isaac cates – Lucy Bellwood

So I just got word from our fearless editor Isaac Cates that Cartozia Tales #1 is hot off the press and headed out TODAY! Here’s a couple phone-quality photos of the first issue:

FirstIssue — Leah Palmer Preiss’s incredible cover illustration!

BQijD-ICQAEBtLW.jpg-large — A page from my first story, Above.

You can still snag a copy for the pre-order sale price ($5!) until Isaac starts shipping orders in earnest, so be sure to grab one THIS VERY SECOND! Seriously, initial support is crucial to the continuation of this series, which will run for a whole year (and possibly more), so the more the merrier at this point. Plus, I’m super proud of all the work that went into this and I think the contributors are all a buncha badasses, so, y’know. There’s that.

We’ll also be launching a Kickstarter later this month, but subscriptions and single issues are cheaper if you order straight through the store right now, so get to it!

And since we just can’t stop, here’s a couple panels from my story for the second issue, which I just wrapped up earlier this week:

TippingPointPreview — You might remember Reshii from the paper doll cards I posted a while ago. He’s a confident navigator.

TippingPoint2_Preview — Unfortunately confident navigation isn’t always the best strategy when you’re trying to find your way out of The China Labyrinth.

Want to know more about Reshii and his quest? You can catch the first part of his story, illustrated by Sarah Becan, in Issue 1. My piece for Issue 2 explores the mysteries of the China Labyrinth, which was one of my absolute favorite places to design. I’m hoping to do a little “Learn More” featurette about its unique ecosystem somewhere in Issue 2. Keep your eyes peeled.

Cartozia Forever!

As if there weren’t enough stuff already going on this week, the official announcement for Cartozia Tales has just gone live! Seven core cartoonists (and several special guests) have been hard at work creating the world you see here over the past few months, and soon we’ll be releasing the first issue of our brand-new, all-ages fantasy series set therein.

The stories are divided up into map quadrants and shared randomly among contributors, so each issue will pair artists with new environments and characters. I’m very excited to be working alongside creators like Dylan Horrocks, Jen Vaughn, Isaac Cates, Sarah Becan and many others. My story for issue one should be finished before the week is out — here are some preliminary sketches:

I’ll share more sneak previews as and when I can. In the meantime, consider signing up as a regular subscriber to receive the first ten issues and help guarantee the continuation of the project.

See you in Cartozia!

Tag: isaac cates

Cartozia #1 Pre-Orders & Issue 2 Previews!

Welcome to Cartozia!