CHAMPION OF DEMA KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN SUCCESSFULL!!

WHEN WE MET OUR GOAL

YESSS PEOPLE!!!

You heard right... Our kickstarter campaign ended successfully, with us being able to raise over 100% of the intended goal.

We are so thankful to all those that helped us achieve our goal and very grateful. There were a total of 100 backers, so that means 100 copies of Champion of Dema has already been pre-ordered. :)

Now we're working away to fulfil the commitments promised, like finishing off the awesome graphic novel we've been working on. Printing the posters required, designing and creating our customised T-shirts and all the other promised merchandise.

To find out more about the project and many of our other projects, please go to our website

CHAMPION OF DEMA KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN IS LIVE - GET YOUR COPY NOW!!

Day 4 of our kickstarter campaign

That's right people, KIRUcomics first ever kickstarter campaign has gone live and we're going to need your help more than ever to make this a success. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1088749339/champion-of-dema?ref=live

The campaign is for our latest project Champion of Dema, a one shot Afrocentric graphic novel about a reluctant hero who is constantly plagued by the citizens of his village to be their Champion. Our kickstarter goal is £3,000 and the deadline for the campaign is November 24th. 

Kickstarter is a crowd funding platform in which you set a goal and tell the people what you wish to achieve. If the people like what you’re doing, they may pledge an amount to help you on your way and in return you give them a reward. So it's more or less you guys pre-ordering the novel before it's out.

Kade |Mabrin, the main character and the spirit of Dema

We've poured our hearts and souls into this project, we took the time to design each aspect of the characters and the city of Dema from the ground up. You can expect well rounded characters and a detailed city in which to let your imagination loose.

Front cover of Champion of Dema

We really need everyone's help to make this all happen... So even if you can't fund it, you can help by simply spreading the word and letting as many people know as possible. Although if you want a free copy of the finished book you will have to pledge to get your hands on one. Please share this project on your twitter and facbook accounts (and any other social media sites).

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO.

Hey guys

It's been a while since our blog has been updated, if you've been wondering what we've been doing and you haven't liked our facebook page  or followed us on twitter then this update is for you.

We have been working superhard on our upcoming graphic novel Champion of Dema, things have been going well and we've been putting a lot of effort into research and designs in order to develop an original and unique novel for your reading pleasure.

We're looking into various methods for funding this project, the most likely so far being crowd funding. But in order to be successful in that, we'll desperately need all your help.

Wanna find out what Champion of Dema is all about, then visit our website at http://www.kirucomics.co.uk/#!champion-of-dema/ceau

Much Love

CHAMPION OF DEMA... What is it?

I have buckled down and started working hard on the stand alone comic project; Champion of Dema which I hope to have ready by the October MCM. But I bet you're all wondering what is this Champion Of Dema about... after all he keeps mentioning it on the social media sites but we don't know what it's actually about and it's not on the website. Well all that is about to change.

Let me start by giving you the low down on the story. 

Champion of Dema is about a young man named Kade Mabrin who’s forced to be a hero (or in this case a champion) but keeps trying to escape his responsibilities.

Every 10 years in Dema someone is magically chosen and seemingly at random to become the new champion (hero) of the city. Kade Mabrin has been chosen as the new champion of Tema to uphold justice and defend the city against evil beings known as soul-takers. Unfortunately for the city, Kade has no intentions of being a hero, instead he would rather spend his days gambling and partying.

This story is a little unique in the fact that it is going to have various elements of the African culture in it, so for example, a lot of the clothes will be African clothes.

Right now I'm in the process of designing the character Kade Mabrin and a few amazing artists have sent their ideas. Which one do you guys like best (keeping in mind he's supposed to be black)?

The various versions of Kade Mabrin done by 6 different artists.

Yellow LFCC was an educational experience

The London Film and Comic Con, attended by Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Jason Mamoa (Khal Drogo), Lena Headey (Cersie Lannister), David Hasselhof and yours truly. Yes it was an event filled with celebrity and the biggest was none other than moi ;p...

Yours truly enjoying episode 1 of Jinn

Hammer time... oh oh 

Successful MCM... Now looking forward to LFCC

So for the first time KIRUcomics attended the london MCM expo in May and we had an amazing time. We truly enjoyed the event, made new friends, sold some comics, had fun but most importantly of all we got the word out there.

Amazing fans purchasing a hardcopy of JINN

We were there doing our best to make sure everyone at least knows about us and spreading our work all over London and the UK (and hopefully all over the world). I'm glad to say we sold out of Episode 1 of Jinn, and most people that enjoyed 1 came back for 2 and 3... it was truly a successful weekend.

SHAMBLES! Law holding on to his own copy of JINN

Another awesome fan with a copy of JINN

But our work isn't done... even though May was successful, we didn't do nearly enough in spreading the word. That's why we are going to be at the London Film & Comic Con  (LFCC) this weekend in Earls Court screaming at the top of our lungs (metaphorically of course) so every can hear us. There are so many Manga lovers out there and we shall not rest until every single one of them have heard about KIRUcomics.

Remember our first ever blog entry (called The Declaration): "WE're going to make you all love MANGA mwuhahahaha… by the time We're done, people that never imagined they could enjoy a comic will be hooked on mine like angry birds."

JINN AT LONDON MCMEXPO

Yep, that's right! This weekend, I'm going to be the MCM expo selling hard copies of JINN Episode 1 to 3 for all those that want a copy (and that's everybody, you all just don't know it yet).

Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to book a table at the comic village so missing one of those, I had to find another table (which was a hell of a lot more expensive). Regardless of all that, I'll be in N7 behind a KIRUcomics banner selling my comics so come check me out... right next to ajiey media (we're sharing the crazy expensive table).

Just to show you that i'm serious about being there this time you can see my preparations

Rollup Banner which will let all know where I am

Free bookmarks which you get with a purchase of a book

|Jinn Episode 1 to 3 for sale 

KIRU PROJECTS EXPLAINED

I realize that a few people are still unsure as to what exactly the Almier project is? why it's called Almier if it has the same story and character as Jinn? and why stop Jinn? Well this post is going to clear it all up once and for all.

KIRUcomics projects broken down

ALMIER CHARACTER JOURNAL

CHARACTER’S NAME:  Hakim Balogun

AGE: 15

Dual nationality

NATIONALITY 1: British

NATIONALITY 2: Nigerian

Journal Entry 1

Wat’s good  future me! If you're reading this then I know you must be bored. Why else would you read your own journal..hehehe? I don't even know why I’m doing this, Sebastian mentioned it would be a good idea for me and Luke to keep a journal but honestly, writing is hard work bruv.

Anyhooo..what to talk about, well today I got a B for my English test. The whole class including Miss seemed super surprised and proud of me, I didn't like that… nah scratch that, I hated it. Don’t get me wrong, I loved being praised for my efforts but not when people think of me as some disadvantaged illietrate (two big words right there). Then it’s just annoying.

People in this country overhype this whole dyslexic/ADHD thing. I mean so what I’m hyperactive, so what I take longer than most people to read and write sentences. In the end I still get it done, that’s just me innit. Back in Nigeria there’s no such thing as ADHD & dyslexia. If you’re slow, you’re slow. If you can’t pay attention then you’re getting slapped. No long ting. Not saying they shouldn't acknowledge it but sometimes all these labels feel a little unnesse… unnesccer…  aaahhh told you writing was hard bruv (basically sometimes labels ain't needed innit).  With all that being said, I’m still crazy proud of my B. Don’t get it twisted fam, it’s not everyday manz gets a B innit.

PEACE

WEST PAPUA'S SILENT STRUGGLE

The Island New guinea was divided into two regions, Papua New Guinea and Papua. Netherland laid claim to the Papua region along with what is now modern Indonesia (was called Dutch East Indies back then). After World War 2, Indonesian nationalist declared independence in 1949 and claimed all the territory of the Dutch East Indies as part of the Republic of Indonesia. By 1961 this included West Papua (US president Kennedy allowed them to keep the region in an effort to gain a strong ally in Southeast Asia and stop communism from spreading).

Papua and Indonesia on the world map.

With American backing, the UN agreed to give Indonesia care taker rights over West Papua on condition that it would oversee the vote of the people of West Papua in which they would either choose to remain part of Indonesia or to become an independent nation. This vote was called the “Act of Free Choice”

West Papua in pictures from Al Jazeera

Instead of keeping their word and going along with what they had agreed, Indonesia decided to round up approximately 1,000 elders which “represented” the Papuan people (or tribes) and after threatening and intimidating them, forced them at gun point to vote to remain a part of Indonesia. Now Indonesia had acquired a nation with which they shared neither language, history, culture, religion nor ethnicity. They wanted the region because of its rich resources; West Papua has the largest gold and copper mine in the world and is the largest tract of rainforest outside of the Amazon. Plus they have natural gas reserves.

MAKING WINDMILLS OUT OF SCRAPS FOR KENYA

Night Heron Windmills being made in Kenya

A very good friend of mine once told me about her frustration with how so many students from Africa or other third world countries study overseas and graduate with good degrees but don’t take their knowledge back home to help better their nation or community. She has decided to do something to address this issue and we at KIRUcomics fully support her. We can’t reveal any top secret plans yet but be on the lookout for her. She’s something special.

The reason I bring this up is because, while I was plodding along on the internet, I came across a company called Access:Energy. This company is just so awesome. They remind me of why I got into engineering in the first place. Basically what they do is use renewable energy to provide electricity for the rural off-grid areas in east African countries like Kenya. The most innovative of their product is the “Night Heron” which is a wind turbine made completely from scraps and materials found in Kenya (no imported materials). Not only that but they also work with the local community and Kenyan universities as well as Kenyan manufacturing companies to build their devices.

Night Heron's installations 

As soon as I found out about this, my first thought was I’m sure many Kenyan engineering students could have thought of this idea and worked to deliver it, if they wanted. But unfortunately not many students think like that anymore, they’re all in that “dog-eat-dog” & “everyone-fend-for-themselves” mode. This is what my friend aims to change.

Being from an African country myself, I can testify to how unreliable electricity is in the cities of some of our countries, so I know that the villages and rural areas will be far worse. In Kenya, the rural areas rely on massive battery packs, generators, kerosene and petrol for their electricity (all non renewable sources and harmful to our environment). Access:Energy takes away all that by providing them with a cleaner, safer and cheaper alternative. They definitely get our stamp of approval.

A night heron installed in a local business

For more information on Access energy and how they are working to improve east africa visit their website or see sources.

Sources: access:energy, Windmill workshop, Dr Sam Duby, Renewable energy: made in Kenya

ALMIER CHARACTER JOURNAL

CHARACTER’S NAME:  Rose Beaumont

AGE: 36

Dual nationality

NATIONALITY 1: Almier

NATIONALITY 2: French

Journal Entry 1

I left Nepal today, a nation just learning to stand on its own feet again. Samir organized a pleasant surprise send off for me, I’m still not sure if it was wise to leave him behind. At 15 he’s the youngest I’ve ever discovered. One more year and he’ll be just old enough for G9. The Elders will be pleased, we haven’t had anyone so young since Sebastian 5 years ago. I wonder what they’ll think if they knew he had been using the flame since the age of 12. No doubt the comparison to Shinji will be inevitable.

What’s most fascinating about Samir’s situation is that his people know what he is. Yet they don’t fear, reject or even revere him. He is simply treated as just another member of the community. Moreover they welcomed me with open arms knowing full well who I was. The only logical explanation I can think of at the moment for this unusual attitude is that Nepal must have not been affected during the dark days. I must remember to look further into the matter, maybe there are other places in the world where Almier and flame users are treated as equals.

 I am still in the air, on a questionable light aircraft. We have just entered Chhattisgarh and will be landing at Bilaspur Airport in 15 minutes. There have been reports of unknown flame users in the forests around the area.

Maybe he is somehow entangled in it.

ALMIER TITLE LOGO

Been working on a title logo for the new series Almier, finally decided on one that we were happy with but we're not 100% sure on the finishing touches. Below are the two variants, we would appreciate your opinions on the one you prefer.

Almier logo with outline

Almier logo without outline

Outline & black background

No outline with black background

Or you can propose your own changes for example a different colour background and the like.

ALMIER CHARACTER JOURNAL

CHARACTER’S NAME:  Juda Al-Jazari

AGE: 32

Dual nationality

NATIONALITY 1: Almier

NATIONALITY 2: Palestinian

Journal Entry 1

G9 is my home…. Sometimes even I can’t believe it. As I sit here on the edge of Ma-Nago, I can look around at our 9 islands with a sense of pride. My nation. A nation of peace, of equality and diversity. To think during my days of gloom, I never thought in a million years I would find such a place to call home. Nablus, Jenin, father, mother, everyone, I’ve found peace… and I know that you have to.

Yet my dreams are haunted by pain filled eyes, silently accusing. What right do they have to accuse me of betrayal after the way they rejected me? I didn’t betray them… I didn’t.  But no matter how many times I tell myself that, I can’t seem to believe it.

I am here, a part of this beautiful society while they are dying, fighting for their home, for their land. I use to be one of them, deep down I still am. I could go back. The Almier are to remain neutral at all times but the 4^th law. I could use the 4^th law and go back and fight. I am worth a hundred soldiers, I could fight back, protect them and… and what? More violence won't solve anything. If I fight, they will only retaliate even harder and more will die. I cannot defeat a whole nation by myself. Besides those that I protect will only reject me again out of fear.

 No, I’ve lost Palestine. But I can still protect the Almier. I am a Guardian and I will defend my new home, my new family till my last breath. Hopefully with the ‘Almier International Security Treaty’ everyone will soon be able to find peace in their lands. I have faith in the elders, they will make the nations see reason.  

SOUTH SUDAN: THE WAY NOT TO START A NATION

So as you all know the new series Almier is about a nation of supernatural individuals that try to bring peace to the rest of the world. Well when developing this nation, I realised there was some fundamental questions I had to ask myself and there was also a lot to take into account in order to create a stable successful nation. You might not know this but building a nation (even a fictional one) is hard work *teasing grin*and once you begin the wrong way it’s very hard to set things right again.

This leads me to my next topic; South Sudan (officially the Republic of South Sudan). Now a few of you might be thinking what? South Sudan? There is no South Sudan, there’s only Sudan... well that was my reaction too when I first heard of the place, so don’t worry. What I (and I’m sure a few others) didn’t know was that Sudan had been undergoing a 50 year two part civil war in which over 2 million people died. The “black” south was fighting against the “Arab” north for independence; the war ended in 2005 and in 2011 over 98% of the black South Sudan voted to create a new nation. 

Celebration after gaining independence.

WHO ARE THE ADIVASIS?

Hey all!!

Hameed Catel here, creator of the Almier project. Now very early on in the series, some of my main characters will be in India and one of them will be from India. So I had to research India if I was to depict an accurate representation of how things really are there. During my research, I came across an interesting story which I am surprised I didn’t know before. So I decided to share this particular story with you all. It’s about the Adivasis.

Now it's no secret that India's economy is fast growing and diverse but one particular group are being left behind drastically. The Adivasis are on the lowest rung of India’s social and economic ladder, the poorest of the poor. They’re a loose collection of tribes and villages in the jungles of central and eastern India and for generations have scraped together a living off farming and the spoils of the land.  Believed to be the first ones to live in India, they’re about 84 million in number (8% of India’s population). To help you put that into perspective think of it this way, there are about 64 million people in the UK; so imagine everyone in the UK (and then some) living below the poverty line or on the edge of starvation.

The Adivasis - normal people like me and you

THE ALMIER PROJECT

As some of you may know we’re embarking on a new manga project called Almier. Almier is a creator owned graphic novel series that is different because as well as being an intensely entertaining story with a message, it also has another purpose. Its second purpose is to bring to light the many problems faced by our world in a fictional setting.

In order to accomplish this goal as well as adhere to the four principle of KIRUcomics (Knowledge, Imagination, Responsibility & Understanding) we must do our research into the many plights and difficult situations being suffered in our world. And as we do this research we will be sure to share with you any issues we feel more people should know about.

To find out more about the project itself please visit the Almier page on our website.

WHAT WE'RE ABOUT

KIRU in all his weird glory.

KIRUcomics is comics with a difference. It is an independent UK comic brand. The brand is an umbrella for the various comic projects which it creates and those that it supports and promotes. The “kiru” in the name is the name of our beloved unique mascot. It is also an acronym for Knowledge Imagination, Responsibility and Understanding; these four values reflects the core of our brand and what we stand for.

To find out more check out our about page on our website.  

DECLARATION

Hello all

Before we get started, keep in mind we're new to this blogging thing so please bear with us. This is KIRUcomics saying a big wild hello to the world, we look forward to you guys reading our posts and sharing your thoughts.

Now without further ado.. let's get on with the declaration

"WE're going to make you all love MANGA mwuhahahaha… by the time We're done, people that never imagined they could enjoy a comic will be hooked on mine like angry birds."

Front cover of the first episode of JINN read it on our website