A werewolf comic written by a local author Local news

“I try not to cry, because this dream, which I have had for so long, will actually become a reality,” he said in a video last night when his campaign on Kickstarter reached its goal. “I can’t say a big thank you to those who have supported the project so far.”

Lycan: The Odyssey of Solomon is a graphic novel written by Robinson, a 2004 high school graduate from Gettysburg. A blend of horror, mythology and folklore, the story is the first of 15 chapters told in three arches that will feature many countries, cultures and centuries, he said.

Kickstarter helped Robinson recoup some of the $ 20,000 he invested in the project, he said. It remains open until 8:50 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 3. Donors will receive gifts for their contributions by February 2022, Robinson said.

“Lycan: Solomon’s Odyssey” begins in Saudi Arabia in 8000 BC, when the hero is reluctant to make a desperate decision that turns him into an immortal werewolf, Robinson said. The saga will take place in several mythological eras as well as throughout the more modern history of mankind, he said. The book is played with themes of love, loss, friends, enemies, good, evil and everything gray in between, Robinson said.

“Throughout the series, he will have a variety of motivations and goals, whether trying to find a cure or control it,” Robinson said. “It will affect a lot of addictions, depression, PTSD and things like that.”

Robinson said comic book lovers in the pursuit of capes would not do, but those who love fantasy, mythology, folklore and monster movies can find what they are looking for.

The book is recommended for readers over the age of 15, Robinson said, noting that violence and expressions make up the most questionable content.

The characters were created to look similar to how they will appear in that period of time, with clothing, buildings and cityscapes also depicted with historical references in mind.

Robinson first fell in love with werewolves as a child in the library. He still remembers the surprise he felt as he picked up a purple book with gold inscriptions.

“It was, in fact, a book with pictures of the original wolf man,” he said. “I don’t even know if I read the book, I just fell in love with the pictures. I really got into the duality of that. ”

None of Robinson’s characters are based on himself, but tales of werewolves seem to have a universal appeal that may apply to him, he said.

“There is a soft and normal person with a deep, dark thing inside,” he said. “I feel like everyone has it a little bit. Even the kindest person keeps something pressed, maybe it never comes out, maybe it works, but I’ve always liked the idea. “

As in other werewolf stories, the character’s abilities depend on the full moon, although he still studies this in the early stages of the story. Unlike some werewolf stories, Solomon cannot change others into one of a kind.

“His particular suffering is because it comes from the deal he makes, he can’t pass it on,” he said. “But I plan to have other types of werewolves in history. Someone more man, someone more wolf. In the middle, that’s where you’ll get a more powerful Lycan ”.

After graduating from Gettysburg High School, Robinson received a degree in psychology from the University of Schippensburg in 2008. He jumped on various jobs in the field and also worked in local businesses in Gettysburg.

A year ago, he began working as a solution specialist at Deloitte Insight and Solutions with a focus on sound design and audio editing. He even made some voices for trainings for the Home Depot and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). He said his most interesting work included the role of a British conductor in a training series about Harry Potter for Google.

Robinson’s ambitions for comics began in 2009 when he tried to write a screenplay while on vacation. Shortly afterwards, he set it down on the shelf, thinking it was nothing more than an unattainable dream.

He returned to it in 2017 after achieving some success as the “World’s Best Dungeon Master” for the local Dungeons and Dragons podcast “Inappropriate: The D&D Podcast,” which has more than 750,000 downloads, he said.

“It’s an impromptu comedy draped in the loose skin of Dungeons and Dragons with enough booze,” he said.

Robinson met comic book creators when podcast work led him to Dragoncon, a multimedia congress of pop culture in Atlanta, or the “melting pot of botanists,” Robinson said. They encouraged him to take his idea a step further.

Robinson wrote a new screenplay, “Disgusting Comics and Books,” he said to offer the publisher in Chicago, but he was told it was not to his liking. In 2018, he contacted Henri Campan, an independent comic book creator who helped him understand the right structure, pace and framework.

Robinson said they signed a contract, but creative disagreements forced them to part before the book was completed.

Using online networking systems, he hired artist Salo Donner, colorist Ezekiel Dominguez and writer Joel Saavedro. After Robinson and Campan broke up, his girlfriend Stephanie Crunol took on the task of editing with another writer known by the pseudonym “Gabo”.

Over the past few months, the team has completed a fully illustrated color horror comic and posted samples of its work on the Kickstarter page. Robinson learned that on Sept. 22 he reached his goal on Kickstarter at $ 6,000, but still encourages others to invest in future sections of the project.

Those who invest can receive incremental rewards depending on their level of participation, the largest of which includes placement in a future book, signed memorabilia, T-shirt, enameled hairpin, individual knitwear, and physical and PDF copies of the book.

“It’s an exciting project,” he said. “If it turns into something bigger than that, it’s amazing. I like to tell stories, so I want to tell a story that I have wanted to tell for a long time. “