Sink Your Teeth into THE VI EMPIRE Graphic Novel!
A comic fan’s lifelong dream is coming true as the graphic novel THE VI EMPIRE has launched a Kickstarter from Ominous Press and Creation.Ink. Created by Max Akbar, along with Richard Gold, THE VI EMPIRE is a vampire tale unlike any other, featuring fierce vampires, shadowy government agents, and even galactic empires. The Kickstarter campaign for the 144-page THE VI EMPIRE hardcover graphic novel is live now, and will run through June 17. The Vi Empire by Ron Marz — Kickstarter
To help him bring THE VI EMPIRE to life, Akbar enlisted top-drawer comics talent, including writer Stuart Moore and artist Val Semeiks, both known for their numerous DC Comics credits. The graphic novel features a new cover drawn by industry superstar Paul Pelletier. THE VI EMPIRE is the story of a grizzled veteran who discovers an abandoned baby in the wilderness, and adopts her as his daughter. But as she grows up, he learns there is much more to her than expected, making them targets for monsters, men in black, and aliens!
All of the creative work is complete on THE VI EMPIRE, so with a successful Kickstarter campaign, the graphic novel will be printed and in backers’ hands very quickly.
THE VI EMPIRE’S unique blend of horror, suspense, action, and science fiction is the brainchild of Akbar, a lifelong comics fan whose real-life story is just as intriguing. As a boy, Akbar’s family fled Russian-occupied Afghanistan and settled in the United States, where Max discovered comics.
“I remember when we migrated to the U.S., my father would purchase the Sunday paper and look for a job. Back then, the newspaper would have a section where there were all kinds of comics,” Max Akbar said. “I had not discovered a comic book store, but I would pick these sections and look at the comics, and in time, I was able to read them. I didn’t realize comics were teaching me how to read, and then how to draw. Comics made me the person I am today. Comics shaped my character, taught me to do good, to be kind, and be like the heroes I cherish.”
Now, with THE VI EMPIRE ready to appear in print for the first time, Akbar is giving back to the medium that sustained him. Akbar’s essay series on his immigrant experience, and his love affair with comics, will be included in the hardcover volume. In addition to the hardcover, rewards include the complete VI EMPIRE story in five individual issues, original art, a print set, T-shirt, and more. The campaign will be funded by reaching the goal of $12,000 by June 17.