VERTOSCOPE: The Anthology of VILLAINS
For everyone who likes to explore the dark side, VERTOSCOPE is an all-new original comics anthology that specializes in beasts, villains, and shadows. From the ravenous werewolf to the schoolyard bully, VERTOSCOPE seeks to tell stories that bypass shiny heroes and get behind the lens of those who do wrong.
Editors and comic artists Nechama Frier and Ten Van Winkle are proud to unveil this graphic novel anthology featuring twenty-two creators presenting sixteen psychological shorts focused on the theme “antagonist as protagonist”. The all-star team includes established creators such as Meg Gandy (Godsend), Sarah Winifred Searle (Fresh Romance, Smut Peddler), Jenn Doyle (Knights Errant), Hannah Krieger (Camodad), and debuts many other talented artists and writers. Illustrator Lynn Nguyen (Ladies of Literature) crafted the elegant, haunting cover.
Writers are often encouraged to the point of tedium to create protagonists that are likable, relatable, and possessed of redeeming qualities. Those are the basics. But sometimes, having a complex, realistic character takes you in a direction opposite of “good guy”. VERTOSCOPE is for a particular kind of reader that chases that complexity. This anthology is brought to you by creators who have sat through dozens of movies, books, and comics falling in love with the despicable characters. We don’t hate the hero or happy ending, but straightforward stories about a good person are easy to find. VERTOSCOPE is for readers who crave the challenge of understanding someone immoral, and who exorcise their own demons by watching someone else live them out. They allow space for the darkness inside of them and grow from investigating it through fiction.
The VERTOSCOPE anthology will be 200 pages of original black-and-white short stories that intimately explore a diverse set of villains from a broad range of genres. A Kickstarter campaign live as of October 28 will run for 45 days and provide the funds to publish a 3000-copy run of VERTOSCOPE, as well as pay all of the contributing creators for their work.
There are countless stories for readers who want to watch a hero become the best version of themselves. For those who want to see the best of the bad, there’s VERTOSCOPE.
You can reserve your copy of VERTOSCOPE via Kickstarter and find out more on the VERTOSCOPE tumblr or VERTOSCOPE Facebook page.
To learn more about this project, schedule an interview, or request further advertising materials, please contact editor Nechama Frier (nechamafrier@gmail.com or @nechamafrier) or Ten Van Winkle (vanwinkle@lannyhuang.com or @tenny_boo).
