THE PACKAGE, an original 56-page crime graphic novel written by Elliot Blake and illustrated by Alexis Ziritt, is the story of Fred Cutler, a shallow mob gunman who survives an attempt on his life only to wake up and find there's a small bomb in his chest. It was planted there by Paz Huerta, the beautiful young woman who saved his life, because she sees in him her one best chance to get something she's wanted more than anything: revenge for the death of her father at the hands of Fred's boss, Los Angeles gangster Rafi Vega. Like it or not, Fred's going to have to help Paz, because she's not taking no for an answer – and she's the one with her finger on the detonator.

I've long wanted to write a crime comic, and when I first saw the art of illustrator Alexis Ziritt, I knew I had found the right guy to help me bring The Package to life, which he'll do in gorgeous, hand-inked black & white. (This is our second collaboration – our first was the short story Mekano Turbo, which saw print in volume four of the Harvey Award-nominated Image Comics anthology Popgun.)  The Package is fully scripted, and Alexis is currently working on drawing the first eight-page chapter, which we'll soon be posting on ThePackageOGN Tumblr as a preview for the book.

We'll use the money raised here on Kickstarter to cover the cost of producing the comic, which means compensating Alexis for his time and effort (he expects it will take 16-20 weeks to draw 56 pages, in between his two day jobs), reimbursing him for his material costs (he still draws and inks on Bristol board, which will make for some great pledge rewards), and paying a professional letterer.  Your pledge will also help pay for an initial print run of 400 books, (this next bit is for you, printing spec nerds) which will be perfect-bound, with #80 card stock covers and #60 text paper for the inside pages, and printed domestically at Wallace Carlson Printing in Minnesota.  The book will feel and look great in your hands – and it will feel even better knowing you helped make it happen.

Like many of the projects found here on Kickstarter, The Package is a labor of love for Alexis and me. We're not making comics to get rich – although that would be great if it worked out that way – we're in it because we have stories to tell, we love comics, and can't think of a better medium in which to tell those stories.  It's our hope that you can help us achieve that goal without going broke.  So, if you love crime comics, and more importantly, if you love independent, creator-owned comics, like we do, then we hope we can count on your support.

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