Kickstarting an indie graphic novel about John Brown and Harper's Ferry

Wilfred Santiago and Sanlida Cheng are comics pros who've worked for the likes of Marvel, DC and Fantagraphics, but for "Thunderbolt: An American Tale," their dramatization of the life of John Brown and the militant abolitionist uprising at Harper's Ferry, they've decided to go indie and take it to Kickstarter.


The early previews look great, the team has experience bringing comics to market, and Brown's story is one of the most important and controversial in American history. $12 gets you a PDF and $23 gets a hardcover.


Our collective experience in working with different types of publishers has been, for the most part, reasonable. Thunderbolt is a graphic novel with rich drama, rough, violent clashes, cleverly layered plot, and a visual feast. The story literally expands beyond the pages of a book, and the historical significance of the work cannot be ignored. Thunderbolt: An American Tale is not your typical graphic novel, and so closer oversight of the project is naturally desired. This Kickstarter venture needs backing and generous support from readers like you to finally bring the astonishing story of Captain John Brown to life, in Wilfred's bold and visionary way.

THUNDERBOLT: An American Tale • Vol. 1 [Fog Dog/Kickstarter]