Earlier this year, the Kickstarter campaign for The Expanse: Dragon Tooth from comic publisher BOOM! Studios became one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns for a comic project ever, pulling in over $1 million from more than 12,000 backers. Though it didn’t quite surpass the amount reached by the previous BOOM! Kickstarter for Keanu Reeves‘s BRZRKR, it came darn close. So it won’t come as a surprise that today BOOM! Studios announced the launch of its third crowdfunding campaign (or, as the publisher calls it, BOOM! Direct Reserve Campaign) of the year, a comics adaptation of Hunt for the Skinwalker nonfiction book from writer Zac Thompson and artist Valeria Burzo.
First published in 2005, the groundbreaking nonfiction book Hunt For The Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah by Dr. Colm A. Kelleher and veteran journalist George Knapp chronicled their investigation into the isolated Gorman Ranch and shed light on its litany of bizarre and dangerous anomalies to a huge global audience. Kelleher and Knapp’s book not only led to a 2018 documentary but also to the creation of the largest official UFO program in history, funded by the United States government.
According to the official BOOM! Studios press release:
The reverberations of Kelleher and Knapp’s captivating work have echoed across pop culture, influencing and inspiring storytellers in television, film, comic books, audio dramas, and other mediums resulting in some of the most critically-acclaimed and commercially successful new pieces of fiction in recent years. Now, BOOM! Studios proudly presents the first official fictional extension produced in direct collaboration with Kelleher and Knapp as a comic book series and graphic novel, visualizing the mind-blowing occurrences for the first time. The BOOM! Direct Reserve Campaign also includes an expanded, premium hardcover edition of the groundbreaking book ahead of its 20th anniversary alongside an assortment of limited edition merchandise.
Dr. Kelleher expressed great excitement about returning to the project:
“George Knapp and I are delighted to be introducing and telling the true story of Hunt for the Skinwalker to a new audience of graphic novel readers. I am excited to delve into the bizarre and the weird and to acquaint readers with the terrifying world that exists on the periphery of our day-to-day realities. The authenticity of Hunt for the Skinwalker is what makes it so powerful and why I am so thrilled to be working with the BOOM! team in producing this new series.”
Co-author George Knapp elaborated:
“Our book detailed the first significant scientific study of the Utah Ranch. We had no idea it would directly inspire the creation of the largest government funded UFO-centric investigation in US history (AAWSAP) or the subsequent UFO investigations that followed and reignited the intense, still-growing public interest in UAPs and related mysteries. We are thrilled to work with the BOOM! team to bring the true story of the ranch to a new generation of readers via an exciting and colorful graphic novel platform,”
President of Publishing & Marketing, Filip Sablik, added:
“Hunt For The Skinwalker is such a seminal work of nonfiction, we wanted this BOOM! Direct Reserve campaign to reflect the effort and dedication Colm, George, and the entire paranormal community has put into investigating Gorman Ranch as the epicenter of a seemingly limitless barrage of overlapping and interconnected supernatural occurrences. Zac and Valeria are creating a perfect companion to the original book, visualizing the unbelievable true events for the first time, which appeals equally to longtime students of the unexplainable and new readers just dipping their toes into the paranormal pool.”
The Kickstarter campaign for Hunt for the Skinwalker Expanded Edition & Graphic Novel BOOM! Direct Reserve Campaign is live now and will continue for 30 days, with special surprises, product reveals, and hidden stretch goals to be announced all month long.
