Coming next week to Kickstarter is Futility Shapes, a dark sci-fi/horror one-shot comic, written by GateCrasher’s very own Edward Kane, with stunning artwork by Dave Fowler, and design/lettering by Rob Jones. The issue is seeking funding on Kickstarter, with a planned release for late summer.
Set in the near future, Adam wakes in a hospital bed, surrounded by doctors who seem impressed with him or maybe themselves. In order to save his life, pieces of him have been replaced with machinery. Does this mean he is still human or something more?
In his head, Adam hears a terrible sound, something no one else hears but him. Is he losing it, or is something coming for him? Follow him through his transformation and beyond.
“I first came up with Futility Shapes around November 2023, Dave and I had been talking about this other project that I brought to him. I saw a call for short comics and one of the genres they were looking for caught my eye: Tech-Noir. Which my fellow nerds will know is the name of the club from The Terminator,” said Edward Kane “I had this idea of a guy staring in the mirror, not realizing he’d been turned into a machine. It was meant to be along the lines of a 2000AD Future Shock, four pages with a twist. You can read that now, it’s the first five pages of Futility Shapes. Yeah, four pages became five, because I’m a writer who can’t shut up.”
Artist and co-creator Dave Fowler said, “I’ve always been fascinated by anything related to horror and science fiction. Futility Shapes was a chance to tell an amazing story and incorporate all of these elements.”
Dave Fowler continued, “It’s been so much fun exploring the lines between human and ‘other.’ This story is our take on what happens when that line disappears. Adam’s transformation isn’t just physical – it’s mental, emotional…What happens when you lose the human parts of yourself? What do you do when the only parts of you that keep your humanity in check are now artificial?”
In addition to the one-shot, the Kickstarter campaign offers a few unique art piece options (including a limited number of blank cover sketch commissions), which will feature the main characters of the comic: Adam and Olivia.
“Adam is the POV character for the first chapter, but the story changes slightly. Years pass and Adam has been up to some stuff. Maybe he’s not the hero after all? You’ll have to read the issue to find out!” teased Edward.
Advance praise for Futility Shapes:
“Futility Shapes is unsettling in the best way, disturbing in the best way, compelling and creepy while still drawing you into the story. You need to experience this one!” – D.B. Andry (Resonant, Crush Depth, and Morning Star)
“Very unique and engaging! The art is killer.” – Zac Thompson (Into the Unbeing, Alien Romulus)
The Kickstarter campaign launches March 25th, follow to be notified of the launch and take advantage of early bird specials.