Stephan Franck Launches Kickstarter with 2 All-New ‘Palomino’ Books and Rare Novella Reprint

Stephan Franck, acclaimed cartoonist and award-nominated animator, writer, and director, and his Dark Plant Comics have launched a Kickstarter campaign with two all-new books and printing of an impossible-to-find graphic novella, never before available on the platform.

The campaign will introduce new readers to “Romance in the Age of the Space God,” a hyper-timely dystopian sci-fi comic that Franck quietly published last year with a super limited edition 150-copy print run. Click here to download an exclusive excerpt from this sci-fi gem!

Also included are two brand new volumes - 4 and 5 - of “Palomino,” his Ringo Award-nominated neo-noir graphic series set in the lost culture of Los Angeles’ country music clubs.

“There are certain eternal themes that always seem to come back in my stories,” said Franck. “One of them is family, in all its forms. Whether it’s a father/daughter detective duo in a generational crime-mystery in ‘Palomino,’ or two foster siblings like in ‘Romance in the Age of the Space God,’ or even a ‘family by choice’ like in ‘Silver’ where a band of misfits find each other to recreate a family unit and steal from a castle full of vampires, it’s always an affirmation that - even in worlds that are amoral, cynical and transactional - there are people who will always have your back. It’s on you to find them, let them help you, and never let them go. The core idea is that we’re not alone, and I think that’s something we can all relate to.”

“Romance in the Age of the Space God” is set in a world in erosion, in which the hallowed-out trappings of civil society remain in place, merely existing as a maze for people to stumble through. And then there is the Space God. What is it? What does it want? Is it here to judge us? To Rule us? To end us? To enlighten all of us or maybe just a select few? Or does it want nothing at all - its inescapable presence an inscrutable void for people to project their existential struggles into?

“‘Romance in the Age of the Space God’ is a strange comic for and about strange times,” said Franck. “It is cute and funny, it is sci-fi and dystopian, it has political satire and the kind of slice-of-life that I love. It introduces Nate, Lydia, Anya, all looking for their place in a difficult world, all profoundly human - even though they are adorable little mice. It started as a webcomic, but the plan was for it to be released in print, in an oversized format like a magazine. We did a very, very limited run last year just before San Diego Comic Con and it immediately sold out. The time has come to pull out all the stops and bring this comic to a much wider audience. It’s a little weird gem of a comic, and I hope you will give it a shot!” 

A captivating neo-noir crime mystery, “Palomino” begins in 1981 Los Angeles with Eddie Lang, an old-school, hard-ass, hardboiled former Burbank PD detective juggling his 6-nights-a-week gig in the Palomino house band, his P.I. business, and Lisette Lang - his teenage daughter, who might be even more hard-ass and hard boiled than her dad is. But tragedy looms large over their past, and a brand-new case that's hitting a little too close to home upends their lives, sending them each down very dangerous paths.

Told with action, suspense, humor, drama, and slice-of-life irony, “Palomino” 1981 (Volumes 1-3) takes place at the Palomino club's high watermark, with Eddie leading the investigation in the Wilcox case, while “Palomino” 1995 (Volume 4-6) takes place in the twilight years of the club, with his now-adult daughter Liz leading the case and bringing the story to its epic conclusion.

“As ‘Palmino’ time-jumps 14 years at the beginning of Volume 4, not only do we transition from the club’s heyday to its twilight moments, but we also pass the baton from one detective to the next,” said Franck. “The world has moved on from the unsolved Eileen Wilcox case, but Lisette - now 29 and going by Liz - hasn't. So, when a routine assignment at one of the Valley’s free weeklies reopens old wounds and Liz takes it upon herself to revisit the case her father was never able to close, she finds herself entering a world of deception and danger where the only way out is through.”

Franck has worked with some of the most popular characters of all time - including Spider-Man and the Smurfs - and has contributed to classic contemporary animation projects, including Despicable Me, The Iron Giant, and Marvel Studios’ What If...? as head of animation and director.

But writing and drawing the graphic novel series “Palomino” is Franck’s passion project. “From my years playing music in clubs, to having raised two amazing and quite hard-boiled daughters in Los Angeles, many of my lived experiences converged in ‘Palomino’ with my absolute passion for noir, to create the most personal and lived-in work of my career,” added Franck. “At its core, ‘Palomino’ is about the impermanence of all things we wrongly assume will always be there for us, as a society, as a culture, and about how the only thing that truly remains is the moral fiber of individuals, passed-down from one generation to the next.”

The Kickstarter will feature copies of all five available volumes of “Palomino” as well as “Palomino” 1981 box sets, slipcases, and signed book plates from the in-world fictional syndication catalog of Lamaz Television.

To support the project, head to Kickstarter. For updates, follow Stephan Franck on Instagram and Bluesky and Dark Planet Comics on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

Source: Superfan Promotions

Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.