Own a Piece of Zoop

Click here

Dead Dreams: The Lucid Chronicles #1

by Brittany Matter & Dailen Ogden

Looking to live out her dreams of becoming an actress, timid Piña Axletree takes a tonic and wakes up in a parallel world, leading a drug syndicate. Will she run back to the familiar doldrums of her reality or become a more ruthless version of herself to achieve her dreams?

In the vein of ORPHAN BLACK and FRINGE, Dead Dreams: The Lucid Chronicles #1 is a 32-page sci-fi thriller where parallel worlds exist, dreams are drugs, and doppelgängers dare to change the world. Joining writer Brittany Matter (Off Into The Sunset), artist Dailen Ogden (Wifwulf), variant cover artist Liana Kangas (Star Wars Adventures, Trve Kvlt), letterer Gabriela Downie (Harleen), editor Heather Ayres (Spitting Image), layout artist Hari Conner (Finding Home), designers Sasha E. Head (Decorum), AndWorld Design (Fearscape, Clear), flatter Drew Wills (Wifwulf) and marketing coordinator James B. Emmett (The Deadliest Bouquet).

$4,039

supported of $3,500

154

supporters

Close video

EXPLORE OUR Rewards

(Click on images to expand)

$6

53

claimed

Digital PDF

Get the digital PDF of the 32-page comic including Dailen Ogden’s Cover A, Liana Kangas' Cover B, a...

$12

37

claimed

Cover A

Get the 32-page comic featuring Dailen Ogden’s Cover A and creator process interviews, plus the digi...

$15

24

claimed

Cover B by Liana Kangas

Get the 32-page comic featuring Liana Kangas’ Cover B and creator process interviews, plus the digit...

$20

19

claimed

Covers A + B

Get both Covers A (Ogden) and B (Kangas), plus the digital PDF of each.

$24

11

claimed

Cover A, Enamel Pin + Bookmark

Get the 32-page comic featuring Dailen Ogden's Cover A and creator process interviews, a dreamy glow...

$35

16

claimed

A Collector's Dream

Get BOTH covers by Ogden and Kangas, physical and digital, plus the bookplate, enamel pin, and the d...

$25

3 / 24

claimed

Signed Limited Edition Kangas Print

Get Liana Kangas' virgin cover B print. Size 5x7, signed and numbered by Liana. Only 24 available!

$50

3

claimed

Retailer Bundle (10 copies at 58% off)

Comic book retailers, bookstores, and teachers get 10 copies at 58% off featuring Dailen Ogden's Cov...

$1

51

claimed

Tip Jar

If you’d like to add a little extra support, it’ll help make our dreams come true! Increase in incre...

ADD-ONS

These items are only available once you have selected at least one primary Reward listed above.

$12

6

claimed

Glow-in-the-dark Rainbow Enamel Pin

Get this glow-in-the-dark dreamy enamel pin made with rainbow anodized metal! Features soft enamel,...

$3

12

claimed

Double-Sided Bookmark

Save your place in the parallel world with this double-sided bookmark inspired by the cover, featuri...

$150

0 / 5

claimed

Editorial Consultation with Brittany Matter

Writer and editor Brittany Matter will edit your pitch synopsis (limit one page), plus offer overall...

$7

6

claimed

Signed Commemorative Bookplate

Get the Dead Dreams Commemorative Bookplate, signed by Dailen and Brittany. Art by Dailen Ogden!

The Story

 

Parallel universes collide when timid Piña Axletree seeks to live out her dreams. Her guide is the Dead Dreams booth, replete with seemingly innocuous dream tonics that launch her into a more exciting parallel universe. Too busy to notice the power of these tonics, or an undercover detective investigating their origin, are booth vendors Avae, Jolie, and Sable, who all have their own ambitions…

 

Meanwhile, Piña explores this new world which is ripe with mystery, intrigue, and horrors. Will she run back to the familiar doldrums of her reality, or become a more ruthless version of herself to achieve her dreams? 

 

The Cast

 

 

Brought together by seemingly innocuous dream tonics, these wandering souls are about to embark on an adventure with doppelgängers, a parallel universe, and choices they never dreamed of having to make.

 

 

Meet their parallel universe doppelgängers, some of whom are part of The Oneiroi, an elusive syndicate of drug dealers. Their drug of choice: dreams. Membership to such a secretive group demands sacrifice, and each unscrupulous member has paid the price, stopping at nothing to gain more power.

Preview

 

 

 

 

10% Donation

 

On the surface, Dead Dreams is a story that answers the question: What if a dream launched you into a parallel world where you could live your doppelgänger’s life? Underneath, the story explores how doppelgängers raised in abusive environments make different life-altering choices. As a person who experienced abuse, I wanted to examine the seemingly inescapable cycle of the adage “hurt people hurt people” through these doppelgängers and also how to heal.

 

Since this story was partly inspired by my experiences with abuse, we’ll be donating 10% of the funds raised to Kathy’s Legacy Foundation, an organization that provides protection for victims of domestic violence and supports surviving children and pets. They’ve been doing great work for the last decade and I believe in their commitment to inspire dreams, restore normalcy, and revive hope.

 

With your help, we can make this dream become a reality.

Creators

 

 

WRITER: BRITTANY MATTER is a multi-genre writer and editor living in the Pacific Northwest. She currently contributes to Marvel.com, and her writing explores themes of death and rebirth, the cycle of violence, and overcoming fears. She loves feeding hummingbirds and taking care of her loved ones. (she/her ) Twitter: @brittanymatter

 

ARTIST: DAILEN OGDEN is a freelance comic artist, writer, and illustrator based in Colorado. Dailen is known for her esoteric art and comics, and spends her free time collecting houseplants and raising a Shepherd puppy. (she/her, they/them) Twitter: @DailenOgden

 

LETTERER: GABRIELA DOWNIE, daughter of central American refugees, born and raised in the heart of Los Angeles. She has two black cats that appear when summoned and can talk to plants. She has invisible devil horns that hold up her brilliant halo, and what seems like a cintiq pen in her hand is actually the deadliest sword ever crafted. (she/her) Twitter: @HARMZ_sh

 

EDITOR: HEATHER AYRES Originally from Flagstaff, AZ, Heather Ayres is a writer crafting stories across genres and media including creative non-fiction, novels, and graphic novels. Her work explores themes of intersectional feminism, mortality, equality, and fantasy. Her writing has been seen in publications such as Image+ Magazine and Creative Colloquy. She currently lives in Tacoma, Wa. (she/her) Instagram: @__helloheather

 

FLATTER: DREW WILLS is a comic book flatter and colorist from New Mexico. When he's not working on comic books, he's either doing visual effects for Marvel movies, editing podcasts, or trying to find the exact right shade of orange. (he/him) Twitter: @WillsandDrew

 

MARKETING COORDINATOR: JAMES B. EMMETT is a freelance comic book editor based out of Brooklyn, NY. He is the editor of the series Stained, I Am Hexed, and The Deadliest Bouquet. His clients have included Marvel Entertainment, 451 Media, Mezco Toyz, Good Hero, Wayward Raven, and more! (he/him) Twitter: @jamesbemmett

 

DESIGNER: ANDWORLD DESIGN is the comic-based design and production studio founded by veteran letterer Deron Bennett. Offering a range of services, they serve an extensive list of clients including BOOM!, Z2, Image, Dark Horse, Vault, IDW, Oni Press, AHOY, and DC Comics, and Amazon Publishing. AndWorld’s team of artists have garnered three Harvey nominations, three Eisner nods, and multiple Ringo nominations. Twitter: @andworlddesign

 

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: LIANA KANGAS is a freelance comic artist, illustrator and writer, with credits such as Star Wars Adventures for IDW, 2000AD, and Z2, as well as original titles such as She Said Destroy (Vault), Seeds of Eden (TKO) and Trve Kvlt. Their work has been featured in award-winning anthologies published by Image Comics and A Wave Blue World. (they/her) Twitter: @lianakangas Website: https://www.lianakangas.com

 

THE FINE PRINT SQUAD: Award-winning comic artist and illustrator Hari Conner (Finding Home) created the composition and layouts for the first six pages of issue #1 and initial character designs. Graphic designer and artist Sasha E. Head (Decorum) created the logo, the in-world symbols, and the issue’s overall aesthetic. Comics writer Milton Lawson (Thompson Heller: Detective Interstellar) produced the Dead Dreams trailer. The music in the trailer is from audionetwork, “Celestarium 5”  by Jody Jenkins. Artist Rio Burton (Deadbeats) will be tackling the portrait commissions for supporters who want to become their evil doppelgänger.

Testimonials

 

 

 

 

 

 

Budget

 

Since this comic is 100% completed, all the creators have been paid, except the commission artist who will get paid once the funds are received. The funds raised will go towards printing and fulfillment (which Zoop will be handling), plus 10% of the total funds raised will be donated to Kathy’s Legacy Foundation.

Stretch Goals

 

 

 

Timeline

 

Dead Dreams: The Lucid Chronicles #1 is completed! That’s right, all the art and lettering, the design, everything is all ready to go. Once funded, and after I receive funds from Zoop, which takes a month, the book will be sent to the printer in early May. The books will then, hopefully, ship in June.

 

Once physical rewards are shipped, digital rewards will be shared. The “Become Your Evil Doppelgänger” commissions will commence in May, and will be completed in time to ship in June with the physical rewards.

Risks

 

There are risks with every crowdfunded campaign, but the ones I can foresee include the global supply chain disruption and paper shortage issues, which can impact the delivery of physical rewards. These issues are currently causing delays across the entire publishing industry, therefore, getting this book printed and out the door is dependent on the current status of those things. I’m mentally prepared for those possible delays, and I hope you are too!

 

DISCLAIMER: Please do not create Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) of any art, digital or physical, received through this campaign. Any NFTs made from the art created for this campaign would be a direct violation of the creators’ rights.  Any unauthorized use of the art without the creators expressed permission would be a violation of U.S. Copyright laws and prosecutable.

Frequently asked questions

Yes! We encourage you to get more than 1 item! That could be multiple copies of the same reward, or you can mix and match rewards! There is no limit, unless otherwise stated in the reward description.

Our campaigns are for a worldwide audience unless stated otherwise in the campaign. All international orders are sold with the terms DAP (Delivered At Place). You are responsible for any duties and taxes required for the shipment's entry into your country. Our carriers may require you to pay taxes and fees related to importation and customs brokerage of your shipment -- but if your item is really low in value, it may fall under the customs de minimis of most countries. For more information, please contact USPS

Zoop does not store or keep your credit card info. Stripe simply holds the credit card info until the end of a successful campaign and then charges it. It is strictly for this one time use and won't charge it ever again.

You can either access the transaction through your account and click the cancel button, or contact us at hello@wearezoop.com and we'll cancel it for you and send back a confirmation email.

 

Cancellations of rewards or add-ons of $500 or more must be made before there are 72 hours left in the campaign. The reason for this is it can have a negative effect on the tally of the campaign. If it is a limited reward or add-on, there may not be sufficient time for someone else to purchase it, leaving the campaign possibly not funded. We ask for your courtesy of the people running the campaign when making these decisions.

Please use the notes section in the last checkout step or you could e-mail us at hello@wearezoop.com with that info during the campaign if you'd like to get it out of the way. Otherwise, we'll be reaching out to all supporters of rewards that require feedback shortly after the campaign is over.

If you want to make changes, you should first cancel your original order and then start over with a new one. If you don't do that and simply process an additional order, the way our system is currently set up you may end up being overcharged for shipping -- which we could remedy for you, but it just takes that extra step of catching it and crediting you back the extra shipping, so please try the prior way first.

Rewards are the priority items that the creators have chosen for the campaign. Add-Ons are meant to be secondary items that are 'unlocked' after you buy something from the Reward level. There are no restrictions on buying Rewards, but you can only buy Add-Ons if you've bought a Reward. Zoop sets this up under the direction of the creators. Some may choose to only have Rewards, some may choose an even balance of Rewards and Add-Ons, and others may choose to only have one or two Rewards with the rest of the items being Add-Ons.

Since we have an a la carte rewards system, shipping rates will vary from supporter to supporter. We use a weight-based calculation system in your checkout cart, though, so, after you enter your country, you'll be able to see it calculated in real time with each item you add.

No - this is it! We're essentially your in-campaign pledge manager. If you are interested in supporting these creators, this is the time to do it!  And it's the exact reason we allow you to purchase as many rewards as you want during the campaign!