Crowdfunding Comics: Shaky Kane’s ‘Weird Work’ Offers Up A Comics That’s ‘LA Confidential’ Meets ‘Futurama’
by Richard Bruton
On Kickstarter right now – Jordan Thomas and Shaky Kane‘s Weird Work – it’s already smashed its target but there’s still loads of time for you to get pledging to break open all the stretch goals on something they’re describing as ‘LA Confidential meets Futurama’.
Weird Work #1 on Kickstarter has already about doubled its initial goal, but that’s no reason to ignore it and certainly no reason not to point you in its direction with cash in your eager comic-buying hands.
Written by Jordan Thomas (Frank At Home On The Farm, Quarantine) and drawn by the genius that is Shaky Kane (2000 AD, Deadline, Doom Patrol, Bulletproof Coffin, Beef), it’s a book that just looks/sounds so damn good even from the little bits we’ve already seen, described in the Kickstarter PR as…
Multi-coloured sci-fi psychedelic-noir series, Weird Work. Crime, gangsters, cops, killers and deception all combine to create a murder mystery akin to LA Confidential being set in the world of Futurama.
It’s the first of three issues, each issue 36-pages long, and full of all that Shaky Kane wonderful insanity… you know, things like this…
As for what it’s all about, here’s some more of that Kickstarter PR…
“18 months ago Lady Haste A.K.A Lady Vengeance A.K.A Bloody Bef, the head of organised crime in Stellar City, was taken away in cuffs for her part in the conspiracy to murder up-and-coming politician Vimmy Vinders.
Following the news that the First Lady of Crime was going down for eight years, a criminal power vacuum appeared. This was bad news for those loyal to Haste, as they were targeted by a trio of unknown gunmen, systematically removing Haste’s capos from the equation in a hail of bullets.”
“Present day – and the violence has balanced out to a more manageable level in Stellar City the capital of Septamer Prime, with Lady Haste’s remaining troops, and those looking to replace them, taking time to plan their next move. But this is Stellar City, so murder is never far away.
Controversial detective Ovra Sawce is awoken by the news of a triple homicide. The victims? An ex-con turned cult leader, the right hand woman of tech billionaire Graver Shole and Sawce’s partner Looch Lewlock. Much to Sawce’s surprise, Chief of Detectives Chromer Welt wants Ovra on the case.
Meanwhile a new designer drug called Froth is infecting the streets. Persistent Froth use has been found to lead to the swelling of the head to an unsustainable size and a painful death. Finding the manufacturing source of Froth has become the number one priority for the Federal Beaureu of Planetary Investigation.
All this means that the Stellar City police department’s resources are stretched thin, the result being that Ovra Sawce and his rookie partner Donut Trustah get a shot at solving this high profile triple homicide.
This leads Ovra on a journey into the dark heart of Stellar City to solve a mystery rancid with crime, betrayal, money, corruption, murder and deception, which weaves back almost two decades.
Ovra Sawce is about to learn that Stellar City’s past is even more poisonous than he imagined and that the present is more bloodthirsty than ever.”
Okay, now that sounds like it’s going to be a completely weird and wonderful rollercoaster ride of a storyline, all accompanied by the unmistakable artwork of Shaky Kane.
Like we say, the Kickstarter has blown through its initial target, but that just means it’s definitely being published and now all involved can concentrate on those fun, fun, fun stretch goals, the first of which has already been reached – a Weird Work print by Brendan McCarthy (seriously? I need to tell you what he’s done? Oh, okay – Spider-Man, Judge Dredd, Zenith, Mad Max Fury Road, TMNT, Rogan Josh, Skin, Reboot, Dr Fate, Paradax, 2000 AD… that enough for you?)
Future stretch goals likely to fall before the end of the Kickstarter are prints by Mark Stafford (The Bad Bad Place, Lip Hook, The Man Who Laughs, Cherubs) and Alexis Ziritt (Space Riders, Tarantula and Night Hunters.)
Weird Work #1 (of 3) by Jordan Thomas and Shaky Kane – available to back on Kickstarter until March 22 2021.
