Kickstarting... very, very soon.

Well, it's lunchtime at my day job as I write this, so we're about seven hours away from the launch of the Kickstarter! A lot of my friends have been asking me how I'm feeling. The truth is, I'm feeling a very distinct combination of joy, excitement and sheer terror. In a future blog (or blogs), I thought I'd go more in depth about the origins and development of Eon Quest. But, for now I can say that I've been working in earnest on the toy line since March. So, at the very least, today represents the culmination of seven months of work. But, in a very real way, it represent a hell of a lot more than that. Some of the characters (and the name Eon Quest) have their origins more than nineteen years ago. I'd be lying if I didn't say there isn't a lot riding on this. I've invested a fair amount dollar-wise, true, but there is definitely an emotional component as well.

"Vanguard" reference sketch. This was given to the comic artists as reference for the appearance of the ship the heroes use to fly around in. 

Whenever you're putting something you created out there, you're taking a chance on how people will react to it or perceive it. Having a background in graphic design, though, I'm used to having my work judged. You have to learn quickly to take feedback (good and bad) and use it effectively. It's very easy to let the negative stuff throw you off balance or get you down. Maybe the biggest balancing act as a creative person you have to do is to learn to recognize when negative feedback is something you should listen to and adapt your work to and when it's just a difference of opinion that you shouldn't let dissuade you from a particular path. That being said, even with the background I have, this is a slightly different animal, too. It's certainly more personal, in a way.

Deck plan of the Vanguard. This was created mostly to get the geography of the Vanguard straight from a storytelling perspective.

Thankfully, so far the overall feedback has been mostly positive or, at the very least, thoughtful or considered. I don't expect that to last forever, but I wouldn't be disappointed if it did! At the end of the day, though, I'm very prepared for some people to either not really get what the project is about or just plain ol' dislike it. I think that's only natural, and a by product of trying to do something a bit different in the current toy collector climate. One of the nice things about doing an indie toy line is that you're in the driver's seat and you CAN do something different. On this particular project, especially, there's just one guy (me) making all the choices and executing a large portion of the work. So, with no focus groups or corporate partners or strategies to adhere to, Eon Quest gets to be exactly what I wanted it to be. So whether it succeeds or fails, it's true to my vision if nothing else. I can honestly say I've put every ounce of creative effort I have into the line and the Kickstarter. Every thing I've learned about Marketing in the day job, I've tried to bring to this project.

Alchemris's Star Chariot - I designed each of the heroes was designed a personal transport that they arrive in at the start of the comic. You barely see them in the first panel of the first comic (and the Kickstarter video) but you'll probably see them again.

Very shortly, it'll mostly be out of hands. I'll still be blogging and tweeting and Facebooking and doing everything else I can to spread the word, don't you worry. But now is when the rubber meets the road. Where the proof is found in the pudding. Or not found, as the case may be. Now is when the question that has been coursing through my brain for months (Are there enough people out there who want this?) will get an answer. Now, it's up to you. And I think I'm leaving the fate of Eon Quest in good hands. And, with that thought, the little well of terror that creep in with all the good stuff pre-Kickstarter subsides greatly.

Rough digital mock-up of the packaging for the Eon Quest line.

Again, thanks in advance to everyone who checks the Kickstarter out. So this just isn't a wall of text, I've decided to pepper the blog with some of the behind the scenes stuff I've been posting since the last blog. I'll do this from time to time, just for those who maybe don't follow the daily grind.

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