The term ‘neo-retro’ may be an oxymoron, but I think it describes us pretty well.”

All this to say, this is a group to keep your eye on. It’s exciting to see where they’ll go and what they’ll do next.

Check out the Forge/Surge/Omega Triple Feature on Kickstarter, and visit the Shape Comics website for more information.

Author Profile

Al Mega

I'm Al Mega the CEO of Comic Crusaders, CEO of the Undercover Capes Podcast Network, CEO of Geekery Magazine & Owner of Splintered Press (coming soon). I'm a fan of comics, cartoons and old school video games. Make sure to check out our podcasts/vidcasts and more!