Getting Back to Normal: You can’t hit rock-bottom when you’ve been there all your life.
What does it take for a man who has forgotten who he is to regain a sense of his past at the twilight of his life?
Raccoon’s blood and his seat is in the streets, having been homeless in Reno, NV for the better part of his life. He picked his name up from the local police due to his wild nature, and he’s had it so long it’s overtaken who he is.
One desperate night in search of a meal, Raccoon instead finds the corpse of a stranger, killed in cold blood and left to remain forgotten by the world. Raccoon recognizes one of his own, a fellow knockabout, a wayfarer, and to the respectable population, a bum. Though he lacks the resources, Raccoon vows to bring justice to the man, and he does so by picking up on whatever clues he can. The guessing game of a mystery leads him from location to location until he can make sense of it all. As a person who is sometimes unable to decipher delusion from reality, will these clues give him answers, or will he fall deep into the rabbit hole chasing non-existent conspiracies?
Getting Back to Normal is an original graphic novel with 97 pages of story that writer John Kratky has been wanting to release in print for a very long time. Originally conceived as a digital extra where a new part was released with each chapter of the graphic novel The Black Wall, the story now gets its chance to stand on its own the way it has always deserved. One part pulp detective story, another part existential dark comedy, this comic is all Raccoon.
“When I was originally writing Getting Back to Normal, it was supposed to be a 10 page short, but as I wrote more and more about Raccoon I just couldn’t stop myself,” says author John Kratky. “He was just too much fun and I knew if I kept going with his story, he was going to take me places that no other character would have me go. With Raccoon, there really was no limit to what I could do.”
For the art, John enlisted artist Luigi Criscuolo who hails from Italy. Luigi uses a classic, stark black and white method to create the real world of Reno, NV for the story. “I liked the idea of hiring an Italian to create an American city, especially for the offbeat world that Raccoon lives in. While I was able to give Luigi plenty of reference material from pictures I took of specific locations around Reno, there is still a bit of a filter there for Raccoon’s dark city.”
Returning as letterer is Eduardo Camacho. He has worked with John on just about every one of his comic book releases over the last decade. As always, he provides the story with text that never overwhelms the image, and keeps the story flowing seamlessly panel by panel.
Getting Back to Normal is now funding on Kickstarter with the goal of getting physical copies in the hands of comic book fans. Whether purchasing digital or print, there is plenty on offer with fun bonuses for all backers. It doesn’t matter which week you pop on the campaign, there is something free waiting for you. The goal is $2,000, and the continuing effort of getting new crime comics in the hands of readers who love a gripping and intense story.
Author Profile
- 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!
