Kickstarting Comics: ‘Gravestown #5 – Emma Ultra’ – More Mystery, More Fantasy

by Richard Bruton

The latest Kickstarter for Gravestown, sees a new storyline, a jumping on point, new artists, and much more – it’s Gravestown #5, Emma Ultra and it’s funding on Kickstarter now…

Over the last couple of years, you’ll hopefully have read a lot about me talking about Roger Gibson and Vincent Danks and their creations. We’ve had the brilliant cop procedural Harker from Time Bomb Comics and we’ve had Gravestown, a wonderfully weird fantasy from their own Ariel Press.

Gravestown issues 1-4, written by Gibson and with gorgeous artwork from Danks, introduced the idea and the cast for the fantasy series – but from issue 5, things are shifting about a little. First of all, it’s a new storyline with a new artist (or two!), sort of a season 2, hence the byline Emma Ultra. Other titles coming from Aeriel will explore the interconnected world of Gravestown even more, with the forthcoming titles The Gravestown Detective Agency (by Gibson and Danks) and Alexa DuVoy. But those come later, let’s talk about Emma Ultra #1 here.

Gravestown #5 (Emma Ultra #1) introduces Andrew Richmond as the new artist on Gravestown #5 (Emma Ultra) – although he’s been around Gibson and Danks’s work for quite a while, providing the excellent colours on both Gravestown and Harker. There’s also a back-up strip featuring Genevieve, set in the faerie woods, written by Gibson and drawn by Mark Wayne Barrett.

The continuing Gravestown explores all of the ideas and themes of the first storyline, focussing initially on Emma, freshly dumped into this fantastical place and trying to figure out who/what/why and so much more and Ravenhall, the mysterious faerie guiding her new life in Gravestown.

In Emma Ultra, Emma and Ravenhall are off to the past to find a gothic castle that has fallen from Gravestown into the real world – the same thing that befell the house that originally trapped her. For Emma, it’s more of a holiday, a chance to enjoy herself, let loose a bit, and, it turns out, a chance to explore her sexuality – Ravenhall is a little more concerned, having more of an idea of the dangers all this entails and the monsters that may be around the corner, including, according to Gibson:

“The Bride of Frankenstein in a key role, this also hearkens back to the classic black and white comics of the 1970s, such as Satana, Legion of Monsters, Untold Worlds of Science Fiction etc.”

Gravestown #5 is the first of a three-part story, designed as a jumping-on-point, and is now funding (and fully funded) on Kickstarter with the campaign running until 7th February.

The sixth issue will be headed to Kickstarter in March.

Of course, as you’d expect, there’s multiple pledge levels with plenty of different rewards, including prints, bookplates, and more. It starts with the basic digital and printed editions – 32 pages of comics to enjoy – and extras look like this…