A simple spark sets in motion a power struggle ablaze in conflict. Fully painted by Daren Bader and written by Lance HaunRogue!
Thanks to all of our supporters for reaching our initial goal!
Welcome to our Tribes of Kai Kickstarter campaign! Our goal is to give you great value for your support. Please read on to learn about the book details, the trade and deluxe editions, the second book titled Pridelands, our bonus items including the Tribes of Kai Ashcan and sticker, our stretch goals and all about Daren Bader and Lance Haunrogue. Plus, we have plenty of sample art to view. We appreciate you visiting!
Stretch Goal #3: If we hit the $13,000 mark we will upgrade the binding of the Tribes of Kai deluxe edition to a fancy fabric material, and have an onlaid art plate set onto the center of the cover, as well as special title stamping!
Stretch Goal #1 Unlocked: We will add a slipcase to the Tribes of Kai deluxe edition!
Stretch Goal #2 Unlocked: We will increase the dimensions of the Pridelands collection from 5.5 x 8.5 in. to 8.5 x 11 in.! The cover price will remain the same at only $10.00.
Tribes of Kai trade edition book cover.
About Tribes of Kai
The Mantakai prepare for a ritualistic rite of passage in which a new lord is to be chosen to rule over their five united tribes. The Tribes of Kai is a multi-layered graphic novel about honor, integrity and the trappings of war in which extreme circumstances call for unbridled decisions and finding the strength to cope with them. This is a barbaric and primitive world where the survival of the fittest is put to the test.
Artist Daren Bader and writer Lance HaunRogue bring this world to life with lush detail and an incredible sense of pace, color and lighting. They introduce the Mantakai (Man of Kai), a race of six-limbed, feline/humanoid, anthropomorphic creatures. The dominance of the five individual tribes of Mantakai are threatened by a highly evolved race of reptilian creatures called the Tobognai.
Tribes of Kai is an oversized, full-color hardbound book boasting sixty exciting pages of story and pinups by top creators.
Tribes of Kai, page 1. Features sixty fully painted pages by Daren Bader!
Tribes of Kai, pages 2 and 3. The art and story are complete!
Tribes of Kai, pages 10 and 11. Over 5 years in the making!
Book Editions
There will be two editions for Tribes of Kai.
1. Tribes of Kai Trade Edition
The trade edition is an 80 page hardcover book at 8 x 12 inches with a $24.95 cover price.
2. Tribes of Kai Signed Deluxe Edition in Slipcase
The deluxe edition is limited to 500 copies and includes a 16 page bonus section with concept art and additional text that delves into character and environmental details, the backstory, and the creation and development process of this, new and original action-filled story. This special edition is a 96 page hardcover book. A special upgraded binding and a slipcase will be included if we hit our first stretch goal. Each copy comes signed by Daren Bader and Lance Haunrogue on a special bonus page. The cover price is $50.00.
Tribes of Kai sketches sample that will be included in the deluxe edition.
Pridelands Collection
See where Tribes of Kai began with Pridelands. This story was written by Lance and painted by Daren in 1998, then published in Frank Frazetta: Fantasy Illustrated Magazine #4 and 5. We have rescanned these painted pages direct from the original art. We want to make this new 32-page collection showcasing the original art just as if you were viewing them in person–on the boards without the text. Pridelands will be a 5.5 x 8.5 inch paperback with a cover price of $10.00. This collection will only happen if we hit our initial Kickstarter goal. And we will increase the dimensions and improve the binding if we hit a future stretch goal!
After Pridelands was published Daren and Lance had the dream to expand, repaint and rewrite the story. Tribes of Kai is the result.
Pridelands, page 5. Reproduced as the original boards.
Pridelands, pages 14 and 15 direct from the original.
At left: Tribes of Kai repainted page for the new 2015 graphic novel. At right: Pridelands, the original page for the 1998 edition.
Original Art Reward Tiers
Daren Bader is making three original oils available as Original Art Combo Packs. These oil paintings will be reproduced in the deluxe edition.
He will also be doing an original drawing and watercolor inside a limited number of the deluxe edition books on the front endpaper. (See the Original Sketch Combo Packs to pledge.) These drawings will feature one character from Tribes of Kai. The composition and character will be chosen by Daren. No special requests please.
Original Art Combo Pack #1: Tiger, oil, 11 x 14 inches on masonite.
Original Art Combo Pack #2: Puma, oil, 11 x 14 inches on masonite.
Original Art Combo Pack #3: Panther, oil, 10 x 10 inches on masonite.
Daren Bader sample drawing for the Original Sketch Drawing Combo Pack. The character drawn will be one featured in Tribes of Kai and drawn on the front endpaper of the deluxe edition.
Daren Bader sample drawing for the Original Sketch Watercolor Combo Pack. The character painted will be one featured in Tribes of Kai and drawn on the front endpaper of the deluxe edition.
Artist Gallery Section Included in Trade and Deluxe Editions!
Both the trade and deluxe editions will feature a bonus gallery section with Tribes of Kai pinup art works by Thomas Babbey, Raul Cabrales, Frank Cho, David Hong, Petar Meseldzija, Christopher Moeller, Mark Nelson, Dave Palumbo, Hethe Srodawa, Justin Sweet, Julie Bell and Boris Vallejo. A portion of these Kickstarter proceeds will go to each of these artists for their respective contributions.
Tribes of Kai pinup by Frank Cho. This and nearly a dozen more pieces by top creators will be included in a special gallery section.
Kickstarter Bonus Items
1. All books shipped to an address in the U.S.A. receive free shipping by USPS Postal Service Media Mail with tracking.
2. Bonus print. We will include an 8 x 10 inch print featuring a painting by Daren Bader with every Kickstarter pledge.
Stretch Goals
Thanks to our supporters for reaching our initial goal! We will be adding cool new bonus items as we receive more support!
Unlocked! Stretch Goal #1: If we reach the $8,000 mark, we will add a slipcase to the Tribes of Kai deluxe edition!
Stretch Goal #2 Unlocked: We will increase the dimensions of the Pridelands collection from 5.5 x 8.5 in. to 8.5 x 11 in.! The cover price will remain the same at only $10.00.
Stretch Goal #3: If we hit the $13,000 mark we will upgrade the binding of the Tribes of Kaideluxe edition to a fancy fabric material, and have an onlaid art plate set onto the center of the cover, as well as special title stamping!
Stretch Goal #4 will be to upgrade Pridelands from a saddle-stich (staple) binding to a sewn perfect binding (paperback book with a spine).
Stretch Goal #5 will be a surprise! And your gonna love it!
Reward Delivery Date
The book will be shipped by the end of August 2015. The art and story are done. We are designing the book right now. Should we meet our goal, the book will be sent to the printer the day after the campaign ends.
Lance’s Thoughts on Daren:
“I met Daren in 1990 while working as an animator in San Diego, at what was to be the first fulltime “professional” art gig for the both of us. We became very close almost immediately and we have witnessed each others lives and careers firsthand over the last 25 years. Aside from that incredible bond, Daren has also been a huge inspiration to me as an artist.
“Daren is extremely talented (as can be seen throughout this book) he is also very hard-working and he is constantly striving to improve on his abilities. I have learned so much just be watching him continually grow as an artist.
“Working with Daren is extremely rewarding. He can create anything that I describe, and he usually exceeds all expectations with a complexity and realism that is firmly grounded in a world of fantasy. He always gives back to our stories with incredible ideas of his own, and he fills in the blanks with subtlety and nuance that is hard to describe, maybe we have developed an intuitive way of communicating over time, but he just “gets it” and he nails it. From the angles that he chooses, to a character’s expression or pose, to his palette and masterful lighting…it is a sixth sense that he has for mood, pace and storytelling.
“In short, Daren is like a brother, and Daren just rocks!”
Why Kickstarter?
John: “What Kickstarter offers, first and foremost, is a chance to build connections and goodwill with our supporters. It affords us the opportunity to connect, create and give to our supporters in a direct and personal way that makes the process more enjoyable than if we were simply working behind closed doors. It is also gratifying to have the opportunity to continually add value to the book and gifts through stretch goals for your support. And to me, we aren’t making a product, we are making a unique art book that we can be proud of and that we hope will be cherished by our supporters.”
Why you should trust Flesk Publications? John answers:
“I pride myself on having a thirteen year record of delivering over sixty books of the highest quality. We have run four previous Kickstarter campaigns, one with Brom and Mark Schultz, both of which were delivered on time. Our third campaign was with Frank Cho and a fourth with Petar Meseldzija for his Book of Giants (at the printer now). We were two weeks late shipping the Cho books due to the books being stuck on the docks due to a California port crisis. Things don’t always go exactly as planned in the publishing world. Much of the time they do, but sometimes an unexpected problem or delay arises. In the rare case that this happens, simply put, I deal with it and find a way to get the job done. I am very open about any challenges and like to share in the process so people know what’s going on. I don’t like surprises, and don’t feel anyone else should either. I respect the artist, and our supporters too much to let them down. The good thing is that I’ve published over sixty books and I know how to get them shipped and delivered, and I know how to manage a schedule and keep projects on track, and I will stay motivated and energized to get the books into your hands when I said I would. Bottom line, I would not have been around this long without an excellent track record.”