Nguyening It!
Pablo Gorilla
@PablotheGorilla & I need your help! Nominate us for the #Ringoawards! @Ringoawards
As you may know, creating Pablo the Gorilla has been an amazing journey but it’s not over yet! You can have a part in nominating Pablo for a Ringo Award!
The Ringo Awards are held at Baltimore Comic-con, which I’ll be at in their Artist Alley if everything goes back to normal. It’d be great if a longshot like Pablo the Gorilla made it on the ballot. First, it’d be a special thing to walk into Baltimore Comic-Con with that nod. Second, and more importantly, the award celebrates Mike Wieringo, an artist that I admired and who believed in the fun of comics. Making Pablo was about making a fun comic and I believe it truly embodies the spirit of the award. You have the chance to affect the ballot simply by nominating the comic and me in all applicable categories! I hope you’ll consider it! Thanks!
Started from the bottom
Last 48 hours of Pablo the Gorilla on Kickstarter. Can you believe it?!
If you’ve been following the process behind Pablo, you know how much work has gone into creating this comic.
The comic is now waiting its final funding count. It was fully funded after 72 hours and stands at 143% right now. It now is $73 away from hitting $5400 in funding. The second stretch goal (a funding goal that stretches beyond the original amount) is in reach. That goal would produce the first pin design.
We are now in the final 48 hours. It’s been a blast! There are three last stretch goals and a bonus. If you’re in the Los Angeles area and have backed, you’ll love this- a pizza party if Pablo the Gorilla reaches or exceeds 200% funding!
This has been an incredible experience. It’s like living a dream having not only the comic being made but also having two- time, Eisner Award winner Dustin Nguyen creating a variant cover. It’s been a really wild ride this past month. So if you’re a comic book fan, especially of indies, hope you’ll love this one. Like I’ve been saying, “I’m not saying it’s going to be the next Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but I’m not not saying it either.” 🤣
@Pablothegorilla looking to hit 2nd stretch goal
This has been a great year so far. There’s still a lot of work to be done. Since Pablo the Gorilla’s kickstarter campaign started, I’ve been reiterating the mantra, “Kickstarter is a team sport. ” It really is. With only 11 days left on the campaign, or is already heading toward the second stretch goal. The are three fun (and super difficult to guess) pin designs waiting to be made if the stretch goals are hit. They don’t have to be made. They’re just tertiary rewards as a thank you to those who came in at $35 or higher, should they be produced.
The campaign is already at 136% funding. It currently stands at 104 backers. I’m honored to have two time Eisner Award winner Dustin Nguyen (no relation) doing a variant cover. It really had been amazing. Thanks to everyone who has pledged, shared, commented or helped in anyway. I can’t wait to put this book in your hands!
Here are some early reader reviews.
“Pablo the Gorilla is great fun, and really packs a pizza-delivering primate cyborg punch.”
– D.E. Schrader, co-creator Baby Badass
Only 500 made #SDCC2019
Going to SDCC? Find one of these, take a photo & tag @NguyeningIt on Insta or Twitter. Better yet, Support the Kickstarter as we climb toward $5,000 funding & 100 backers.
@Pablothegorilla & the road to 100 #backers on @kickstarter
It has been an amazing week. Pablo the Gorilla funded after 72 hours. That means I head into San Diego Comic-con to promote an already successful campaign. Big thanks to my family, friends and new backers.
However, this is not the end. As the campaign nears the ends of the fourth day we’re at 74 backers. Will we get to 75 by 9 a.m. ?
Pablo the Gorilla is now racing to 100 backers and aiming for 200% backing. Reasonable goals?
If you’re reading this and you haven’t already, join Team Pablo!
Pablo the Gorilla is about an albino, cyborg gorilla that delivers pizza and just wants to live life. However, the government that created him wants their AWOL pet project back. We also discover a mysterious fiend tracking Pablo as well.
If you’ve been following the blog, you’ve no doubt seen all the work behind Pablo. Pablo is coming to life in print, but it’s up to fans to prove to the comics industry that they want to see new ideas from fresh faces. That means successful projects need to have big numbers and creators need followers.
Pledges start at $1, rewards start at $5 with physical rewards at the $12 level. The project even has a variant cover being done by Eisner Award winner Dustin Nguyen of Lil Gotham and Descender! After pledging, leave comments and share! Follow me on Instagram and Twitter!
This is an indie comic inspired by the spirit of books like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Usagi Yojimbo, Tank Girl, Hellboy and the Crow. Mash that up with 90s comics like X-Force or Cyber Force and throw in Mighty Joe Young and Planet of the Apes. Sound up your alley? Join Pablo the Gorilla’s Kickstarter now!
The payoff. Thanks WordPress followers!
Thank you for following the blog for the past few years everyone! I know it’s transitioned away from a daily sketch blog recently, but that doesn’t mean it won’t continue to be a blog about my art and art process.
You might remember seeing the loose storyboards for Retro awhile back. I told you to keep an eye out, right 😉? We did it! We premiered yesterday with Dances with Films at the famous Hollywood TCL Chinese Theatres!
The response was overwhelming! Truly humbled and thankful. The story doesn’t end here. Retro is going to be reworked by the creator for comic format too! The kickstarter for Pablo the Gorilla has a launch date for June 26th. That’s right, in 10 more days! We’re going to need all hands on deck. Click here for the email signup!
Then I’ll be at Rose City Comic-con in September.
So…
I’m starting an email list for Pablo the Gorilla’s first comic. I won’t be spamming, but I do intend to keep you informed. The list has actually already been growing before the launch of this sign up page. Thanks to all the fans who loved the pitch and signed up already.
For those of you following my journey and the path to making Pablo the Gorilla as a comic book, I hope we will walk forward together into the next leg of our voyage. Thank you so much for being a part of this.
Moving on
Whew, I feel like there’s a lot going on in my life right now. I’m gearing up to launch Pablo the Gorilla a kickstarter campaign. I hope you’ll join me.
Retro, a short film I did art for, premieres at Dances with Films this month. If you’re in Los Angeles, I hope you will join me June 15th, 2:45 p.m. at the world renowned TCL Chinese Theatres. Tickets are available now.
If you can’t tell from this image, I’m collaborating with a writer on a new project. You’ve seen a thumbnail and concept drawing. We’re going to see how much we can get done before Comic-con.
Then, well, more work coming!
Kickstarter rewards?
From reading about crowdfunding campaigns, people are most definitely invested in the product the campaign is for and want it to be the primary focus. But, do people also like the secondary and tertiary rewards? If you get a chance, please chime in or vote!
I’m looking at printing Pablo the Gorilla (yes, it’s finished! ) with 2, possibly 3 covers. (1 is out of my hands so for all intents and purposes, I’m just looking at 2.)
As for rewards, I was considering stickers, prints, original sketches, pins and offering previously released works. Let me know what you think!
Nguyening It! 