Preview Pages For TRUE WAR STORIES From Z2 Comics

TRUE WAR STORIES FULLY FUNDED WITHIN A WEEK OF LAUNCH ON KICKSTARTER!   Alex De Campi’s Latest Project Collecting True Tales of Deployment Announces Stretch Goals; Reveals New Art NEW YORK, NY–Z2’s diverse 20/21 publishing slate continues to be revealed with projects from today’s biggest names in entertainment. Today, the publisher announces that that the ambitious project pairing members of the US military with the biggest names in comics to share real war stories told by those who lived them has reached its goal via the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform. This unique project, assembled by the multiple-Eisner nominated writer/editor, Alex de Campi and co-edited by Iraq War veteran Khai Krumbhaar is an entertaining and moving work of graphic nonfiction with new stretch goals added!   “I’m thrilled the book funded so fast. TRUE WAR STORIES is a passion project of mine that Khai and I have been working quietly on for almost three years now, and it’s incredibly validating that audiences are as interested in these stories as we are” comments Alex de Campi. “I’m hoping word spreads and we continue to reach our stretch goals — the book is out in time for the holidays and at $35 for a 250-page hardback book of soldiers’ stories brought to life with amazing art, it makes a great gift for yourself and/or for friends and family.”   “We put a lot of work into matching art to story and making our authors part of the whole process” says the project’s co-editor, Khai Krumbhaar. “If someone spotted a mistake during coloring, we would go back to the linework to make sure we got it absolutely right. We want the authors to feel like the art reflects their experience in tone as much as fact. I think people are responding to that attention to detail, and that's why we hit our goal this quickly.”   In conjunction with this exciting project reaching the initial funding goal, Z2 announces these new stretch goals:   $25,000: Deployment portrait sketches by Richard Johnson sketches added as chapter endcaps between stories. These gorgeous pieces are drawn in the moment and embody the very spirit of this project, real people in real situations portrayed in art. $30,000: Sewn in ribbon bookmark, as well as an exclusive set of five postcards taken from the book’s stunning interiors.   Vietcong sappers attack a fuel point, only to be foiled by an unusual alert guard dog. An MP guards convoys of mystery bombs in the Thai jungle in 1968. A young Airman copes with post-9/11 paranoia in Okinawa. A Marine sniper in Haiti faces the repercussions of the shot he never took. A team of SEALs help rescue a kidnapped girl in the Philippines. Army interpreters in Iraq battle their toughest foe: the rats of Saddam’s palace. A soldier on a late-night run surprises a motorpool saboteur. A young cavalry lieutenant, fresh off the Battle of Kamdesh, meets the Marine half-brother he’s never known. A Navy ship reacts to an unexpected man overboard. And if you’ve ever wondered what Christmas was like in a war zone, you’re about to find out.   True War Stories is a 260-page full color graphic novel anthology containing fifteen true tales of American service members overseas. Nearly every branch of the military is represented in this collection of stories that are heartwarming, heroic, harrowing, and even at times, hilarious, spanning the globe.    True War Stories will be published by Z2 Comics in time for Veterans Day in November. All profits from the book's retail release will be donated to military-related charities chosen by our contributors as personally meaningful to them: Objective Zero Foundation, Air Force Assistance Fund, the USO, Armed Services Arts Partnership, and Special Operations Warrior Foundation.   Artists include the great Peter Krause, Ryan Howe, Skylar Patridge (drawing her own father's Vietnam story), Eoin Marron, Tish Doolin (a former Army medic), Dave Acosta, A. D'Amico, Drew Moss, Josh Hood, PJ Holden, Chris Peterson, Sam Hart, Jeff McComsey, and Paul Williams. Colors are by Dee Cunniffe, Matt Soffe, Kelly Fitzpatrick, Tarsis Cruz, and Aladdin Collar. All lettering is done by de Campi herself.   For more information, please visit the Kickstarter page.   ###     About Z2 Comics: Z2 is the premier destination for top quality music-based comics and graphic novels, having worked across genres to deliver an authentic experience to diverse audiences. Some of the publisher’s best-selling books include Apocrypha: The Legend of BABYMETAL, YUNGBLUD Presents: The Twisted tales of the Ritalin Club and Eden: A Skillet Graphic Novel, alongside debut works of graphic fiction by Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), Andy Biersack (Black Veil Brides), DJ Paul Oakenfold, internet sensation Poppy, jazz trumpeter Dave Chisholm and others. Z2’s upcoming works include books created with partnership with The Grateful Dead, Sturgill Simpson and others.